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The tragic effects of sin
When we consider God’s ultimate plan for us it can be easy to forget that what God desired for us was the states of original holiness and original justice. That is to say, we were meant to be whole, entire, complete in our relationship with God, and to be whole, entire and complete in our relationships with self, others and the created world.
But alas… There are those times when we conclude that we know better than God. Only after we sin do we experience the tragic effects of sin, or maybe we don’t see these tragic effects until it is too late. But what is clear, and what we will see today and tomorrow, is that what was whole, entire, and complete, is not fragmented, partial and broken.
Consider this. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were the perfect companions for each other. “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. But even more, there is harmony between Adam and Eve and all of creation. They need not work for food. They live in harmony with animals and their created world.
But most importantly, their relationship with God was in harmony. It was God who walked with Adam in the breezy time of the day. It was God who managed to put everything right with the created world, and especially with those made in His image and likeness.
But then, their relationship with God was broken and damaged. They went from the close intimacy with God, to hiding and shame. “When they heard the sound of the LORD God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.”
It is not just the sin of Adam and Eve that causes tragic events. Every sin we commit does the same. And at the heart of all sin is the notion that we know better than God. We believe we are smarter, wiser, and more powerful. Fortunately for us, and as we will read later, we have a God who is merciful and forgiving.
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