The Garden

I dont spend much time thinking about the Garden of Eden. Why would I? Its a story any Christian has heard a million times before. God made man and woman, and put them in this beautiful garden where every conceivable need was taken care off. The Big Guy Himself even walked around in the garden with Adam and Eve providing real intimacy with the Creator. But because of pride and rebellion man threw it all away for a couple of bites of an apple. Now, because of their sin, all of mankind is born with a sin nature and need for a Savior.

 

Its a foundational story, and one that sets the ground work for our need for Christ. But truthfully, the story of the Garden doesnt appear to be super relevant to my day to day life. 

 

But I got to thinking today: why was there even a Garden at all? God created all of Creation. He could have made the entire Earth the Garden of Eden. Instead He created a portion of the Earth to be the Garden of Eden (aka Paradise), and the rest of the Earth to be Outside (aka Not Paradise). When we read Genesis we are led to believe that there were fundamental differences between inside the Garden and Outside, and one of those differences is that Outside of the Garden was tough, wild, untamed and hard. I picture Outside to be like this salt flat: barren.

 

WHY?

Why create an outside? Why not just create one big Garden that covered the whole Earth? Why create a part of the Earth that is seemingly outside the control of God?

 

The Bible makes it clear that when God finished creating He declared all things to be “GOOD”. Which means there had to be a reason for creating both the Garden and the Outside.

 

I think that reason can be found in God’s first command to man: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the Earth.” Gen 1:28-29

 

I think God created the Outside, so man would have a mission and a purpose! God created us to move across the Earth in His name, bringing His Kingdom and His Dominion. We were created to be His representatives on the Earth. To have a mission that He could be actively involved in. If God had created all Garden and no Outside, there would have been nothing for Mankind to subdue and have dominion over. It would have already been in submission to God. God created the Outside for us, so that we could be active, important and Real in His mission! We were created to spread the Garden of Eden to all the corners of the Earth.

 

This sure sounds a lot like the Gospel of Christ to me! After redeeming us at the Cross and adopting us into His family, Christ sends us back Outside to spread His Kingdom to all corners of the Earth.

 

“All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matt 28:18-19

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to US the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are AMBASSADORS for Christ, God making His appeal through US.” 2 Cor 5:17-20

 

Next time you look around and you are tempted to see nothing but Outside, just remember: the more Outside you see around you, the more Christ has for you to do! Time to roll up your sleeves, cause it looks like that’s been God’s plan all along!