Part 2: Grace in the Garden: The First Act of Redemption Tracing Grace Back to Genesis

When we think of grace, most of us start at the cross. And rightfully so, it’s the ultimate picture of God’s love poured out for sinners. But what if I told you grace started much earlier? Like… in the very first chapters of the Bible?

Grace wasn’t Plan B. It wasn’t God scrambling to fix a mistake. Grace has always been part of God’s plan, even in the Garden of Eden. And the moment humanity fell, grace rose.

The Fall: Our First Rebellion
You know the story. Adam and Eve, made in the image of God, were given everything they needed: a perfect relationship with their Creator, each other, and creation itself. God gave them one boundary: don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

But they did. And in that moment, sin shattered everything. Shame entered. Fear took over. They hid from God. And just like that, we see the first great separation between holy God and sinful man.

If you and I were writing this story, we’d probably end it right there: judgment. Wrath. A new creation, maybe. But not God. He responds in a way that will define the rest of Scripture: He moves toward them with grace.

The Covering: A Foreshadowing of the Cross
Adam and Eve tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. That’s religion in a nutshell, our own effort to hide our shame. But it was God who provided the real covering.

“And Yahweh God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.”
—Genesis 3:21 (LSB)

That’s the first blood sacrifice in the Bible. God took the life of an animal to cover the shame of His people. That’s grace. They sinned. He covered. And in that covering, we see a foreshadowing of the cross, where Jesus, the Lamb of God, would be slain to cover not just sin, but to take it away forever.

The Promise: Grace Speaks a Better Word
Even in the curse, grace speaks. God didn’t just deal with the sin—He made a promise of redemption:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise Him on the heel.”
—Genesis 3:15 (LSB)

That’s the protoevangelium, the first Gospel. It’s a promise that one day, from the seed of the woman, a Savior would come. Satan would strike His heel at the cross, but Christ would crush the serpent’s head in victory.

Grace isn’t passive. It’s not God sitting back and hoping we figure it out. It’s God stepping in and declaring war on sin, for our sake.

Grace Doesn’t Excuse Sin—It Covers It
Make no mistake, God didn’t ignore Adam and Eve’s sin. There were consequences. They were banished from the Garden. The curse affected every corner of creation. But grace was right there in the middle of the judgment.

God didn’t give them what they fully deserved. He gave them what they needed: a promise, a covering, and His presence in the journey ahead.

What Does This Mean for Us Today?
It means grace is older than your guilt. It means you don’t have to hide in shame, you can come out of the bushes and walk into the presence of a God who moves toward you, not away from you.

It means your fig leaves of religion, performance, or pretending will never be enough. Only God can cover what sin has exposed. And He already has, through the blood of Jesus.

The Gospel didn’t begin in Matthew. It began in Genesis. Grace wasn’t an afterthought, it was always the plan. Before you ever sinned, God had a Savior in mind.

Next up: Part 3 – “Grace Through the Law: The Old Testament Isn’t Grace-Free.”
We’re going to see that even the Law, yes, the Law is soaked in grace.

In Love,

Pastor Jody