The first part of this piece of writing was presented in the previous newsletter. It detailed man´s attempt to flee from the presence of God due to sin. Adam fled from the presence of God because sin had made him fearful and rendered him naked (Gen 3:10-11).
Nakedness of Man
“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Gen 3:10-11)
Adam and his spouse, after having eaten from the forbidden tree, recognized their nakedness. They were already naked before the fall, so what does this nakedness meant to them? According to scriptures, nakedness has been used to mean a sign of backsliding and shame or disgrace as a result of sin and the loss of the protection of God (Ex 32:25, 2Ch 28:19, Hos 2:3). If the Holy Spirit of God consistently warns believers against sin and they ignore it, they put themselves in open shame, and the feeling of alienation from God escalates. This consequently brings fear upon them and keeps them fleeing and hiding.
Behind the Trees
Sin dislodges us from the presence of God into an untoward location. Adam fled from God´s presence to hide behind trees. He reduced himself from his position of honor because of sin Believers do not need to hide behind trees when they sin because God still seeks the guilty. Where are you, Adam? (Gen 3:9) Come out of your hiding place because the love of God does not fail even when we fall short before Him, He still reaches out to sinners and backsliders. For where sin abounds grace also much more abounds (Rom 5:20). What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Rom 6:1-2).
God Seeks the Perishing
A number of scriptures have been given to support how God searches for the backsliding people. One of such scriptures is that of the lost sheep. Jesus was sent specifically unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat 15:24). If you are a backslider, the Lord God has not thrown you out yet. Jesus reveals His passion for backsliders when He asks “what man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” (Luk 15:4). He adds that when he finds it and comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, and tell them to rejoice with me because he has found his sheep which was lost (Luk 15:6).
Again, in the parable of the prodigal son, it was said that the son was dead and is alive again. He was lost but has been found, and they began to rejoice (Luk 15:24-32). Paul advises that if a person is overtaken in a fault, brethren must seek to restore such a person in the spirit of meekness (Gal 6:1). If a sinner returns to God with a sincere heart, s/he would be pardoned and restored to a position of dignity. Run to God for forgiveness and reconciliation instead of running away from Him into hiding. Adam ran away but he was found and clothed in animal skin.
Killing of a Beast
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken” (Gen 3:21-23).
It is understood that God Himself slaughtered a beast and covered man and his wife with its skin. The killing of this animal suggests to us that there is no remission of sins without shedding of blood (Heb 9:22). This presupposes that the beast that was killed symbolized the death of the Messiah, Jesus Christ and the covering given to the couple was an emblem of the righteousness of God. When we are called by God, He forgives us of all our sins and cleanses us from all contaminations of any form of unrighteousness (1Joh 1:7-9), and then clothes us with His own righteousness, as scriptures, including 2Co 5:21 and Isa 61:10 affirm.
It could be asked that, if the beast slaughtered in the Garden of Eden was an emblem of Jesus Christ crucified, why was it not enough for Adam and His wife to be cleansed completely, but had to be driven from the garden, and angels sent to guard it, to keep the way of the tree of life? (Gen 3:23-24). One needs to understand that the blood of animals was not capable of removing all our sins completely, so it called for a yearly sacrifice of animals by the High Priest (Heb 9:13-10:4).
It was against this background that the Lamb of God was sacrificed to take away the sins of the world (Joh 1: 29-36) once and for all (Heb 10:10). The sins of those who believe in God have been completely atoned for and so this must give believers confidence to approach God at all times.
Conclusion
God calls all people irrespective of their nationality, race, age and others to come unto Him. He sent Jesus into the world to save sinners or backsliders, so if anyone has fallen into sin, it is not over for him or her yet. Backsliders or sinners are not to condemn themselves but are being encouraged to run back to God, for He still loves all people, so will He show mercy and pardon to all who sincerely run to Him.
Prayer: May our Lord God help us to always run back to Him when we stumble so that we shall not cut ourselves off completely. In Jesus´s name, we pray. Amen!