The story of how sin entered the world is so well known to us, so deep in our collective memories, that it’s tempting to gloss over it, but one of the most crucial moments in the history of mankind deserves our attention.

Adam and Eve (because both were involved) deliberately chose to disobey God, and so allowed sin into God’s perfect, orderly creation. The effects were immediate:

• Shame – the couple realised their nakedness and suddenly became ashamed of themselves
• Separation from God – we see that they were used to God walking with them (they knew the sound of him) but now, instead of welcoming him, they hid from him
• Blame – rather than take responsibility for what happened or repenting and asking for forgiveness, both Adam and Eve looked to blame somebody else for what they had done.

These consequences follow us now, millennia later. Our view of ourselves as humans created by God is distorted. We no longer see ourselves as God saw us when he created us in his image, so instead we constantly re-imagine ourselves in an attempt to cover our essential nakedness. We are separated from him, and run from him, rather than to him. And still, it is the tendency of mankind to always look for someone else to blame for the wrongdoing we are responsible for, even if that means blaming God himself!

Praise God that he has given us a way to escape the consequences of the fall through Jesus Christ. As we press deeper into him, may he show us the areas in our lives where we still live under the consequences of sin, and lead us into freedom.

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NEWBOLD COMMUNITY CHURCH