Realities of the cross Part 1

What happened in the Garden of Eden

1. Adam had dominion over the earth

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Genesis 1:26-28.

Man was created to rule. He was to subdue the earth by the authority of the Word of God.
Man was God's under ruler in this earth. Remember that during these six days of creation, after each day God saw that what He has created was good, so man was to maintain the order of god on the earth. However, God told man to dominate everything from the fishes of the sea to every creeping thing upon the earth. This included the serpent!

2. Adam committed high treason and gave his authority to the Satan

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Genesis 3:6.

Adam was not deceived (1 Timothy 2:14) but he stood by and allowed this to happen and participated in the disobeying God's word instead of using his God given authority to dominate the serpent.

As God under ruler, Adam was god of this world, however when he sinned, he handed this to Satan. As a result of his sin, Satan became what God should have been – man's father (John 8:44).
The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Through the entrance of death, Satan dominated.

'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" Romans 5:12.

3. God needed a legal entry back into the earth

As a just God, He needed to find some one on the earth who he can use and establish a covenant in order to gain legal entry to redeem man from the fall. He is a covenant-making God. Without a covenant partner in the earth, His word is inactive.
God found Abram and began putting His Word into the earth through men.

Genesis 17:1-19 reveals God's covenant with Abram. Through this covenant, God would bring a saviour and redeemer to the earth. He was also referred to as the seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15) straight after man was known the consequences of his sin. He is JESUS.

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ" Ephesians 3:9-10.

God promised that through Jesus, He would destroy Satan's power over mankind.

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.

4. Jesus came as the second Adam

"And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." 1 Corinthians 15:45.

Jesus was born of a virgin (the seed of the woman) with the blood of God in Him – all man and all God. That is why he was referred to as Son of man and Son of God. As a man, he had the same opportunity to fail as the first Adam, but he passed every test.
The life of Christ on earth is an example of a man free from the lordship of Satan.
Man needed more than forgiveness of sins, he needed to be redeemed and needed a personal Lord.

However, in order for this to be possible, Jesus had to yield Himself obedient to death.

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Philippians 2:8.

He had to give His life. Jesus did nothing for Himself, it was all for mankind – He was our unselfish substitute. Jesus never sinned! He had no price to pay for Himself.
He was made to be sin.

"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21.

He fulfilled what was prophesied by the Prophet Isaiah.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand." Isaiah 53: 3-10

Jesus was God's sacrificial lamb offering.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John 1:29.

Coming soon Part 2