“Created for Relationship” Gen 2:4-25
(Preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship church on 9/14/25)
Intro: The greatest possible earthly joy: to be known and loved and to know and love another.
The greatest possible joy: to know God and experience His love in your heart.
-When we are alone—without friends/family/community/separated from God—we wither
-When we are known and know others in relationships—we flourish.
-WHY is this? You and I were created to be in relationships with each other and God.
-This is what we see in Genesis 2:4-25.
GENESIS: Author=Moses; Gen 1-11 (“Beginnings”: Creation of world; Fall; Flood; Earliest history)
–Last week: Genesis 1-2:3. Prologue to Genesis—creation of the World and our special place within it.
–TODAY: Zooms in Day 6 of Creation of Adam and Eve.
M.I. God created us to be in relationship with others and Himself.**
Creation of Man and the Garden of Eden (2:4-17)
2:4 Literary Division “These are the generations”
-Moses uses this 10 times to separate his book into segments: (here, it is 2:4-4:26: Adam, Eve, and the Fall)
2:5-6: Day 6 of Creation in a place with uncultivated Land, before the Creation of Adam
-Vegetation on the Earth on Day 3 of Creation (Gen 1:11-13), here it is cultivated plants: a particular area.
–NOTE: “no man to WORK the ground” (v5b)àOBSERVE: Created for WORK (will come back to this)
2:7: Creation of Man
-“LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground”
–WHERE DID WE COME FROM? God made us: God is the one who created humanity!
-NOTE: We’re NOT the accident of evolution; We didn’t evolve from monkeys
-If interested, great evidence and case for intelligent design from scientists.
-God’s Care: “Breathed into nostrils the breath of life and became a living creature”
-Not just a physical creature, a spiritual/physical being: a man with a body and a soul made in God’s image
–SIDE NOTE**: How old did Adam look the day he was born? (years)
-Here’s part of the case for young Earth.
2:8-9: Creation of the Garden of Eden
-God “planted a garden” in Eden and “put Adam in it.”
–TREES
-Trees that were “pleasant to sight” and “good for food”
–Tree of Life: apparently there were free to partake of this before the Fall.
–Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil
-By partaking of this, they would know the experience good AND evil. (will come back to this)
2:10-14: Different Rivers flowing out from the Garden of Eden
-Significant for original hearers.
-For us: Historical nature of this accountà Genesis is history. Real history, not fables or fairytales.
-Jesus quotes from Genesis and holds to its truthfulness and Moses as author
2:15-17: Back to the Garden
-Created to work “work it and keep it” (2:15)
-IMPLICATION: God created us to work, and this is part of his good design.
–SIN: Neglect work (idleness); Worship work (idolatry).
-In the gospel, we saved to do good works (Eph 2:10)
-Freedom and Prohibition (2:16-17)
-Freedom: Eat from every tree of the Garden, except one
-Prohibition: Do not eat from “tree of knowledge of good and evil”
-Warning: “in the day that you eat of it you shall die”
–CALVIN: “test of obedience”
– OBSERVE: We were created to trust God and keep His good laws.
-In our sin, we reject God and want to be our own god.
Not Good for Man to be Alone (2:18)
-Though there was no sin in the world, there was something NOT GOOD “Not good that man should be alone”
–CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIPS w/others!
APP: This is God’s good design! Humans living in relationships with each other
Relationships: Marriage; families; friends; colleagues; church community; neighbors
SIN: We selfishly isolate ourselves; or we exclude others
BONHOEFFER: Need for solitude AND community (p 77)
-God will do something to remedy this: “I will make him a helper fit for him”
-God is the one who meets our needs.
No Helper Fit for Adam among the Animals (2:19-20)
-Various animals are brought to Adam
-Adam names the animals
-“But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him” (20b)
The Creation of Eve (2:21-25)
-Adam is put into a deep sleep and a RIB is removed from him. (21-22a)
-From Adam’s rib, God creates Eve (22b) and brings her to Adam
-Adam’s delight in Eve! (23)
-Adam is VERY happy in Eve and glad to be with her.
–Husbands know this feeling well when they are married to their wife.
-MARRIAGE PRINCIPLE (24)
-Here is first human marriage and the principle of marriage is taken from it.
-PRINCIPLE: Leaving & Cleaving.
NOTE: One man and one woman.
**God’s good design for marriage, as opposed to homosexuality, or multiple partners
-SURPRISE QUOTATION OF THIS IN EPHESIANS 5:31-32
-Mystery that is profound: Christ and the Church!
-God’s good and original design: Christ and His people!
-We were created for a relationship not only w/other humans, but w/GOD!!
-Human marriage is good, but only temporary; points to union w/Christ
APP:
NON-CHRISTIANS.
-You were created to be a in a right relationship with the living God, something not possible because of sin
-Jesus Christ came to save sinners and bring us into right relationship w/God and others
-This begins by repenting of your sin and placing your faith in Jesus
-GOSPEL: Eph 2:8-13
–SAVED to be in relationship with God and with others!
BELIEVERS:
You were saved to be in loving relationships with God and those around you.
-Are you being faithful in your relationship w/God? Valuing Him above productivity & accomplishments?
-Are you being faithful w/others in the church? Phil 2:3-4
-Some isolate themselves. Jesus saved us from this selfish approach
-Some more cliques and isolate others. Jesus us from this selfish approach.
-Discipling others; fellowship; prayer; care.
-How is God calling you and I to be more faithful in this season?
CLOSE: WONDERFUL ORIGINAL SETTING (25)
-Naked and unashamed: relational closeness and delight in one another
-No sin, no discord. Perfect love and harmony—something we taste in part now in the gospel.
-In heaven, we’ll experience this closeness without shame to the fullest!
