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" 'For God
so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save
the world through him. Theologian Paul Tillich, Early Church Father Origen, and others, including myself believe that God came forth with two creations: one biological, the other, spiritually special. The first was early man; the second was Adam. The first can be generally referred to as homo erectus (upright man); the second, Adam, as the human being made in the image of God. Both creatures have a soul, but it was uniquely Adam's soul that was aware of the presence of its source: God. We regard Adam as the first human being aware of his creator. Adam didn't just sense his creator, suspecting that a power higher than he was responsible for his being, but actually knew, communicated with and kept company with his literal father, God. Adam, while in the state of Grace was not to know death, nor any of the physical infirmities that vex mere mortals. The primeval ancestors of modern man were fully aware of the limitations of the physical human body, along with the dangers to life present in the physical world - which included fellow groups of men who would kill to acquire food, do battle and kill to retain their possessions and living space territory. Prehistoric humans experienced physical pain, disease, illness, suffering and death. A study of anthropology, and a tour of a credible natural history museum will provide ample evidence of primeval, yet classifiable human beings, dating their existence on earth extending back to two hundred thousand years beginning in Africa. However, it wasn't until around 6,000 years ago that humans who were aware of some kind of god made their suspicions known in the form of crude, elementary graphic symbols, carved idols, along with rudimentary language and writings. According to the Hebrews, the current date of 2009 is by their calendar the year 5770. With Adam, the Hebrew calendar began based on a back-counting of the generations of men's names recorded in what would become the Holy Scriptures. This reckoning was set down by Rabbi Hillel II, Sanhedrin leader in 359 A.D. Anthropology, along with hard physical evidence and forensic science, tells us that human beings have been living on earth much longer than 5770 years. Why the discrepancy between Scripture and science? Actually, the answer is simple: there is no discrepancy - there is just a footnote. It's an important footnote, though. Going back to Hebrew calendar year Number One marks that magnificent time when God made himself known to man's history. He did not introduce Himself to currently existing human beings, instead God created a special human being who was a direct image of Himself - righteous, abounding in love, and untainted by the stain of evil. The creation was named Adam, and he was placed in a specially-created garden in which to live with his specially-created mate, Eve. It was within the Garden of Eden where the most beautiful of love existed. A love that could not be imagined by humankind existing outside of the Garden; a love between God and his cherished man and woman creations. Being made in God's image, Adam was an intimate with God on a level we could not conceive of. The man-creation was in harmonic, spiritual rapture with his creator. It does not take much imagination on our part to envision God and Adam walking together through the Garden, conversing. Mutual love abounding. "In the Garden," a beautiful Christian hymn goes a long way in capturing the feeling Adam must have experienced: "I
come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses; Out of self-centeredness, I can express love to anyone I please... as long as it benefits me. That's a selfish human trait. What happened in the Garden was diametrically opposed to human self-centeredness; it was not Adam's ego saying to God, "I love you. And in so doing, I show my own glory." No! It was the opposite. It was the Almighty Creator of all existence saying to Adam, "I love you, my child. I love you dearly." Then came that woeful incident where Adam, apparently not satisfied with 'just' God's love, disobeyed his creator and the beautiful harmonic rhapsody of love between the Creator and the creature disappeared from the face of the earth. Adam and Eve were cast out of the holy, 'safe' Garden, and into a carnal world inhabited by evil man; a place where death ruled. Selfishness won that day in the Garden. God, though, was not to be deterred. His love for His special creatures, Adam, Eve and their posterity was not diminished. He was terribly hurt, (it sickens my soul writing that) but God's love for his 'special ones' would persevere down through the Hebrew generations. So, too, would come instruction and discipline for His unruly and disobedient children. In Genesis we are told, "The Lord saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time. And the Lord regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened." (Tanakh - Genesis 6: 5 - 6) Fortunately for us, God found favor with one man, Noah, a direct descendent of Adam and Eve, but Noah was no Adam; for there was not the same God-creature intimacy present. Instead, through Noah, it was God's compassion and leniency manifesting, along with His tendency to give Adam's posterity a second chance. Yes, God still loved us in spite of our propensity for evil. Beginning with Abraham, God strove to reestablish intimacy with the children of Adam and Eve. Moses arrived as the agent and rescuer of the children of Israel, leading them from bondage and imparting to them God's first historically recorded code of conduct, the Ten Commandments. Then came the great prophets... all of whom espoused God's commandments leading to redemption. But humans, being corrupted, dismissed God's Law, or worse, used it to ensnare and control their fellow humans. The Law was put into place to discipline and civilize the children of Israel and, instead, God's Law was twisted and convoluted into a system of legalism that eventually no mortal could live up to. The Law had become punitive, while the loving spirit behind it had been all but forgotten. As things stood, there was no possibility for the children of Israel to be reconciled with God. Nevertheless, God so loved the world that He gave His own Son, Jesus Christ, as the supreme reconciling sacrifice to negate the death grip of human evil. The Holy Scriptures offer more than enough evidence that Adam and Eve's children could not live up to the Law and would not repent of their evil ways. Mankind needed a savior... or all would be lost. A savior was on his way! The prophets told of his coming. The Psalms told of God's undiminished love for Israel and spoke of the Messiah. The Song of Songs - originally patterned after an Egyptian love poem - told of Christ's coming and his love for Israel; this is where the church is united to her heavenly spouse, Christ. God's love for His children was not to be denied. Christ comes. The Savior of mankind arrived on earth. God, out of His magnificent love for us, chose not to bring us to Him, but He manifested Himself to us. He came not to rule over us, nor judge us, but to serve, heal and save us. God had not given up on us, and in Jesus Christ, the world was able to physically and spiritually see God and His love for us in action. Through the Christ, we were told of the way we should live, the way we should love not only God, but love also our fellow man. Jesus was the Second Moses, the one who shows us the Spirit of God's Law. And through Christ's sacrifice on Calvary, our miserable souls were washed clean of sin so that, finally, we could once again approach and join our Creator in the Garden. That is, if we so choose to accept God's love in the form of His Son, Jesus. God gave us the ability, and opportunity, to make the 'Either/Or' decision - for He does not force His love upon us. Either we choose to receive God's gift of salvation and follow Jesus' teaching, basking in the glow of The Father's love, Or we choose not to. In Christ, God proved His love for us. We have
received His gift of salvific love. Now, how do we return God's love?
Not that we are obliged to; for He gave us our freedom with no strings
attached other than to believe His son's message and have faith in
what His son's sacrifice accomplished for our salvation. Really,
that's all that's asked of Christians. But from the Christian disciple,
more is required. The Disciple elects not only to
accept God's gift, but to willingly serve His Son, Jesus as one of his chosen
workers within His church. 'Adam's soul' received its second
chance of salvation from the God of 'Second Chances'. There,
nevertheless, remains a job to be done. Those of us with a conscience
are compelled to want to serve our Savior. Think of Jesus' church as a
ship - the Ark, so to speak - making headway in a world consumed with
evil. Jesus is the Captain of the ship; we disciples, the crew. The
ship's mission is clear: transport the Gospel of Salvation to near and
distant ports of call where there are souls who thirst for the water
and bread of In the Lord's Prayer are these words, "Give us this day our daily bread." There are souls all around us who hunger for their daily bread, but in our case, the 'daily bread' is in reality, the Word of God, Jesus Christ. These souls also thirst for the Living Water that is represented by the blood of Christ. It was Moses who took his rod and struck the rock at Massah and Miribah bringing forth water for the thirsting children of Israel to drink; so too it was the Living Water of Christ which came forth to save the souls of humankind. It is our mission to deliver this message of Jesus Christ to the souls who have never before heard it; and to deliver 'our daily bread', the Christ, to those souls who previously had only tasted death, and because of our labors and Christ's leadership, they now can taste the bread of life. He is a magnificent God. He is a loving God. He is a compassionate God. Who can deny this? What god in all of the sacred writings of all the peoples since the advent of recorded history ever humbled itself to the point of absolute weakness and death? None, save the God who manifested in the form of Jesus Christ. He was weakest, and most vulnerable when nailed on the Cross. And yet, earlier moments before his raising the dead Lazarus (John 11: 11-44) we find the shortest, but oh so heartwrenching verse, "Jesus shed tears." edakrusen 'o Ihsous (edakrusen ho Iasous). I put it to the reader, what other god that the world worships weeps for it? What other god actually gives a damn about your situation, your troubles, your pain and suffering? What other god genuinely loves you... and has demonstrated that love through one such as Jesus Christ? There is none but the God who the Christian disciple believes in and joyfully serves. It is the greatest love story ever written. |