Not only is Genesis 3 the story of the origin of sin, but it is also a story of God’s mercy and grace in our sin. Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit God had forbidden. When God came to walk with them in the cool of the day, they hid out of fear and shame.
How does God react? Does He berate them for their stupidity? No, He simply asks where they are. God knows where they are and what they have done because He knows all. He asks so that they will verbalize what they have done. When they answer, He asks, “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?” [1]
Nakedness Covered
After eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve felt shame at their nakedness. “According to some interpretations and traditions, Adam and Eve were initially clothed in garments of light that reflected the glory and purity of God’s presence.”[2] When they fell into sin this left, and they realized they were naked.
Their attempt to clothe themselves with fig leaves didn’t work, so God, in His grace, provided animal skins to clothe them. “The garments of skin that God Himself made for Adam and Eve and placed upon them to cover their shame required the shedding of blood and were symbolic of the salvation we have been given in Jesus Christ. The animal-skin garments God placed on Adam and Eve show that the sacrifice of animals was necessary to cover the sinful condition that disgraced humankind.”[3]
Promise of Messiah
God also made a promise. Genesis 3: 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head,and you will strike his heel.” [4] This, of course, refers to Jesus. Satan would attempt to hurt Jesus, but at the cross, Jesus defeated sin, death, and the devil. Jesus gave satan a fatal blow. Again, this was mercy and grace amid sin.
Won’t Live in Sin Forever
God had put the tree of life in the garden, and its fruit was not forbidden. To prevent humanity from remaining in sin forever, God took Adam and Eve out of the garden. He even placed an angel to guard humanity from eating the fruit of the tree of life.
While this certainly was a consequence of their sin, it was not a punishment but a mercy and grace. God had a plan to save humanity through His Son, Jesus. He did not want humanity to prevent this from happening and took them out of the garden to protect them.
We can be thankful that God’s mercy and grace in our sin continues. Jesus came to pay that blood price we could not pay. When we trust Him, repent and confess our sin, we receive forgiveness. God wipes away our sin, and our relationship with Him is restored. It is then that spiritually, we can walk with God in the cool of the day. We also look forward to a time when we can walk with God in heaven.
To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/the-fall
[1,4] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.
[2] https://bibleask.org/what-did-adam-and-eve-wear-before-sin/