In Genesis 2 and 3, we read that God created Adam and Eve to enjoy a loving relationship with Himself and with each other. But when sin entered the world, there was a dark shift.
Notice Adam’s behavior after his sin, “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:8-12).
Before sin, Adam and Eve happily met with God in loving fellowship, but after sin, they hid from God out of fear and shame. Instead of cherishing his God-given helper, sin motivated Adam to distance himself from Eve and cast blame on her. Adam's sin affected him so much that he became actively opposed to his wife. Adam said to God, "The woman...she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Adam blamed Eve for his own failure. Adam did not say, "my wife, my loving wife," but rather, "this woman." Sin divides the most united hearts and ruins the most blessed unions.
Sin distorted and confused Adam. Before sin, Adam believed that he was loved and wanted by God and by Eve, but after his encounter with sin, Adam felt differently. He no longer felt acceptable as he was; he thought he needed to do something to “cover” himself. He hid from God and pushed away Eve. Love was displaced by fear.
Friend, sin does this to us too. We have all sinned, and so, we all go through times where we feel unloved, unwanted, unacceptable. But there is a remedy for our wounded hearts and minds, and it is the same remedy that God presented to Adam thousands of years ago.
“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Genesis 3:21
God never stopped loving or wanting Adam and Eve, but their sin was a barrier in their relationships. Adam and Eve could not remove the barrier, so God did. God made a sacrifice on Adam and Eve’s behalf so that they could be clothed. The covering of the sacrifice restored their fellowship with God and each other. It restored love in their hearts and their union together.
That first sacrifice by God pointed forward to the ultimate sacrifice that Jesus would make on the cross to demonstrate His eternal love for us (1 John 4:10). The cross is where we see that we are fully and forever loved 1 John 4:16)!
Friend, you are loved! Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, if you put your faith in Him, you can say, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,” (Isaiah 61:10).