Unfathomable Grace

Before the beginning …

God existed. (Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 41:4)

He enjoyed sweet communion with himself and created beings who dwelt in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 3:10-11)

He planned, purposed, and covenanted. The Father would send, sacrifice, and exalt the Son before the watching eyes of heavenly rulers and authorities. (Ephesians 3:10-11; Titus 1:1-2; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Revelation 13:8)

He then chose, selected, elected, predestined, or blessed certain individuals. (Ephesians 1:4-5; Matthew 25:34; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 1:9-10)

Then, in the beginning …

God created a formless, void, and dark stage. (Genesis 1:2)

He followed this up by hovering over his intentionally created “not good” stage. But, he would be the one to make things right. (Genesis 1:2)

After the beginning …

God began to speak, separate, organize, beautify, and perfect his stage. He was the one who made all things “good.” (Genesis 1:3-26)

He then created his actors. They were made in his divine image and likeness. With them, he shared some of his divine attributes. Through them, he determined to glorify his Son. And for them, he would send his Son. It was at this point that God saw everything he had made, and behold it was “very good.” The stage was perfectly set, and the actors were all in order. (Genesis 1:26-31; 2;7; 2:18-24)

God also created a special garden in the land of Eden. This would be the meeting place of God and man. This would be a sanctuary — a paradise of holy communion. (Genesis 2:8-15)

It was then, on the seventh day, that God rested, holidayed, and celebrated all he had done. (Genesis 2:1-3)

Yes, this is what God did in those first seven days. (Genesis 1:1-2:2)

This is what God did in “the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.” (Genesis 2:4)

This is what God did in “the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.” (Genesis 2:5)

Oh, and one more thing … God also commanded Adam [and Eve] not to eat from one tree — the Tree of the Knowledge of God and Evil. (Genesis 2:16-17) Every day they passed by this tree without partaking, they would show their belief, allegiance, and love for God. However, if they ever partook, on that day they would be proclaiming the opposite.

Next came the antagonist, the anarchy, and consequences …

A created being entered into a conversation with Eve [and Adam who was there]. The tempter encouraged them to disbelieve and distrust God. He encouraged them to be dissatisfied with their perfectly created condition. The holy couple were encouraged to supremely love themselves and dismiss the stated curse of God. (Genesis 3:1-5)

Then the tragedy happened. Eve was the first to internally disbelieve and externally disobey. Adam was no different. (Genesis 3:6)

The spiritual curse — Their eyes were opened. They knew they were naked. They sought to hide and cover themselves, but still they were tormented with shame and fear. (Genesis 3:7-11)

The relational curse — Actively, Eve was used by the evil one to tempt her husband. Passively, Adam sat by and assisted his spouse in her trespass. Sadly, this was just the beginning of their neighborly disfunction. They were to help one another, but they became harmful. Soon, Adam would “throw Eve under the bus.” Then, for all their days, they would experience relational discord in their marriage, family, and community. Cursed was their disciple-making process. Much pain would be experienced. Cursed was their image-bearing partnership. Much distrust and damage would be done. (Genesis 3:6, 12, 16)

The global curse — The Lord God cursed the very-good planet, and the fallen couple was removed from Eden. For the rest of their limited days, they were destined to experience heartache and pain. (Genesis 3:17-19, 22-24)

The physical curse — Physical death was over the horizon. From dust they came, to dust they would return. (Genesis 3:19)

But then came the good news — the Gospel.

Seeing their hellish rebellion, the Lord God came their way. He did not need to do so, but he entered the garden looking for his fallen friends. (Genesis 3:7)

God called out to the hiding couple. He would not let them keep their distance. (Genesis 3:7)

He began speaking words of curse to the tempter. (Genesis 3:14-15)

Then the Lord God promised rescue. In time, many of Adam and Eve’s descendants would be found outside the camp of the evil one. They would not be permanently allied with the devil. (Genesis 3:15)

God promised salvific domination. A special seed would come. The Son would come, and in the end he would crush the evil one’s head. (Genesis 3:15)

He then preached a sermon by means of a sacred rite. God ceremonially sacrificed an animal and covered the couple with its skin. Through this act he preached how he would provide the acceptable sacrifice and covering. (Genesis 3:21)

God preached another sermon by means of his angel. It became clear to Adam, Eve, and everyone reading their story, how man by his own power and performance could never enter God’s garden, sanctuary, or place of paradisiacal communion. The Tree of Life was out mankind’s reach. If any were to ever enjoy such privileges, someone else would have to treat their curse and provide the way.

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And the rest, it is history.

The rest is His Story!