The Need for Bethlehem is Evident After the Fall

The Fall Brought Guilt & Separation From God

Genesis 3:10 And he said, “I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Before the fall, the man and his wife were both naked and not ashamed. There was nothing to be ashamed of. They never had a sinful thought, or a wicked impulse at all, so their nakedness was not a problem.

Adam and Eve had fallen into sin and it was very evident, because the very first thing they did when they were aware of their sin was to cover their nakedness and shame.

Man Needs Redemption & Reconciliation

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

God Reveals His Grace

Immediately, the eyes of both of them were opened. They knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. They attempted to cover their sin. Here again, we see God’s sovereign initiative. He had sought them out after the fall, and now God makes provision for their reconciliation. You cannot have salvation without grace, and grace comes in because God initiates the covering; God must satisfy Himself—He alone is able. Here is God’s grace expressed toward this unworthy couple who deserve death and hell, which is separation from Him.

Only God Can Reconcile The Sinner

Genesis 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves a covering.

God reinforces this sense of shame by Himself making for them a better, more permanent and more modest covering of animal skins. God had to kill the animals Himself, and make the garments of skin. This is the first recorded death in history and God is the  executioner. God is saying, “I understand there is reason for your shame and I understand there is reason to cover your nakedness.”

“But your covering for sin is not sufficient, it will not satisfy Me, I will have to satisfy it Myself.”

This is a clear picture of salvation.

Not one of us can make an adequate covering for sin ourselves. Only God can make the covering that is acceptable. Here is the picture of atonement where God, through the sacrifice of an innocent victim, an animal, guilty of nothing, is killed so that a garment can be made to cover sinners.

This is also a picture of an innocent victim, Christ, who would be born in Bethlehem, who would die as the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world and by His death a garment is procured to cover the sinner.

By His death a garment is procured, not just to cover our sins, but to eradicate them forever.

Hebrews 9:22 Indeed, nearly everything is purified with blood according to the law, and apart from the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Only God Can Secure the Forgiven Sinner

From God’s perspective, two things are necessary for sinners— atonement and security. God has to provide a suitable atonement to satisfy Him, and He has to hold on to us to keep us saved until all this is over.

Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now lest he stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever.’

Man now knows enough to be in danger. He will be looking for some way to get out of this sinful mess. He thinks he must get back to that tree of life ‘because if we can get to that tree of life we won’t die.’

God Intervenes For Our Security

Genesis 3:23 Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden.

The eternal life in the tree of life is simply by divine decree that the tree would give life. Had they eaten of the tree after they sinned, they would have lived forever as wicked, depraved, fallen sinners. But God intervened.

Eternal life as a fallen sinner is what hell is: no hope of deliverance from decay and wretchedness. It would have been a just punishment for fallen man, but God would not allow it, because they belonged to Him. It’s an affirmation that His atonement had been applied to them, even though Christ had not yet died. The effect of Christ’s atonement was applied to them upon the evidence of their faith in the promises of God.

God alone offers salvation and security until the appointed time when man is suitable for the fullness of His presence. As fallen sinners, we need atonement to satisfy divine justice and to cover our sin. We also need God to keep us from what would otherwise destroy us. That is because we ultimately are utterly incapable of saving or protecting ourselves.