Sunday Prescript - Covered by Faith

I will be headed out for vacation early Monday so I am doing a Sunday Prescript instead of a Postscript today.

My message tomorrow will be from Genesis 3:20,21. Two verses that seem a little out of place, but by God’s perfect inspiration, they are right where they should be. God has given His judgments for the sin of Adam and Eve – so how do they respond? Adam responds in the only manner that he possibly could – he names his wife (vs. 20)!! Though it may seem as though Adam has missed the boat, he actually is making a confession and profession of faith in the Gospel promise of God.

With the simple act of naming his wife, “Eve” because she is the mother of all the living – Adam is demonstrating that He believed God’s promise in Gen. 3:15 that one day the Seed of the woman would rise up and bruise the head of the serpent, thus gaining victory over sin, death and Satan. God of course responds to Adam’s faith with an abundance of Grace and mercy (vs. 21).

The late Dr. James Boice, Pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philly made these four points about Gen. 3:21: 1) a covering was needed because of Adam and Eve’s sin induced shameful nakedness. 2) The covering that Adam and Eve provided for themselves (the fig leaves) was inadequate. 3) Only God could provide an adequate covering – only God knew how to make clothes! 4) In order for Adam and Eve to have their nakedness covered an animal had to be killed.

Now to consider for a moment these four points – they sound an awful lot like the sacrificial system that was required in the OT for the atonement of sins. God was here in Gen. 3:21 instituting the sacrificial system. Why else would Cain and Abel be offering up sacrifices in Gen. 4? Why else would Noah? Abraham? Or any of the patriarchs? God’s covenant with Adam required death for law breaking (Gen. 2:17)? Hebrews 9:22 notes that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. But in Genesis 3, instead of God immediately consuming Adam and Eve in judgment – out of His grace and mercy He allows a substitute to take their place – the animal that was slain to provide the covering for their nakedness (which obviously is also symbolic of sin).

But later in Hebrews we note “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (10:4). So how is it then that this substitute is allowed by God? It can only mean that the animals that were substituted in the sacrifices to atone for sins were an inescapable prophetic picture of the substitutionary atonement that was accomplished once for all through the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on the cross.

We need a covering for our sin lest we face the Just wrath of God leading to eternal condemnation and death. We cannot cover ourselves. Certainly, some may try with their good works, but these works are like fig leaves in God’s sight, they are inadequate. Since, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God only God can provide a perfect and unblemished substitute for our sin, even His own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God for His Grace and Mercy poured out upon us; that we might live through Christ.