Adam and Eve made a choice to not listen to God. Their disobedience brought sin into the world (Rom. 5:12). What a horrible choice Adam and Eve made! They were told to leave the perfect garden forever and now lived in a world full of sin. They were separated from the One who loved them most. God could have been very angry with Adam and Eve. But God didn’t give up on them. He could have destroyed Adam and Eve and started over by making two new people.

 

God hates sin. Sin changed the world, but God still loved his people. He still wanted to have a relationship with them and they were still His special treasure. God made a plan to get the world back to the way He originally designed it.

​

Imagine what God’s voice must have sounded like when He said, “What is this you have done?” (Gen. 3:13 NKJV).  He didn’t sound angry. “The Lord shows mercy and is kind. He does not become angry quickly, and he has great love” (Ps. 103:8 NCV). He must have sounded sad and hurt.

​

God couldn’t ignore what Adam and Eve did because God can only act fairly. God had already warned them what would happen if they disobeyed. However, God didn’t just send them out of the garden and say, “Good luck. You’re on your own.” God showed His mercy to Adam and Eve right away. He made them clothes to wear and He promised to send His Son to rescue them (Gen. 3:15, 21). He knew they were embarrassed to be naked and cared about them. He cared how they felt and He cared about their needs. He cared about them even though they did not deserve it. They had just done something that was going to badly affect the earth until the end of this age. With one choice, they had greatly changed God’s perfect creation. But God still loved them. He gave them His grace and mercy. He was still the same God that is loving, forgiving, kind, and patient.

​

Someone who has never read the Bible before might expect to read about people who have lived a near perfect life. They might expect to read about those who didn’t make mistakes, who always did what God asked them to do, and who set great examples for all to follow. There are many great examples in the Bible. However, the Bible is also full of imperfect people.

​

Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Abraham said his wife was his sister and went to Egypt when he should have stayed put. Jacob tricked his father by putting animal hair on his arms to receive a blessing. Moses didn’t listen to God and hit a rock instead of speaking to it. David had a man killed because he wanted the man’s wife. Solomon had 700 wives. Jonah tried to run away when God told him to go to Nineveh. Samson made one bad decision after another. When Jesus was arrested, His closest friends left Him and said they didn’t know Him. The list goes on and on.

​

Although each story is different, God reacts the same way. The Bible is full of God’s mercy and grace. The Bible says:

 

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses [sin], made us alive together with Christ…For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. (Eph. 2:4,5,8 ESV brackets added)

 

Mercy means God has compassion and does not give the punishment that we deserve. When God gives us grace it means He gives us blessing that we do not deserve. God saved us from our sin even though we did not deserve it.

​

God’s grace has nothing to do with our actions. “It is the gift of God.” However, if we were only saved by God’s grace, everyone would be saved. Because God’s grace is the same towards everyone (Titus 2:11). And Jesus died so all could be saved (2 Cor. 5:15). However, all people are not saved because we are also saved through faith.

​

Grace and faith work together. God gives us the grace we need to be saved. But He also gives us a choice to put our faith in Jesus. When we do, we receive the gift God has already given us (by grace) when Jesus died on the cross about 2,000 years ago.

​

God is full of mercy and grace. His mercy and grace was shown to Adam and Eve in the garden. His mercy and grace is shown throughout the Bible to the imperfect people who put their faith in Him. God still loved and blessed those like Abraham, Moses, David, and Solomon even though they made mistakes and didn’t deserve it. In fact, Paul (who wrote over half of the New Testament) used to kill Christians before he became one himself.

​

Today, God still gives us His mercy and grace when we choose to put our own faith in Jesus. Sin changed the world and it controls many people. However, it doesn’t have to control you. If you put your faith in Jesus and let Him take charge of your life, sin will have no power over you. God has given you everything you need to live a godly life (2 Peter 1:3). Sin didn’t change God and it doesn’t have to change you either.

​​​