In our Bibles, we see that all the goodness and wonder of the newly-created world came crashing down by about page three. The fall of man entered that stunning picture of perfect skies and seas, lovely lights in the heavens, amazing variety in plants and animals and humans. Sin had injected its poison into all of creation.
But also in Genesis 3 we read of the promise of One who would come to undo all that had been made wrong. It was the promise of One who would rescue His people and the entire world. It was the very first promise of love.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their lives and the lives of people in all generations were destined for death. Centuries later, Jesus, the Son of God, came to share God’s boundless love, taking it all the way to the cross.
Today, Jesus still reaches out his nail-scarred hands to each person on this planet. His enduring love never fails, and it was evident on all the subsequent pages of the Bible, written especially large and clear in the Bethlehem story of Christ’s birth.