Imagine Perfection (Genesis 2)
The Perfect World, Population: 2… No stress. No hate. No prejudice. Adam never worked late. Eve never nagged him about communicating better. Divorce or infidelity never occurred to her. She never wondered where God was…He was there in the Garden. He was available for walks and talks. Eve never obsessed about wrinkles or hated her cellulite. She never had to ask Adam if he still found her attractive. She was never lonely or bitter. She had the relationship God intended for all of us…a perfect relationship with Him, with Adam. And then she messed it all up.
What does it mean to be independent from God?
And Then Sin (Genesis 3)
With one bite of fruit. She lost her perfect relationship with God (Genesis 3:8); the bliss of her sinless marriage (Genesis 3:12); and her ideal home in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). Because of her sin, this mother who had never even understood the idea of evil (Genesis 3:22) would watch one son murder the other. A modern mom, would lament, “What did I do to raise such evil children? Was this my fault somehow? Why, God?” But Eve? We can never understand the depth of her guilt. She had, in fact, done the very thing that brought murderous evil into the world. She had broken her only rule. Eve alone understood the depth of her sin. And she must have been so desperate for forgiveness.
Ever felt really desperate for forgiveness?
Our Inheritance from Eve
By God’s grace Eve couldn’t comprehend the eternal effects of her sin. At that moment she had no clue how much contractions would hurt. She didn’t understand that thousands of years later women would rather have a needle in their spines than endure the full pain of childbirth. She couldn’t imagine how she would suffer when she fought with Adam or that one day we would know divorce attorneys and child support and dads who never saw their own children. God knew the enormity of her sin. But in that moment, God also knew something else: Eve, His daughter, was hurting. At that moment, He made a promise to His guilty daughter, a promise that changes everything forever. He promised a Redeemer. Protovangelium.
What does reconciled mean to you?
God Loves You, Forgiven Mom
Forgiven is an identity that changes every part of our lives. Because we’re forgiven, we have hope. Our stories don’t end with our sin, they continue to the promise of Heaven.
Because we’re forgiven, we have the power to forgive. As hard as forgiveness can be, can you imagine if we couldn’t forgive? There would be no chance to mend our relationships, no opportunity to move on.
To be forgiven means that we can stop seeing ourselves as victims, as broken. Through forgiveness, God accepts us. Without turning back, without nagging us about how much money we wasted, how much we gossiped, how surly we were, He offers us a clean slate…one that’s white as snow. That’s our inheritance from Eve.
Forgiveness changes everything.
Who specifically needs your forgiveness? Your apology?
