Kicked out for our own good

Posted on February 15, 2011 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

Growing up, when I read in Genesis Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, I always viewed this as a punitive action. I thought that our first parents were being punished for their sin.

This morning, as I read this passage, I noticed that the goal in expelling them from the Garden was to prevent them from eating from the tree of life and living forever.

Then the question came to me, was this punishment or grace? Would you want to live forever in a fallen state? I suppose that age has perhaps given me better perspective on this, but I can say now that I would not.

Imaging living in a perpetual state of knowing what you lost and knowing that it can never be recovered. To live forever with the knowledge of being flawed with no path to recovery would be a living hell. To see the mess that we have made of the world would have to be torture for Adam.

God was gracious to Adam and Eve as He is to us. He gives us a purpose for being here and takes us to be with Himself when our purpose is complete. This is grace from beginning to end. With this attitude, we can say with Paul, “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21)

Let us live with the goal of fulfilling this purpose.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

We build the altar but God sends the fire

It is right to want more people sitting under the preaching of the gospel. There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to learn from others. But the danger is that we can lose focus on what real spiritual growth looks like and we lose sight of who causes that growth.

Kicked out for our own good

Growing up, when I read in Genesis Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden, I always viewed this as a punitive action. I thought that our first parents were being punished for their sin. This morning, as I read this passage, I noticed that the goal in expelling them from the Garden was to […]

Not what I would choose

In Acts 19:21, Paul expresses a desire to go to Rome as part of his missionary efforts. Paul did eventually get to Rome but it is unlikely that he envisioned that he would enter Rome as a prisoner of the state and remain there under house arrest. In the Epistles that Paul wrote while in […]

Have a great summer

I have decided that this will be my last post until September. Call it a vacation, call it a sabbatical, call it whatever you will, I will be taking a break.

Blessed are the meek – Part 2

#7 in the Sermon on the Mount series. America will be holding a presidential election in 2012. As a result, political advertisements and discussions fill the airwaves and pixels of the news outlets. It is the way of politics to seek and to wield power and influence. It is not always the wisest voice that […]

Schaff on the Apostles’ Creed

Having grown up in anti-liturgical Baptist churches, I was not exposed to The Apostles’ Creed until I was an adult. It is a shame since, as Schaff points out, it is an excellent summary of the facts on which the Christian faith is based.

Share

About Mark McIntyre