Christmas in the Garden of Eden
Dear Church Family,
As I sat down in my living room to write this Christmas letter, my five year old grandson Adrian came up from the basement to ask me to play with him. I replied that I would as soon as I’m done writing a letter to the church about the meaning of Christmas. He then proceeded to tell me about how the “sneaky snake” lied to Adam and Eve about the goodness of God and that because they trusted the devil and not God, they got kicked out of the garden. That’s really good theology for a five year old.
Before Adam and Eve gave into the deceitful temptations of the sneaky serpent, every day was Christmas in the garden of Eden. The essence of Christmas is God coming near to His creation and making His goodness known in the incarnation of Christ. (John 1:14)
Before the curse that came because of Adam and Eve’s sin, the garden of Eden was a breathtaking paradise. Along with the beauty of the garden, there was no sickness, no cancer, no death, or anything that defiles or decays. But more beautiful than the garden itself, was that Adam and Eve enjoyed a close relationship with the garden’s Designer and Architect of the universe. This love relationship between God and man is the reason why God created the world and all things in it. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They enjoyed the intimate company of the Creator.
Allister Begg put it this way in his sermon titled Christmas in Genesis: "Before there was time, before there was anything, there was God. God made the world, he made it for his glory, and he made it to help us to know him, to love him, and to trust him. So if you find yourself saying, "Why do we even have a world? Why do we have a universe? What is all that we have before us?”—well, the answer that the Bible gives is that God made it to manifest his own glory in order that we then might know him, might learn to love him, and to trust him.”
Moreover, in order to know God so that they might learn to love and trust Him, God allowed their dependent relationship with God to be put to the test by the serpent. Would they trust the goodness of God and His plan for their lives, or would they believe the lie of the serpent; that it would be better to be like God, to be their own god, to call their own shots, to rule their own lives? Oswald Chambers noted that “the essence of sin is the suspicion that God is not good.”
This test that called for the first couple to have to make a choice to either trust the goodness of God for their lives or rule over their own selves, which is the root of all sin, is still the ultimate test we as created beings face today.
Adam and Eve chose the latter and brought a curse to the earth. Among other things, “death spread to all men because all have sinned” (Romans 5:12b). It’s important to note that the curse of sin is more than physical death, but separation from God or banishment from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Ephesians 2:12-16; Galatians 3:10-14).
Adam and Eve disastrously chose to act independently of God, to go their own way, and as a result were put out of the garden, the place where they had enjoyed intimacy with their God. They got what they wanted and lost what they had. (Genesis 3:22-24)
But amazingly, before man was driven out of the garden, God, in His redeeming love, came to them in their sin:
Why are they hiding? Why won’t they join God, walk with Him, and talk to Him on a stroll in the garden? What changed?
Even though Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God, He came to them and called to them, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Obviously God knew where they were. But this call to them expresses both His justice and His love in this day of reckoning.
Even though they disobeyed, God still loved them. If that wasn’t true, what hope would any of us have? If God did not love the rebel, if God did not call out to us, we’d be lost forever. His call to Adam and Eve was designed to expose their sin and it’s consequences but also His reconciling love.
After questioning them and pronouncing the consequences of their sin, God turned to the “sneaky serpent” and not only pronounces judgement, but in the process gives the very first glimpse into the Christmas story:
The fulfillment of this prophecy came when the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Son of God became the Son of man. He entered into a cursed world so that sons and daughters of men can become children of God and have Christmas again in Eden.
Remember, in the garden of Eden this first couple enjoyed communion with God. But that communion would be put to the test, a test that they not only flunked, but that in God’s redemptive plan would lead to a demonstration of His sacrificial love. As Paul wrote:
“The first Adam flunks it in the garden; the second Adam triumphs in the garden—the first one in the garden of Eden, the second One in the garden of Gethsemane. And in that triumph in the cross, He crushes the head of Satan. He is defeated, but he is not destroyed, for that day is yet to come when in his return He will gather all who are His own and give to each one the privilege of enjoying a world in which there is no sin, no sorrow, no cancer, no bitterness, no political wrangling—just fantastic beauty.” Allister Begg
If you’ve trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, the one who bore the curse of your sin, you have received the promised Spirit. The Spirit of God is God’s down payment of the eternal blessings yet to come to the redeemed of the Lord in the New Heavens and New Earth. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
The essence of Christmas is that Christ, Immanuel, came near. God wants us to enjoy close fellowship with Him. He came to bring fallen and cursed humanity back to Eden by becoming a curse for us.
As my friend Pastor Troy Keaton put it:
Beloved, let’s not allow the distractions of this world or the lies of the sneaky serpent to keep us from God’s best. God is good! Wait on Him. Obey Him. Walk with Him and talk with Him and enjoy being close to Immanuel.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Marco
As I sat down in my living room to write this Christmas letter, my five year old grandson Adrian came up from the basement to ask me to play with him. I replied that I would as soon as I’m done writing a letter to the church about the meaning of Christmas. He then proceeded to tell me about how the “sneaky snake” lied to Adam and Eve about the goodness of God and that because they trusted the devil and not God, they got kicked out of the garden. That’s really good theology for a five year old.
Before Adam and Eve gave into the deceitful temptations of the sneaky serpent, every day was Christmas in the garden of Eden. The essence of Christmas is God coming near to His creation and making His goodness known in the incarnation of Christ. (John 1:14)
Before the curse that came because of Adam and Eve’s sin, the garden of Eden was a breathtaking paradise. Along with the beauty of the garden, there was no sickness, no cancer, no death, or anything that defiles or decays. But more beautiful than the garden itself, was that Adam and Eve enjoyed a close relationship with the garden’s Designer and Architect of the universe. This love relationship between God and man is the reason why God created the world and all things in it. Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden. They enjoyed the intimate company of the Creator.
Allister Begg put it this way in his sermon titled Christmas in Genesis: "Before there was time, before there was anything, there was God. God made the world, he made it for his glory, and he made it to help us to know him, to love him, and to trust him. So if you find yourself saying, "Why do we even have a world? Why do we have a universe? What is all that we have before us?”—well, the answer that the Bible gives is that God made it to manifest his own glory in order that we then might know him, might learn to love him, and to trust him.”
Moreover, in order to know God so that they might learn to love and trust Him, God allowed their dependent relationship with God to be put to the test by the serpent. Would they trust the goodness of God and His plan for their lives, or would they believe the lie of the serpent; that it would be better to be like God, to be their own god, to call their own shots, to rule their own lives? Oswald Chambers noted that “the essence of sin is the suspicion that God is not good.”
This test that called for the first couple to have to make a choice to either trust the goodness of God for their lives or rule over their own selves, which is the root of all sin, is still the ultimate test we as created beings face today.
“Even just in rehearsing, for example, the test that is given to Adam and to Eve, we realize that that is the test that is given to us, that there is a foundational question that confronts each one of us this morning along the very same lines: “Will I believe God’s word? Am I prepared to trust God’s plan? Or will I believe whatever I want to believe and do whatever I choose?” Allister Begg
Adam and Eve chose the latter and brought a curse to the earth. Among other things, “death spread to all men because all have sinned” (Romans 5:12b). It’s important to note that the curse of sin is more than physical death, but separation from God or banishment from the presence of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 1:9; Ephesians 2:12-16; Galatians 3:10-14).
Adam and Eve disastrously chose to act independently of God, to go their own way, and as a result were put out of the garden, the place where they had enjoyed intimacy with their God. They got what they wanted and lost what they had. (Genesis 3:22-24)
But amazingly, before man was driven out of the garden, God, in His redeeming love, came to them in their sin:
“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” Genesis 3:8
Why are they hiding? Why won’t they join God, walk with Him, and talk to Him on a stroll in the garden? What changed?
“Well, we don’t want to talk to God. I mean, he might talk to us. And if he talks to us, he might talk to us about… stuff! Like…” This is one of the reasons why people don’t come to church—at least not to a church where the gospel is preached. Because God’ll speak to you about stuff—stuff you don’t want talked about! But he doesn’t do it out of an act of judgment. He does it out of grace and mercy. He exposes it in order that he might cover it. He reveals it in order that he might forgive it.” Allister Begg
Even though Adam and Eve sinned and hid from God, He came to them and called to them, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9). Obviously God knew where they were. But this call to them expresses both His justice and His love in this day of reckoning.
Even though they disobeyed, God still loved them. If that wasn’t true, what hope would any of us have? If God did not love the rebel, if God did not call out to us, we’d be lost forever. His call to Adam and Eve was designed to expose their sin and it’s consequences but also His reconciling love.
After questioning them and pronouncing the consequences of their sin, God turned to the “sneaky serpent” and not only pronounces judgement, but in the process gives the very first glimpse into the Christmas story:
“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
The fulfillment of this prophecy came when the virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Son of God became the Son of man. He entered into a cursed world so that sons and daughters of men can become children of God and have Christmas again in Eden.
Remember, in the garden of Eden this first couple enjoyed communion with God. But that communion would be put to the test, a test that they not only flunked, but that in God’s redemptive plan would lead to a demonstration of His sacrificial love. As Paul wrote:
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14
“The first Adam flunks it in the garden; the second Adam triumphs in the garden—the first one in the garden of Eden, the second One in the garden of Gethsemane. And in that triumph in the cross, He crushes the head of Satan. He is defeated, but he is not destroyed, for that day is yet to come when in his return He will gather all who are His own and give to each one the privilege of enjoying a world in which there is no sin, no sorrow, no cancer, no bitterness, no political wrangling—just fantastic beauty.” Allister Begg
If you’ve trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord, the one who bore the curse of your sin, you have received the promised Spirit. The Spirit of God is God’s down payment of the eternal blessings yet to come to the redeemed of the Lord in the New Heavens and New Earth. (Ephesians 1:13-14)
The essence of Christmas is that Christ, Immanuel, came near. God wants us to enjoy close fellowship with Him. He came to bring fallen and cursed humanity back to Eden by becoming a curse for us.
As my friend Pastor Troy Keaton put it:
"When Jesus ascended, His powerful presence descended and is at work in this world, right now. The Holy Spirit is the nearness of God at work in the world. He is living and reigning in the hearts of every believer. God has never been more near than He is right now!
Perhaps you, like me, woke up with a desire to be near the Lord. Let us be assured that our hunger for His presence is small compared to His desire to be near us. He is not avoiding you, He is not hidden in some far off place, He is not distracted or distant, He is near and He is longing to commune with you. God’s presence is not dependent upon our changing feelings but is guaranteed as an unchanging truth. He is near and He is not going anywhere!”
Beloved, let’s not allow the distractions of this world or the lies of the sneaky serpent to keep us from God’s best. God is good! Wait on Him. Obey Him. Walk with Him and talk with Him and enjoy being close to Immanuel.
Merry Christmas,
Pastor Marco