June 14th, 2011 by Kristi Stephens

Yesterday we left Adam and Eve in the garden, just having heard some very bad news along with some very good news!

God had just told them the worst news contained in the Bible – our sin has broken us. And not just us, but our entire world, our entire existence. Nothing will be as it should have been. We were designed to walk in communion with our Creator, but because of our sin we are banished from His holy presence. We were designed to have dominion over the earth, but even the very ground will rebel against us. We were designed for relationships, to glorify Him in harmonious family relationships, but our relationships are now broken and filled with angst and rebellion and pain.

But there is One who is coming – One who would fix this whole mess. One who was worthy to reign, One who would crush the serpent, redeem us, redeem this broken world. He would come – and He would come as an offspring of the woman.

Yesterday we looked at the timing of Adam’s naming of his wife. After hearing about death and destruction and pain, he turns and names her Eve! Why then? He believed God’s promise of the Promised One – the Seed of the woman who would have the ultimate victory over the enemy; he names her Eve, for she will be the mother of all the living – including the Promised One.

Now, notice what happens next after Adam’s naming of Eve:

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21

Don’t rush over this! Look at what has happened in this chapter:

• In 3:1-7, Adam and Eve sin against God.
• In 3:15, God promises that one day the Redeemer would come – the offspring of the woman who would have the ultimate victory over the serpent.
• In 3:19, God tells them that the result of their sin will be death.
• In 3:20, Adam demonstrates his genuine faith in God’s promise of redemption as he responds by naming Eve.
• In 3:21, God slays an animal to cover their sin and shame.

We, too, have sinned against God.

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…

Romans 3:23

God has made a way of redemption for us, the way for our sin to be paid for, through His Son Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:16-17

We are desperate for this redemption through Christ, for we, too, have earned only death.

For the wages of sin is death…

Romans 6:23

There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation – it is a free gift to us, graciously given when we place our faith in Him as our Savior.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

When we trust in Him to save us, knowing that we cannot earn God’s favor on our own, He covers our sin!

…to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered…”

Romans 4:5-7

Christ, the Lamb of God, was slain for us, and we are dressed in His righteousness.

Do you see what was happening in Eden? Adam sinned, deserved eternal separation from God, and was promised a future Redeemer; Adam believed that promise and his naming of Eve demonstrates his genuine faith. God responds to Adam’s faith by slaying an innocent animal and covering his shame.

Adam was saved by faith, just as you and I are saved by faith.

As we are saved by looking back at the cross and believing in what God has done for us, the Old Testament saints were saved not by obeying law, but by believing in faith as they looked forward to the future Redeemer.

It’s always all about Jesus. From the garden, we have been desperately broken- unable to solve the sin sickness that plagues our souls. The cross is the only solution; He is the only Redeemer. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, the prophets – they were dependent upon God’s lavish grace at Calvary just as we are – their present faith in the future Redeemer made them righteous in God’s sight.

It’s all about Him.

If you’ve missed anything in the One Summer, One Story series, you can find all the posts indexed here! Thank you to everyone who has shared posts, tweeted links, and recommended the series on facebook! Please join me in praying that God will do mighty things this summer and that many will come to more fully understand our great God and His amazing story!