The Plot Thickens

            As I continue reading through Genesis with my friend, I have a few thoughts to share. I thought writing every day would be tough, but I am happy to see that it is not as hard as I thought. God is always speaking to my heart, now that I have my ears open I am finally listening. Today I read Genesis chapter 3, which describes the fall of man. To use a literary term, this is the “rising action” in the Bible. We got the setting, now we get to the heart of the plot. Except this is not just an ordinary book, this is the story of our humanity: it is God’s love song to us.

            My friend astutely noted that if Adam never ate the fruit then there would be no need for the rest of the Bible. That is simple, yet profoundly true. It is Adam’s disobedience of God that caused a need for salvation. After eating the fruit Adam and Eve felt shame before God and hid. That ranks right up there with the saddest moments of the Bible; the point that God’s creation fears Him and hides.  Alongside the first sin was the first blame. When asked why he took the fruit Adam blames Eve, who subsequently blames the devil. We can get caught into that trap pretty easily. I try very hard to never make excuses, but they always slip out. “Oh I’m sorry I was short with you, but I had a bad day” “Oh I’m sorry I said that insensitive thing to you, but how was I supposed to know?” The excuses can go on and on. Adam had one commandment to keep, forget 10 he just had to make sure he never ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. Naturally he is embarrassed and ashamed, and naturally he wants to pretend that it was not his fault. It’s as if I hit a lined out to the shortstop and counted it as a hit because it’s just not fair that he made a good play and if he had not been at that exact spot I would have a hit.

            I am being somewhat hard on Adam, but I’m only attempting to make a point that we are sinful, and often as Christians we can be extremely hard on ourselves. With the first sin came the first sacrifice; God made coverings of animal skin for Adam and Eve. Something had to go through pain for their sin to be wiped away. A sacrifice is needed to save us. While the serpent was correct that Eve would not die immediately, he lied in that Adam and Eve suffered a spiritual death (always read the fine print). That is what Jesus is for, that is why we celebrate this Advent season. Humanity was pretty much done for, God had tried everything and nothing really stuck. Then He made the ultimate sacrifice and came down here to earth.

            We never really think about how amazing that fact is though. How often do you sit down and think, “Wow, I am saved by the blood of Christ.” In Genesis we didn’t just get the story of our creation; we got the beginning of the story of God’s love and involvement with His creation. The past few months have been hard, but my faith has gotten so much stronger than before. Sure I’ve had my highs and lows, but even in my lowest moment I am still loved by God and saved by His sacrifice.