God’s Promise of Faithfulness
Genesis 1:26–30; 2:16–17, 3:16–19
Who loves tomatoes? If you are like me, you know we are on the doorstep of fresh produce from the garden. How do you like your tomatoes? You can eat them as they come or use them to make salsa or spaghetti sauce.
My preferred way to consume a tomato is with bacon, bread and mayonnaise. Yes, I know that is not the healthiest way, but it is the tastiest!
Even if you do not have a garden, God has made us each responsible as stewards of His creation. Although often overlooked when discussing theology or conducting a Bible study, our responsibilities to God are not to be taken lightly.
God commands us to be fruitful and serve as stewards of His creation. (1:26–30)
How we care for each other, animals and even the land itself reflects our obedience to God. We are painfully aware we are in a broken world.
The pain and hopelessness in our world is the result of our sins and selfish choices. As image-bearers of God, we should reflect Him and His light in our dark world.
When we nurture the gifts God has given us, we are bearing testimony of our commitment to keeping His commands.
Even before the sinful choices of Adam and Eve, God gave humans the joy of serving as caretakers of His creation.
God calls for obedience and loyalty. (2:16–17)
The more we obey God, the more blessed we will be. The more we disobey God, the more we will suffer. This is one of the major themes in all of Scripture. While repeated throughout history, it is first seen in the Garden of Eden.
God placed boundaries on what Adam and Eve could enjoy and partake of. It can be debated why God created this prohibition, but the primary lesson to be learned is it was a test.
By placing a limit on what they could consume, God was testing Adam and Eve’s trust, obedience and loyalty. The same is still true for us.
The Apostle Paul would later remind us that while all things may be allowed to us (not including sins), not all things are profitable. The boundaries in place by God are to our benefit, not our demise.
Breaking God’s covenant carries serious consequences. (3:16–19)
When we choose to disobey, consequences will follow. Our choice to sin is a deliberate rebellion against the holiness of God. However, we are not without hope. Verse 15 gives us a foreshadowing of the grace that is to come through Jesus and His atonement.
Even when we fail to keep our word with God, He will remain faithful to bestow upon us the grace and mercy we need.
As long as we inhabit the earth, we will see and experience the hardships of a fallen world, but in the end, Christ will have the last and joyful word!
We are surrounded by the results of sins and others failing to obey God. Even so, His grace is sufficient.
Thank God today that His grace is greater than all our sins. Need a reason to be happy? Remember the words of the late journalist Lewis Grizzard, “It is impossible to frown while eating a tomato sandwich.”
By Bobby McKay
Pastor of New Liberty Baptist Church in Morton, Mississippi
