Everything was going so well when scandalous news rocked the depths of the Garden and the gates of heaven. Angels were stunned. God was heartbroken. The dream appeared hopelessly shattered.

    Adam and Eve had disobeyed God’s commands and had lost their innocence. Thinking they could be like God, they ate the forbidden fruit that would give them instant wisdom and the need for a conscience. Life on earth would never be the same, for any sin, any disobedience of God, separates us from the perfection of heaven. God’s beloved couple was now sentenced to acquire their own knowledge, make their own living, create their own world, and feel their pain, outside of God’s protective Garden.

Sin came into the world because of what one man did. And with sin came death. This is why everyone must die—because everyone sinned. ROMANS 5:12

    In this single act Adam and Eve brought death and decay into the world and gave Satan a foothold in God’s creation. Fear and failure were added to the tapestry of life; conflict and frustration soon followed. The consequences of Adam and Eve’s unfaithfulness forced them from the Garden and from the presence of God, but not from his love. In a parting act of compassion God made clothes for his now dying creation.

Reflection: It’s impossible for us to grasp the pain Adam and Eve must have felt the day they walked out of the Garden. The consequence of their sin was clear—death, and the fear and dread it brings. But it would be centuries before they physically paid that price. On eviction day, they also gave up what we long for, a peace of mind and contentment found only in the presence of God. Their sin introduced the world to broken relationships and alienation, a condition worse than physical death.

    But God already had his plan for redemption in place—a no-expense-spared, secret plan to rescue his unfaithful people and restore his relationship with them forever. This is a God with a plan bigger than our mistakes.