31 Aug bridging the gap

A friend recently pointed out something very important from Genesis Chapter 1. It wasn’t anything I didn’t know, but the Holy Spirit used my friend to show me the verses in a new light. As God creates all that we know there is a common theme:

Dry Land and Seas-God called it good.

Vegetation and trees-God called it good.

Day and night-God called it good.

God called everything He created good. Then, that suddenly changes after He creates mankind:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”…God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. Genesis 1:26, 31 (NIV).

God saw all He created as good, but us as very good. As we understand the word “good,” it doesn’t begin to do justice to all God created. Yet, He considered us better than all of that. The universe is more expansive than we can imagine. We are but a speck compared against it. Yet we are very good and it is merely good? Yes. We were. Then, we weren’t. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and suddenly the world was broken and us along with it. Creation isn’t supposed to be this way and we aren’t supposed to be this way. But the contagion of sin contaminated it all. There is a yawning gap between who we are and who God made us to be. Just as Adam and Eve became separated from God, so are we. There are a lot of gaps in our lives.

There is the gap between what we earn and what we want to own. The gap between someone we love who doesn’t love us. There are physical gaps that engineers have learned to close by designing bridges. From the moment Adam and Eve disobeyed, God had a plan for restoration, for closing the gap. It is Jesus:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 (NIV)

Adam and Eve chose sin, and their payment was spiritual death. And every person born since has inherited that payment. It represents the gap between who God made us to be and who we are in this broken world. The bridge is Jesus. Here is how Romans 6:23 illustrates the gap.

Wages Gift of God

Sin                                  Eternal Life

Death   

Jesus is the bridge:

Wages                           Gift of God

Sin            JESUS          Eternal Life                                                         

Death   

When we accept Jesus, the cost of our sin is covered and the gap with God the Father is bridged. The bridge not only guarantees us eternity with Jesus, but it also covers us with God’s grace in the here and now to cope with whatever this broken world throws at us.

The bridge concept is not my own. Romans 6:23 bridge is often used as an evangelism tool. During a ministry assessment some years ago, I used it in an evangelism exercise. I received a 70%. My use of the verse apparently was fine. But I didn’t “close the deal.” I didn’t ask the evaluator if I could pray for him or invite him in any way to join me across the bridge.

If you’ve accepted Christ, I pray this reminded you that the bridge you crossed was built with the flesh and blood of Jesus. I also pray it encourages you to invite others across the bridge. If you have not accepted Christ, I pray he leads you to the bridge soon. The gift of eternal freedom awaits!

— Pastor Jerry Bader