Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living. Yahweh God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them. Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—” Therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.“

(Genesis 3:20-24)

Adam and his wife had perfect fellowship with God. They knew the meaning of their life (worshipping the Lord), they knew the purpose of their life (working for the Lord, which is also worship), and they knew their identity (reflections of the Lord). They had it all. But when it was framed differently, they did NOT listen to the Word of the Lord. They listened to a different voice and they rebelled. When they did, Sin entered creation and they died. They lost perfect fellowship. Eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3). Eternal death is being separated from God (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10). That is the death they experienced IMMEDIATELY and since death is a result of Sin, they began to deteriorate in health and eventually their bodies also died. What did their actions bring? Separation.

Humanity had been referred to by God as Adam – both male and female (Genesis 5:2). It was after the fall that Adam named his wife Eve. Separation. They had been perfect helpmates (Genesis 2:18). It was after the fall that there was an authority hierarchy for the purposes of responsibility to the Lord for their actions (Genesis 3:16). Separation. After the fall humanity felt shame because of their sin nature when in God’s presence (Genesis 3:8). Separation. And to make sure they they didn’t eat the fruit of the Tree of Life and end up eternally stuck in Sin, God removed them from the Garden and placed a barrier to protect them (Genesis 3:22-24). Separation. That all happens in chapter three. In chapter four we see relations between siblings strained – separation from fellowship. We see murder – separation from godly actions. We see Cain cast away from his family to prevent the spread of his morals – separation. We see even in his offspring continued strife and murder – separation from community. We see deterioration in aging and start to see death (although really that’s in chapter five) – separation from life. And there is also a removal from agricultural lifestyle and best produce as a result of that lifestyle – separation from the land and separation from the blessing. When we separated from perfect fellowship with God, Sin, death, and separation on every level of our lives: spirit, soul, and body. We were death in sin in every way you can explain it. God lost His dwelling place in humanity.

“You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience. We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus; for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.“

(Ephesians 2:1-9)

Union. Togetherness. This is what Jesus came to do and completed on and through the cross. The elimination of separation and through covenant with His Father, a Way for us to join with Him and return to perfect fellowship with God. The first Adam brought Sin and death. The last Adam brought life and relationship (Romans 5:12-21). It was all because of God’s love and loyalty to His beloved creation. Jesus abolished in His own body the enmity between God and humanity because God’s enmity has always been toward Sin. Jesus paid Sin’s price (Romans 6:23). Jesus reconciled all humanity to God in His body through the cross. We no longer need to be separated. We can choose union. We can choose togetherness with Him. We can choose eternal life (John 17:3). Through Jesus, we are a holy temple in the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:19). In Jesus, we are once again a dwelling place of God through Holy Spirit.

Summary

Humanity chose to rebel and separate from the fellowship of God. God immediately put into action the plan of salvation and redemption that had been decided on before anything was created. Jesus took on flesh and became the sacrificial Lamb paying the price for Sin. In Jesus, by Grace through our trust in Him, we can be restored to full fellowship with God. And with that, we gain the gift of once again, through Holy Spirit in our bodies, becoming a dwelling of God.