Wall of Hostility
8-Jun-10
It likely hadn’t been long since the dust had settled from God forming Adam of it, when he disobeyed God & the fall occurred, causing all of creation to be cursed. From that time, mankind has been separated from God & alienated himself from God’s ways.
Afterward, God asked Adam, “Where are you?” (Gen 3.8-9). Now when an all-knowing God asks a question, it isn’t because He doesn’t know the answer. It is always to get His audience to think. He was also quite aware of their physical location. What He was asking Adam & Eve was for them to notice that their spiritual condition had changed. Their position or status with God was never going to be the same.
For the first time ever, Adam & Eve sought to hide from their Maker (Gen 3.8). After breaking God’s command to them, their new position was characterized by guilt & shame. Before, they surely were in awe of the Almighty, having firsthand knowledge of His eternal power & divine nature. They now had reason to be afraid of those same attributes. And in the spirit of estrangement from His command, they now embodied an attitude of estrangement from Him.
Further, God had to take action. For laws are established to give guidance & carry with them consequences for not heeding them. Otherwise, they are merely suggestions, recommendations, or worse, meaningless. The severity of the consequence bears the seriousness of the command. God had commanded Adam not to do a certain thing & informed him of the serious penalty for disregarding it. If he ate from the “tree of the knowledge of good & evil”, he would “surely die” (Gen 2.17). Now, God explained that the first couple would not also be able to eat from the tree of life & live forever (Gen 3.22). If God did allow that, it would have made Him a liar. However, we know it is impossible for God to lie (Rom 3.4, Heb 6.18).
Therefore, Adam & Eve’s sin caused God’s justice to act on His Word. Consequently, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. God then placed cherubim (angles) & a flaming sword to block the way back to the place where they had known perfect communion with a holy God. A feeble comparison would be if your child disobeyed you in some way & you banished them to their room. You did the banishing, but it was the child who caused it!
Scripture informs us that our sin – violation of God’s law - separates us from God (Isa 59.1-2). It further explains that if we persist in sin, then shame & guilt fade away along with any regard for God (Rom 1.18, 28). In turn, we then begin to justify & even celebrate our sin (Ps 36.1-3). We go our own way, but away from God (Rom 3.12).
Prior to the global flood of Noah’s day when God brought thorough judgment against mankind, God explained why: “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (Gen 6.5-6). It should be pointed out that apart from their physical actions, it was the thoughts of their heart that grieved God & caused Him pain.
One reason God hates sin is because He knows that His justice demands its punishment (Rom 6.23). Another reason is that His beloved people that He created totally disregard Him! Each & every time we sin in thought or deed, we fire a filthy shot directly at a Thrice-Holy God!
Afterward, God asked Adam, “Where are you?” (Gen 3.8-9). Now when an all-knowing God asks a question, it isn’t because He doesn’t know the answer. It is always to get His audience to think. He was also quite aware of their physical location. What He was asking Adam & Eve was for them to notice that their spiritual condition had changed. Their position or status with God was never going to be the same.
For the first time ever, Adam & Eve sought to hide from their Maker (Gen 3.8). After breaking God’s command to them, their new position was characterized by guilt & shame. Before, they surely were in awe of the Almighty, having firsthand knowledge of His eternal power & divine nature. They now had reason to be afraid of those same attributes. And in the spirit of estrangement from His command, they now embodied an attitude of estrangement from Him.
Further, God had to take action. For laws are established to give guidance & carry with them consequences for not heeding them. Otherwise, they are merely suggestions, recommendations, or worse, meaningless. The severity of the consequence bears the seriousness of the command. God had commanded Adam not to do a certain thing & informed him of the serious penalty for disregarding it. If he ate from the “tree of the knowledge of good & evil”, he would “surely die” (Gen 2.17). Now, God explained that the first couple would not also be able to eat from the tree of life & live forever (Gen 3.22). If God did allow that, it would have made Him a liar. However, we know it is impossible for God to lie (Rom 3.4, Heb 6.18).
Therefore, Adam & Eve’s sin caused God’s justice to act on His Word. Consequently, they were banished from the Garden of Eden. God then placed cherubim (angles) & a flaming sword to block the way back to the place where they had known perfect communion with a holy God. A feeble comparison would be if your child disobeyed you in some way & you banished them to their room. You did the banishing, but it was the child who caused it!
Scripture informs us that our sin – violation of God’s law - separates us from God (Isa 59.1-2). It further explains that if we persist in sin, then shame & guilt fade away along with any regard for God (Rom 1.18, 28). In turn, we then begin to justify & even celebrate our sin (Ps 36.1-3). We go our own way, but away from God (Rom 3.12).
Prior to the global flood of Noah’s day when God brought thorough judgment against mankind, God explained why: “The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.” (Gen 6.5-6). It should be pointed out that apart from their physical actions, it was the thoughts of their heart that grieved God & caused Him pain.
One reason God hates sin is because He knows that His justice demands its punishment (Rom 6.23). Another reason is that His beloved people that He created totally disregard Him! Each & every time we sin in thought or deed, we fire a filthy shot directly at a Thrice-Holy God!
It is no wonder that Scripture explains that as sinners, by default, we are:
The Bible speaks of a barrier that exists between us & God, even calling it a “dividing wall of hostility” (Eph 2.14). This brings to mind the Berlin Wall which was erected in the early 1960’s by Communists & divided Berlin (Germany) into East & West halves. It was an 11.6 foot high, concrete wall with barbed wire & armed guard posts. The Berliners on either side did not see this as a friendly gesture. It came to symbolize the “iron curtain” & many people died trying to cross it. Similarly, there is a deadly barrier between a Holy God & all people because we’ve all sinned (Rom 3.23). While it’s true that we alienate ourselves from God by our sin, it is He that puts up this wall. And it’s no white picket fence either! |
Just as God placed the cherubim & flaming sword to guard the path to Eden as a result of the violation of His command, He places a wall to block the way back to Him because we have violated His commands, preferring our own disappointing way (Rom 3.12) as opposed to His perfect way (Dt 32.4, Ps 18.30). Consequently, we confirm that God’s Law of perfection stands opposed to us & is impossible to maintain (Col 2.14, Jas 2.10). But we must understand that there are definite consequences for violating the Law of an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-holy God. Thus, the Bible explains that the Law brings wrath (Rom 4.15, 6.23) & that because we all have a sinful nature that opposes the law, we are objects of God’s wrath (Eph 2.3).
You see, at this moment, another function of this “wall of hostility” is to hold back God’s wrath! This time-released capsule of fury will not last forever. There is a picture of this in the account of the exodus of the Israelites from slavery & oppression in Egypt. As God lead His people to freedom, He parted the Red Sea such that the water was "walled up" on both sides & His people crossed on dry ground (Ex 14.21-22). When the army of the enemy pursued them & once the Israelites were safely across, the walls of water burst out & completely annihilated the enemy army (Ex 14.26-31). God’s wrath broke out against them, just as it will someday on all of His enemies.
This thinning wall presents an immanently disastrous situation because we will all have to face God someday (Eccl 12.14, Heb 9.27). And His righteousness & justice demand our just punishment for all our sin – the eternal unleashing of His wrath. But God doesn’t want that for us! He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone (Eze 18.23). NOW, look what God has done for us!!!
Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die? – Eze 33.11
God sent Christ to suffer & die on the cross so that He could: - (Eph 2.12-18)
- Divert God’s wrath to Himself & away from us (Isa 53.5, 10, Rom 8.3-4, Gal 3.13) – He was condemned for our sin!
- Be our peace (Eph 2.14, Rom 5.1-2) – This is not talking about “personal” peace here, but an end to the hostility!
- Destroy the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility (Eph 2.14, Jn 14.6) – He removes the division & gives us access to God!
- Fulfill the law for us (Eph 2.15, Rom 8.3-4) – Because Christ was sinless, He meets the righteous requirements of God’s commands on our behalf!
- Reconcile us to God (Rom 5.9-10, 2 Cor 5.18-19, Col 1.21-22) – He reached out to establish a relationship with us – His aggressors!
- Atone for our sins (Rom 3.25, Heb 2.17) – He makes us AT-ONE with God instead of at war!
This is MERCY – God not treating us as our sins deserve!!! However, it won’t be true unless you believe that it was your own sins that Christ was crucified for & His righteousness that takes you to God (1 Pet 3.18). All of your own efforts to gain God’s favor are futile & worthless! (Gal 2.16, Eph 2.8-9, Tit 3.4-5) Apart from trusting exclusively in the work of Christ, the only part of a Holy God that an un-atoned sinner can meet is His judgment & eternal wrath. Christ is certainly the way to God & the only way to avoid His coming wrath. When Christ was on the cross, He bore the full brunt of ALL our sin & for the first time He was separated from the Father crying out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27.46). He was separated so we could be united with God.
Will you choose wrath or mercy?
Whoever believes in the Son (Jesus) has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God's wrath remains on him. – Jn 3.36
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thes 5.9
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. – Eph 2.4-5
for God's wrath remains on him. – Jn 3.36
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. – 1 Thes 5.9
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. – Eph 2.4-5
I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
- Revelation 19.11-16
On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
- Revelation 19.11-16