In the Garden

Sometimes I try to imagine what it was like in the garden with Adam and God—being literally made from the rib of my husband. And Adam having been formed by God’s hands and breathed into by the very God who created him.

We would have been surrounded by beautiful animals and plants of all sorts and of course, we were able to walk around naked without embarrassment or shame. That means that the temperature would have been perfect, not too hot, not too cold. There was no such thing as rain or snow, no heat waves or hailstorms, it was literally paradise.

Honestly not needing snow boots, hats, scarves, and mittens sounds fantastic to me. Isn’t it strange that there are times we need to put on more clothes to walk outside?

So many things have changed since Adam and Eve walked and talked in the cool of the afternoon with God. How peaceful and joyful it must have been, and yet, it turns out that it just wasn’t enough for them.

These days we have crime, taxes, illness, and death, and don't forget the sin that brought them all to life. If only I could have experienced the serenity, the holiness of the Garden of Eden.

We can’t kid ourselves though. If we were there, we would have done the same thing, traded in paradise for a big fat helping of fallenness. We were created to worship God and to be in a relationship with Him. But with one sinister whisper, with one poignantly twisted truth, we entered into the darkness, into separation from the only One that ever truly loved us.

So why did we waver? Why did we doubt? Why did we want to be equal to the One who created us? What problem did the human find with what God said was good?

I guess we have to start with the serpent. Why was he there? What was his agenda? This enemy of man was made beautiful. His given name was Lucifer which in Heberew means shining one, the light bearer, who became Satan which means adversary.

The angels were created before the earth was. The Bible says they were present as God set the world into place. Satan is described as an angel who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven with other fallen angels before the creation of mankind. Ezekiel 28;14-18 and Isaiah 14:12-17 are the key scriptures that support this understanding. And in the New Testament in Luke 10:8 Jesus himself states that He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

In all three of the Abrahamic religions, Satan is identified as the serpent in the Genesis account that tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Thus he was the catalyst of the fall of humankind.

The reason for Lucifer’s fall from grace was pride. He wanted for himself the worship that was meant for God. Already fallen, he found no greater purpose than to attack man. After his fall God made a new creation to worship Him, but this time He made them in His own image and used His very hands, His sacred breath in the process. Satan hated us with new veracity then. His desire is to hurt as many of these children of God as he can before his time comes to an end.

Not only wasn’t he never meant to be part of God’s family, but Jesus never made a way for him to return to a harmonious relationship with God. No, these people God had made were clearly different and our enemy’s jealousy began to harden him even more, killing what was left of his darkly twisted heart.

Since that time we have had an adversary whose intent is to find ways to separate us from God too. He is known as the father of lies. Since lying is his native language we need to know the truth of God.

So let me ask you, what areas in your life do you give this enemy a place to whisper his lies to you?

Fear and doubt seem to be at an overwhelming all-time high in the world today. God’s truth has been traded in for whatever whimsy one feels beholden to that day. Whatever one believes must be the truth they say. Whatever makes you happy must be good they shout. Whatever you want is your truth, even when it defies reality!

Truth is fixed, external, and existed before angels and men were created.

Jesus is the way the truth and the life. He was with God and the Holy Spirit when God was making the earth. He is the example that we are to test our lives by. He is the living Word of God Almighty. He is the compass we must follow when we are lost in the wilderness. He is the foundation we must build our lives on. He is the embodiment, the essence, the origin of truth for all of creation, even our enemy.

Truth is far more than facts. It’s not just something we act upon, it acts upon us! We cannot change the truth, but the truth can change us!

Why do you think God didn’t make a way for the devil to come back to Him? Why wasn’t he given another chance after he sinned? As far as we know from the bible this angel committed the first sin. There is no other mention of fallenness other than the angels who fell from heaven and Adam and Eve’s fall in the garden. Lucifer was banished from God’s presence. And I often wonder why didn’t God destroy Satan.

If God had destroyed Satan right away then the remaining angels would have continued serving him out of fear and not out of love as before, defeating the very purpose of His creating them. He had created beings with the power of choice. No one had dared to challenge that God’s way was best before.

I believe God gave Satan a chance to test his alternative system and what if God actually allowed him to make his pitch to Adam and Eve? In turn, this planet has become a testing ground where the character of Satan and the character of God are posed to us all. Who is right? Who can we really trust? God knows that eventually, everyone will see that “The wages of sin are death” and “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.

God awaits everyone’s understanding of the difference between the two. God wants to resolve forever the issue of sin and suffering, but He is waiting until He can do it on a permanent basis because He is also just. He is waiting until he can both preserve our free will and prevent evil from ever appearing again. What a beautiful thing!

He came himself sacrificially to provide for those men and women who would choose Christ as their Lord and Savior, for those who would see the goodness and perfection of God’s character and plan. He came for those who would be willing to declare their need for Jesus, for those for whom there would be redemption and forgiveness in the sin cycle. For those who would repent and return to God, there would be forgiveness and freedom by the atonement of the blood of Christ.

But for those who live continuing in the prideful selfishness that rejects God, for those who don't want to follow the rules and precepts of their Creator, there is still the choice to refuse Him.

The repercussions of those choices are still indeed ultimately death. Separation from God forever. But because the enemy is so good at deceiving and poking at our selfish bent, he has won many a human over to his death. His desire is to separate as many of us from God as possible. He began by separating many angels from God who were also cast down for their rebellion. He will never be satisfied. Ever. For all of eternity, he will live unquenched and the God who created him will prevail. Many will know the saving grace and sacrificial love of Jesus.

Sin has affected the natural world around us as well. It too was created as good. Romans 8:20-21 says “For the creation was subject to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it in hope: because the creation itself will also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Suffering comes as a consequence of our sinful choices. Galatians 4:1-2 states that “God will not be mocked for whatever a man sows that he will also reap”. And James 1:14 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed”.

Suffering comes from the fallenness of the creation and suffering also comes from the enemy who hates us.

Sometimes God even permits suffering to make us stronger but he doesn't initiate suffering. 1Peter 4:12 -13 says, “Beloved do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial but rejoice to the extent that you partake in Christ’s sufferings that when his glory is revealed may you also be glad with exceeding joy”.

James 1:2-3 says, “My brethren count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience”.

Knowing that Jesus suffered here on earth as well gives us a safe place to go and knowing that he suffered at the hands of evil too allows us to trust Him. He is always available to help us and He sympathizes with us calling us to come boldly to his throne of grace where we can cast all of our cares on Him.

He can bring us peace beyond our own understanding through his presence.

The opposite of pride is humility. We must approach Him knowing who he is and what he went through for us.

Ultimately God has a plan. He is in control but He allows our hearts to choose. There are moments when we fall. Sometimes there are seasons when we squander the lives we have been offered in foolishness and selfishness, but we have been given a place to turn, we have been offered forgiveness and mercy. We have been chosen and loved over and over again.

Jesus did not have to come and pay the price for our sins, He wanted to. And as we traverse this crazy world filled with tragedy, suffering, and temptation, each of us is offered a grace that transcends this fallen place. In Christ, we can have peace and joy even in the worst of circumstances. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we can rise and turn and walk with God instead of challenging His character, authority, and holiness. God loves us because he loves us and he is faithful and just. We can enter into the family with God as our Father, provider, protector, and source. We still get a choice!

And until the day Christ returns to take us home where we will be made new, we can choose every moment to trust in the One who truly loves us. Jesus has promised that he will return and make all things new. Then there will be no more disease, disasters, suffering, sadness, or death. We do not know the day or the hour of his return but for everyone who trusts in Him, it will be a day of great joy!

Every day is really a day in the garden. Every moment we can choose to enjoy the goodness provided for us by God or to listen to the insidious whispers of the enemy and our own crooked hearts. The choice is yours and God will never take that choice away until the moment that the final trumpet sounds. Then, you will have to stand by your choice. Then there will be no changing your mind. You will receive what you have asked for, either a Saviour and a relationship with God or an eternity of death and suffering without Him. Do not be deceived, you get to choose!

AMANDA SCHAEFERJune 3, 2023