Two Gardens — A LifeWords Devotion

Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. (The Message)

Human destiny has been decided in two gardens. In the Garden of Eden, the first human beings went off the rails and derailed the human race ever since. Their declaration of independence led to estrangement from God and a destiny away from the perfect presence of God.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, one human being, Jesus, stayed on track and offered the human race a way to get back on track themselves. Jesus’ decision to obey God meant that estrangement would no longer be the case; that there was the possibility of life forever with God.

Adam got it all wrong. Jesus got it all right. Each of us belongs either to Adam or Jesus. We share the destiny of Adam, which is estrangement from God, or the destiny of Jesus, which is friendship with God.

The Garden of Eden saw Adam hide from God. The Garden of Gethsemane saw Jesus embrace God. Adam succumbed to temptation, Jesus resisted temptation. By birth we belong to Adam. By new birth we belong to Jesus.

Two representative human beings. Two destinies. Two gardens. Only one way back to God.

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Blessings

David