Disobedience

Disobedience
September 2008, Valerie Jean Routhieaux

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
(Romans 5:19 KJV)

Have you ever done something so wrong you thought no one could forgive you including God? Have you ever done something that would forever change the world, as we know it? And have you ever thought about what the consequences of your actions would be on future generations?

The world was brand new. There were only two people, Adam and Eve. It was a perfect world, no sin, no work by the sweat of your brow, just peace and tranquility. Everything was in perfect harmony. And then.

God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and gave him a command, just one. You can eat of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He had given man some work to do, to tend the garden and keep it. It was not hard work, nor unpleasant. And then.

Into this picture of harmony and beauty entered a snake. Not any ordinary snake, but a beautiful snake. We can get a glimpse of what this snake looked like by reading Ezekiel. Ezekiel 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Lucifer was a beautiful angel, a cherub who had the same position as Michael the Archangel, the mighty warring angel of God who covered the throne of God. When sin entered in he retained his beauty, and his voice. We assume because pipes and tabrets were part of his makeup that he was also a significant part of the worship music of heaven. He was beautiful and he knew it, and he became vain and tried to usurp his position in heaven, but God cast him to the earth where he walked to and fro waiting for his day. And then.

Into this perfect paradise, God created two people in His image. Nothing in all of creation compared to the beauty God put in those two people. They were the very image of God Almighty, covered in His light for their clothing nothing could compare and added to his crimes of vanity and the wish to take the throne of God, jealousy entered Lucifer's heart. God did not make him in His image. He had a plan. And then.

Imagine yourself walking in the cool of the garden having perfect fellowship with God your Father. Together you discuss the antics of the animals He created and the fragrance of the flowers. You laugh together at the flying fish and the long neck of the giraffe. Everything is perfect. And then.

You wander through this garden, making certain everything is in perfect harmony and you look over at the tree. Actually, you are compelled to look. There is something strange about the tree. You hear a voice you haven't heard before. And you come closer to see this strange phenomenon. Adam is by your side as you walk through the garden hand in hand. When you get close to the forbidden tree you see what is there, and instead of walking away, you listen to the honeyed words. And then.

God made a plan at the foundation of the world. Even before Lucifer rebelled with a third of the angels. His plan was one of salvation. He knew man would have a choice to make, and He knew the choice he would make. And then.

Let's look at this plan of salvation. Imagine yourself in the conference room in heaven before the plan of creation took place.

Father God: I want to create a place where people will live in harmony and we can have fellowship with them.

Jesus: If we do that, something will go wrong, and we will have to come to the rescue.

Father God: I thought I would make this huge universe. Fill it with planets, and in the middle of the planets make this fertile place where seeds grow, and life is created.

Holy Spirit: And that's where the problem lies. People will want to run things their way, not ours. They will destroy the beautiful planet we create, until we can't recognize it anymore.

Father God: That's why I'm writing everything down that will take place in my new world.

Jesus: How long will mankind rule over this planet and universe we are going to create?

Father God: You will need to redeem them back to us. This is what is going to happen. We're going to call the universe into order. Place the sun, moon, stars, and earth in their course. Then we are going to make people out of the dust of the ground. We'll breathe into them, to give them life.

Father God: I agree. We'll need angels who will minister not only to us, but also to the people we create. They will stand guard over them to make sure no harm comes to them.

Jesus: You're expecting trouble, or you wouldn't have told me I would need to redeem them back.

Father God: Unfortunately, one of the angels is going to want to be like us, and will take a large number of angels with him and go to the earth we are going to create with the word of our mouth and deceive the people into believing that there is more for them, than what we have to offer.

Jesus: So the plan is for me to shed my blood so man can be redeemed, and we can have fellowship with them.

Father God: And when the time is right, we will bring them all to heaven to live with us.

Father God: You'll go as a baby, so you know how to be like them. You'll be hungry, cold, and tempted by the angel that will deceive the people. You will encounter every obstacle they do, so you can minister to them. You will teach them what we want them to know, and when the time is fully come, you will die on the cross for their sin. But you won't stay in the grave, because nothing can hold you. On the third day you will rise again, and then come back here to heaven.

Jesus read the plan: It's all here. Everything that will happen from the time we create the people until the end of time when you bring order back to the universe. It's a good plan.

Holy Spirit: It looks like my job in this plan is to bring back the people who have strayed and lead them to you for redemption, then guide and teach them for the rest of their lives until they are called home by the Father.

Adam and Eve sinned. They took the fruit and ate it. When they did they changed the lives of every man, woman, and child in every generation until the end of time. Their crime was punishable by eternal death, separation from God for all eternity. Yet God had a plan. And then.

Jesus in our scripture is called the second Adam, our Redeemer. Adam's sin was forgiven and a way was made through His blood, shed on Calvary's cross. The way was made and every person who accepts Jesus sacrifice for their sin will reap the reward of eternal life and enjoy fellowship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We will walk on heaven's golden streets, sing with angels, and talk to all those saints who have gone before, including Adam and Eve.

They made one mistake, but God forgave them by making them a promise. The promise of a Saviour.

If God can forgive Adam and Eve, who forever changed the lives of every person who would come after them. There is nothing you can do that God can't forgive. Are you ready to seek God's forgiveness for your disobedience?

Let's pray: Father, I am a sinner. I have done some things worthy of eternal damnation. I am sorry for what I did and ask Your forgiveness. Help me to walk in obedience to You, and when I stumble, help me know forgiveness is just a prayer away. In Jesus name, I pray, amen.

Copyright © September 2008, Valerie Jean Routhieaux