“And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."” -Genesis‬ ‭3:8-10‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This exchange between God and Adam takes place right after Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree in the middle of the Garden of Eden - something that God had told Adam specifically not to do. There was one commandment in the garden, and Adam and Eve had broken it. Eve was deceived by the serpent, and so, once she saw that the fruit was "good for food and pleasing to the eye" - she ate it and then gave some to her husband as well (verse 6).

Now once Adam and Eve eat this fruit, the Bible says their eyes are opened and they become aware of their nakedness - and this is where we pick up the story. Adam and Eve - now aware of their nakedness - were aware that God was in the garden with them, so they hid. Fearful of what was to come out of disobedience, they hid from God the Father. This is something that man has continued to do throughout time - when we sin, we often try and hide ourselves from the Lord; becoming aware of how naked we are before the Lord we try to cover up our faults. Aware of our sin, we try to cover it up with whatever we can - maybe going to church will hide us, maybe praying when it is time for dinner will hide us, maybe we can get by and fool God. But friends - our efforts to present ourselves holy and righteous by our own works simply put more distance between us and God.

One of the most common weapons the enemy will use against us is the combination of guilt and shame.

The Serpent in the story deceived Eve (and ultimately Adam), and when God confronts these two, asking who told them they were naked, they are left with no one to blame but themselves. They were tricked; they were fooled - having been led astray, they were the guilty party for they had committed the act of disobedience. Realizing their mistake, they did their best to hide. Guilt and shame drove them deeper into the wilderness - yet God still gave them the opportunity to come clean. God calls out to them in the garden and gives them an opportunity to confess their offense. Eventually they do come out of the bushes and tell God what happens. God punishes man, woman, and the serpent. But then God does something curious; after God punishes all the parties involved - He shows an act of kindness - an act of love.

"The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them." -Genesis 3:21

I think this one statement is so crucial to our understanding of God. What we forget about God is that He genuinely does love us. His disciplining stems from His love - for He has a path that is good and pure and right, but we so often desire a path that will gratify our most basic urges, and we so often forget all the good that God has done for us. But this verse says wait! This verse is the evidence we overlook! This verse says that despite our disobedience, despite God's correction, despite our rebelliousness - God still cares for us. And if we are willing - we can receive the clothing He has for us.

Just like clothing - our salvation has changed a lot since the beginning of time as well. What once required a blood sacrifice now just requires an acknowledgement - for the blood sacrifice has already been made. We are all born sinners - from the time we enter the world until the time we leave this world, we are battling rebellion within our hearts. We do not want to submit; we do not want to look out for others. I like to think that the image of God was not completely destroyed when Adam and Eve destroyed, but regardless - we are battling sin and rebellion our whole lives. But as I said, the price has already been paid. God - knowing how sinful we have become - decided to give us a sacrifice once and for all. He gave us His son.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

Jesus lived His short life on earth in obedience to God - obedience unto death, all so that we can live our lives debt free. That is what is so great about the gospel - one of the greatest results of Jesus coming and dying on the cross is that we are FREE INDEED.

The book of Exodus is a great example of this salvation.

We are born into bondage - slaves to sin. When we become aware of our need for help, we cry out with all that we have, and God hears us. God - aware of the suffering we are subject to - sends us a savior to take us to the promised land. But from the time the nation of Israel left Egypt to the time they arrived in the promised land - 40 years had passed. Why did their journey take so long? Because despite their plead for help - once help came, they forgot it was God who saved them. The Israelites struggled with rebellion for 40 years, falling disobedient to God many times.

This is where we find many Christians today - we have found our Savior and began our journey, but we are lost in the desert because of our sin. The Christian life is not one of ease - Paul tells us we crucify our flesh. Jesus tells us to bear our cross everyday. Once Jesus is in our heart - we begin a journey of becoming more like Him. A battle is begun within us in which we put down the rebellion within our hearts and minds and take on the mind of Christ. But Matthew 11:29-30 reminds us of a simple truth:

'Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus gives us rest and peace as we journey with Him. The life of a Christian is not one of ease, but it is in which we receive comfort and joy. As we walk with Him we discover the true power of His name and salvation.

Do not let shame and guilt keep you from living a life pleasing to Him. God has already made the payment for the sin. All we have to do is let go of our baggage, give it to Him, and let Him lead us through the desert. We will not be perfect, we will battle sin and rebellion the rest of our journey. But we must stay steadfast and fight the good fight.

"Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." - 1 Timothy 6:12