In Genesis Chapter 1, we read about the story of creation. When God looked over all He had made, He saw it was very good. The heavens, the earth, the water, the land, the plants, the trees, man, and woman. God gave commands to man before woman was born not to eat from the tree of knowledge between good and evil, and the tree of life. The serpent questioned Eve not Adam, and she said what I assume Adam had told her about the garden. We don’t know if he changed anything, but Eve allowed herself to be deceived by the serpent, and she convinced Adam to sin also. Man had sinned, now felt naked, and probably exposed, guilty, and uncovered. God banished them from the garden and placed mighty cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. He protected them from themselves and kicked them out. But God had a Plan and a Way back to Him. Early on it was blood sacrifices; later, perfected in His Son; but it was all through grace.
John 8:4-9 reads, “Jesus treated a humiliated woman with dignity, but her accusers did not. Instead, they brought her before Jesus and said, ‘This woman was caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?’ Jesus knew they were just trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, so he stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger . . . stood up again and said, ‘Alright, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!’ Again, he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one sir, she said.’” The teachers of the law and the pharisees had sinned too, and Jesus made them feel exposed, guilty, and uncovered; a feeling of nakedness. Jesus allowed them to leave on their own, but He left the door open for a return to Him. He too offered them protection from themselves. Jesus is the Way!
We can apply many stories from the bible or think of incidents in our own lives here. Jesus leaves the door open for you and me also, protecting us from ourselves. We don’t deserve it. No one does. But mercy stepped in. His grace allows us back in. Adopting us into the family of God by giving up His own life, to save ours. And He offers eternal protection from our sins through His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave.
Luke 24:1-6 reads, “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!'”
We don’t deserve to live. But through Christ Jesus, mercy stepped in.
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