Mercy and a Warning
The LORD God said, . . . "Behold, the man has become like one of Us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—" therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden.
GENESIS 3:22-23
+
Mercy and a Warning
Why does God deal so harshly with wretched Adam? Why, after being deprived of all his glory and falling into sin and death, is he further vexed by his Creator with such bitter scorn? ... My answer is: Adam had the promise of mercy; with this he ought to have lived content. But to make him fear future sin and beware of it, this harsh reminder is given him. . .. By His very Word, God calls attention to both past and future evils. It is not as though He were pleased by so sad a fall, for then He would not warn Adam in this way but would keep silence. What He wants is that man should long for the lost image of God and begin to hate sin as the cause of this great evil, and that Adam should warn his descendants about what followed after sin, namely, that when he was deprived of his mind by Satan and believed that he would be like God, he became like Satan himself. . . . So in this passage Adam and all his descendants are warned in various ways; after receiving the hope of life through the promise of the Seed, they should be on their guard lest they sin and lose it again.
GENESIS 3:22-23
+
Mercy and a Warning
Why does God deal so harshly with wretched Adam? Why, after being deprived of all his glory and falling into sin and death, is he further vexed by his Creator with such bitter scorn? ... My answer is: Adam had the promise of mercy; with this he ought to have lived content. But to make him fear future sin and beware of it, this harsh reminder is given him. . .. By His very Word, God calls attention to both past and future evils. It is not as though He were pleased by so sad a fall, for then He would not warn Adam in this way but would keep silence. What He wants is that man should long for the lost image of God and begin to hate sin as the cause of this great evil, and that Adam should warn his descendants about what followed after sin, namely, that when he was deprived of his mind by Satan and believed that he would be like God, he became like Satan himself. . . . So in this passage Adam and all his descendants are warned in various ways; after receiving the hope of life through the promise of the Seed, they should be on their guard lest they sin and lose it again.
Posted in Daily Devotions
Recent
Archive
2025
January
Not AshamedIn Every RespectWe Are In His HouseHear His VoiceTodayBut You BelieveRest in ChristRest in FaithRest in Christ’s WordConfidence in Our Great High PriestOur Eternal High PriestCalled by GracePerfect Through SufferingA Little MilkFoundationGod Comes to UsFaith in ChristObtaining the PromiseThe King of PeaceBlessed by the SuperiorA Priest Forever in ChristThe Forever PriestA Better HopeOur Eternal IntercessorOur Perfect High PriestOur Eternal High PriestThe Better Covenant in ChristA New CovenantPromises KeptOnly The High PriestNot the Blood of Goats
February
Only at DeathOnce and For AllImpossibleThe Perfect SacrificeThe Once-for-All SacrificeOnce for AllForgiven Once for AllDraw Near with a True HeartA Fearful ThingRemembering with JoyEnduranceOf Things Not SeenBecause of LoveBy FaithThe Builder is GodAs Good As DeadStrangers HereFaith in the God Who ProvidesFaith Looks Beyond the PresentBy Faith, Not FearBy Faith, Not by SightFaith That EnduresPerfected in ChristEyes on JesusDisciplineCast His Eye On YouIt HurtsWeak Knees
March
Strive for PeaceNo Fire For YouMount ZionAn Unshakable KingdomA Kingdom That Cannot Be ShakenBrotherly Love in ChristConfidence in ChristSteadfast in ChristOutside the CampSacrifices of PraiseJoyful Obedience in ChristPray for Your PastorsEquipped by the Blood of ChristEncouragement in ChristGrace Be With You AllGod’s Sovereign HandFaithful in a Foreign LandFaithful in the Small ThingsTrusting GodWisdom from AboveEarthly Wisdom Fails, But Christ ReignsTrue Wisdom and the CrossThe Wisdom of Man FailsConfidence in God's MercyGod of Mercy and MightA Deliverer Sent by GodNo Wisdom but ChristThe Kingdom That EnduresThe Rock That Stands ForeverEarthly Kingdoms CrumbleThe Kingdom That Stands Forever