Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Peter 3:8-13
When God told Adam and Eve that they should not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because on the day they ate of it they would surely die, then that was because God knew that mankind was not able to bear the absolutes of eternity. It was over time that he would have to get to know them. Coming to that stage before God’s time, would mean a premature ‘birth’ from the womb of time and cause mankind to die eternal death.
In order to get to know God properly, it was also necessary that there was that choice, in paradise, between good and evil. And that there still is that choice. If Adam and Eve would not know about a choice between good and evil, they would not be able to know true love. If mankind would not know what it is to make a conscientious choice away from evil and to God, then there would be no true love possible. This choice was an essential part of the growth process of mankind in the womb of time. This choice will disappear once we are being transformed from time into eternity because our choice will be made eternal and absolute. But even in eternity, it will remain the result of the choice made out of love. This is what is meant with free will: making a choice out of love. Having a free will does not mean that every human being is allowed to make whatever choice they want, but it means that mankind is able to make a real choice for God, out of love and not because they are forced to or because there is no other way possible. That does mean that mankind can also make a choice against God and will have to bear the consequences.
God decided that He would not expose Adam and Eve and with them mankind, right away to the full power of evil. The only way in which this was possible was that He exposed His Son to this full power of evil, as a human being. That was why it was necessary for God’s Son to become created in time so that He could take upon Himself the responsibility for our sin and with that was exposed to the full power of evil. By doing so He could shield us from evil. This is possible because mankind lives in the protection of the womb of time, where evil did not right away become absolute evil. When angels fell and rebelled against God, it was for them an absolute decision because it was made in eternity, and this decision was irreversible. Mankind, living in the womb of time, could still be redeemed. Even though human nature was completely corrupted by the power of evil, this corruption had not become absolute yet and God decided to work renewal in time. This renewal will be complete when we will leave the womb of time and be ‘born’ into eternity.
God created time and God created this entire creation as a work of art. God is being glorified by it. We must look at this creation and at time as a whole, as a unity. It is one work of art, in which God not only creates but also works/upholds. Throughout time He fulfills His plan. His work shows His greatness and His glory. His glory shines even more when we see the contrast between the brightness of His goodness and the darkness of evil. Where sin increased, grace increased even more (Romans 5:20). Therefore, whatever happens in time, we must see from this eternal perspective. We are only tiny creatures who all have a place in God’s plan but we often don’t comprehend God’s entire plan, because we are still in the womb of time and don’t know eternity.
Key Text: 2 Peter 3:11-12 : Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Meditation: We know that time is temporary, and this earth which is subject to time, will be dissolved. Therefore, we must not focus on what is temporary, but on what is eternal. How then shall we live on this earth, so that we can hasten the coming of the day of God? (What manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness? see 2 Peter 3:11)