When people sin against one another, there are often consequences based on human rules and laws. These laws are (for the most part) in place to maintain order, safety, and peace so that we can go about living our lives free from constant fear and anarchy, and with the expectation that those who break the laws will be punished accordingly.
As children, when we break our parents’ rules, the penalties should only be severe enough to teach us, not permanently damage or forever remove our freedoms. Depending on the behavior, we may have to temporarily forego the use of television, video games, time with friends, etc. As we grow, however, the penalties become increasingly more severe.
For example:
As a student, if you break school rules, you may face detention, failure of a class, or even suspension from the school.
As an adult, if you break the rules at work, you may lose some of your pay, face suspension, or lose your job altogether.
If you harm or steal from someone, you will likely face jail time, losing the freedom to move about society.
In fact, depending on the crime, punishment may include such things as fines, community service, jail time, deportation, and even death in some rare cases!
Likewise, when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, breaking God’s law, they lost the privilege of living forever in His presence and were immediately deported from the paradise of Eden. Its entrance was forever closed to them. They (and all of us) were sentenced to pain, hardship, and death in a world where they were eternally separated from God. But God.
Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
In other words, God made a way for us to come back into His presence because He knew we were powerless to do so on our own. Although we had all been sentenced to pain, hardship, and death, it was His perfect will to restore us to Himself through His Son’s pain, hardship, and death (on a cross) thereby offering a pardon to all who would accept His merciful gift by believing in Jesus.
Here’s the most amazing part, we weren’t just prisoners released into the world to roam freely again, but rather were admitted back to His table (v.6), back into His presence. He seated us with Christ … wow! This is why it is such an incredible blessing to once again (as in the days of Eden) be welcome in His presence. What a privilege - may we never take it for granted, again!
God's Presence, What A Privilege!