Better than Eden – September 5, 2023

For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
Romans 8:20,21

Better than Eden

What it must have been like in the Garden of Eden! A plush garden fed by a river running through it. A lush orchard of pregnant trees bearing plump fruit of every variety. Humans and animals of every kind sharing the same space without fear. Man and woman, loving one another perfectly, understanding one another fully. Humanity communing peacefully with God. What life must have been like!

If only we could go back to Eden. It’s not for lack of trying. Explorers have searched in vain for the Tree of Life, the Fountain of Youth, and the Holy Grail. Scientists continue to seek a cure for death. But to no avail.

While we patch the world’s wounds in one place, sin’s effects show up in a thousand others. The fruit of Adam and Eve’s sin stained more than their greedy hands. Its noxious nectar oozed from more than the corners of their lecherous lips. Sin stained the surface, and its poison poured through every pore of God’s perfect world. Thorns and thistles infested the ground. Death reigned. East of Eden, life is hard. There is no going back. God has forever barred that way.

But God has provided a way forward. Jesus is the way. Through the pained groans of a mother, God entered our world and dwelled among us. Through anguished groans, our Savior paid for our guilt by his death. And by his resurrection, he enabled us to enter life with him now and forever in a place beyond Eden. Better than Eden. A place where moth and rust cannot destroy. A place where evil can never invade. A place where death will be no more. A place where God will dwell forever with his people.

Just wait! Wait in hope for the redemption that is already yours.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the freedom that is mine through Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. Keep me eagerly expectant for the fullness of that freedom in eternity. Amen.