In the sixth day God created man in the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity. Not divine - but intelligent, moral, and ethical triune beings who could be given dominion over all His earthy creation. In the beginning the entire earth and all life placed on earth were pure and were created to live forever. God gave man every herb that yields seed and every tree whose fruit yields seed for food. He gave every beast, and everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, every green herb for food. It was a time of innocence. There were to be no death. Not of any living being nor of anything created. God saw everything He had made and it was very good.

God ended His work, was pleased with all He had made, and on the seventh day He rested from all His work.

God loved man and gave him a paradise to live in, the Garden of Eden. In the garden God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. He also placed in the garden the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God desired that man, of his own choice, love Him. So He gave man the right to choose (freewill). And the Lord God commanded the man, saying:

Gen 2:16-17:

"Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

Adam was a very intelligent being. Every beast of the field, all cattle, and every bird of the air, Adam named. God gave Adam everything with only one restriction. He was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Man, beast, birds, all things that creep, and all that have life in them lived in perfect harmony one with the other. It was a time of innocence. Not an evil thought entered into a heart.

There is much to be said for innocence. I remember as a preschool child my brother having a picture of Jesus which he cherished. Many times I saw him hug the picture tight against his chest, lift his eyes toward heaven, and pray. I can not remember a time when his prayer was not answered. Most of the time it was before he finished praying. Once I awoke and couldn't open my eyes because of an excessive build up of matter. My brother hugged the picture of Jesus tight to his chest and looking toward heaven asked Jesus to open my eyes. Instantly my eyes opened as if nothing had been wrong with them.

There is something about innocence mixed with faith.

I have witnessed similar things in my youngest son. When he prayed, God moved. I've seen it happen over and over again. As a preteen he would walk around the sanctuary of our church before services began and during fellowship after service greeting new people and chatting with the regulars. He had a gift of knowing when someone was in need of prayer. He would give them a huge hug and say a little prayer. Many times God would touch them while he was praying. Furthermore, through his prayers his siblings, his mother, and I enjoyed good health. When it seemed our prayers were not being heard, we would ask him for prayer. He would pray and healing would come. It was not that we lacked faith but God desiring to work through him.

There is something about innocence mixed with faith.

Adam and Eve walked and talked with God. Things could not have been any better. Then came the deceiver. The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He asked Eve:

Gen 3:1:

"Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

Eve explained to the serpent that God has given them all the fruit of the garden to eat except they cannot eat of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, less they die. The cunning ole devil told her that they surely would not die but be like God knowing good and evil. So Eve ate of the tree and gave to Adam to eat as well. When they ate their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked. Their innocence was gone.

Because they disobeyed God and now had knowledge of good and of evil, they were no longer pure. Everything in creation changed. The very moment of their disobedience resulted in spiritual death for every breathing creature and progressive physical death for all living things on earth.

God was not happy. Adam and Eve believed the deceiver and fell into disobedience. Their disobedience caused a separation of God's creation from Him.

Impurity cannot exist in the presence of perfect holiness.

So the Lord God said to the serpent:

Gen 3:14-15:

"Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."

To the woman He said:

Gen 3:16:

"I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you."

Then to Adam He said:

Gen 3:17-49:

"Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”

Innocence lost is a serious thing. Thank God we now live in a dispensation of Grace. Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son, has come and paid the wages of our sin through the shedding of His own blood. The blood of Jesus washes us white as snow. Praise God, He arose from His grave and because He arose, we shall arise also, unto eternal life with our Lord and Savior. Those of us who are saved by grace through faith in the works of Jesus once again are innocent in our spirit man. Our physical bodies still struggle with temptation from the evil one. The day of redemption is coming for these bodies and they will be perfected (glorified), once again becoming pure and completely innocent. Praise God, I'm looking up for I know the trumpet will soon sound and in the twinkling of an eye I'll be changed and forevermore will be with my Lord.

Until then I will remain careful when I stumble to, with a pure heart, prayerfully confess my sin and ask for my Savior's forgiveness and His strength in overcoming my weaknesses so that I don't sin again.

There is something about innocence mixed with faith.

Blessings to all,
Tch