Grace Thoughts
Order in the Court of the King! (The Great Separation)
Welcome to Volume III of our special series, Order in the Court of the King! If this is the first time you’ve read this series, please visit previous posts or read the first two volumes to acquaint yourself with our views on God’s Eternal Kingdom.
Volume I
Volume II
[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]
Very Good
Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Genesis 1:31
When God completed creating the heavens, earth, and all that inhabits them, He looked at what He had done and saw that “it was very good.” God created everything according to an orderly plan that He designed in Eternity – before time began. However, it would not be orderly for long.
Part of God’s ‘Eternal Plan’ included a series of ‘tests’ for human beings. He stated His purpose for humanity clearly in Genesis 1 –
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
Humanity had an amazing future, but it would not come without testing that would lead to the most amazing ‘gift’ God would give them – His Son.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:8-10
How did God know ‘before time began’ that His Son would abolish death and bring life and immortality to light through the Gospel? Where in Genesis 1 do we find anything about death? We don’t. We have to turn the Bible page to Genesis 2 to discover the first of many tests God would give to humans.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. Genesis 2:16-17
That’s the first mention of ‘death’ in the Bible, but it was a test God had prepared ‘before time began.’ Whether death entered into the world was a decision that Adam would make. God tested Adam.
As we continue to read Genesis 2 we find that Adam, Eve, and all of the animals had a wonderful relationship with God. Though we are not told how long that relationship lasted, I think it was only for a very short time. The reason I believe that is because of what God purposed for humans – “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
It’s obvious from what Adam said after God brought Eve to him that we see Adam’s understanding of the purpose and process of being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth –
And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:23-25
Adam was naked and his wife was naked. They understood that they would come together sexually (become one flesh) to reproduce (multiply) and fill the earth.
Based on what I read in Genesis 1 and 2 there would have been nothing that would have hindered Adam and Eve from have sexual relations right away to begin the process of multiplying and filling the earth. However, we find no evidence of Adam and Eve having sexual relations until Genesis 4 –
Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Genesis 4:1-2
Something happened between Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 4:1 that kept Adam and Eve from fulfilling God’s will for humans – something that would have brought them great joy as they became ‘one flesh.’ I think the time between God creating Adam and his wife and things going ‘very bad’ may have only been a matter of hours or a few days at the most. Otherwise, I believe Adam and Eve would have joined together sexually to fulfill their purpose in God’s earthly Kingdom to ‘multiply and fill’ the earth.
Very Bad
What happened between Genesis 2 and Genesis 4 is what I call the ‘Great Separation.’ God created the heavens and the earth as a demonstration of His ‘glory’ and ‘greatness.’
The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; Let Your glory be above all the earth. Psalm 57:5
Something happened in Genesis 3 that led to the ‘great separation’ between God and humans. That something was a failure to pass the first test. God told Adam, who told his wife, “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” How did humans fail such an easy test? God had given them what was probably a very large garden filled with delicious fruit and herbs to eat. All they had to do was ‘not’ eat the fruit from one tree. What happened? The serpent happened –
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. Genesis 3:1
This was God’s first test and it was based on His Word. Would the first humans believe God or someone else?
And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Genesis 3:2
The serpent misquoted God, which is a favorite technique of the enemy. God did not say ‘you shall not eat of every tree of the garden.’ Instead, God said – “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” That’s quite different than what the serpent said. Students of God’s Word need to watch for every slight difference because it is a favorite way of the enemy ‘deceiving’ people.
At first it looked like Eve might pass the test. She might have started by pointing out to the serpent that he had misquoted God, but she didn’t bring that up and also misquoted the Lord –
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Genesis 3:2-3
Eve misquoted God by adding the words ‘nor shall you touch it.’ God did not say that to Adam. God only said ‘you shall not eat.’ He said nothing about ‘touching.’ Maybe that was implied, but God did not say it. Again, listen closely to the enemy’s attacks on God’s Word. The attacks are often very ‘slight’ deviations from what God says in order to deceive people.
The serpent finished the test by calling God a liar with bad intentions – “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Notice that the serpent presented himself as someone with special knowledge of God’s ‘real’ intent. Again, another favorite technique of ‘deception’ by the enemy.
How did Eve respond to what the serpent said?
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took off its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:6-7
The ‘Great’ Separation
That was the beginning of the ‘great separation’ between humans and their Creator. Things went from ‘very good’ to ‘very bad’ in a matter of just a few minutes. The result of the serpent’s ‘deception’ and the humans’ ‘disobedience’ led to curses, sorrow, pain, and death – spiritual and physical –
So the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. Genesis 3:14-15
To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you. Genesis 3:16
Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:17-19
Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:22-24
Order to Disorder
What we find from that point on in the Bible, and the history of the world, is ‘disorder.’ God created everything in an ‘orderly’ fashion, but it quickly became ‘disorderly’ when humans failed their first ‘test.’ Humans have failed most every ‘test’ from God since.
Adam’s first son failed. Cain’s family failed. Seth’s family failed. God chose Noah to start fresh, but Noah’s family failed. God chose Abram to bless the nations of the world, but the nations of the world failed. The human race is a failure because of the sin of Adam –
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— Romans 5:12
Is it any wonder that God would inspire the Apostle Paul to write –
As it is written: There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one. Romans 3:10-12
It is only because of God’s promise to Eve that her Seed would one day ‘destroy’ the seed of the serpent that any human has a chance to become anything other than a failure in God’s eyes. That’s why God sent His Son to ‘destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8). By making Himself ‘of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men,’ being found in appearance as a man and becoming obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross, God’s Son destroyed the ‘works’ of the devil.
The human race now has a real chance at regaining what it lost in the Garden of Eden –
Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Romans 5:18-19
That ‘righteous Man’ is Jesus Christ, God’s Son. All humans were ‘made sinners’ ‘by one man’s disobedience.’ That’s the reality we deal with every day in this world. Everyone is born a sinner because of Adam’s sin. However, ‘by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.’ Not all people, but many people.
Who are those people? The ones who do this –
… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:9-13
In answer to a very simple, direct question – “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” – Paul’s answer was also simple and direct – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:30-31). God began the process of bringing ‘order’ out of ‘disorder’ in a way that was easy to understand and do. Believe in Jesus – call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.
However, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying. I do not believe in ‘easy-believeism.’ Yes, God made salvation ‘easy’ in the sense that a person confesses their sin, need for forgiveness, and places complete trust (belief) in the death of Christ on the Cross for salvation. However, we must not forget the rest of Scripture. Following Jesus Christ means ‘following’ Jesus Christ. As He told His disciples, they would be hated, persecuted, and face many tribulations in this world. The apostles preached, taught, and wrote thousands of words that described in great detail the meaning of being a follower of Jesus Christ. It’s not ‘easy’ to follow Jesus.
Many, many people hear the Word of God and keep on walking – “the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart.” Other people hear the Word and appear to receive it with joy. However, the seed of the Word does not take root, “but endures only for awhile.” They stumble as soon as tribulation or persecution arise in the world. Some people who hear the Gospel don’t take it to heart because of “the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches.” Those ‘cares’ and ‘riches’ ‘choke the word’ and there is no fruit. There is that minority of people who hear the Gospel and understand it. They bear fruit. They are saved.
Our job is to spread the Word, preach the Gospel, tell others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We explain it the best we can. We answer questions and defend the truth the best we can. However, it is God who saves. We don’t save. We can’t save. Only God saves. As Paul wrote – “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). Yes, we plant and water the seeds of the Gospel, but God gives the increase – He does the ‘saving.’
Dis-Order to Re-Order
So, doesn’t salvation mean that the ‘dis-order’ of our life will become ‘re-ordered’ after becoming a follower of Christ. Yes, but not right away. There is more work to be done. Every true Christian has a job to do – to bring glory to God and finish the work God gave them to do. Your ‘work’ (ministry) may be different than mine. Maybe you and I share the same work, but in different places in the world. God makes those decisions –
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
No matter what spiritual gift God gives us, no matter where in the world He sends us, all glory is His because He does it all. Yes, there are diversities of gifts, “but the same Spirit.” There are differences of ministries, “but the same Lord.” There are diversities of activities, “but it the same God who works all in all.” All glory to God!
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:36
Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5
Reunited and Restored
The great ‘secret’ of Christianity is that it is the only way to be reunited to God and have the ‘severed relationship’ because of Adam restored. As Jesus said – “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). There is no other way ‘back’ to God.
For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:5-11
We know by reading the end of the Bible that all of God’s people will eventually be reunited with Him forever and ever. That is a great promise and wonderful hope as we deal with persecution, trials, and tribulations in this life. We are all “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). When Jesus does appear, He will unite all of His people with Him to rule and reign forever.
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5
Next Time
Because of my life as an atheist before becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, I thought that all Christians would believe the same things I had learned during my investigation into the truth claims of Scripture. I was unpleasantly surprised to discover that many Christians didn’t get along with each other. I found lots of divisions among Christians, in addition to a great deal of pressure on me as a young Christian to believe and act a certain way to please different groups of Christians. Why is that? Is there anything members of the Church can do to re-unite to accomplish the great work God has given us to do?
We’ll look at how to do that in the next part of our series, Order in the Court of the King!
[Listen to a Podcast of this study by clicking this link.]
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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