I Was Afraid

I Was Afraid by Bret Lamsma

Scripture Reading: Genesis 3:1-13

“I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” Genesis 3:10

Picture the scenario. A child does something that he knows he isn’t supposed to do. Maybe he broke something he wasn’t supposed to play with. He knew he was going to be in trouble when a parent found out, so he hid, hoping to escape the consequences of his actions.

Adam and Eve sinned against God. They knew that He had told them not to eat from one of the trees in the garden. But they gave in to temptation and ate the fruit of that tree anyway.

Like children afraid of a parent, Adam and Eve hid from God, hoping to escape the consequences of their actions. Adam and Eve were afraid of what God might say or do to them because of their disobedience.

While there certainly were consequences for their sin—consequences that we still experience today—there was also forgiveness and grace. God continued to care for them. He didn’t just leave them to themselves. In fact, from the moment of their sin God began to shape history toward reconciling Adam and Eve and all of their children to himself.

While God hates sin, he loves us and has gone to extraordinary lengths to bring us back to him. Forgiveness and grace are God’s gifts to his people every day. The Word tells us that Christ was "slain from the

Gracious God, we sin against you all too often. But your grace and mercy abound in our lives, so we don’t need to be afraid. And for that we give thanks. Amen.