For the past several devotions, we’ve been taking about the original sin and the punishment for that. This devotional reading looks at some of the thoughts I’ve had over the past
Nuggets
- The man — and the woman and all of us — lost the initial salvation.
- The couple who committed the original sin were punished, but not with judgments aimed specifically at them and no one else.
- Unless we bruise the root of our disobedience, we don’t crush the head of evil.
- A long time ago, I wrote a devotion on what would have happened if the man and the woman hadn’t sinned.
Throughout the last couple of devotions, things have been swirling through my mind. You know me, I kept them in a connections file.
I thought we should take a minute and go through those.
Let's Put It into Context
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Devotions in the Celebrating Creation’s Story series
Making the Connections #1
The man — and the woman and all of us — lost the initial salvation.
God, the man, and the woman had a unique relationship. They met face to face.
We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, but the couple were kicked out of the garden (Gen. 3: 23 ESV).
If they had not lost their salvation – the perfect condition in which they were made – how could anyone who chose to sin be separated from God?
Aren’t sin and salvation are all about that? Sin makes us lose access to God. Salvation restores it.
Oh, I know. Jesus hadn’t died yet, so the Plan of Salvation wasn’t accomplished at this point.
Do you really think none of the Hall of Famers are going to be in Heaven? Noah? Abraham? Joseph? Moses? David? Jesus’s own earthly father????
The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus tells us Abraham is already in Heaven (Lk. 16: 19-31). The transfiguration showed us Moses and Elijah are still alive (Mt. 17: 1-13).
The Old Testament is all about justice. Justice is conformity to God’s standard, causing order in creation.
Old Testament salvation is based on obedience. Yet, the man wasn’t killed immediately. He was given the opportunity to repent.
God’s Word really doesn’t say the man repented, but I think he did. Just because he wasn’t allowed back in the Garden of Eden doesn’t mean he won’t be in Heaven.
Monro made an interesting observation. He wrote, “There is a popular impression, not unfrequently given children and ignorant persons, that our first parents were in a state of entire freedom from any kind of suffering.”
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In Elaine-speak, obedience – therefore salvation – was something they would have wanted to keep. Their free will should have been ruled by the desire to keep that.
But instead, they weren’t content with the status quo, implying they were experiencing from mental suffering. Both the fruit of the tree and the knowledge it would impart was attractive to the couple. If they weren’t having qualms about their obedience to God, they would have not been in this situation.
In other words, their doubts would have sabotaged their contentment. Their disobedience was neither sudden nor unpremeditated to some degree.
Think of it this way. The couple chose what they could see rather than choose to modify their actions.
Making the Connections #2
The couple who committed the original sin were punished, but not with judgments aimed specifically at them and no one else.
That is true. All women suffer in childbirth and are to be submissive to their husbands. All men must struggle to earn a living. All suffer the consequences and results of sin.
All men must work for a living, and that work became more difficult after the fall. All – regardless of gender – experience physical death. “And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9: 27 NLT).
While they did feel the punishment of the judgments, none were limited to them alone. Humankind has suffered from the punishments in all times since then.
God’s Word tells us about that. “I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations” (Ex. 34: 7 NLT).
Sin changes the person who committed the sin. The effects of sin are felt for generations.
Don’t get me wrong. We are responsible for our own sins.
- “You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected — even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me” (Ex. 20: 5 NLT).
- “Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself” (Ex. 18: 19-20 NLT).
- “Parents must not be put to death for the sins of their children, nor children for the sins of their parents. Those deserving to die must be put to death for their own crimes” (Deut. 24: 16 NLT)
- “The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations” (Num. 14: 18 NLT).
Yes, God is a God of wrath. He will punish us when we disobey.
But God is a God of love. “But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands” (Ex. 20: 6 NLT).
When we obey, God lavishes His love on us.
Making the Connections #3
Unless we bruise the root of our disobedience, we don’t crush the head of evil.
Nice sentence, but what did I mean when I wrote that? That was my take on what the Homilist wrote.
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Two moral forces battle for control of this world. One is the worldview – the seed of the serpent, as the Homilist called it – and the Godview – the seed of the woman through Christ.
These are polar opposites. The Homilist described it this way. He wrote, “The thoughts, actions, and conduct of men are so radically different that they must be referred to two distinct moral forces.
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Remember back to the punishment of the serpent. “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3: 15 NLT).
This not only shows the opposition, but it also identifies the victor. And this is where the first sentence of this section came from.
Good will strike evil’s head – our moral feelings. Remember, sin is universal, so the worldview is also universal.
The Gospel calls us to be counterculture. In order to do that, Jesus – through the Holy Spirit – must attack each of our thoughts, actions, and conduct that is opposite to His Truth.
If the root of our worldview moral feelings is not cut out of us, we will not be obedient to God.
I like what the Homilist wrote. It says, “It does not strike at the mere forms of murder, adultery, and theft; but at their spirit, anger, lust, and covetousness. This its characteristic.”
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It doesn’t address only the actions. It addresses the motivations. It addresses character.
The Church can’t miss this. We can’t be doing God’s work through worldview principles and expectations.
If we are doing what we call God’s work under the wrong motivation, we aren’t doing God’s work. That is why we can’t get to Heaven by only being good people.
Making the Connections #4
A long time ago, I wrote a devotion on what would have happened if the man and the woman hadn’t sinned.
I believe they would have kept on living in the Garden of Eden. They would have kept on being caretakers of the earth. It wouldn’t have been the back-breaking job that farming became.
The man and the woman would have lived in harmony. Marital strife wouldn’t have even been considered. The battle of the sexes wouldn’t have raged. In fact, no conflict would have been par for the course.
But I think someone – somewhere along the line – would have sinned.
Part of the reason for creation was so that God could honor Jesus. If some human hadn’t sinned, Jesus wouldn’t have had to sacrifice Himself for us.
God didn’t make us to be slaves of Jesus. We made ourselves, through the couple’s sin, to be slaves of sin.
- “Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin’” (Jn. 8: 34 NLT).
- “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” (Gal. 5: 1 NLT).
- “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin” (Rom. 6: 6 NLT).
- “They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you” (II Pet. 2: 19 NLT).
- “Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living” (Rom. 6: 16 NLT).
How Do We Apply This?
Searching for and Seeking God
Hearing His Word (Rom. 10: 17)
Reading His Word (Rev. 1: 3)
Praying to Him (Heb. 4: 16)
Studying His Word (Ac. 17: 11)
Meditating on His Word (Ps. 1: 1-2)
Memorizing His Word (Ps. 119: 11)
Father God. We are sorry that sin had to be allowed into this world. However, if it never had come, we wouldn’t have known the extent of Your love for us. You would never have to give Your Son to die in our stead. Things do turn out for good. Amen.
What do you think?
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