The Road to the Cross

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Genesis 3:1 NIV)

Look at the road to the cross. How did we get there? Why did Jesus have to die on the cross anyway? What difference does that event, over 2000 years ago, make in my life today?

In the beginning, God created a perfect world. Adam and Eve were able to live in peace and harmony with God. There was, at that time, no heartache, no pain, and no destruction. Creation performed as it was intended to, without decay. There was really only one rule for Adam and Eve to follow: don't touch the tree of knowledge. Doesn't seem that hard, does it?

Like a "Wet Paint" sign, Adam and Eve couldn't resist the tree. Satan's temptation was more than they could bear. The offer seemed good to them at the time. (I'm sure they regretted the decision later.) Why did God allow them the freedom to reject God? To give you an honest answer, I don't know. I understand the feeling, however, of wanting someone to love you just because they choose to, not because they were forced into it. God wants us to love Him because He is God and worthy of our love. Period.

When Adam and Eve bit the fruit from this tree, the fellowship with God was broken. God, who is perfectly Holy, could no longer accept them into His presence. Their sin doomed God's perfect creation to damnation. When we were born, we were born into the sin of Adam and Eve. We are sinners because we were born in a fallen world. Every person born since Adam has inherited Adam and Eve's sinful nature.

The road to the cross began when Adam and Eve, by their own choice, stepped out of God's perfect plan and into the world of self pleasure and sin.