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Genesis 3:8-24

Read or Listen to Genesis 3

Adam and Eve’s failure in the garden truly did happen in history; living in perfect peace, the first two people failed to value and trust God. But not only did it happen then, it still happens now. Like Eve, we’re sometimes deceived and reject God’s explicit instruction. And like Adam, without deception, we rebel against God. (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14)

We All Sin.

Like Adam and Eve, living as nobles in the garden, we reject God’s design for us; “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Writing to all people walking with Christ, the apostle John says, “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

“For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate,” Paul wrote in Romans 7. Those of us who follow Christ don’t live the lives we wish we could live in faithful obedience; instead, we continue to wrestle against our sin, even while we hate it.

We Cover our Sin, Using Gifts from God.

The first couple felt the guilt and shame of sin in their nakedness. Using fig leaves that God had made, they covered themselves. With the same fig leaves that shaded the fruit God had given them to enjoy, they tried to cover their consciences.

God gave us the writings of Scripture to allow us to know and enjoy Him. He created the church for us to join in order to glorify God. And yet, like the fig leaves, we might use religious activities — attending services, reading our Bibles, serving at church — to cover our guilt.

• Rather than being quick to obey God’s Word when taught, we take good notes on the sermon.
• Rather than “warn one another against the deceitfulness of sin,” we attend a small group to fit in.
• Rather than genuinely confessing our sins to God, we take solace in the consistent practice of daily Bible reading.

Do you notice that it was the fig leaf that Adam and Eve used as a covering, and it was also the fig tree that Jesus cursed? The fig tree was a symbol of a false religion that barred true worship and true prayer for all nationalities (Mark 11:12-21). Emmaus Bible College president William MacDonald wrote, “The aprons of fig leaves speak of man’s attempt to save himself by a bloodless religion of good works.”

Do you ever sense that you are substituting anything for friendship with God? Don’t be satisfied with activity, but rather, brothers and sisters, fight for intimacy with your Father!

We Hide in God’s Creation.

Adam and Eve didn’t stop with fig leaves. When they heard the sound of God, they ran into the trees of Eden as if they could blend into the woodwork. Anglican pastor David Atkinson writes, “The trees which were meant as the context for their freedom are now the context of a cover-up. The park becomes a prison.” The same trees given to them for food and beauty become a place of terrified hiding.

And yet, don’t we try to as well? Sometimes I can tell when things aren’t right between God and me; my emotions can serve like the dashboard Check-Engine light to say something’s wrong. But if I’m busy with work, with deadlines, with travel, or even with enjoying myself in entertainment, I can go for days without really examining the state of my heart.

• If we run from God, hiding in the world He created, that creation can seem to close in on us. 
• The work God created for us to do in worship of Him can seem to entrap us, taking all our energy and attention.
• The families God put us in, or allows us to create, can be places of tension and strife because of sin and unforgiveness.
• The beauty of the natural world can capture our hearts, leading us to honor the creation more than the creator.

God Still Calls.

God, their maker, called to Adam and Eve. After they sinned and He called them out of hiding, He approached them with mercy. He postponed the death sentence, giving them a chance to confess. In this interaction, God “displays his characteristic love in regard for sinners, even despite their fall,” writes John Chrysostom.

• We see God pursuing us by sending the prophets to teach His people and gather them.
• We see the pursuit when Jesus comes to Earth to rescue us.
• We recognize how He comes for us when He sends His messengers into all of the Earth with His Word.
• We hear God calling when we hear His Word preached.
• We see the call in the Father of the Prodigal Son, running to embrace his fallen son.

Fellow Christian, God still pursues you in love and mercy. Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

When you sin, don’t cover it up; don’t hide from God. Confess your sins to your loving Father; trust that Jesus took your penalty and shame, so God is justified in forgiving you and restoring you to live a relationship of love with Him.