Complimentary Story
Out of nothing “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). This moment is when time began, matter formed, and energy was dispersed, and over the rest of that first day and the following five days, God made all that exists in the universe (Exodus 20:11). God created in innocence, which means that sin and death were not present but the possibility existed for His “very good” creation to be marred. Sure enough, the first woman, Eve, was tempted by the Serpent to eat from the one tree the first man, Adam, was commanded not to eat of. Eve, in turn, gave the fruit to Adam, who directly rebelled against God’s instruction and partook of the forbidden fruit. At that moment, their eyes were opened to evil. They had sinned!Genesis 3:7-10 tells of the aftermath: “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, ‘Where art thou?’ And he said, ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’”
There is much more than just shame of nakedness in this passage. It speaks of a recognition of sin. Man and Woman had transgressed the clear standards of God and, instead of just knowing and doing right, the tendency toward wrong and serving their selfish desires was awakened. What was created to be pure had been perverted by sin. Now they were no longer able to be in the Lord’s presence. They had died spiritually, opening a vast chasm of separation between God and humanity. Adam and Eve had tried to make leaf aprons to cover their sin, but leaves were not an effective covering. It was only God who could effectively cover their sin.
Genesis 3:21-22 states: “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.’”
The blood of an animal was shed to cover Adam and Eve’s sin. Yet, while these “coats of skins” provided a covering that applied God’s mercy, it did not rid them of their sin. Sin had driven a wedge between them and the Lord, signified by the banishing of the first couple from the Garden of Eden. There existed a greater need for a permanent solution for sin. Life had to be sacrificed as blood must be shed.
With our understanding from progressive revelation, we must be careful not to dismiss the story of redemption that predates the Law, Israel, and Abraham. It goes back to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15. The inability to recognize where the need for redemption began, with Adam’s sin, and correctly apply it to today has led to much confusions and many serious errors. Throughout history, in every one of the ways God has interacted with humanity (i.e., every dispensation), at the heart of God’s plan there was, and still is, redemption. The Old Testament foreshadowed it, while the New Testament fulfilled it.
Romans 5:12 paints the bleak picture of humanity before Christ: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Verse 14 of Romans 5 tells us that “death reigned from Adam to Moses.” Verse 20 states that from Moses to Christ “sin reigned.” So, before Christ, sin dominated and death ruled.
When we read of history before the Law, we find that Abel, Abraham, Job, Esau, and Jacob all offered blood sacrifices to cover their sin. Sin was a BIG problem. Those animal sacrifices could never completely eradicate the problem of sin in order to grant eternal life to any sinner. They could only keep an individual in good standing with God by regularly covering their sins with blood offerings.
Next month we’ll talk about atonement under the Law. For today, I want you to know that the eternal blood sacrifice necessary for the forgiveness of sins has been offered through Jesus Christ. As Ephesians 5:2 proclaims, “…as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” Christ shed His blood for the eternal forgiveness of our sins, and God accepted His sacrifice. Today, you can be forgiven forever and saved to eternal life if you will place the entirety of your faith in the fact that Christ, by His death, is your sin offering, that He was buried and rose again. Trust in His perfect sacrifice today. “We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” (Ephesians 1:7).
BEREAN BIBLE INSTITUTE
P. O. Box 587
Slinger, WI 53086
Phone: 262-644-5504
www.bereanbibleinstitute.org
E-mail: bbi@bereanbibleinstitute.org
