Spiritual Death - Day 2
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18
Fear and torment are two of the consequences of sin. The torment that comes when we fall into sin, is knowing that we will be judged by God… holy fear. That is exactly what happened when Adam and Eve ate from the tree which God commanded them not to. Genesis 3:7 says, “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.” The moment Adam and Eve sinned, something catastrophic happened; they died spiritually. Spiritual death is the phrase we use to describe that broken relationship with our life-giving God. The truth that we see here is that is that sin separates us from God. Isaiah 59:2 says, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear.”
Right away we see that Adam and Eve are still very much active physically. They did not die immediately after eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God said in Genesis 2:17, “…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” And Satan said in Genesis 3:4, “Ye shall not surely die…” Was Satan right after all? Was God only threatening, using fear to control them? Based on what we know about God and Satan, we can be sure that Satan is the liar, and God is always truthful, for He cannot lie. So let’s see what God reveals.
Genesis 3:8 says, “And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.” Again, based on what we know about who God is, He already knew what Adam and Eve had done. God knows everything, perfectly. God, in His love, comes to the lost sinners and calls them home. Here they are, hiding from God. Sin ushers in fear and causes a person to act irrationally. Is it rational to think anyone can hide from God? But in sin there was a fear and they saw themselves as never before…they were naked. This caused a heightened irrational fear of God. Now, they fear the one who loves them the most. But they had a reason to fear, didn’t they? God said they would die that very day, and God always does what He says. But God is about to reveal Himself perfect in love, grace, and mercy, in a wonderful promise that changes everything.
“Thank you, Father, for your great love for me a sinner. It is nice to know You pursue those who get lost. Amen.”
