Imagine the beauty of it all, a lush Garden filled with trees pleasing to the eye with the best fruit to eat. Flowers that would cover the landscape with endless colors. A majestic river flowing out that forms into four rivers that watered the garden. Stars that lit up the night sky that would be so bright and clear as there was no pollution or artificial lights of any kind. Animals both great and small of all kinds surrounding you but causing no threat, just there for companionship and to show off the creativeness and glory of their designer. Of course I’m talking about the Garden of Eden. What an amazing place God gave man to dwell. Diseases? There was not any. Adam was in perfect health, no illness to worry about, no pain, no death. Work? Yes there was work for Adam to do but not the hard toil and physical or mentally straining work we have today, but pleasurable work that was fulfilling such as tending to the garden, and naming the animals. God gave Adam a perfect helper to go through life with and to have fellowship with in Eve, they were the pinnacle of Gods good creation. What’s more, they had fellowship with their all powerful loving creator as He walked with them in the cool of the day highlighting Gods desire for closeness not just divine authority. What it must have been like to experience intimacy with the all powerful all knowing creator in such a way. Adam and Eve lacked nothing, they were free to eat from any tree of the garden except one.
How could they want anything more? How can they think the God who gave them all these blessings was holding out on them and being dishonest with them? If they desired something else couldn’t they ask God as they had fellowship with Him and He was always available to them? They had the ability to obey Gods one command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil but they freely chose to believe the serpents lie and disobey their loving master who bestowed on them all the pleasures of Eden.
They were our representatives, human like us but with a free will that was not fallen. What a tragedy that we as humans reject God and His ways after He gives us life and so many blessings and the greatest gift of all a relationship with Him. A relationship with Jesus is what satisfies the soul, and gives us ultimate fulfillment as St Augustine said “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
Adam’s sin had consequences that would change everything. Now the world would be a place with natural disasters, disease, hardship and worst of all mankind would be born spiritually dead with a heart that is bent towards sin and away from following God.
“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—”
Romans 5:12 ESV
In Gods goodness and mercy He did not destroy Adam but immediately made a sacrifice and clothed Adam and Eve with a garment to cover their nakedness and shame. He could have ended the human race right then and there but decided on sending His son to die to be the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of mankind, God said to the serpent who deceived them in the garden
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
Genesis 3:15 ESV
The woman’s offspring that would crush the serpents head would be Gods own son born of a woman sent on a rescue mission to save the souls of mankind who are lost in darkness all because of sin.
What an amazing loving God we have. Full of grace and mercy, endured the cross because He wants men and woman to be redeemed and have fellowship with Him in heaven, just as it was in the garden. Eden will be restored.
All who love God don’t have to wait until that day when we will see God face to face in Heaven to have fellowship and intimacy with Him. All who are saved by the blood of Jesus can go to Him everyday and pour out their heart to Him and draw near to Him as He wants us to grow in our knowledge and relationship with Him. Eternal life that starts when we repent and believe the gospel is not just about quantity of years but the quality. Why would we want to be so busy with other things that we put our relationship with Jesus as something to fit in if we have time.
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
John 17:3 ESV
So draw near to God and let Him fulfill you as nothing else can
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
Hebrews 10:19-22a
How wonderful it must have been for Adam to meet with God in the garden and communicate with God and have intimacy with Him. God still desires intimacy with us. That’s the whole reason God came near and walked among us and gave His life for us. We will dwell with Him just as Adam had in the garden
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”
Revelation 21:3 ESV
While we await that amazing time we are called to draw near to God and to find joy and peace for our souls by seeking Him daily. The whole Bible from the Garden in Genesis to the Gospels, to Revelation shows Gods desire to dwell with His people and for them to delight in knowing Him.
“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
John 14:23 ESV
This verse highlights that the Christian life is not about distant adherence to rules, but about an intimate, loving relationship with God that transforms a person into a dwelling place for Him. A fulfilling life is found in knowing God, how sad it is so often we as Christians are so busy or distracted we miss the joy of intimacy with our creator. Make growing in your relationship with Jesus a priority in your life that is what we are created for and that is where we will find joy, fulfillment of our souls, abundant life and peace.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11 ESV
-Ryan Kaplysh