I’ve entitled our message this morning, “Creation to the Cross.” I want to share with you some basic points that I sometimes rely on when helping someone comprehend why we need salvation in Christ. In presenting the gospel we need to help a person understand and acknowledge that we’re sinners and that we need to have our sins forgiven; however, on a few occasions I’ve met people who want more detail on why we’re sinners, or they want to know what sin really is.
For those who want more answers I present them with a brief summary of the Bible, from creation, to the fall of mankind, to our separation from God, right down to Jesus’ atonement for our sins on the cross; and I’ve actually seen this presentation result in people getting saved. Therefore, this morning, I’m going to share the basic salvation message all the way from Genesis to Jesus. I must add that when I actually use the following points in witnessing that I make it less detailed and more concise.
Point # 1: God Made Mankind to Walk with Him (Genesis 2:8-9, 15-17)
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil . . . 15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
The Bible tells us that all human life began with one man and one woman who were both created by God in His image. In our society many people have a difficult time accepting this claim to be true. I’m not seeking to prove anything here today. I’m simply asking that we examine this passage through the eyes of faith, and that we seek to understand the spiritual insights contained within.
This passage says that after God created the first man that He placed him in a luscious garden to take care of it. Since the trees grew and bore fruit all by themselves, the man didn’t have to do a whole lot of work. Mankind was placed in a paradise, so to speak. He was given life, put in a beautiful spot, and had all the food he could ever want within the fruit trees. He was given provision and all of his basic needs were met. Life was perfect, especially after God created the woman as a helper for the man.
So, why did God create mankind? Well, in Genesis 3:8 we’re told, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” You see, while the man and woman were in the garden, God was right there with them. Mankind was created to walk with God. In Genesis 5:22 and 24 we read about Enoch who “walked with God,” and in Genesis 6:9 we read about how Noah “walked with God.” In all the passages that speak of walking with God, this expression refers to people who are “perfect,” “just,” and “faithful,” and who are full of “peace,” equity,” and “truth” (see Genesis 6:9, Hosea 11:12, Malachi 2:6). To summarize this, people who walk with God walk in righteousness.
The Lord created mankind as perfect and righteous, and able to walk with a perfect, righteous, and holy God. God created us to worship and fellowship with Him. We were made for an intimate love relationship with the Creator; however, true love can’t be forced. Genuine love provides the freedom to choose, and the Lord gave mankind an opportunity to choose whether or not to love and obey Him. That’s why God set out the choice of the two trees: “tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” and the “tree of life.” In addition to given them two options, He also gave them “free will” to choose.
Point # 2: The Devil Tempted Mankind to Sin (Genesis 3:1-7a)
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened . . .
We read here about the serpent that tempted the woman to eat of the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This could have been a real, literal animal possessed by a spiritual being; or perhaps, the term “serpent” represented the cunning and deceptive nature of the tempter. Revelation 12:9 identifies this serpent, saying, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.” The devil tempted and tricked the woman to become disobedient and partake of the tree against God’s express orders.
We read in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Revelation 12:7-9 that Satan was once an angel in heaven, but he wanted to be like God and so he rebelled against the Lord. There was a great war in heaven, and Satan and all his demons were cast down to the earth. Right here in verse 5, Satan was trying to get Eve to commit the very same crime that he committed of wanting to be like God. Wanting to be like God resulted in Satan being separated from God; and the devil wanted the same thing to happen to mankind. Misery loves company, as the old saying goes.
So, the woman gave in, and then she was able to persuade the man to give in as well. Right here, mankind was disobedient to the Lord. When given the freedom of choice – to love God or love the world – mankind chose to do his own thing, and this was the very first sin in the history of the world. In Romans 5:12 we read, “Through one man sin entered the world.” So, what was the consequence of the very first sin?
Point # 3: Sin Resulted in Separation from God (Genesis 3:22-24)
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” – 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
As I said a moment ago, when Satan tried to become like God he was kicked out of heaven and separated from the Lord, and this is exactly what happened to the first man and woman. Both of them were kicked out of Eden and were no longer able to abide in God’s presence. They had sinned, and because of sin they became as unrighteous before the Lord. Unrighteous and sinful people are unable to stand before the presence of a holy and righteous God. In Isaiah 59:2, we’re told, “Your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
In Romans 6:23, we’re told that sin leads to death. Adam and Eve could have lived forever in the garden, but after they were forced out, they had to face death. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin . . . death spread to all men, because all sinned.” Because of what the first man and woman did, all of us have to face sin and death. As a result of sin, we’re all destined to die both physically and spiritually, and we’re all separated from God. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one,” and Romans 3:23 states, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So, how did mankind have any kind of dealings or communion with God after being kicked out of the garden?
Point # 4: Only a Priest Entered God’s Presence (Hebrews 9:2-7)
2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance.
Even though mankind was separated from the physical presence of God people still knew there was a God, and they still acknowledged Him and worshipped Him as Lord of all creation. Even though they no longer lived in Eden and they were destined to die, God still cared enough about His creation that He watched over the people and communicated with them. Occasionally the Lord chose to speak with certain “individuals,” such as the prophets; however, because most people were considered unrighteous they had to communicate with God by another means. They had to communicate with the Lord through a selected and anointed individual, which was the high priest.
A high priest was viewed as righteous before God by making animal sacrifices to atone for – or to pay the price – for his own sins. He even made sacrifices on behalf of the people, in order to hold back God’s wrath. The thing I want to emphasize here is that the majority of people were still separated from God. God’s spiritual presence was hidden from them by a “veil” within the inner room of the tabernacle. That inner room was called the Holy of Holies. Only one person could enter into God’s spiritual presence, and that was the high priest, which was an event that only took place once a year.
The high priest could have even been struck dead if he had failed to purify himself properly. That’s the reason why he entered the Holy of Holies with bells on his cloak and a rope tied around his ankle. If the bells stopped jingling it meant that something had gone wrong, and then the priest had to be pulled out by the people; but what I want us to take from this passage is the symbolism of the “veil.” In 2 Corinthians 3:14, Paul said of the people in Old Testament times, “But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted.” The veil represents mankind’s separation from God’s holy presence.
Point # 5: Jesus Paved the Road Back to God (Hebrews 9:11-15)
11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. 12 Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, 14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15 And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
The priests had always made animal sacrifices to pay the price for people’s sins; or rather, to “atone” for their sins. Jesus, however, became the perfect sacrifice. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him for baptism, he declared, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because He was God in the flesh; and therefore, He was perfect. Jesus laid down His life and died on the cross, so that His perfect blood would pay the price for our sin. In doing so, Jesus paved the way for us to come back into God’s presence.
In 2 Corinthians 5:18, we read, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” In Colossians 1:19-20, we read, “For it pleased the Father that in Him [or in Jesus] all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” Jesus tore down the wall of division. In Ephesians 2:13-14 and 18, we’re told, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and [He] has broken down the middle wall of separation . . . For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “There is one God and one mediator [or peacemaker] between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” Sin resulted in our separation from God, and mankind could only speak to the Lord through a high priest who acted as mediator, but Jesus became the new and perfect mediator to enable us to once again stand before the very presence of God. There’s no longer a veil that separates us from God’s presence. In Mark 15:37-38, we read concerning Jesus’ crucifixion, “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
Jesus gave Himself on the cross to pay for our sins. Romans 6:23 tells us “the wages of sin is death,” but Jesus took that penalty on Himself, so that we might live forever in God’s presence. 2 Corinthians 3:14, 16-17 says, “The veil is taken away in Christ . . . When one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” We now have “direct access” to God’s presence and His throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 declares, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Time of Reflection
The basic message that we’ve heard this morning is this: God created mankind to walk in love and fellowship with Him and to worship Him; however, mankind sinned and thereby became imperfect. Imperfect and sinful people are unable to dwell in the presence of a holy God; therefore, sin resulted in separation from God. Jesus, the perfect sacrifice, died for our sins on the cross in order to pave the way for us to once again come into God’s presence in a love relationship. Jesus died to make us righteous, for we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The way that we become the righteousness of God and enter into this love relationship is to confess our sins, to believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross, and to confess Him as Savior and Lord. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” I want to invite you this morning to confess your sins to the Lord, to receive the gift of Jesus’ life that He gave on the cross, and to inherit eternal life in God’s kingdom.
