Genesis 3 continued

Redemption

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Genesis 3:15

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That "enmity"!!! What is it? And how does it work?

It is the Holy Spirit working with conviction in our lives - we often call it "guilt". See John 16:7-11. It is a gift from God.

In practise, it was through the animal sacrifice that the Spirit revealed to Adam and Eve the sacred character of the law of God; and they saw, as they had never seen before, the guilt of sin and its dire results. Looking in to it they were able to see how far they had fallen from righteousness.

Not one of its precepts could be put aside or changed to meet humanity in its fallen condition. Only the Son of God, who had created them, could make an atonement for them and settle the claims of the law. Then God could be seen as just and fair, and a law keeper.

As Adam's transgression had brought wretchedness and death, so the sacrifice of Christ would bring life and immortality.

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Romans 5:17-19

For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ.)

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men to justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.

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It is possible to so shut off the voice of the Spirit ("grieve" Him, Ephesians 4:30) that we no longer have the "enmity", and when this occurs we say that the person’s conscience is "seared" or burnt out. Another term for this is "his/her probation is closed".

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1 Timothy 4:1-2

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Redemption versus salvation:

Not only man, but the earth also and its animals had by sin come under the power of the wicked one, and needed to be restored by the plan of redemption. At his creation Adam was given dominion over the earth, but by yielding to temptation, he was brought under the power of Satan and when he became Satan's captive, the dominion which he held passed to his conqueror. Thus Satan became "the god of this world" and sinners his slaves. 2 Corinthians 4:4.

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2 Peter 2:19

Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.

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Satan had commandeered that dominion over the earth which had been originally given to Adam. But Christ, by His sacrifice paying the penalty of sin, will not only redeem man, but will also recover the dominion which he had forfeited. All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second.

Says the prophet, "O tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to You shall it come, even the first dominion." Micah 4:8.

And the apostle Paul points forward to the "redemption of the purchased possession." Ephesians 1:14.

God created the earth to be the home of holy, happy beings. The Lord "formed the earth and made it; He has established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited." Isaiah 45:18. That purpose will be fulfilled, when, renewed by the power of God, and freed from sin and sorrow, it shall become the eternal abode of the redeemed.

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Psalm 37:29

Revelation 22:3

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him.

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Adam, in his innocence, had enjoyed open communion with his Maker; but sin brought separation between God and man, and the atonement of the Son of God alone could span the abyss and make possible the communication of blessing, or salvation, from heaven to earth. Man was still cut off from direct approach to his Creator, but God would now communicate with him through Christ and angels. Both He and they are often recorded in the Old Testament as visiting the earth and walking, talking and eating with humans. Here is one instance.

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Genesis 18:1-5; 16-19

And they said, "So do, as you have said."....

And the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;

seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He has spoken of him."

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In line with His policy of educating all Christians as to His future plans, Christ revealed to Adam also important events in the history of mankind, from the time when the divine sentence was pronounced in Eden, to the Flood, and onward to the first advent of the Son of God.

He was shown that while the sacrifice of Christ would be of sufficient value to save the whole world, many would choose a life of sin rather than of repentance and obedience. Crime would increase through successive generations, and the curse of sin would rest more and more heavily upon the human race, upon the beasts, and upon the earth.

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Genesis 6:5

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

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Christ told Adam that the days of men and women would be shortened by their own course of sin; they would steadily deteriorate in physical stature and endurance and in moral and intellectual power, until the world would be filled with misery of every type. (From pure gold to iron and clay in Nebuchadnezzar ’s vision.) We have a witness to this in the way the ages of the patriarchs dropped so dramatically after the Flood. See Genesis 11.

Through the indulgence of appetite and passion humanity would also gradually become incapable of appreciating the great truths of the plan of redemption. At that time Christ would have to come personally to earth in the first advent to revive that knowledge by living it.

In the meantime, Christ, true to the agreement which He had received in heaven, continued His interest in the human family, and invited them (through the "enmity") to hide their weakness and deficiencies in Him. He promised He would supply the physical and spiritual needs of all who would come to Him in faith. And there were ever a few who preserved the knowledge of God and remained relatively unsullied amid the prevailing iniquity. Seth, Noah, Abraham etc.

Until the moment of Calvary arrived, the sacrificial offerings of animals were ordained by God to be to man a perpetual reminder of the "death" of the Son of God; a penitential acknowledgment of his own sin; and a confession of his faith in the promised Redeemer.

The sacrifices were intended to impress upon the fallen race the solemn truth that it was sin that caused death and that God had supplied a way out. Romans 6:23. As we have seen, the ceremonies had to be greatly expanded during the days of Moses as understanding of redemption weakened. When it ceased to exist, then the plan was shown in a human body. See Hebrews 10:5.

To Adam and Eve, the offering of the first sacrifices was a most painful ceremony. Their hands must be raised to take life, which only God could give. It was the first time they had ever witnessed death, and they knew that had they been obedient to God, there would have been no death of man or beast. As they slew the innocent victims, they trembled at the thought that their sin had caused the separation of the spotless Lamb of God from His Father.

However, this scene gave them a deeper and more vivid sense of the greatness of their transgression, which nothing but the death of God's dear Son could heal. And they marvelled at the infinite goodness that would give such a ransom to save the guilty. A star of hope illumined the dark and terrible future and relieved it of its utter desolation. Thus the "enmity" worked.

But the plan of redemption had a yet broader and deeper purpose than the salvation of man alone. It was not for this only that Christ came to the earth; it was not merely that the inhabitants of this little world might regard the law of God as it should be regarded; but it was to vindicate the character of God before the universe. He came for the one lost sheep but He did not forget the other "99". Matthew 18:12-13.

The Saviour looked forward to this result of His great sacrifice - its influence upon the intelligences of other worlds, as well as upon man - when just before His crucifixion He said:

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John 12:31-32

Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL to Me.

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The physical illustrates the spiritual: the picture shows the reality.

The act of Christ in dying for the salvation of man at Calvary not only made heaven more accessible to men and women, but before all the universe it justified God and His Son in their dealing with the rebellion of Satan. It established the perpetuity of the law of God and revealed the nature and the results of sin. It showed that God does not accuse men, or punish them for their misbehaviour, but that He actively tries to shield them from the result of it. See Revelation 12:10.

From the first the great controversy had been about the law of God.

Satan had sought to prove that God was unjust, that His law was faulty, and that the good of the universe required it to be changed. In attacking the law he aimed to overthrow the authority of its Author. However, in the controversy fuelled by the "enmity" it was to be shown whether the divine statutes were defective and subject to change, or perfect and immutable.

Why the "enmity"?

When Satan was thrust out of heaven, he determined to make the earth his kingdom. When he tempted and overcame Adam and Eve, he thought that he had gained permanent possession of this world; "because," said he, "they have chosen me as their ruler." He claimed that it was impossible that forgiveness should be granted to the sinner, and therefore the fallen race were his rightful subjects, and the world was his forever.

But God gave His own dear Son - one equal with Himself - to bear the penalty of transgression, and thus He provided a way by which they might be restored to His favour, and brought back to their Eden home. Christ undertook to redeem man and to rescue the world from the grasp of Satan. The great controversy begun in heaven was to be decided in the world, on the very same field that Satan claimed as his.

It was the marvel of all the universe that Christ should humble Himself to save fallen man. That He who had passed from star to star, from world to world, superintending all, upholding all, by His providence supplying the needs of every order of being in His vast creation - that He should consent to leave His glory and take upon Himself human nature, was a mystery which the sinless intelligences of other worlds desired to understand.

Therefore, when Christ came to our world in the form of humanity, all were intensely interested in following Him as He walked, step by step, the bloodstained path from the manger to Calvary.

Heavenly beings marked the insult and mockery that He received, and knew that it was at Satan's instigation. They marked the work of two opposing factions going forward; Satan constantly pressing darkness, sorrow, and suffering upon the race, and Christ counteracting it. They watched the battle between light and darkness as it waxed stronger. And as Christ in His expiring agony upon the cross cried out, "It is finished" (John 19:30), a shout of triumph rang through every world and through heaven itself.

The great contest that had been so long in progress in this world was now decided, and Christ was conqueror. His death had answered the question whether the Father and the Son had sufficient love for man to exercise self-denial and a spirit of sacrifice.

At the same time Satan had revealed his true character as a liar and a murderer. John 8:44. It was seen that the very same spirit with which he had ruled the children of men who were under his power, he would have manifested if permitted to control the intelligences of heaven. With one voice the loyal universe united in praising the divine way of government.

If the law could have been changed, all mankind might have been saved without the sacrifice of Christ; but the fact that it was necessary for Christ to give His life for the fallen race, proves that the law of God will not release the sinner from its claims upon him.

It demonstrated that the wages of sin is death.

When Christ died, the destruction of Satan was made certain. But if the law was abolished at the cross, as many claim, then the agony and death of God's dear Son were endured only to give to Satan just what he asked. Then the prince of evil would have triumphed, his charges against the divine government would have been sustained.

The very fact that Christ bore the penalty of man's transgression is a mighty argument to all created intelligences that the law is changeless; that God is righteous, merciful, and self-denying; and that infinite justice and mercy unite in the administration of His government.

So the psalmist sang:

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Psalm 85:7-11

Show us Your mercy, O LORD, and grant us Your salvation.

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. TRUTH SHALL SPRING OUT OF THE EARTH; and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

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What a God!!

See you next week,

Ron