In the beginning, God created the Heaven and the earth.  God then created a little bit of Heaven right here on earth, which He called the Garden of Eden.  God made beautiful trees for this Garden, and plants and herb-yielding seed.  He created animals to walk on the earth, swim in the sea and fly in the air.  Then God made man, Adam, and woman, Eve, whom He made from a rib taken from Adam’s side.  And God gave Adam and Eve this most beautiful and perfect Garden to live in.  In the cool of the day, Adam and Eve had the most awesome blessing … they walked and talked with God, right there in the Garden.  (Genesis, ch. 1 & 2)

Everything that was in the Garden was good for food and pleasing to the sight.  God gave it all to Adam and Eve.  But He placed one restriction on them: they were not to eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  They could have anything else they wanted, but they were not to eat the fruit from that tree.  However, the serpent, sly and cunning, deceived Eve, and she ate from that tree.  She then gave some to Adam, and he ate as well.

Now, God had told them that if they ate this fruit they would surely die.  Yet if you read on in Genesis, you will see that they did not die in the flesh.  So, what did God mean when He said they would surely die? Well, take a look at what happened there.  God expelled them out of the Garden of Eden.  No longer could they walk and talk with God in the cool of the day.  They were banished from the Garden, and banished from the presence of God.  That’s what the Scriptural meaning of “death” is … being separated from the presence of God.

That’s what happened to Adam and Eve … and it’s what has happened to each one of us since that time.  All have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)  Yet God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3: 16)  He gave us the way back to Himself.  Through Jesus Christ, we can once again be in right relationship and fellowship with the Father.

Jesus Christ came to this earth in the form of man.  He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. (Isaiah 53:5)  He shed His blood, and suffered a grueling death on the cross.  He spent three days in the grave, and was then resurrected by the power of the Holy Spirit of God.  He ascended into Heaven, where He now sits at the right hand of the Father, ever making intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)

But He didn’t leave us alone.  He sent His Holy Spirit to live within the hearts of every person who would accept Him.  He gave us His anointed and inspired Word … the Holy Bible … which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119: 105)  Jesus has done everything possible to enable us to be brought back into right relationship with the Father.  He shed His blood for the remission of our sins.  He gave us His Word as a guide for our lives.  And He gave us His Holy Spirit, who enables us by His grace and power, to live that Word.

We want to give you the opportunity to come to know the God of all comfort, through His Son, Jesus Christ.  We invite you to pray this prayer … pray it from your heart:

                                   

Jesus, I am a sinner.  I have done wrong, and I am sorry.  I know

I need You, so I ask You to please forgive me.  Come into my heart

and cleanse me from all my wrong doings.  Teach me Your ways,

and be the Lord of my life.  Thank You for loving me so much that

You gave Your life , so that todayI could be brought back into a

right relationship with You.  Amen.

 

As adapted from "Walking Toward the Light," by Jane E. Harber, LBT