When I was a teenager, I went to a concert, and after
it I saw a young woman sitting alone. I offered her a cup of tea.
Gratefully, she accepted. She and I have now been married for 43 years,
have five children and two grandchildren - and all because of that cup
of tea.
We can never foresee the full consequences of even
our smallest action. So it was with Adam and Eve. They were warned not
to eat the fruit of one particular tree and were told what would happen
to them if they did so. But they took no heed and did it anyway. It
seems a very small, innocuous thing that they did. Taking a bite from a
piece of fruit hardly compares with theft, rape or murder. Yet it
resulted in God’s unprecedented anger. Why?
Because God is perfect, even the smallest of our sins
offends him and places a wedge between him and us. Not only that, but
Adam and Eve showed no regret and refused to accept responsibility for
what they had done.
Consequently, they were ‘banished… from the Garden of
Eden’ (Genesis 3:23 New International Version). They lost the peace,
security and beauty that they had once experienced. Whereas before they
would have lived for ever, now they would experience death. They were
separated from God - they no longer knew his closeness.
As a result, we have inherited that legacy. We show
all the same traits that Adam and Eve displayed. We are born with a
longing for what they lost - peace, security, beauty and a never-ending
life. Because they do not sense his closeness, many people do not
believe that God even exists.
Yet, despite the fact that humankind continues along
the path that Adam and Eve took, God longs to give us back what once we
had.
War Cry photo
