Teachings – The Garden of Paradise

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE

UNFOLDING TWO 

WHERE WE ARE

In our introduction and Unfolding One,  we hopefully prepared you for the journey we are undertaking through the fifty-six discourses that C.H. Spurgeon (Pastor, for short and out of eternal affection) presents in The Teachings of Nature in the Kingdom of Grace. We refer to each discourse as an unfolding because we liken each discourse to the unfolding of a scroll. Believe me, we are amazed in what we have learned already with Pastor’s pivot from discussing the fitting and re-fitting of creation to man’s darkness of heart in sin, and man’s need for a new creature and creation. Pastor presents so much material to consider! Indeed, there are many rabbit trails! It is difficult to stay on the proper path. Of course, our reference to ‘rabbit trails’ is analogous to the Christian’s walk… so many rabbit trails… dark holes… voids to fall into; such is the nature of the flesh.  

In this unfolding, Pastor assumed that we knew that God created Adam from the dust, created a living soul, and placed Adam to live in the Garden of Paradise. Why assume? He didn’t mention any of this previously. Of course, that shouldn’t surprise anyone. In our opening introduction, I mentioned Pastor’s discourses were not written chronologically or systematically – in the order the Bible introduces the events, people, creatures, and timelines; this is, starting with Adam, extending through Abraham, Moses, King David, Ruth, to Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. 

Anyway, we shall plow ahead… indeed, this is a field to be plowed first, and with that – 

INTRODUCING TO OUR OUTLINE

Beginning with this unfolding, we introduce the relevant Scriptures to our outline for your reading either before or after listening to the audio.  

SCRIPTURE

Genesis 1: 26

“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… ” 

Genesis 2: 7-9

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

Ezekiel 18: 4

“Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine… “

Genesis 2: 15-17

“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE
UNFOLDING TWO

Speaking of the garden, Pastor wrote about the garden,

“It was doubtless a fairer place than we have ever seen, and much more marvelous for beauty than we can imagine. It was full of all manner of delights, a fruitful spot wherein the man who was set to keep it would have no need of toil, but would find it a happy and refreshing exercise to train the luxurious plants. No sweat was ever seen upon his happy brow, for he cultivated a virgin soil.” 

Moreover, Pastor spoke of Adam’s mental state and the question of why his ultimate decision to disobey,

“Adam’s mind was equally balanced, it had no bias to evil, and God left him to the freedom of his will, giving this as the test of his loyalty, that, if obedient, he would never touch the fruit of that one tree. Why need he?“

Indeed, Pastor asked a fair but rhetorical question, ‘Why need he?’

Then, Pastor conveyed two critical points:

• “Let it never be forgotten, in connection with the Garden of Eden, that we are not now a pure and sinless race, and cannot be by nature, however civilized we may become. Men are born no longer with balanced minds, but a heavy weight of original sin is in the scale.” Secondly,
• “Beware of thinking too little of the fall. Slight thoughts upon the fall are at the root of false theologies; the mischief that has been wrought in us is not a trifling matter.”   

Finally, Adam’s decision to eat of the forbidden fruit brought all men to ruin. At the end of this discourse Pastor observed what he thought became of the garden after Adam was cast out,

“Perhaps the very site of it, which is now unknown, may be a den of dragons, a habitation for the pelican of the wilderness, and the bittern of desolation! Fit image, if it be so, of our natural estate, for we were altogether given up to desolation and destruction, unless One mighty to save had espoused our cause.” 

THOUGHT GOING FORWARD

Good question – ‘Why need he?’

In my humble opinion, the two critical points mentioned – taken together – are at the core of the disagreement between Christians that man has the freedom to choose or not to believe in Jesus Christ. This conflict has brought great mischief in the body of Christ between those who believe that God chooses who is saved versus the belief that salvation is a matter of man’s choosing. Moreover, while there are other great doctrines of the Bible that are held in conflict – such as the doctrine of total depravity and perseverance of the Saints, I would encourage you to consider these and other theologies that you have run into that have brought mischief within the body of Christ.  

IN TRIBUTE TO SPURGEON’S LOVE OF SHORT RHYMES

No balance of mind have I
from the loins of Adam I came
If not for the One, mighty to save
I’d carry my sins to my grave.