Friday, April 11, 2014

day no. 12,954: garden variety‏

I was thinking about Genesis 3 the other day.
 
When Eve sinned, God came looking for Adam.

Genesis 3:9

So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
 
This doesn’t seem fair.
Eve started it.
But Adam was responsible.
 
Whether or not he wanted to be in charge, he was.
 
Maybe he liked being in charge when it meant naming stuff whatever he desired, but when being in charge meant giving an account for the state of his garden and the people therein, he blame-shifted.
 
Adam had done wrong. He had failed to protect the garden. He had failed to defend the truth. He had listened to the voice of his wife rather than the voice of God.
 
Adam had real sin to account for and instead of confessing, he attempted to justify himself and his actions based on the circumstances surrounding his sin. His end game was this: it’s not really my fault.
 
The first Adam was from the dust and to the dust that Adam returned. He is who we are.
 
Jesus was from the Adam from Heaven. Jesus never sinned. He did nothing wrong. He is who we ought to be.
 
And yet He takes full responsibility for His people and says, “Punish Me.”
 
He doesn’t blame-shift. In His case, it wouldn’t even be blame-shifting. There was no hammer coming down on Jesus. He didn’t deserve any pain, suffering, maltreatment or death.
 
And yet He took upon Himself intentionally, on purpose the pain, suffering, maltreatment and death of the cross.
 
Jesus reversed the curse by being the Adam we all need because of the Adam in us that has fallen short.
 
Jesus took responsibility for us.
He did what Adam was too lazy or afraid to do.
He owned our sin.
 
2 Corinthians 5:21
 
He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
 
Not because He had to, but because He wanted to.
Not out of duty, but out of devotion to the Father.
Not out of compulsion, but out of love.
 
Praise God!

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