Choice is an important topic in the Bible. The first choice made by human beings is recorded in the Garden of Eden. We read the story in Genesis 3. In this video, we are going to spend some time to understand the spiritual mystery of that choice.
The chapters from Genesis 1 to 11 is a quick introduction to the plan of God to restore the Kingdom of God. It informs us in brief, how the Kingdom of God was lost and the plan of God to restore it. Since it is a speedy record, many details are missing.
Genesis
1 to 3 describes how humans fell into sin and the slavery of
satan and thus how he lost the Kingdom of God.
These chapters reveal us that sin and slavery to satan was a choice of early humans. Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, to reject the holiness of God and they chose the slavery to sin and satan. This incident reveals that choice is very important to us in deciding our future eternal life.
Why God permitted a
circumstance of choice to the first humans? We do not have a satisfying answer
to this question. We do not have satisfying answers to many questions about
God. Once in eternity, we may understand all these mysteries.
Still we know that the
first humans faced a situation of choice in their early life itself.
That means, God created
human beings imparting many of His attributes.
But God did not share His
sovereignty with humans; He cannot share it with any one.
Bible does not list the
attributes that God shared with humans. Still, it is true that God shared many
of His attributes with humans and that gave him the image of God. That made him
a representative of God with authority over the earth and the living creatures on
it. In a sense humans were like God in His image on this earth.
Humans were created with
free will for choice. God expected them to exercise the free will to choose the
holiness of God and loyalty to His Heavenly Kingdom.
That is why satan used
this particular phrase when he was talking to Eve: “you will be like God”
(Genesis 3:5 - NKJV). Satan is
offering a short cut to become like God.
Adam and Eve did not
reject the idea of becoming like God, because that was the purpose of God and
that is what they wished to achieve.
When we say that, Adam and
Eve wished to achieve the likeness of God, that does not mean that they wished
to usurp God from His throne and sovereignty. Becoming like God and seizing the
sovereignty are two things. Humans never wished or tried to usurp God.
Leviticus
11:45 exhorts us “You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
(NKJV)
Ephesians
5:1: “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
(NKJV)
Philippians
2:5 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (NKJV)
Matthew
5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is
perfect.” (NKJV)
Romans
8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image
of His Son” (NKJV)
Luke
6:40 "… everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
(NKJV)
In all these verses, we find the desire of God that humans may become like Him. But, let me repeat it once again, to be like God is not a rebellion against His Kingdom and sovereignty.
The desire of God for
humans to be like Him is well expressed in the phrase found in Leviticus 11:45, “You shall therefore be holy,
for I am holy.” The meaning is clear, we have to be equal to God in His
holiness.
When God created humans,
He said: "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the
cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth." (Genesis 1:26 – NKJV)
Though the ultimate
authority over the whole universe lies in God, we are the delegated authority
of God. Genesis 2: 15 says, “Then the
LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” (NKJV)
When devil offered a way to become like God, he was so deceptive to hide a trap in it. What he said is that, "… you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5 - NKJV). That means, satan said, humans shall know both good and evil and thus they shall become like God.
In fact, we need to know
only good to become like God, because God is all good and good only. To be like
God, humans need not know evil.
Here, the whole humanity,
represented by Adam and Eve stood at a junction, they had to make a choice.
They could choose to know only good and be like God or they were free to choose
evil also, that was contrary to the nature of God.
Unfortunately, they fell
into the trap of the devil by choosing to know good and evil and thus estranged
themselves from the holiness of God.
Adam and Eve could become like God by choosing, once and for ever the holiness of God. They had a wonderful opportunity to make this choice. But they miserable failed.
Think about the angels in
heaven now. We never even imagine heavenly angel thinking, speaking or doing any
evil. We know for sure that angels in heaven can do only good and holy things.
And we are certain that the heavenly angels will never change their attributes.
Because they cannot. They have chosen it once and forever.
What about satan and his
hosts? They are basically evil. Whatever they do are all and always evil. And
we are sure that satan and his fellow evil angels will never repent and will
never do anything good. Because they cannot. They have chosen evil once and
forever.
That means, the angels, both heavenly angels and evil angels, have, at some point in the heavenly history, has made a choice of good or evil.
None can choose good and
evil together, because they are contrary to each other.
That simply means, where ever there is the free will, a choice decides the nature of a being. There is no middle way between good and evil. There cannot be a co-existence of both. This is an eternal, unchanging law of creation.
The choice of Adam and Eve
Adam and Eve could choose
good, once and for ever. That would have fixed their nature forever.
But instead, they choose
evil, rebellion against God and sided with the devil. This choice also could have
been permanent.
Fortunately something,
unexpected by the devil, happened in Eden. God came down in search of the
fallen humans to offer a second chance to make a choice. This second chance to
make a fresh choice does not violate the free will of humans. The second chance
also offers freedom to choose good or evil.
We do not know why God offered a second chance to humans. The angels did not get another chance to rethink and make a fresh choice. But God offered one more opportunity for a new choice to humans.
The reason is simply, it
is God’s Grace towards human beings.
And it is God’s Grace that
we have now both the free will and the opportunity to make a second choice of
either good or evil.
Now what is this second chance?
As we know, God commanded
Adam: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it
you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:
16, 17 - NKJV).
God’s words cannot be
changed. Even God cannot violate it. So humans must die because of their sin of
rebellion. That means, until and unless something is done for the atonement of
their sins, humans must die.
Adam and Eve understood
this. And so they tried to find a solution to the problem. They “sewed fig
leaves together and made themselves coverings.” (Genesis
3:7 - NKJV).
But the nakedness of their
sin was not satisfactorily covered by fig leaves. They realized that fig leaves
are not a solution to the problem of sin. Simply a tree cannot cover their
sins.
So they tried to run away
from the presence of God.
Here God, by His Grace, intervened into the life of humans once again. Since humans cannot find or arrange or offer an atonement for their sin, God Himself offered an atonement for their sin. God arranged an innocent animal, killed it and with the blood socked skin of it, He made tunics for Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:21)
Thus God introduced a new
principle. An innocent being may die for the atonement of the human sins. By
shedding the innocent blood, humans’ sins may be forgiven.
This is the law of
representation and substitution.
But, when we study the scripture further, we understand that, just killing an animal and shedding its blood is not sufficient for the atonement of sins.
Noah, Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Moses and all other Old Testament fathers were justified, not by their
works, but by their faith in God. For justification before God, they believed
in the type and example shown by God in the Garden of Eden. They believed in
the sacrifice of an animal, as a representative and a substitute for them.
That means, faith matters. Only faith matters. Faith in the substitute sacrifice of an innocent animal fulfils the atonement of sins. Humans should believe that, the innocent blood of the animal is shed instead and for their own life. Human beings should believe that they are redeemed by the blood of a substitute animal.
Adam and Eve believed in
this spiritual truth. Their belief was a choice. They could accept or reject
the sacrifice. They were still free to choose.
And they choose to
believe. This is the second choice that they made in their life. As a type of
the fulfilment of the final sacrifice of Christ, the death of an animal in Eden
opened a way of salvation to all human beings.
So Adam and Eve, not only
sinned and fell from God’s grace, but they also made a choice to believe in the
type of a sacrifice for the atonement of sin, as shown by God in Eden. They
sinned and also they opened an opportunity to make a second choice, for all
human beings.
But the result of their
first choice passed on to all humans, whereas only the opportunity to make a
second choice is offered to all humans. Because, the sacrifice of an animal in
Eden was not a fulfilment but a type of the sacrifice of Christ that will be
fulfilled in future.
Until the final fulfilment
occurs, human beings could believe in the type and be justified. This is the
spiritual mystery that is unrevealed in Eden.
The best example for their faith in the substitute sacrifice is seen when their son Able offered a sheep as a sacrifice to God. Able sacrificed according to the example shown by God. Able’s sacrifice was a choice to believe in the substitute sacrifice. So God was pleased in it.
Cain, on the other hand,
chose to reject God’s example. God was displeased with him.
All sacrifices for the atonement of sins that occurred in human history after the incident in Eden, is according to the example shown to us by God. It is a repetition or revelation of the mystery of the sacrifice that occurred in Eden. An innocent animal is killed as a representative and substitute for humans. The blood of the animal atoned our sins. All sacrifices demands our faith in the principle of substitution and atonement. Without faith, none can please God.
Thus we come down to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It is the final fulfilment and revelation of the mystery of the sacrifice of an innocent animal. The sacrifice of Jesus is a repetition of the sacrifice that occurred in Eden, it is the final revelation, redemption, victory and restoration. It is everything man need, to atone his sins.
And here too, our faith in
the death of Jesus is necessary. Jesus died and shed His innocent blood, as
sacrificial lamb, as a substitute for us, for the atonement of our sins.
As the result of the
second choice of Adam and Eve did not pass on to all human beings, the result
of the death of Christ is not passed on to all human beings.
As the opportunity to make
a second choice to believe and accept the substitute sacrifice of an innocent
animal is passed on to all humans from Adam and Eve, the opportunity to believe
and accept the sacrificial death of Christ is passed on to all humans.
The sacrifice of an
innocent being and the sacrifice of Christ Jesus is a legal offer to all human
beings. We can either choose to believe or reject it.
As I said before, faith is
a choice. That means, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross offers a second
chance to all human beings to choose to believe in Him or reject Him.
It is said in Romans 3: 24 that, there is an opportunity for us to be “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Verse 25 says that, “God set forth as a propitiation
by His blood, through faith”, “because in His forbearance God had passed over
the sins that were previously committed”. (NKJV)
Romans
8:1 says: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus” (NKJV)
Let me conclude this short study.
This our last and only
chance to make the right choice to believe in Jesus and His atonement death at
the cross.
Use it now, use it right. Choose
to believe in the atonement death of Christ Jesus. And you shall live
eternally.
Deuteronomy
30:19 "I have set before you life and death, blessing
and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may
live;” (NKJV)
No comments:
Post a Comment