The Lord promised to never leave or forsake his people. The question that remains then is, may someone who knows the Lord leave and forsake Him?

The first and the greatest lie ever told was the lie of eternal security; it has continued to the present. It began in the Garden of Eden with the Serpent telling Eve, “You shall not surely die.”

Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They knew the Lord personally and met with him in the Garden. They were accepted by Him as His children because His spirit was in them. Adam, being formed from the earth, became a living soul when God breathed his spirit into him, as written.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7)

The Apostle Paul elaborated further, “The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:47)

Jesus Christ, who is the beginning of the creation of God, lived within Adam and Eve. He is the Tree of Life in the midst of the Garden.

However, being made of earth and filled with the Spirit, there was still the potential for sin. They also had their own spirit that made them unique. It was their spirit that led them to eat fruit from the only forbidden tree in the garden. If they had left it untouched, it would have had no power; the couple would not have known of evil. Once Eve was deceived into eating the fruit and sharing it with Adam, they knew both good and evil, and their sins were naked to them.

They were separated from the Lord and driven from the Garden, no longer being allowed to partake in the Tree of Life. The indwelling of the Lord departed, and they died spiritually. Being driven out of the garden, they were separated from the tree that had perpetuated their lives, and they began aging until their deaths.

Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. When they heard the voice of the Lord, they hid among the trees. Similarly, these responses—to cover up and hide—remain common reactions to a guilty conscience today.

As birds of a feather flock together, like-minded people do as well. Those who embrace sins in common bind together to strengthen themselves in them. They vehemently oppose those who expose their unrighteousness.

As birds are used biblically in a symbolic manner, representing spirits in the air, trees, being temporal in nature, are often used figuratively in the Bible to represent mankind. People tend to join together to hide themselves among like-grouped trees of affirmation when they hear the voice of the Lord in their conscience and realize their nakedness.

To strengthen their beliefs and combat guilt, sinful people hide in a multitude of trees to have confidence in the things they do.

An individual can only be redeemed by coming out of hiding among the trees to face the Lord in repentance; relatively few are willing to take that step.

Covering sins with fig leaves of deceit to hide our nakedness will not absolve us of guilt; it is in the shedding of blood that sins are purged.

The Lord shed blood and clothed Adam and his wife with skins, foreshadowing the necessity of Jesus’ death for anyone to be saved. The Lord did not remove their sin; instead, he covered their nakedness with skins to prevent sin from being regarded, and he prescribed that at the appointed time, Christ would be sent to take away the sins of the world.

“Ye shall not surly die” is the basis for embracing fig leaves. Secular individuals embrace the fig leaves of ignorance, believing that they will not be held accountable for their actions. Some Christians embrace doctrinal fig leaves that promise them a covering, regardless of their actions after being washed in the Blood of Jesus.

Jesus did not come to cover sins; the laws of blood sacrifice had already done that. He came to remove sin. No one can wear fig leaves forever; they do not last long. Sin must be removed and forsaken, not covered.

Christ will never abandon you. Adam abandoned the Lord through disobedience after knowing him personally. He fell to sin and was separated from God. Anyone can do the same through disobedience. If you stray too far and refuse to return, there is no guarantee that you will be able to come back.

The path to God is through Jesus Christ alone. Adam was given the blood sacrifice of animals as a similitude. Abel was justified by his obedience in adhering to the blood sacrifice that God ordained. Cain, on the other hand, was condemned for offering worldly things instead of a proper sacrifice.

When we believe in Christ, we are cleansed and redeemed in His blood. Redemption is finalized only when we obey Christ, follow Him over Jordan, and forcefully take possession of the promised land and the kingdom. Salvation at the Red Sea marks the beginning of the journey. After enduring temptation in the wilderness, crossing Jordan, and conquering the enemies, the inheritance is obtained. Do not be deceived; salvation is an ongoing journey beyond the Red Sea of deliverance until the prize is won.

“But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:13)