It would have been very wonderful if the man and woman could have lived happily forever in the garden of Eden, but that was far from the case. We do not know how long they were happy and pure of heart, for the Bible does not say. But it does tell us the story of their fall.
We Cannot imagine a time when there was nothing, nothing, nothing anywhere—no sun, no stars, no world. But there was such a time, and then, suddenly, God spoke, and all things were created (Genesis 1:1). The sun flashed forth, the stars and moon shone out at night, and the world turned steadily on its axis. Man was not created at that moment, but later, perhaps thousands or even millions of years later. The Bible does not say how long it was before the very first creation of Genesis 1:1 and the creation of animals, fishes, plants, and finally man.
It is true that our condition is not equal to our position, but God wants to make it so. That is His purpose. He is going to make us just like the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2). He is not satisfied with our living imperfect lives, but wants us to become more and more perfect in our state day by day. When He finishes His work in us, our state and our standing will be both just alike.
The story is told of a nobleman's second son who, through sin, had to leave England for Canada. Each quarter he received a certain sum of money which was quickly spent and he then resorted to various means of earning his living. One day while he was working in a shop for about fifteen dollars a week, he was visited by a lawyer who told him that his father had died and that his older brother had been killed in a motor accident. He was now heir to the title. His standing was noble, he was eligible to take his seat in the House of Lords. His state was that of a working man, earning a low wage and living a miserable existence. Our standing is in Christ and we must learn to live according to it. We are sons of God, heirs, justified! And that is only part of it.
How can a baby become a prince? There is only one way. He must be born into the family of a king. Only the son of a king is a prince. Just so there is only one way in which we can receive the standing of children of God. We must be born into His family—that is, born again. You know how one can be born again, do you not? When we are born again into God’s family the standing or position that we receive is far more wonderful than that of a prince in this world.
