The Lord promised never to 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 on earth was that life was secure; it would not be lost through an act of disobedience. In the Garden of Eden, the Serpent said to Eve, “You shall not surely die.” That same lie is still being told, even in churches.

Adam and Eve had a relationship with God. They knew the Lord personally and rejoiced 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 by the breath of God, 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 astray to eat the only forbidden fruit in the garden. Once Eve was deceived into eating the fruit and sharing it with Adam, they knew both good and evil; they were naked to their sins.

They were confronted and driven from the Garden; they were no longer allowed to partake in the Tree of Life that perpetuated their youth. The spirit of the Lord departed from them, and they died spiritually. They also began aging until the death of their physical bodies.

Adam and Eve attempted to cover their nakedness with fig leaves and hid among the trees of the garden. The same response remains a common reaction to a guilty conscience today.

Birds of a feather flock together, like-minded people do as well. Those who embrace sins in common with others bind together to strengthen themselves in their sins. They vehemently oppose those who expose their unrighteousness by hiding among other trees.

Birds are used metaphorically to represent spirits of the air. Trees, being temporal in nature, are often used figuratively in the Bible to represent humans with a finite lifespan. To strengthen their beliefs and combat guilt, people tend to hide themselves in like-minded groups of affirmation when the voice of the Lord speaks in their conscience, and they realize their nakedness.

The beginning of redemption can only come by a willingness to come out of hiding among the trees to face the Lord; relatively few are willing to take that step. Covering sins with fig leaves of deceit to hide nakedness will not take away guilt.

Only by the shedding of blood are sins purged. The Lord shed the blood of animals to clothe Adam and his wife with their skins, foreshadowing the necessity of the death of Christ for anyone to be forgiven. The blood of animals did not remove the sin of Adam and his wife; instead, their nakedness was covered with skins to prevent their sin from being regarded for the present time, and he prescribed that blood sacrifices should be recurring until the appointed time when Christ would be sent to take away the sins of the world once and for all.

The religious who believe they will be saved by good deeds are embracing fig leaves of self-righteousness—others embrace fig leaves of doctrines of eternal security to cover unrepentant sins. Unbelievers simply deny they are naked and embrace the fig leaves of ignorance, declaring that there is no God. They refuse to believe they will be held accountable for their actions.

Jesus did not come to cover sins; the laws of blood sacrifice had already done that for the time appointed. Jesus came to remove sin. No one can wear fig leaves forever; they do not last long. Sin must be removed and forsaken, not covered; sin must be put to death in the flesh. Christ did that in the place of all who will accept it and follow him.

Christ will never abandon you. Adam and Eve abandoned the Lord through disobedience after personally knowing him in the garden. Their sin separated them from God. The Lord provides a way back from death, but if you refuse to come when called, there is no guarantee you will be able to later. We are not to test the patience of God. He said he will not strive with men forever.

The path to God is through Jesus Christ alone. Adam was given the blood sacrifice of animals as a foreshadowing of the sacrifice of Christ. It was illustrated further in the law of Moses, although justification came not by the sacrifices, but by the obedience of adhering to them faithfully. The offering of Cain, on the other hand, was rejected for offering the fruits of this world instead of the proper blood sacrifice demanded.

When we believe in and accept Christ, we are cleansed and redeemed by his blood. Redemption is completed only when we obey Christ, cross over Jordan, and forcefully take possession of the promised land and the kingdom, as pictured by Joshua’s conquest.

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 a day-by-day journey beyond the Red Sea of deliverance until the possession of the kingdom.

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