From Eden to Easter

This week we’ve been talking about how every person is made in the image of God, Imago Dei. But we know that not long after Adam and Eve were created, sin entered the world and everything changed. They were separated from God, and that brokenness has affected all of us ever since.

Throughout the devotionals this week, I’ve been using the idea of a mirror, but I left the reflection blank on purpose until today. Think about it this way: if we perfectly reflected God, the mirror would be whole and clear. But when we sin, it’s like the mirror starts to crack. The reflection is still there, but it’s distorted and broken, it doesn’t look the way it’s supposed to. That’s what sin does in our lives. We were created to reflect God’s love, goodness, and truth, but sin damages that reflection, and we can’t fix it on our own, no matter how hard we try.

But Jesus can. He is the perfect image of God, no cracks, no distortion. And instead of leaving us in our brokenness, He chose to take our place. This is what Easter did for Eden: Jesus took the punishment for our sin so we wouldn’t have to. On the cross, He carried all the sins we’ve committed and will commit and paid for it completely. Because of Him, God no longer sees us as cracked and distorted; through Jesus, we are forgiven and being restored, slowly made new so that our lives can once again reflect Him more clearly.

I’ll be taking next week off because of spring break, but it’s also Holy Week, which makes it a great time to spend time in Scripture. I’d encourage you to read Matthew 21 (which we celebrate this Sunday as Palm Sunday), and then Matthew 26–28 over Easter weekend as we remember what Jesus has done for us.