Something happened in the garden of Eden that caused a major shift in man’s relationship with his creator. Since God created man in His own image and stated that everything He had created was, very good, the problem I see is not with God but man.

We all know how the story goes. Adam and Eve were in a perfect garden environment no sin, sickness or turmoil of any kind. Just perfection at its finest. Along comes the Tempter with partial truths to question what God really said. (He has not changed His tactics to this day). His whole ploy was to get the authority that God had given Adam over the earth. Could it be that Satan’s objective was to have the people of earth worship Him instead of God? The Bible does not give us the answer.

God enters the narrative with a question, “Adam where are you?” Isn’t that just like our God to give us the opportunity for repentance, to explain what he had done? But no, he starts the age old blame game. The woman you gave me she did it. Eve said, the snake he tricked me into eating the fruit. Genesis Chapter 3.

This is the part I find most interesting, Genesis 3:7, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew they were naked;..” Why did they now know of their nakedness, they had been naked just moments before and had no shame? Could it be that Adam was painfully aware His relationship with his Creator was not the same as it had been?

Under the Mosaic law, which God had given to Moses, was to show mankind their sin but, provide no lasting solution to the problem. The law and sacrifice was their conscience effort to cover the sins committed by them. The process went something like this, sin, then sacrifice, sin, then sacrifice with no viable end. Because of man’s flesh he was trapped in an continues circle. Before Jesus came into our lives, we too were living in dead works.

Titus 1:15, “ Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled”.

Then enters Jesus with a new covenant, one that does away with that endless cycle. Jesus does what that old covenant could never do. His death and resurrection refreshed man’s old conscience and made it new.

Hebrews 9:14, “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

A new conscience is part of the new covenant, where sin is forgiven and guilt is removed, allowing for a renewed relationship with God.

1 Peter 3:21, “ The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:”

When Adam sinned his conscience changed from a God-conscience, to a

self-conscience, that is why (I believe) he then saw himself naked and hid from God.

Thank You Jesus for Your ultimate sacrifice for mankind.

1 John 4:19, “We love him, because he first loved us”.

May you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers! 3 John 1:2

Al S