Is This Your Life’s Story?
—Blessed, Messed, Possessed
Is the story of your life like that of Adam and Eve? God created them in God's own image. They were in a close relationship with him. However, Satan came and messed that up. They fell from grace. Nevertheless, through the ages, God has promised a Saviour, the unique Son of God. He was willing to be the necessary sacrifice for sin so that he could securely possess for God his Father all who truly believe in him.
You too were made in God's image and blessed. But you were deceived by Satan and messed up. You can be rescued and possessed by Christ, secure in his hand.
1 BLESSED Wonderfully by God
God blessed human beings with a body of flesh. But this body is not like God, for God does not have a body of flesh. "God is spirit" (John 4:24). Man and woman’s likeness to God is spiritual, not physical. It is their spirit, a precious blessing, that makes them "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27).
The preacher in Ecclesiastes, examined the nature of man. He concluded that man is like the beasts. Man is made of dust, and returns to the dust of the earth This is true, but it is not all the truth (Ecclesiastes 3:18-22).
The preacher also concluded that man is related to God and responsible to God. He should fear and remember God, and keep his commandments —something which is not said about the beasts. He says that man will be judged by God. God won't judge dust after it has returned to the earth as it was, but he will judge the spirit of man that is in the image of God and returns to God (Ecclesiastes 12:5-14).
What a blessing!
The wonderful thing about being made in God’s image is that your spirit, and the spiritual body it will be given, is eternal and is able to have the ultimate blessing of eternal life with God through his Son (John 3:16, 2Corinthians 5:1).
The blessings God gives man are many. And when I say "man" that means both male and female (Genesis 1:27). God makes man in the image of God giving man an immortal spirit. He provides man with revelation of his will. He offers fellowship to man. He promises man eternal life if man obeys God. He listens to man's prayers and answers them. There are many blessings to add to that list.
2 MESSED up Terribly by Satan
Now let us go back to the story of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-25).. The serpent (the devil) tempted Eve by contradicting God and speaking lies and half truths. He told her that the fruit God had forbidden would make them like God, knowing good and evil, and God didn't want that.
That was true up to a point. The devil omitted to say that God (to the degree that God wanted) had aleady made Adam and Eve like God. God said that he would make man "in Our image according to Our likeness" (Genesis 1:26).
By the way, to be in God’s image and likeness is not to be like God in every respect. For example, in a moment we will mention Jesus who made one perfect sacrifice for the world. Neither Adam, nor Eve, nor anyone else, is able to be in God’s likeness in that respect.
As for knowing good and evil, Adam and Eve already knew that (1) it is good to obey God; (2) it is evil to disobey God; (3) good will be rewarded; (4) evil will be punished.
God said, "In the day you eat of [the forbidden fruit] you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). The devil said, "You shall not surely die!" (Genesis 3:4-5).
What a Mess!
Look what a mess was made by the devil. He had caused Adam and Eve to disobey God and that caused their spiritual death. The devil got them condemned by God and wrecked their fellowship with God. They were driven out of their beautiful garden of Eden into a world of toil and trouble.
Most of their progeny also did evil and evil spread across the world and down through the ages. Even you and I have fallen under its spell, and the devil made a mess of us as he did to Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12, 3:23).
3 POSSESSED Securely by Jesus
However, there are many passages in the Bible which promise that, although the devil messed us up, Jesus the Son of God is able to clean us up. For example...
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1Peter 2:9 ESV).
"For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1Corinthians 6:20 NKJV).
Our Lord paid the price of your redemption in order to own you. If you submit to him, obey and trust him, he will make you holy and wash you clean. And you need never be messed up again.
We hope Adam and Eve went down that road, and they will see the heavenly Eden. We hope this will be the story of your life too.