Dr. Allen Smith

Chapter 1 - In The Garden

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As we begin our journey, we need to step back in time, to where it all began. In doing so, we need to consult the most authoritative source possible. That source is the Holy Bible. It was written by Holy men of old, who were moved by the Holy Ghost, to bring the Word of God to man.

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2 Peter 1:21(KJV) “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

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As you can see, God provided His Word to man. As such, it is the most authoritative source available. God from the very beginning has wanted man to know how much He loved him, and how much He wanted man to know His will. From the very beginning, God has wanted a close relationship with man. This is shown to us in the sixth day of Creation.

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Genesis 1:26-28(KJV) “(26) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.  (28) And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

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In this passage, we see the three members of the Godhead gather together for a discussion. In this discussion, they use the pronouns “Us” and “Ours”. We see they were One in the creative work. Their plan was to create man in their “image” and in their “likeness”. This was the creative process that allowed us to have fellowship with God. “In Our Image and Likeness” does not mean we are gods, or can become like gods. In fact, it means we can be like Him in true Righteousness and Holiness. God then gave dominion of Creation to man. However, this still made man subject to God.

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Genesis 2:16-17(KJV) “(16) And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:  (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

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This is where God gave the man (Adam) the first law, and the punishment for breaking it: Do not eat any fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which is growing in the middle of the Garden of Eden. The punishment for disobedience was death.

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So, God first created the man Adam, then put him to sleep, and then removed a rib from Adam. From that rib, God created the first woman. Her name was Eve. She was the mother of all living.

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Genesis 2:21-24(KJV) “(21) And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (22) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  (23) And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (24) Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”

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So, God created Eve from the rib He removed from Adam. God then performed the first marriage, which was between one man and one woman. This was God’s plan for all of history.

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The man and the woman were placed in the Garden of Eden. They were instructed to take care of this beautiful place. God then came down from Heaven in the cool of the evening. He spent time with them there, instructing them in His ways, and having fellowship with them. This was a perfect relationship that Adam and Eve had with God.