Foundations of the Christian Faith
Series by Matt Black (Message 6)
Genesis 3:9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
Proposition: The Word of God is a result of God’s pursuit of man in redemption.
The Word of God is a history of God’s dealings with man. It is not a book at all about how much man loves God, but how God amazingly and against all human reasoning loves rebellious man. We often wonder as we read the record of the Old Testament how people could be so sinful, stiff-necked and rebellious. The amazing thing is not that man is rebellious, but that God loves the rebel. We come to the New Testament, and we find this same love demonstrating itself in the central event in history. Both Jews and Gentiles rejected the LORD of glory by crucifying Him on the cross. And in man’s greatest rejection of God, we find God’s greatest and strongest love for man. “Father forgive them for they know not what they do!” cried the Lord from the cross. “It is finished!” He said. What was finished? Christ had finished His work of opening the door of God’s love to mankind. Justice was finished. Christ drank every drop from the cup of God’s wrath. God’s anger against man’s sin was satisfied. Even in man’s greatest hatred of God, we find God pursuing after man in the greatest manner.
Now let us look in our Bibles to Genesis 3 and verse 9. We shall find today that God has been the initiator of reconciliation from the very beginning. Here we find that Adam has fallen into sin and separated himself from the LORD. He is hiding; he does not want God. He is not seeking after God. But God is seeking after Adam. Look at verse nine, And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? We often talk about pursuing God and following Him, but truly it is God who has pursued us. We see this principle in many places in the Bible. Christ said it over and over when He walked the earth.
John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.
It is not WE who are pursuing after God. God is calling after us! If it were not for God’s concern for us, we would be forsaken. We would never seek to reconcile with God. God is calling after us today, just as He called Adam. We find that God made man in perfect innocence. When Adam forfeited His relationship with God, we find that God, not Adam was the reconciler. God called after Adam.
In the book of Genesis we find truth in its most potent form: we find it in seed form. In Genesis 3, we find the very first statement of the Gospel and it’s principles. We find man running from God, God calling after man, and God making the covering for sin that is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Let us read the passage now.
GENESIS 3:1-10 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of 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 hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
Separation from God
First, we see that man is always running from God. Adam was hiding, when God called after him. God knew where Adam was. Adam was keeping himself away from God. It was not Adam that sought out God, but God that sought out Adam. Adam was hiding because of His sin. Truly if God would never have sought after Adam, the man would have died without ever seeking to walk with God again. A great separation had taken place. Guilt had come upon the man whom God created. This is why the Scripture says, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God” (Romans 3:10). No one seeks God. God, as He called out to Adam, calls out to you today. Whatever circumstances you are in, whether you know Christ or not, God is calling after you, just as He did to Adam, saying, “Where are you?”
Adam’s reply demonstrates that he realized the state he was in. He said, “ I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He had no covering. He was aware of his shame. We are all in Adam’s state, and what a miserable condition it is! Adam realized his innocence was gone, and he could in no way do anything about it, so he hid himself. Man’s natural response to sin is to feel shame and guilt and hide. Oh, what an awful condition to be in.
Expectations of God’s Justice
Adam was hiding from God not only because he was full of guilt and shame, but because he was afraid, and rightfully so. Adam was afraid of God’s voice. He was expecting God’s justice.
Why did Adam expect justice? God does all things according to his holiness and righteousness. Therefore, God’s response in every situation of sin must be JUSTICE. God’s wrath must be satisfied, because He is holy. Adam had offended an infinite God, and therefore, Adam’s punishment deserved to be infinite. Adam certainly sensed the weight of God’s anger with sin in the fear that he had when he heard God’s voice.
Adam, gripped with fear and shame would never have gone after God. No man ever comes to God on his own. The human race today is in the same condition.
So we see that man is always running from God, and will never come to God on his own.
And yet though Adam was expecting God’s justice, instead, he found God’s love.
God is calling man
Secondly, we see it is God who is calling after man. God wants to reinstate the relationship. “Adam, where art thou?” God says. Though you have sinned, though you are deserving of my wrath, though you have offended me, I am calling after you. I should just leave you there forever separated from Me. Justice calls for you to be consumed by my wrath. But NO, I am calling after you! Adam, Where are you? We find this principle voiced throughout scripture:
Isaiah 43:1 But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
God promises redemption
The Bible is a book of God calling after man in His rebellion. God has one purpose in mind: Redemption. Let us look at verse 15 of Genesis 3.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
And so finally, we see that God is pursuing man for one purpose: to redeem Him and demonstrate the glory of His great love and mercy. In verse fifteen, we find the Gospel message. A redeemer will be born from Eve, and though the Redeemer’s heal will be bruised, He will crush Satan’s head! It is the serpent that is the author of sin. He will be crushed forever.
In verse 21 we see further into the picture of redemption:
Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
God provides a covering for Adam and his wife. The animals had to be sacrificed, and the man and his wife had to be clothed in their skins. God called after them to redeem them and to show His great love. God pictured Christ’s great sacrifice and the covering of His spotless righteousness. We see this throughout the Bible. This is the Bible’s message. God is redeeming a people for Himself to demonstrate His own glory. What is more glorious than God’s love and mercy? Consider these verses:
Ephesians 1:3-7 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.
Jeremiah 31:3 The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.
God’s Motivation
We see in these two verses two words with the same principle. I will briefly share their significance, and then we will close. In Jeremiah 31:3 we see the word “lovingkindness.” This word is found throughout the Old Testament to explain God’s motive in redemption. The Hebrew word is “hesed,” which means God’s loyal love.
It’s New Testament equivalent which we saw in Ephesians 1 is “grace.” My dear brothers, there is nothing within us that makes God call us. There is nothing in us that would motivate God to redeem us.
Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Why should God redeem us? --To demonstrate the mercy of His own person. It is his pleasure to do so.
Isaiah 48:9 For my name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.
Application
Here we are in Spain. We are among a hard people. These people, like all men are hiding from God. God no longer calls out with His own voice, but uses the voices of men. As the Scripture says:
2 Corinthians 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Conclusion
You are an ambassador for Christ. You have the message of redemption in the Bible that we hold! Who knows what God will do through you this week? God may use your testimony to redeem many. This book we hold in our hands is a result of God pursuing man. May God conquer the hearts of many, many more, not only here, but throughout the world!
