We have all had someone ask to see our identification. Whether it is an official at a border crossing wanting to see our passport or someone in the checkout line of the supermarket wanting to see our driver’s license, having proper identification is important. The same is true when we think about our relationship to God. Identity is an essential component in understanding our place in God’s program.
It is one thing for us to understand that Adam and Eve sinned, it is another thing to understand the link between their sin thousands of years ago and our identity today. The story that we will be teaching on Monday about Cain and Abel being born outside of the garden of Eden is an important link. We trust the people will see clearly that what Adam and Eve did then has eternal consequences for each one of us today. From Cain and Abel onwards all of us have been born outside of the garden of Eden. We have all been born in a state of enmity with God. The stories we are telling are not some amusing folk tales that took place “once upon a time” in a mythical land “far far away.” What we are talking about has earnest implications for who I am right now. We are all children of Adam and Eve, they are the ancestors of each one of us. We are all born “in Adam.”
Please be praying for the upcoming lesson on Cain and Abel that we will be able clearly communicate the implications this story has on our identity today.