8950	Forums / Main Forum / The Crisis Of A Christless Christianity	on: June 11, 2006, 12:47:13 PM
updated ....I changed my views on man in the garden. The garden was not really a test but a creation of God that provided for mans needs. God created all things and gave them to man that matched his nature of governing all things by the implanted law. There was no tension. Man pronounced the names of all of Gods creation which perfectly described the image of those things. In making the images that were pleasing to God as man created those images, he enjoyed unopposed desire. Man ruled by law perfectly. me       Quote MBG I thought you brought up some very good points!  And Tom I thought you addressed them very well too.  I think you really bring the gospel of Jesus into the art of interpersonal communications--Thank you. I'd like to offer something to think about.  I think my first real grasp of this was when my husband and kids and I did a Bible study in Genesis.  My husband has a very keen ability to look at the Lord in a very practical manner--easy to understand. He was talking to our kids about how God had angels to worship Him, so why did he create us anyway?  For fellowship.  He created us in His image that He gave freewill to choose to fellowship with Him or to not.  I won't go into the whole discussion here, but you get the idea.   So God is a God of communication!  Fellowshipping is communicating.  God created all the animals, but yet He also said in Gen 2:18 The Lord God said "It's not good for man to be alone.  I will make a helper suitable for him."  So there again, God made someone for Adam to communicate with on his own level.  Eve walked in the flesh of the body just like Adam did, so they could relate to one another through similar eyes. (well okay, sometimes very far apart...LOL) God also walked and talked in the cool of the day with Adam and Eve.  What an awesome picture that draws, the COOL of the day, that could be morning or evening.  To me, dusk and dawn are two of the most beautiful times of day. I get the picture that it was dusk because Adam and Eve had already had their day of temptation and eating the apple, then it says - Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. I just think that draws such an awe inspiring picture of walking and talking and fellowshipping with the Lord God.  How awesome that must have been and I wonder if he was in a physical form since they HEARD him "walking"?  I guess that is something we will know once we get to heaven.  Just that verse alone though, communicates a lot to me about the fellowship God had with Adam and Eve and what He wants with us.  I like to draw mental pictures and I can just see the beautiful garden and in the cool of the day.  When you are done with your work (I picture Adam tending to the garden and animals) and God says--"so how was your day"  AWESOME! The Bible also says that His creation speaks loudly of Him, so there again He is communicating to us through that means.   And boy is it a beautiful, complicated, yet simple and changing means.  Seasons, the sun, the moon, the stars.  The complexity of the working body, trees, flowers, bees and animals and regeneration of life.  I could go on and on!  The mountains, the ocean, a beautiful little baby!  So many many things.  It all speaks of HIM! And God being that Creator, I mean we all know that, but I hadn't quite looked at it as that is why we all like to create things too.  And we do speak through our creations of art, music and so on.  When God created something He said it was good or in some places VERY GOOD.  So being made in His image we do love the things we make and create and communicate through--we too like to say that is good or very good. So I really do see communication as a very integral part of the Christian walk. So keep going Tom!  And I'm most anxious to learn about listening skills too.  You might have posted that already I haven't had time to read yet tonight. Good Points G2H. There are a few points i want to make about the creation of man in the garden. First , it is thought after a study of the account of creation that Satan or Lucifer who was created as the most beautiful angel and the highest ranking angel , was created at the time of the creation of the earth. His domain was in the garden of Eden in that creation and after God had created everything including man he pronounced everything good. In between God pronouncing everything that He had made good and his fall from heaven and his appearance in the garden as a serpent we short in time lapse. Gods ultimate purpose in creating all things is to bring glory to Himself. When he put man in the garden God had a purpose in the garden for man. He gave man a test. Man was under tension because man had to keep the law perfectly in order for man to earn eternal life. This was the covenant of works and God had  a purpose in the garden that was not going to be thwarted, that is all Gods purposes in creation are to bring glory to Himself. God has an ultimate purpose as well as His purpose in the garden. His ultimate purpose is that He is the end of all things what He makes and what he accomplishes in the creation of all things is only good. So God designed it so that man would fall to bring glory to Himself in the sending of His Son so that all the communicated qualities after the garden would be better than the in the garden , being fulfilled in Christ. Man actually had a short test in the garden as well as Lucifer. Man failed to earn righteousness and when He sinned he failed the test. The relationship of fellowship with God in the garden had a tension in it. Actually we have a greater capacity to enjoy fellowship with God than Adam did. The Father sent the Son into the world to fulfill all righteousness and the Son obeyed the law completely both passively and actively. Christ did what adam failed to do. He lived a perfect life on this earth , died for sin , and now is in heaven as our High Priest interceeding for us. When we are saved we get His righteousness imputed to us, and our sin was  imputed to Him on the cross. We are able to go to the Father any time and with great confidence. Because we have the righteousness of Christ we are accepted by grace, it is free access. Adam had to earn his righteousness. Oh what a mystery of love. God actually gets more glory in our situation in this fallen world by displaying a greater love, a greater power, a greater Man than the first man Adam!