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NASB | Genesis 3:8 ¶ They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:8 ¶ And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. |
Bible Question:
I hear Christians speak about a relationship with God as if he were a human person, albeit a very important and powerful person. So, this leads to the question: Is the relationship between Man and God the same as between Man and Man? If not, then what are the similarities and differences between Man's relationship with God and Man's relationship with his fellow man? Let me start this study off with a few comments. First, contrary to what some believers think, God did not create man because He was lonely. Two biblical reasons support this: (1) God is his own company, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. John 17:5, "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." And (2) the Bible teaches that God is totally self-sufficient, and therefore has no need whatsoever of anything He has created, including man. And there is absolutely no biblical support for the notion that God was lonely. Is 40:13-17, "Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or as His counselor has informed Him? With whom did He consult and who gave Him understanding? And who taught Him in the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. Even Lebanon is not enough to burn, Nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless." Second, a personal relationship with God IS possible. Some liberal theologians think of God in such "totally other" terms that a personal relationship with God is impossible. Now God is high and lifted up as the Isaiah 40 passage illustrates, but I like the way the Westminster Confession summarizes the biblical position: "The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto Him as their Creator, yet they could never have any fruition of Him as their blessedness and reward, but by some voluntary condescension of God's part, which He hath been pleased to express by way of covenant." (Chapter 7, paragraph 1) But although a relationship with God is possible I think it must be considered in two parts: pre-Fall and post-Fall, and two covenants, the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. The pre-fall relationship was based on a covenant between God and man, a covenant of works. God said in effect, "do this and live," and he walked with Man in the garden in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8). If man is to have a personal relationship with God now (post-Fall), it is also based on a covenant, a covenant of grace. God says in effect, "Believe this and live." This covenant is secured by a Sacrifice and arbitrated by a Mediator "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit." (1 Pet 3:18) So, here, then, is one difference: a relationship with God, because he is very great, required God to "come down," to condescend to man, which he was please to express voluntarily by way of covenant. And a second difference is that now this relationship required a Sacrifice and Mediator. I'm sure members of the forum can show many other similarities and differences, but there is one similarity I especially like. A man can be God's friend: Is 41:8, "But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend," John 15:15, "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you." But unlike men who are very fickled and vague in the terms of their relationship with each other, God is very concrete and clear: John 15:14, "You are My friends if you do what I command you." John 14:21, "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." Peace, |
Bible Answer: God/Man Man/Man John 14:21 What commandments are we to keep? |