Original Intent

A few weeks ago, I got into a theological conversation with some young ladies on the street while dog walking with my neighbor. I was on Main Street enjoying the evening sun when I noticed the sisters and said hello, not knowing that these women were on a mission to share the Good News. As we conversed, the one sister shared a belief I had never heard. In their church, the belief is that the Genesis 3 Fall is “a good thing.” It caught me off guard at the time. I have been chewing upon this thought for a few weeks. I kept asking myself, how could it be a good thing? How could sin and evil be a good thing? It was quite the coincidence that when it was time to do some devotion writing, the next verse on deck is Colossians 1:20, which says, “And by the blood of His cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to Himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again!” (TPT).

The original intent. God never intended for us to know both good and evil. The sisters said that in Genesis 3, it was good that Adam and Eve sinned because now that they knew evil, they could appreciate God’s love and forgiveness. The sisters noted that without knowing evil, that Adam and Eve could never truly know or appreciate the goodness of God and His love. Is that true? Was sin necessary? 

NO! Not at all. This is why I keep chewing upon what they said. I cannot fathom how someone could think it was good for evil, that it was good for sin. Yes, God uses everything for His good purpose. Yes, suffering can bring about a greater glory. But the original intent was always a close relationship with God, walking together and enjoying His goodness. Adam and Eve had this in the Garden. Remember? They walked with God. There was no separation. Everything they knew was good. They didn’t need to have evil for them to recognize and appreciate good. They didn’t need sin to help them recognize that which is good. They walked with God.

In Isaiah 65:17, we read that one day God will create a new heaven and new earth and the former things will not be remembered. Think about this for a moment. If we needed to know evil to know good, if we needed to have the sin to appreciate God’s love, then what happens when the former is not remembered? What happens when the evil is no longer coming to mind? Again we see that our good God never intended for us to know evil and that we did not need to know evil to know God. Why would we need to know evil to know our good God? 

I do not write this to chastise these young ladies who I’ll likely never see again, but rather for us to focus on two things. Firstly, be mindful of what people tell you about God. There are some people with good intentions who can take you down the wrong path. Remember, God’s Word is fully available to you. Seek the Spirit’s guidance and dig in deep. Don’t trust what everyone says. Secondly, we can rest in the promise that God’s original intent will come to fruition. Because of the blood of Christ Jesus, we will see the complete restoration. All things will be made new! We will all know only the goodness of God! Thank You Jesus! Restored to innocence again!