Living a Transformed Life

T he fall of man in the opening chapters of Genesis is the epic story of how man forfeited the true love of his Creator for carnal knowledge, intimacy with God for temporal pleasure, and eternal life for a life plagued with sin and death. It also chronicles the unconditional love, unwavering commitment, and amazing grace of God in His pursuit of fallen man. It is the story of redemption and restoration, and God ’ s faithfulness toward His creation. It is the greatest story ever told. The Dark Side Of Eden When Adam was created in the Garden of Eden, he was given everything he needed to enjoy life at its fullest. In addition to having a relationship with God that was real and personal, he was also given a woman to be his life ’ s mate. Together they found meaning and purpose in tending the beautiful garden paradise created for them. God gave them only one prohibition: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, planted in the garden paradise.

The consequence: the day you eat of it you will surely die (Gen 2:17).

A Deadly Alliance

Little did they know that their arch enemy, Satan, was planning a devastating attack that would test their willingness to obey God. With cunning and precision, Satan struck. Using the serpent as his seductive weapon, he lured Eve to disobey God by tempting her to eat from the forbidden tree. Eve believed the deceptive serpent ’ s lie— ” you will not surely die ” (Gen 3:4) and yielded to the temptation. She then persuaded Adam to join her in eating the deadly fruit. The result: An unholy rebellion against God was unleashed ; a rebellion that would affect all of mankind.

Paradise Lost

The first couple found themselves separated from God, having lost all that He had planned for them, They were banned from His presence and from the garden paradise. Immersed in a world cursed by sin, they no longer had dominion over creation and were no longer free to enjoy intimacy with the One who created them. They would now be buffeted by Satan, the enemy of their soul. For the rest of their lives they would be dominated by sin and death.

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