The Father and the Son

Imagining the Father’s voice in the Garden of Eden can be tricky. The challenge is that we bring our own experiences and understanding into the story.

We understand the guilt and shame that Adam and Eve were experiencing. They had done what they were forbidden to do. The Father had warned that there would be dire consequences if they ate from this tree, but the Serpent had cast doubt on whether this was true. He questioned the character of the Father. He told them the Father had been lying to them and that eating from the forbidden tree would not bring trouble. Instead, their eyes would be opened, and they would become like God.

The tree looked good. Its fruit was inviting, and the more Adam and Eve looked at it, the more it seemed they could not trust the Father. Perhaps He was holding out on them and stopping them from reaching their full potential.

We don’t know how long it took, but the fateful day came when Adam and Eve believed the Serpent and ate from the tree. Now having crossed the line, they realised they had been deceived, and there was no turning back. Instead of becoming like God, they were now estranged from Him and each other. No longer could they look at each other with openness and innocence. Their hearts had changed, and they felt vulnerable, naked and ashamed.

We, too, know that feeling because we also have rebelled and crossed the line. We understand Adam and Eve’s pain and experience that same separation from each other and God. Deep inside, we perceive that there is a price to pay for our guilt, and this price is death. And this makes us fearful of the Father.

Against this devastating background, the wonderful gospel message is that Jesus died in our place to pay the price for our sin. The penalty of sin is death, but the good news is Jesus took that penalty into Himself so we can be forgiven. This is the central truth of the gospel, but sometimes we can misunderstand what Jesus was doing when He died on the cross. We can wrongly imagine the voice of the Father in the garden to be angry and full of wrath. We mistakenly believe He was looking for Adam and Eve to pour out His anger on them for their rebellion. And into this false reality, we can think Jesus came to save us from this harsh and judgmental Father. Almost as if the Father wants to judge us, but Jesus persuaded Him to pour out His anger on Him rather than on us.

It’s very understandable for us to think this way. The Father is righteous and holy and will always judge wrongdoing. We are guilty and full of darkness and therefore believe we need someone to save us from this holy Judge.

This, however, is not the truth. The most quoted verse of the Bible tells us that Jesus did not come to save us from the Father. Nor did He come to appease an angry Judge. Instead, it tells us He came to fulfil the will of a broken-hearted Dad, who loves His children and wants to make right the wrong of our sin and rebellion.

John 3:16 (ESV) For God [the Father] so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Jesus did not die to change the attitude of the Father toward us. The Father has always loved us, even in our rebellion, and because of His love for us, He sent Jesus to make it right.

Further reading: Jn 3:16-21

The Father loves you with all of His heart. So much so that He sent His Son, Jesus, to make it right.

This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.