Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken -Ecclesiastes 4:12

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Judgement and Grace

Judgement and Grace is the theme of Genesis beginning in chapter 3. We've all read Genesis many times. I've always seen the sin of Adam and Eve to be the eating of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, or the decision to do so. In my recent rereading of Genesis and study, I had an aha moment. The true sin of humankind in the Garden of Eden is their decision to "be like God"and to not trust Him. This was a choice to self-determine life's limits. Wow! Does this sound familiar? When questioned, Adam blamed Eve telling God, "the woman whom you gave to be with me". He then further blames God for giving him the woman. God's judgement was the loss of Eden and they also had to wear animal skins (along with other "human" qualities).

We are closer to the sin of our earliest ancestors than we think.

The judgement of God was swift and notable. The most painful of them must have been their removal from the presence of God. We have to remember, though, that these punishments didn't mean humankind was without His grace and mercy. God could have ended their lives, but he showed mercy by allowing them to live with the covering of animal skins and laborious work. How often do we allow ourselves to self-determine our limits? Or how often do we try to be like God by not trusting Him?

I've been known to say "I don't have time to read the Bible" or "I will pray later". Both of these are self-determining life's limits. It is saying to God, "I don't trust in You enough to read the Bible now and pray fervently". I know some of you are with me on this experience. We always think we have tomorrow. Plan to trust God today!

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