“The cross signifies that our human actions carry with them real consequences, that within creation there is an inbuilt penalty clause for relational unfaithfulness, and that this lies at the very heart of the created order.”[1]

Creatures have broken our network of relationships. We have broken the relational association that links us to God, but it appears that this is not a two-way break. Rather, in Genesis 3, we see that the Creator’s initial instinct is to save fallen image-bearers and preserve them from the ultimate consequences of their actions.[2]

[1] Graham MacFarlane, “Atonement, Creation, and Trinity,” 201, quoted by Levering, Engaging the Doctrine of Creation.

[2] Paraphrase, see footnote 54, in chapter 5, Engaging the Doctrine of Creation.

The content of this post is from All Creation Sings by Luann Budd.