God’s Mercy Does Not Cancel the Consequence of Sin

Scripture: Genesis 3:8 NKJ -  And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

As the Bible story reads: Adam and Eve were in the garden of Eden, where they both sinned. Adam disobeyed God when he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had given Adam a command to eat freely of every tree, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).  For, in the day Adam eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil-he would die.  God’s spirit is withdrawn immediately. Both Adam and his wife Eve’s eyes were opened as they realized that they were both naked. They tried to clothe themselves with leaves and hide from the Lord (Gen. 3:7-8). There is no place one can go to hide from the presence of the Lord. God is omnipresent.

During the cool of the day (the most comfortable environment to calm Adam’s fear), God called out to him to prepare him to meet.  Sin and the consequences are the focus. Immediately and directly is suggested here in the story. Eve is well aware of what God says about the trees in the garden and its’ consequence of death. Eve eats the fruit from the tree of good and evil and gives it to her husband, and he eats (Genesis 3:1-6). The serpent deceives Eve as to what the Lord had said.  Regardless of what has going on: God prepares to address each of them. The serpent first, then Eve. Without a doubt, the man Adam.  Adam blames the women (Gen.3:12); the women blame the serpent (Gen.3:13). God exercises mercy on them. Adam and Eve escape physical death. However, a spiritual death happens at the moment of man’s fall. God does not execute His wrath upon them. In His Mercy, He clothed Adam and his wife Eve (Gen. 3:21). Adam lives to see his 930th birthday (Gen.5:5).

God leaves the door open for a return to the faithful and true Almighty. (I John 1:9).  Here, redemption begins with conviction, repentance, and restoration to a fellowship that we’d want to run to God and not run away. God’s approach to sin is the same with Christians as it was with Adam.

Prayer:  Lord God, I am so grateful that you don’t throw me under the bus when I sin against You. For I am given a way of escape with scripture -- I John 1:9. In Christ Jesus. Amen.                                                                        

(by Novella Carpenter)