Law and Grace

‘I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid…’(Gen3:10)
Third chapter of Genesis is seen from the standpoint of son of Man: in three states we see him express his relationship to God.
1.He hides from the presence of God.
In the first gospel of John we read that ‘He that feareth is not made perfect in love’(4:18,16-17). Adam had cause to fear. He had gained Knowledge of good and evil at the expense of disobedience. Conversely obedience of Adam would have meant he was in the garden even as God was. Of this we read in the verse quoted from John. ‘ As he is so are we in this world’ In ourselves we have no merit but the knowledge that our Redeemer lives and his grace has covered all our insufficiency. This is the hallmark of obedience that every Christian should develop. Adam by sinning sees much more into his body than was necessary. He was like God or in the image of God and yet he discovers he was naked.
2. He learns to shift the blame.
God created man, male and female created he them. Now having disobeyed he distances himself from her in a manner not intended by God. It will eventually be made concrete in host of traditions, customs and also by law. Woman as a result comes to be someone to be subjugated and her dependence to man shown in injunctions as we read in Paul’s epistle, ‘every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth head…’(1 Co 11: 3-12) Law is the natural consequence of man’s disobedience. Thus when we read in the gospel of John that law came from Moses and grace and truth came by Jesus’(1:17) we have to understand the origin of law as a matter of necessity that man’s disobedience warranted.
3.He admits his insufficiency. The aprons of fig leaves that man made were inadequate. These were replaced by coat of skins. Lambskins or any other would require shedding of blood. We read of the first sacrifice mentioned in the Bible. This may be seen as a forerunner of the redemptive work of the Son of Man.
benny