In God’s great mercy he has provided a way to have a blessed relationship with him again—to have the righteousness of obedience and forgiveness of sins that opens the way to a glorious future of eternal life. But this righteousness and redemption are not gained by our own weak and sinful efforts, but by another’s perfect work and sacrifice.

Seattle Repertory Theater’s 2017/2018 season introduced the classics Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, and the Odyssey with the title, “We Are Real, Messy, Human.” With murder, tragedy, and confused romance as the backdrop, it’s not surprising to characterize humanity as “messy.” In this world we see people both cause and experience pain, suffering, and tragedy. Yet, humans were not created to be “messy,” nor were they made to expect a life of tragedy. Adam and Eve were created as royalty, in fellowship with God and with each other, rulers with the responsibility of governing the creatures. On top of all this, humanity had a hope for a better and more glorious future through obedience to God.

Humans as Royalty

The first two chapters of the book of Genesis recount how God—the Creator and ruler of the universe—created a beautiful world full of good things, and how he gave man—his image-bearer—dominion over the living creatures (Gen. 1:26-31). Adam was to image God’s kingship by ruling well over creation. As a demonstration of humanity’s dominion, God set Adam in the garden of Eden “to work and to keep it” and brought the animals to Adam for him to name (Gen. 2:15;19).

This garden was set apart from the rest of creation as a paradise for humanity (Gen. 2:8-10). The word translated in Genesis 2:15 as “to keep” is also used in the book of Numbers to describe the guarding responsibilities of the priests and Levites as they protected the temple from unholy intruders (Num. 1:51-53; 3:6-10; 18:2-5; 31:30). In a similar way, Adam was a king-priest who was to guard the garden from spiritual enemies and threats.

Life of Blessing

God created Adam with the unique status of his image-bearer (Gen. 1:27), spoke his word of instruction to him (Gen. 1:28; 2:16-17), and blessed him with a beautiful garden (Gen. 2:15) and mutual companionship (Gen. 2:18). Adam and Eve were united and at peace with one another (Gen. 2:23-24) and in fellowship with God. They could look forward to a greater blessedness of eternal life if they obeyed God’s commands (Gen. 2:9; 2:16-17).

The Origin of Humanity’s Mess

Genesis 3 records the tragic downfall of humanity.

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