The Compassion Of God In The Crisis Of Sin Series

The Compassion of God in the Crisis of Sin

Genesis 3:20-24

How did it ever happen? He was once a respected leader. Now his hidden scandal is known by everyone. His wife has left him. His children won’t speak with him. When he’s at work, it seems that everyone is talking about him. Conversations stop as soon as he gets near. Why did he do it?

I watched a news program where former SC Govenor Mark Sanford offered his explanation on his year long affair with an Argentine woman. Sanford was considered by many a possible presidential candidate. All destroyed for the pursuit of his own desires.

I’m referring to the moment when we are made aware that we are trapped in sin and about to suffer great consequence because we have been deceived.

DAVID described it in Psalm 51 by writing “my sin is always before me.”

In Luke 15 the Lost son “came to his senses.”

For Adam and Eve, their “eyes were open and they saw that they were naked.”

IN every one of these circumstances, and in similar failures in all of our lives We See GOD’s GRACE in the middle of our sin.

Paul describes God’s grace in Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We normally refer to this verse to demonstrate the fact that God loved us before we could earn that love through obedience. But there is another truth contained here - It took our sin to allow God’s love to be demonstrated. This most central attribute of God is manifested because we are so sinful.

We see the compassion of God for sinners from the very beginning, from the first sin and its consequences.

The first sign that God has shown us compassion is noticed in the fact that Adam names his wife “Eve.” Genesis 3:20 "Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. "

The name “Eve” means “life.” In the Greek Septuagint, the word used is ÆùÞ (Zo ahy) which means life. The name Adam chooses demonstrates that Adam believed God’s promise that future blessing would come through the woman. This is NOT THE END for the man and woman. LIFE would come THROUGH the WOMAN, just as God promised.

The second demonstration of God’s compassion is that He Provides Animal Skins. Genesis 3:21 "The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. " Their attempt to cover their own sin was inadequate. 3:7 “they sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness.” The only hope that they had was if God would do something for them. This is just like us. When we sin, we try to manage the consequences of our sin. We think that if we do enough good, we might outweigh the bad. We try our hand at religion, or good deeds, but it is never enough to meet God’s expectations.

In order to provide these skins to cover their shame, the Lord “made coverings.” Notice that this is the first creative work that the Lord has done since ceasing from his creation.

After creation, God RESTED Genesis 2:2–3 "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. "

Now, SIN CAUSES GOD TO CREATE AGAIN. This time, God does not create from nothing, but uses the creation that he made to fashion something else.

The third demonstration of God’s compassion is the fact that God keeps Adam from an ETERNAL DEATH. Genesis 3:22–24 "And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” " "So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. " "After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. "

By expelling them from the Garden, the Lord prevented them from eating of the fruit of the tree of life and gaining an eternal physical existence while still in an unredeemed mortal body. For Adam and Eve, and for every Old Testament Saint, the redemption would not come until Jesus died and rose again. Had Adam and Eve obtained eternal life without being redeemed, they would live forever in a state of death and separation from God. The Lord did NOT WANT them separated from him forever! He wants their fellowship. This could only happen when the ultimate sacrifice for sin was paid.