Why Eden Matters

A married couple. A fruit tree. A snake.

We all know the tale of the forbidden fruit in the garden—it’s one of the most famous scenes in the Bible. It’s also a story I find myself coming back to again and again, because it is one of the two defining moments in the story of the world that scripture’s telling. The first defining moment comes at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden. The second comes at a tree on Calvary outside of Jerusalem.

Why is Eden so important to the story the Bible tells?

It’s a crossroads: the trajectory of the world takes a sharp turn when that fruit’s plucked from its branch.

In Genesis 1 and 2 we hear about the creation of a world that’s very good (1:31). A world of blessing and abundance (1:22, 28). A world of life (2:9) and companionship (2:18), where death is hypothetical (2:17) and shame is unheard of (2:25). That is the Lord’s desire for the world.

But in chapter 3, everything changes. Because a serpent said “you can be like God,” and a fruit looked “good for food… a delight to the eyes” (3:5-6), Eve and Adam broke the world. They rejected God’s intentions for them, and the consequences were curses (3:14, 17) and toil (3:17-19), blame (3:12-13) and enmity (3:15), shame (3:7), fear (3:10), and death (3:19)—every good thing in the story of creation is unraveled.

Genesis chapters 1 and 2 were written to answer the question, Where did we come from? Do you want to know why the earth is covered in oceans, where bluebirds and jaguars, or family and love come from? There’s a story for that.

Genesis chapter 3 was written to answer the question, Why is the world the way it is? Do you want to know why people lie to each other, or where cancer and stillbirths and tears come from? Well, there’s a story for that, too.

This turning point in the story of the world tells us two things about our lives in the world today, which I think are absolutely essential.

First, it tells us about life’s hurts. Grief, betrayal, pain—none of that is God’s desire for the world. We have a picture of the way the world ought to be, and it doesn’t include any of that. The things that hurt so much are consequences of sin, the marks of brokenness.

Second, not only does this moment set the world on a new trajectory, but it also sets God’s trajectory for the rest of scripture. We’re three chapters in, with 1,186 to go, and the story from here on out tells of God’s efforts to rescue the world. Abraham and Sarah, Moses, David, Mary, Jesus—the whole Bible is about God working with men and women to undo the damage done by the first man and woman. The Lord still desires a world of blessing, abundance, life, and companionship. That’s never changed.

The Bible is not just a book about men and women heading to Hell who need forgiveness. The Bible is a book about a world that’s been broken and needs to be healed and made new.

And about a Creator who's determined to do just that. No matter how long it takes. No matter what the cost.

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