There is a sense of longing in the culture around us. Implicit in this longing is an acknowledgment that things are not as they should be. Artists, politicians and marketers all play to this longing.
Where does this sense of longing come from? If we are “dancing to our DNA” or if we are random groupings of chemicals which are mysteriously self-aware, there is no adequate explanation for this longing.
On the other hand, if we were designed for something different, if what we see is a perversion of what was to be, then that longing makes sense.
The opening chapters in Genesis provide an answer to this. We were designed to be in fellowship with God and in harmony with each other and our environment. Adam, as our representative, chose to rebel and humanity has continued in Adam’s rebellion.
When I read the story of the original sin in Genesis 3, I see 4 aspects to the loss and separation that we feel.
- We are separated from God – “Adam where are you?”
- We are separated from humanity – “because I was naked, I hid myself”
- We are separated from our true selves – Eve blamed the serpent, Adam blamed Eve and God
- We are separated from our environment – “cursed is the ground because of you”
That’s the bad news. The good news is found in Romans 8:18 and following. There will come a day when all of God’s creation will be released from the bondage of sin and separation. At that time the entire creation (including us) will be transformed back into what it was intended to be. The longing will at that time (and not before) be fulfilled.