Chapel Blog
Fulfilled
by John Bishop, Director of Spiritual Formation
In Genesis 3:22 it says, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore, the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.” At first glance, this is a strange result.
Adam and Eve are at their lowest and God banishes them from paradise in a final act of what?! What is God doing here?
For the longest time I didn’t understand this outcome. I didn’t think much about it either; It just kind of felt like the end of a story, “…and they lived miserably ever after…” or something like that. It was later in my walk with the Lord that I realized what a profound act of mercy this banishment actually was.
The consequence of eating the fruit was knowing good AND evil, whereas before the fruit we only knew good. If God allowed us to then reach out and take eternal life, we would exist for eternity knowing evil – that is not what He wanted for us. Death is introduced so that our suffering from evil (sin) could be limited to our lives on earth. And after that act, a drama unfolds through all human history depicting all of the ways that God has attempted to reach us and bring us back into a right relationship with him.
- Noah builds an ark to rescue his family from the flood.
- Abraham is promised a home in Canaan for his family who will outnumber the stars in heaven.
- Joseph is sent to Egypt to protect his people from a famine.
- Moses is empowered to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt and is then given the law to bind them as a people under God.
- Esther is hand-picked in a special moment in history to ensure that the people of God endure.
- David is sent as a king to unite and rule over the people and defend them against their enemies.
- Judges and prophets are sent to guide the people according to the will of God.
And despite all of that we failed!
No matter what God did to lead us, rescue us, guide us, protect us, we all like sheep, went astray, each to his own way and turned our backs on God. All, that is, until Jesus, the lamb of God, went willingly to death, even death on a cross to fulfill the plan of God from the beginning, to reopen paradise and invite us into eternity with Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 as he began his earthly ministry, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
When sin showed up in the garden, death came along with it. When Jesus, the righteous one, came to death, eternal life came along with Him. Jesus did not die on the cross because of Pontius Pilot’s decision, or because the Jewish leaders were jealous. He did not die on the cross because He didn’t have the power to come down like the soldier suggested. He died on the cross because it was God’s plan all along!
“It is finished!”
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” – John 19:30
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.” – Romans 8:1-2
“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:2
Westminster Christian School, located in Palmetto Bay, Florida, is a private, college-preparatory school for children from preschool through twelfth grade.