© Matthew Tuel — 2025
Genesis 3:17 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
17 But to Adam he said,
“Because you obeyed your wife
and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,
‘You must not eat from it,’
cursed is the ground thanks to you;
in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Romans 8:18-25 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
18 For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. 19 For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly but because of God who subjected it—in hope 21 that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. 23 Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.
Isaiah 63:1 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
1 Who is this who comes from Edom,
dressed in bright red, coming from Bozrah?
Who is this one wearing royal attire,
who marches confidently because of his great strength?
“It is I, the one who announces vindication,
and who is able to deliver!”
Hebrews 7:23-28 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
23 And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. 25 So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 26 For it is indeed fitting for us to have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separate from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need to do every day what those priests do, to offer sacrifices first for their own sins and then for the sins of the people, since he did this in offering himself once for all. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men subject to weakness, but the word of solemn affirmation that came after the law appoints a son made perfect forever.
With Calvin, we see work became toil after the fall. Food was not just given to us as a blessing from the Lord, but as the results of labor. Work itself is not the punishment, rather the effort required.
Throughout all creation we see this toil, this daily struggle to survive. This is the results of our sin. We caused this. Thank God that He had a plan for redemption from the start. This life is only temporary and we have eternity to look forward to, as outlined in our reference from Romans.
From Spurgeon: "The best proof you can ever have of God's being might to save, dear hearers, is that he saved you."
For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and by his grace there go I. Are we ashamed of the Gospel? In some contexts I would argue yes. When you have organizations like the one that puts forth the "He Gets Us" commercials which do their best to dumb down the gospel and present this incredibly weak form of Jesus, I would say yes.
When you have pastors like J.D. Greear, ignoring and downplaying the gravity of a culturally sensitive sin, Homosexuality, I would say yes.
When you have a massive publisher platforming a "study bible" edited by Preston Sprinkle that tries to do the same, I would say yes.
All sin is equal in the sight of the Lord. This was actually used in an argument I was in to downplay the effects of sin, when it should be the opposite. All sin is equal in the sight of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 6:18 singles out sins of a sexual nature as particularly damaging, which is why there has been and forever will be a hieghtened focus on them, but we should be sobered by the knowledge that our "little" sins are just as bad in the eyes of the Lord.
Spurgeon challenges his congregation in this sermon to let the lion out of its cage. Let the Gospel stand for itself, and let us not get in the way of it.
If God can save a wretch like me, surely he can save you as well.