I have a question for you. You may have an answer or you may not. Maybe there isn't a definite answer. But I am going to tell you what I think the answer is if there is one. My question for you is this, before Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden of Eden, was there such a thing as forgiveness? Think about it. Was there forgiveness before the fall? Yes? No? Maybe? What would you say if I told you that there was no such thing known to man as forgiveness? Adam and Eve had no idea what it was. Why would they? If you lived in a place where no one did wrong and everyone was perfect, would you need to forgive? Of course not. There would be nothing to forgive. Forgiveness is something given to someone who has wronged somebody and if everyone was perfect in the world then how could they forgive? Answer me that. Can you forgive someone who has done nothing wrong? What about saying "I'm sorry"? Did anyone say that? Was it even in their vocabulary at the time? Again, why would it be? Why in the world would they need such words? You only tell someone sorry when you have done something wrong to them and you only forgive when someone has done something wrong to you. If we were to go back in time and ask Adam and Eve, before the fall, if they knew what the meaning of "sorry" and "forgiveness" were, I do not think they would have the slightest idea. Both saying "I'm sorry" and asking for forgiveness revolve around sin. You cannot have one without the other. To forgive, someone must have sinned against you and to say that you're sorry, you must have sinned against someone. They go hand in hand. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were perfect. They had no sin at all in their life. But when they ate of the fruit of the tree, sin entered which then caused there to be such a thing as forgiveness and saying that you are sorry. Because of sin there is now forgiveness. Before sin there was no such thing. Adam and Eve did not know what it was. Wouldn't it be great if we didn't know what forgiveness was? If we didn't need it because there was no sin in the world. But there is sin in this world. We all need forgiveness and we cannot earn it. Everyone of us does not deserve forgiveness. God still forgives us though if we ask it of Him. Every time God forgives us He is displaying His amazing grace. Through our sin God glorifies Himself by forgiving us when we ask to be forgiven. But that does not mean we should keep on sinning so God can display His grace and mercy. Paul writes in Romans 6 saying that we definitely should not keep sinning to build up the grace God has to give. How can we keep sinning and have Jesus living in us? It just does not work. Jesus cannot live in you while you are in the dark. You must stay in the light for Him to live in you. And just think, if God can show how great He is to the world through our sin then how much more can He show through our good deeds? By us obeying what His commands are, we can be messengers of God showing the world His greatness and His awesome power. So as you are sitting here on your computer or tablet or whatever device you have, always remember that God will work out everything for good no matter what it is. But even though He will work everything out, why do bad to build up grace and not really live for Jesus? That doesn't make any sense. What He really wants is someone who is dedicated and willing to do whatever it takes to make known the good news. Someone who will stand up and never back down. Not one of these so called "Christians" who say they follow Jesus but think they can be more saved by doing bad and being forgiven. They love religion. A true Christian hates religion but loves relationships. Religion is just a set of rules that you follow over and over again very devoutly but it still cannot save you. Only a relationship with Christ can save you. You must ask for forgiveness because we are all sinful and need to repent for our wrong doing. So we must stand strong and listen to what God has in store for us. If we are willing, He will use us for great works in His name. He will give us the power to forgive those who have wronged us and to tell someone you are sorry for the wrong you have done to them. I long for the day when no one will have to ask for forgiveness or say they are sorry. That will be the day Jesus returns and leads us home.
Keep on being strangers
-Kendall
Romans 6:1-14
This is REALLY good! I never actually thought about that when reading through Genesis. Thanks for writing. :) Even if you're up 'til the late hours of the night. ;)
ReplyDeleteHere's my answer... God knew we would sin long before the first sin, so I think He forgave us even before the first mistake in history was made. I think that if we forgave people even before they mess up (just like God), we not only would have a better attitude towards their failure, but we also would have the ability to control our anger towards them (especially if they wronged you). God shows this through His actions. For instance, when Adam and Eve sinned, He could easily have started from scratch and destroyed them, instead He gave them a justifiable punishment and the gift of forgiveness and heaven! My point is He didn't lose His temper on us like we do when we are wronged, instead He gave us a second, third, fourth, and fifth chance etc...
ReplyDeleteHe knew, but there was nothing he needed to forgive us for. I think what you’re saying could be applied to the world after Christ’s death, that God forgave us before we were born. I think this because in the Old Testament they had to sacrifice an animal that is blameless in order for it to receive God’s judgement upon it instead of us. An act that foreshadows what will happen, Christ’s death. Of course the people didn’t know it then. I believe that before the death of Christ and Christ’s life, there was mercy, not forgiveness. For when God forgives us, it’s like we’re forever forgiven. But in the Old Testament, everyday they had to sacrifice things to God and there were different sacrifices that they had to make. If God forgave them, then wouldn’t only one be sufficient? But it wasn’t sufficient because the sacrifice wasn’t satisfying enough. Christ had to die. This is just my thought on this, I don’t know if I’m 100% correct so don’t fully take me on my word. haha
DeleteSo true Kendall! The thought that came to my mind when I was reading this was that there might have been no reason for forgiveness in the Garden (between Adam and Eve), but we have always been in God's Grace. As you know, Grace is favor, which He gives simply because He loves us. Because of His Grace He blessed and cared for Adam and Eve us and continues to bless us a zillion times over what we deserve! So, when it was time for repentance and Grace, God was not suprised. He was already there, forgiveness ready, because His forgiveness flows out of His Grace, which he extends because of His Love.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think?
This is your best blog yet!!! Holy cow I'm so blown away. Great job of leading the subject into our need for a relationship with Christ. You hit on so many important things along the way. I give it two thumbs up!!!
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