I used to be a big Joni Mitchell fan – I don’t know if you remember her from the 60s, but her music was the anthem of my generation. She got her start in folk music and then became one of America’s premiere songwriters in the early 70s. She even wrote the song “Woodstock” and I remember the chorus in that song went, “We are stardust, we are golden – caught up in the devil’s bargain – and we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden.” Joni Mitchell was talking about the generation of the 70s getting back to innocence, getting back to Adam and Eve, back to the garden. And when she sang it, she seemed to really believe that that’s where we would find peace and harmony. A whole generation believed her, but when I listened to her music, I thought, “Oh, Joni, come on. I don’t think so. I do not think that’s where happiness lies- back in the garden.”
It’s true. Back in the garden with Adam and Eve we disobeyed. We lost it all back then: our right to rule, our relationship with God, and, yes, our innocence. But God had a plan to not only redeem what we lost, but to give us more – much more than Adam or Eve ever had. Because when Jesus Christ went to Calvary, He didn’t purchase our redemption just so we could get back to the garden and be reinstated alongside Adam. Thank heavens, God had much more in mind than that.
When Jesus went to the cross, the Father didn’t intend that we would be co-heirs with Adam and gain back our innocence; rather, He intended we would be co-heirs with Christ and gain His righteousness. We don’t get back the innocence of Adam… we gain the righteousness of our Christ. God doesn’t just clear the books on us; He imputes to us something in the positive column. If God had in mind to merely restore us back to the Garden of Eden, we would, yes, be created Sons of God. But as believers in Jesus, we are a brand new creation. Isn’t that great!? We’ve gone beyond Adam. We won’t just rule over a new earth, like Adam ruled over this earth at one time… no, we will rule over a new earth and a new heavens. All the treasures of the heavens which belong to our wonderful Lord, will, one day, belong to us.
Adam and Eve could never have hoped for that. But we can. Theirs was a state of bliss and innocence. But our state is eternal joy – joy overflowing. All because of Christ.
There are many things to thank God for as we approach Resurrection Sunday, so take a few moments today and ask the Lord to enlighten the eyes of your heart so that you might know the hope to which you’ve been called and the glorious inheritance which is yours because of Christ. After all, we’re not heading for the garden, we’re heading for Home.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
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