By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  June 23, 2020

Living in awe of the grace of God should be the lifestyle of every disciple of Jesus Christ. But in order to truly experience the awesomeness of God’s grace, we must first understand the consequences of sin and the justice of God.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve every good thing they needed. There was only one thing that was forbidden, and that was to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If they did, they would die. Still, they wanted the one thing that was forbidden them, and they ate the forbidden fruit.

They disobeyed God and sinned. The stated consequence was death. God’s justice requires that sin be judged. It is only in the context of God’s righteous judgment of sin that you can appreciate, understand, and be exhilarated by the grace of God. The modern-day deception of Satan is to deny the existence and the consequences of sin. If there is no sin, there is no need for grace. But friends, the consequences of sin are real and endure eternally if left without atonement.

Adam and Eve did not die immediately. God’s grace spared them. They deserved death, but the grace of God gave them life. The justice of God required a covering for their sin, and the grace of God shed innocent blood to provide that covering—pointing to a Savior who would ultimately come as the perfect sacrifice—the perfect, eternally sufficient atonement—for sin.

Prayer: Father, help me to never take Your grace for granted. Thank You that, even though I don’t deserve it, You extend grace to me, as You did to Adam and Eve. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).