Pray first

Read Genesis 3:7 and 21

Before we move on from Adam and Eve and sin, the fall as it is often called, there is a greater story to see. And it’s a story that points us to Jesus! 

“And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Gen 3:21).

As articulated by Albert Barnes in Barnes Notes on the Whole Bible, Adam and Eve hid from God because they knew they had made the wrong choice. They realized they had sinned against their Creator and they were ashamed. They felt the guilt of their disobedience. In their nakedness they sensed the exposure of their offense as all of creation looked upon them. They gathered fig leaves and sewed them together. They donned these fig leaf garments in an attempt to cover their nakedness and shame.

The price for their sin was much greater than a feeling of shame and guilt. And any attempt of their own to cover the guilt for their transgression against God was insufficient. We alone cannot make up for our sins. The price for sin is death. God said it when he told Adam and Eve the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis 2:17, “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat it you will certainly die.”

What is sin anyway? Clarence L. Haynes says, “In the Bible, the word sin–whether it is in Hebrew or Greek–actually means to miss the mark… The target is God’s word or commands and when we miss this target, we have committed sin.” 

We don’t hear much about sin these days. Maybe somehow our culture has determined that talking about sin is “out of style” or unkind, or hate speech. But if God is real and the Bible is true, then to not talk about sin and its consequences would be the most unkind thing I could think of. If your friend was about to jump into a fire, the kind and loving thing to do would be to warn them, to help them see that the consequences are too severe. Throughout the Bible, God’s word shows us the seriousness of sin.

Adam and Eve were commanded by God not to eat from that one tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What did they do? They ate from it anyway. They knew the command God had given them; it was clear. They chose their own way instead of the way they knew God wanted them to live. They chose to disobey God’s command. They sinned. 

What were the consequences of their sin? Remember in Genesis 2:17 God says, “… for in the day you eat of it you will surely die.”  When Adam and Eve sinned, they didn’t actually fall down dead that very instant. But they did encounter death in two ways. First there was an instant death of their perfect life and relationship with God in the Garden of Eden, a separation of them spiritually from their loving God. Secondly, they did eventually die physically. 

After Adam and Eve sinned, remember that God came to the garden asking, “Where are you?” This was their opportunity to realize they were now separated from the perfect relationship they had with God. Adam said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” Adam and Eve lost their innocent perfect relationship with God because of their disobedience. And they admitted it. Although they tried to put some of the blame for their sin on the serpent and on each other, they did confess their sin, saying, “…and I ate” (Gen 2:12) and “…and I ate” (Gen 2:13). 

Now look what God did! Because death was required for sin and because they turned back to God when He called to them, God provided a way to restore the relationship between Himself and Adam and Eve. He took one of the animals He had fashioned, sacrificed it, and used its skin to make a covering for their nakedness, shame, and guilt; a covering for their sin. In doing this, the death price of their sin was paid and God restored their relationship with Him. This sacrificial death of one of God’s own creations points to what Jesus did for all of us! He became the sacrifice for our sins. 

What happens when we sin? Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death…” So we die spiritually like Adam and Eve did. Our sin separates us from God. And eventually we die physically as well. Hebrews 9: 27 says, “…and just as it is appointed for man to die once…” We will all die one time physically. The second death is when we die without ever putting our trust in God; we are separated from God for eternity. By rejecting Jesus as the Son of God and as our Savior, God’s wrath will be on us and the punishment will be ours to bear. 

But there is GOOD NEWS! It’s not God’s desire for us to bear that eternal punishment. The second half of Romans 6:23 gives us the hope God offers: “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” His desire was to provide a way for us to escape His wrath and to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. That way of escape came through God’s son, Jesus Christ. Jesus came to earth, took all of our sin upon himself. He paid the death price for our sin on the cross. God placed His wrath for our sin upon his son Jesus, so we can have a relationship with Him both now and eternally. By this gift of God’s amazing grace we can be saved. 

Through Jesus, He made a way for us to be redeemed and forgiven for our sins. Even in the midst of our sin, God sent his son Jesus to seek and to save the lost. He sacrificed His own son to pay the price of death on the cross to not only cover our sin but to cover us with the righteousness of Jesus, to make us justified (‘just-as-if-I’d’ never done it)! Our slate is wiped clean!

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him” (Romans 5:8-9)!  

We will all die once on this earth, physically. But we can live forever in Heaven with God. If we believe, not just believe God exists, but believe in who He is and who Jesus is, and trust Him with our lives, then He will forgive our sins. We will have a relationship with God Almighty, with the Savior Jesus Christ for all of eternity. 

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

1 John 1:9 reads, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Do you now understand that you are a broken, hurting sinner? Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned.” That sin has created a gap between you and God? Do you believe that God is who He says He is and that Jesus died for your sins? You can tell that to God and commit to live all your days with Him and for Him! 

You can pray something like this: “God, I believe that you are the God of the universe, the creator, the one and only true God. I believe Jesus is your perfect son and that HE alone died to pay the debt for my sin and then rose from the dead. I am a sinner. Will you forgive me of my sins and be lord of my life? I trust you and want to follow you always.”

Now, go tell someone about your decision to follow Christ! “Tell the world of the treasure you found!”

Worship: O Come to the Altar by Elevation Worship

If you prayed the above prayer asking Jesus to be the lord of your life, I’d love for you to leave me a message in the comments on my Facebook page, Tracy Fields Todd, Writer. Then find a church to attend where you can learn more about following Christ. 

Find Tracy on Facebook at Tracy Fields Todd, Writer, and on Instagram at @tracyftodd.