I have heard many teachings on how nice it would be to go back to Eden. Even sermons on how life with Christ is a ticket back to the Garden of Eden in which God walked and talked with his children.
I don’t want to go back to Eden. No way, no how.
In Eden, man was judged by his behavior. “Do this, but don’t do that. If you do that, you’ll be banished from the garden forever and held responsible for the condemnation of the entire human race.” That’s pretty tough stuff. In the garden, one act of sin could ruin your life forever.
But in Christ, there is no condemnation for my actions. All my sins have been paid for in advance. All the sins I will ever commit for the rest of my life are already paid for. I cannot fall like Adam did just because of one act of disobedience. Jesus paid a very high price to win that privilege for me.
In Eden, God walked and talked with Adam and Eve. That’s awesome. Who wouldn’t want that? But when God was gone, he was gone. He did not indwell them, he only visited. In the Old Testament believers in God lived in a visitation culture. God would visit, God would come upon people, but God would also leave.
In Christ, God himself inhabits us. He’s always with us. Always willing to guide us with that small inner voice, always whispering his love into our ears, always our very present help in time of need. That’s much better than a daily visit in the evening.
Jesus did not come to restore us to Eden, and that’s one of the most powerful attributes of the whole idea of the Gospel. God created people and placed them in a perfect setting to live and thrive. They blew it. The Old Testament is the story of bringing humanity back to the place where they were ready to enter into right standing with God, but God’s plan was not to restore us to Eden. In typical form, he had a much bigger plan.
Life in Christ is better than Eden. We are no longer held responsible for our actions, at least not from an “eternal life” standpoint. While it’s true that we may have to pay the physical price for our indiscretions, from God’s standpoint—if you have surrendered your life to him—you are “innocent and blameless in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15).
Jesus has given us a big upgrade from Eden. It may sound idyllic, and I’m sure it was, but I know I don’t have the right stuff to make it there. If Adam could fall from grace, then I would have a thousand times.
As the old hymn says “Oh the precious love of Jesus”!!!