From sin came shame before God. Adam and his wife tried to hide from God, and cover their shame as well as their bodies with leaves for clothing. It is our own evil ways that cause us to feel shame and dishonor before God and men. These evil ways also make us guilty before God. To be guilty is to deserve punishment for something you have done. However, God took a great step at the time of that first sin and judgment. By studying God’s actions, we can learn much about his holiness, love and mercy. See what the Almighty God did for Adam and Eve:
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Genesis 3.21
The God of the whole universe, the Lord of the worlds, the Compassionate Creator and Judge of World did a very wonderful thing: he made clothing for Adam and Eve to cover their shame. This showed them his compassion and his concern: the sin they had committed should not always separate God and them. God dressed them in skins of animals. This means that some animals had to die to cover the shame and guilt of people. We can say, therefore, that God showed that blood had to be spilled. A sacrifice had to be made in order for sin to be covered. God showed that sin caused death. In this case, it was the death of animals. Part of God’s judgment was on the animals that were sacrificed, and so Adam and Eve did not have to die at that time.
As we saw in Lesson One, it was God’s purpose to create this world in holiness and goodness for his glory and power to be seen. However, he gave man the freedom to choose to follow God’s way of life. Man was responsible for choosing right and not wrong. God gave us this role of showing the world what is right. When sin came into the world, everything was changed from God’s original purpose. Satan tried to take God’s honor for himself. Satan deceived people and used them against God. The world has become a place of evil and rebellion against God. When we are born into this world, we are not able to resist the evil that is in the world, and so sin has cursed us all. Hear the words of Apostle Paul:
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. Romans 5.12
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Romans 3.23
God would be right if he destroyed the whole world because of our sin against him. However, he has chosen to patiently look for people who will believe in him and search for the path of righteousness. Many people explain religion as “Man seeking God.” However, the Bible records this long journey as God seeking man. This is the message of truth through his prophets. Satan brought sin into the world, but that is not the end of God’s story.