Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Do You Have to Pick Between Justice and Mercy? | Jane Lewis

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life in the time it takes to get to work. I'm Keith Simon. And I'm Patrick Miller. We are currently exploring some of our favorite Bible verses and how they've changed our lives. I'm excited because we have another guest speaker in our series on favorite verses. Today we have Jane Lewis. You might not know about her, or maybe you already follow her on Twitter. That's where I first got to know her.

Starting point is 00:00:31 If you want to follow her, her handle is at Jane Elizabeth. I would encourage it. She writes lots of interesting things. And so I was really excited to have her on the show to share her perspective on her favorite verse. Hi, everyone. My name is Jane Lewis, and I'm sure many or most of you have no connection to me at all. So I wanted to share a brief little introduction. I'm a Colorado native and recently graduated from Colorado Christian University with my bachelor's in theology.

Starting point is 00:00:58 I'm starting grad school this fall at Denver Seminary. and clinical counseling. I'm obsessed with being outside and frequently rock climb, hike, camp, and do anything I can to get out of city life and into the woods. As a survivor myself, my greatest passion in life's call is to find solutions to the rampant sexual abuse within the church and to advocate for and provide resources and care to survivors of sexual abuse and misconduct while empowering and supporting them in their healing process. I love the Lord and event on a tender journey with him in recent years, and I am honored to be joining you here in this awesome community where we get to hear about the Word of the Lord. My favorite verse really relates to the walk I've

Starting point is 00:01:38 been on recently, as I've re-evaluated some closely held beliefs and systems of thought that I think were stunting my spiritual growth and capacity to truly love others. You'll hear it and likely be a bit confused about how this one could be my favorite, so I'm excited to dive in a little deeper. The chapter of Genesis 3 is known as the Fall, the story by which humanity begins. its downward spiral and the rift that is made between God and his created beings. In my entire time as a believer, this chapter has always held a somber element in teaching, preaching, Bible studies, and other various spaces it's disgusted. But it is indeed sad. These two first humans exemplify everything that we see in the brokenness around us. Though this is true, I've personally

Starting point is 00:02:22 seen this story through the lens of God's love, mercy, and tenderness towards us alongside his fatherly desire to correct and discipline. I didn't grow up with a balanced or overly involved dad, so seeing God act as father here has spoken deeply to my heart over the years. In Genesis 311, my favorite verse, God asks, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? Even though this is the first book of the Holy Scriptures, we already know by this point that this same God orchestrated the creation of the universe, earth, all of the animals, and nature, and also Adam and Eve, our first parents. So why would he be asking questions he undoubtedly knows the answers to? We just read that he crafted the entire universe from nothingness.

Starting point is 00:03:10 Surely he knows what he's doing here. Indeed, he does, but his questions hold space for Adam and Eve to consciously work through their own sin, which we saw earlier in the chapter when Eve eats the fruit from the forbidden tree. I don't know how you read, who told you that you were naked. Do you hear it angrily, tenderly, with sorrow or hate, maybe judgment? I hear God's voice as assured, yet empathetic, with compassion for his beloved creation that just entered into a new phase of his redemptive plan. Who told you that you were naked? The question also follows God's very first question of humanity, which is, where are you in Genesis 3.9? If you're thinking what I'm thinking, yes, he knew the answer to that one too. All of his questions here are holding space for

Starting point is 00:03:56 for human beings to step into God's merciful wrath against sin and destruction so that they can begin the convicting process of sanctification and step towards being in right order with him. Both of the answers Adam provides to God's questions reek of justification and not the good kind. Adam says, I heard you in the garden so I hid and the woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it. Neither of these things showed any level of personal empowerment and responsibility. Is this starting to sound familiar to you? Quite frankly, it's the story of my life, and I'm sure that we have that in common. Looking for ways to shed our sin onto something different is literally human nature, and it always has been. This is the declaration of the shame and

Starting point is 00:04:44 sin cycle. It is there in the first book of the Bible that God gave to us, because he's saying, look, it will be this way your entire life. Not only have I done it myself, suddenly feeling the burden and conviction of my sin and the evil if shame enters the scene and I hide behind things I believe God can't see through. But it has also been done to me when other people refuse to acknowledge the pain their sin elicits within me and justify what they consciously know is wrong in hopes that it will free them of their own shame. It's incredibly invalidating. Think about the concept of nudity. God placed the first humans on the surface of the earth completely naked. Maybe they were incredibly physically fit with zero imperfections, but I doubt it.

Starting point is 00:05:30 They felt zero awkwardness about it. They weren't hyper-sexualizing each other. They didn't feel the need to run and cover up just yet. Nudity was just their state of existence, and it was good. They were clothed by God in Genesis 321 only after they had sinned, which was also a tenderness of our father to recognize their shame and awkwardness and to provide them with a covering rather than forcing them to stay in that place. Seriously, what a loving father and the perfect way to dismantle the idea that he is simply a cold,

Starting point is 00:06:03 a way-facing judge in the sky who cares not about our burdens. Even though you could be listening from the opposite side of the country from me, chances are good. We all exist in similar enough cultures, so it'll be no surprise to you when I say that sexual sin in our day is absolutely tearing apart the very foundational parts of being human. We have sex trafficking in our neighborhoods that just keeps getting sneakier and harder to find. Pornography addictions that are running rampant in the lives of both men and women in our churches. Infidelity and the inability to commit to one person long term in a healthy, monogamous relationship because so many other people are options are accessible at our fingertips.

Starting point is 00:06:45 Hypersexuality and even younger ages than previous years with the rise of new social media platforms that have algorithms that elevate sexual content even if it's a young girl on the screen of an adult man. All that to say, nudity isn't the same as it once was. Our shame and sin is easier to hide from each other. Humanity took a good, holy, completely non-awkward thing and twisted it into a massive money-making system that exploits other created beings. devastates relationships and communities, and it all feeds off itself. Shame leads people to get better at hiding, but not from God, only from each other. While he is gracious to continually provide covering in the form of his son, Jesus, to those who know him and are known by him, we cannot do the same for each other.

Starting point is 00:07:35 We are physically, emotionally, and spiritually incapable of navigating this level of brokenness with the equal parts of mercy and justice balance that God holds. I love this chapter so much because it's the first time we see the way God views us so clearly. We sin by grasping for things not meant for us, not because God is unkind or robbing us of our fun, but because he sees the bigger picture and knows that not every beautiful, fun, promising, shiny-looking, metaphorical fruit will taste the way it looks. We want wisdom that would likely not actually add any good to our lives. We want connection and intimacy that doesn't actually feel the gaps we feel because we seek out vices to numb or distract from our pain.

Starting point is 00:08:20 And all of this is our forbidden fruit. But because he's God, he knew this wouldn't stop us from taking a bite anyway, and he didn't want to be a dictator. Instead, though Genesis only foreshadows it, Jesus covers our nudity, not with garments of skin, but with his own body. This was God's plan. He never lets us sit hopelessly in the truly crushing weight of our sin and shame. He tenderly provides cover. When he asked Adam and Eve, who told you that you were naked, I genuinely believe his heart was burdened by the fact that his children just had their first run in with shame.

Starting point is 00:08:59 Their unashamed nudity was a glimpse of heaven before evil stepped in, but we also don't have to wait to get to heaven to feel unchained from our sin. In the verses following this interaction, God places consequences in the lives of humanity, and they're harsh. Both Adam and Eve's jobs are significantly harder and more painful since they tasted sin. But this too shows God's goodness. If I never knew why my sin and mistakes bore consequences in my life, I'd probably keep on doing them. And by the time I get to my last days, I'd likely have a trail of ashes in my wake. Relationships would be permanently ruined, my identity would be.

Starting point is 00:09:38 be in various random things and people. I'd be promoting and elevating destructive ideas and so much more. God gave us consequences so that we might find freedom and joy and not spend a lifetime burdened by what we don't actually want to do. Parents, you know that this works best. You've tried letting your children off the hook, and you've tried keeping them locked down, not literally, and incapable of making any other mistakes. Neither of those things actually work or benefit them in the end. God is the perfect parent. When God asks, who told you that you were naked? It isn't just him mocking Adam and Eve for the fact that they just committed sin against him. It shows his tenderness and mercy for the fact that his children are suffering and he is inviting them into a space where they can feel free again from their

Starting point is 00:10:24 sin. I pray that this invitation is clear to you to whoever and wherever you are and that you know just how covered you already are and the fact that you don't need to keep hiding. Freedom is offered to you. Thank you so much for listening. I hope we can connect in the future. Have a wonderful day. Thanks for listening. If you've enjoyed this content, please subscribe and give us a rating. That helps other people find this podcast more easily. Also, ask yourself, who could you share this podcast with? Texting an episode to a friend or a family member is a great way to help them grow spiritually. If you want to go deeper, check out our show notes for book recommendations.

Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Do You Have to Pick Between Justice and Mercy? | Jane Lewis

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