The Promise of a Savior

When “the Fall” happened in Genesis 3, life as it was known got flipped on its head. Adam and Eve went from living in the paradise of Eden with God to being removed from Eden living in the chaos they chose. They went from The Tree of Life to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, chaos of the mind. God didn’t abandon and reject them though.

The first thing He did was promise that He would right the wrong that had been done. We are on dot one and Jesus is already brought into the picture! Genesis 3:15 is a prophecy of Jesus. He is the offspring that will strike the serpent's head, while his heel is struck, a deadly blow vs. a temporarily debilitating blow.

He then gave them consequences that matched their actions. Eve, Adam’s help mate, did not help produce life but led him towards death. While she still has the privilege to create life from her very body it will now be painful. She longed to call the shots and will continue to, but her husband will ultimately rule as creation intended. Adam sat aside and didn’t rule like he was supposed to and ate what he was told not to, so he now has to painfully work the rest of His life for food the very thing that will give him life.

The next thing that God did was cover them. He addressed the shame that they felt from their sin and their decision. He took care of their nakedness, their vulnerability, their exposure. He met them where they were and addressed their immediate need.

The last thing God did was protect them from themselves and each other. The way to the Tree of Life was guarded and their age became limited. These 2 boundaries that God put in place helped prevent sin from becoming more than we can imagine.

From the very beginning, God had a plan to right our wrongs. From the very beginning, He did so with love and gentleness. God knows that we have messed up that we are messing up and that we will mess up. He’s not surprised. The kindness that He showed Adam and Eve when addressing their sin, their miss-the-mark moment, is how He addresses us now. The plan that God had is available to us now. Through Jesus, we have a way back to the Tree of Life.

“I am the gate. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal kill and destroy. I have come so that you may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:9-11 (CSB)

“So then, brothers and sisters, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, because if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ - if indeed we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:12-17 (CSB)

Jesus didn’t belong to the world, and with our adoption, we don’t either. We are separated from sin spiritually, while still living in a world of sin physically.

“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (CSB)

Remember that it doesn’t matter that you’re in the world, because God, through Jesus, has invited you back to the Tree of Life and equipped you with the Holy Spirit to help you live there.

* This devotional is a part of the Bible study: Conecting the Dots to Jesus - Chapter 2 Dot 1:Adam (day 2) Which can be found at: https://encouragement-prevails.ck.page/profile

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