God’s eternal purpose for creation and redeption is summed up in one word, glory. Romans 3:23; Romans 8:21.
It is God’s purpose for his glory to be revealed in his creation. Unfortunately, man fell short of that glory through sin. Redeption qualifies man for that glory that was lost.
God’s purpose in creation and redemption was to make Christ the firstborn Son among many glorified sons. Romans 8:16-18,29,30.
The story of the prodigal son is a display of a father’s heart and loss towards his lost son. The loss is not to the son but the father. A sheep is lost: whose is the loss? The shepherd’s. A coin is lost: whose is the loss? The woman’s. A son is lost: whose is the loss? The Father’s. Luke 15.
God does not just want to redeem us as his sons, he also wants us to be partakers of his glory.
God’s goal for his redeemed sons is Sonship — the full expression of His Son (conformity to the image of His Son). Romans 8:29,30.
The path of death was the route the only begotten Son will become the First begotten son. This is backed by Jesus’ statement in John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die, it abideth by itself alone; but if it die, it beareth much fruit.” Here, Jesus was referring to his death and resurrection with many sons unto glory. He needed to die and resurrect to become the first begotten Son and have many begotten sons for the father. It was made possible by the way of incarnation and the Cross.
2 Peter 1:4; Romans. 8:5,16; John 20:17.
Adam, the first man was created innocent, just like the way a new born baby comes into the world without the knowledge of good and evil.
What the two trees in the garden of Eden represents:
- The tree of life represents divinity (the life of God). It is God himself, and the fruit, Jesus Christ - the receivable form of God.
- The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represents humanity.
Adam wa created a living soul without the very life of God and sinful nature. He was left with the choice on the path to take. If he ate of the tree of life, he will become the son of God, having in him the very life of God, thus depending solely on God. If he ate the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will develop a diffent life apart from the life of God, which is a human natural life that is self dependent.
Adam’s choice for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was sin, because he allied himself with satan to thwart the eternal purpose of God, which is his glory.
Jesus is the life of God John 14:6. Jesus the last Adam is a life giving spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45), because he arose in a new form — no longer in the flesh, but a glorified body. Hebrews 10:5.
Because Christ is no longer in the flesh, he can be received by all when we partake in his resurrection, essentially the new bith experience. John 6:57; John 6:57; John 1:12,13.
we who receive the Son of God not only receive the forgiveness of sins; we receive also the Divine life which was represented in the garden by the tree of life. — Watchman Nee