Faith for Flourishing

In the Bible, Adam and Eve sinned when they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had told them if they ate from that tree they would die, but after eating from it, they didn’t die physically. At least not “immediately,” as they had imagined. Clearly they thought God would kill them as soon as He found out about their transgression – that’s why they were hiding from Him. But that wasn’t what happened. Instead, God made a way of grace for them by killing an animal and covering their nakedness.

From this point up until the flood, people sinned but did not always receive instant judgement of death. Cain killed Abel yet, surprisingly, received a mark of protection from God. The builders of the Tower of Babel had their efforts thwarted but none were killed for their sin. There was frustration on God’s part but not immediate death for transgression. Until the flood. Yet even then, there was a door of grace – the door to the Ark remained open to the very last second for anyone who would repent and enter.

Afterwards, Noah got embarrassingly drunk but didn’t get judged. Abraham followed God’s command but didn’t follow perfectly. He lied yet found grace. Jacob was a cheat yet found mercy. Moses murdered then turned away – yet was still used by God.

Then something noteworthy happened. Moses went up the mountain and received the Law, which defined right and wrong for the people. No sooner had Moses received the Law than the Israelites broke it! When Moses came down and saw their transgression, for the first time people were killed for breaking the Law.

Yet God didn’t just give the Law. He also gave Moses the tabernacle plan – a way for the people to still receive grace and mercy despite their failure to keep the Law perfectly.

While we will fail at keeping laws, we can succeed at creating places of grace and mercy, as the tabernacle was for Israel. Like them, we may not always administer grace perfectly. But if we embrace it, we will get it right more than wrong.

God never intended us to live by Law alone but by His grace and mercy. He challenges us to be like Him – to forgive wrongs, repent of sins, and reject bitterness. Always keep a path open for grace. Grace has always been the plan.

Pastor Anthony Yanny