Theology Thursday
Q. 13. Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created?
A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
The news often makes for pretty grim reading. Quick recap of today; war in Ukraine, war in Palestine, murder in Sydney, Celebrity says dumb thing, Journalist says government made big mistake, footage of a parent throwing an unwanted child in a garbage bin (lowlight), huge dinosaur bones found (highlight). The media consensus is that things look a bit grim these days.
It really is a tragedy. God created the world and everything in it and declared all things to be good. God’s command was for them to extend the goodness of the garden across the whole world, filling it with God’s goodness and glory. Safe to say, things are a far cry from the state God’s placed Adam & Eve in.
It feels really alien to us that one decision made by an ancestor might have caused all of this. But of course, ancestral decisions often change the course of our history. Consider those who stole a loaf of bread only to end up on a ship to Australia.
Or think about a blood virus like HIV. It’s passed from parent to child through blood. Can’t get rid of it. Sin is a spiritual infection that affects our minds, hearts, bodies and world. It began in Adam and was passed down to every generation.
But unlike HIV (so far), there is a cure. It’s Christ. The new and greater Adam who came to rescue us from the ultimate end of the sin virus and from its symptoms.
That’s the good news. For now, let’s reflect on the bad. A world is fallen because of a lack of trust in God (Eve), because of foolishly listening to a liar (Satan) and because of a failure to take responsibility (Adam). Let’s see that and mourn the sickness and the symptoms even as we look in hope to the cure.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: Genesis 3:6-19, Romans 5:14
A. Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from the estate wherein they were created, by sinning against God.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
The news often makes for pretty grim reading. Quick recap of today; war in Ukraine, war in Palestine, murder in Sydney, Celebrity says dumb thing, Journalist says government made big mistake, footage of a parent throwing an unwanted child in a garbage bin (lowlight), huge dinosaur bones found (highlight). The media consensus is that things look a bit grim these days.
It really is a tragedy. God created the world and everything in it and declared all things to be good. God’s command was for them to extend the goodness of the garden across the whole world, filling it with God’s goodness and glory. Safe to say, things are a far cry from the state God’s placed Adam & Eve in.
It feels really alien to us that one decision made by an ancestor might have caused all of this. But of course, ancestral decisions often change the course of our history. Consider those who stole a loaf of bread only to end up on a ship to Australia.
Or think about a blood virus like HIV. It’s passed from parent to child through blood. Can’t get rid of it. Sin is a spiritual infection that affects our minds, hearts, bodies and world. It began in Adam and was passed down to every generation.
But unlike HIV (so far), there is a cure. It’s Christ. The new and greater Adam who came to rescue us from the ultimate end of the sin virus and from its symptoms.
That’s the good news. For now, let’s reflect on the bad. A world is fallen because of a lack of trust in God (Eve), because of foolishly listening to a liar (Satan) and because of a failure to take responsibility (Adam). Let’s see that and mourn the sickness and the symptoms even as we look in hope to the cure.
For Today:
- Do you believe our world is fallen? Do you struggle to believe in Adam & Eve?
- What lies is Satan telling you today?
- What sins/symptoms of sin do you long to be gone forever?
Pray:
- Praise the Father for His grace in Jesus and the hope of redemption of fallen people and a fallen world.
- Lament the reality of sin in our world and in your own life.
- Ask God to help you and others to hope in Jesus, rather than anything of this world.
Passages: Genesis 3:6-19, Romans 5:14
Posted in Theology Thursday
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