TUKSDA COLLEGE WEDNESDAY STUDY

SEASONS OF LOVE

BACK TO EDEN
The beginning…
We go back to the one place where we find God's perfect plan. Genesis 1:1.
“In the beginning God created heaven and earth.”
God created...
1 John 4:8 says God is love. That is His nature. We exist because God is love. We can say:
“In the beginning, LOVE created heaven and earth.”
Thus we live (or ought to) in the context of love.
But turning from all lesser representations, we behold God in Jesus. Looking unto Jesus we see
that it is the glory of our God to give. "I do nothing of Myself," said Christ; "the living Father hath
sent Me, and I live by the Father." "I seek not Mine own glory," but the glory of Him that sent Me.
John 8:28; 6:57; 8:50; 7:18. In these words is set forth the great principle which is the law of life for
the universe. All things Christ received from God, but He took to give. So in the heavenly courts,
in His ministry for all created beings: through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all;
through the Son it returns, in praise and joyous service, a tide of love, to the great Source of all.
And thus through Christ the circuit of beneficence is complete, representing the character of the
great Giver, the law of life. (White, Ellen G., Desire of Ages, 21.2)
Love exists in giving and receiving. It is a tide of love, going and coming. This is the context in
which God intended for us to initially exist.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it
shall be measured to you again.
Christ gives the assurance that if you give, you will receive back. By giving love, you initiate a
circle of love. LOVE BEGETS LOVE! And that is the law of the universe. That is the first thing we
get in Genesis.
The creation of man…
Genesis 1:26
"And God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...'"
When God, who is love, is creating in His image, He is creating other beings with the capacity to
love also. We have the capacity to love psychologically, emotionally and behaviorally.
Psychologically, we are social beings. Emotionally, we desire to love and to be loved, and find
great pleasure in a love-filled relationship. Behaviorally, it is no mistake that we react warmly to
a tender human touch, a warm embrace, a stroking of the hair, a kiss, etc, as long as the context
is appropriate.
During creation, God is essentially actualizing His love by making it material. One sociologist
writes and says:
“Anything that promotes feelings of love and intimacy is healthy; anything that promotes
isolation, separation, loneliness, loss, hostility, anger, cynicism, depression, alienation, and
related feelings often lead to suffering, disease and premature death from all causes. … The
scientific evidence...leaves little doubt that love and intimacy are powerful determinants of our
health and survival. Why they have such an impact remains somewhat a mystery.” (Dean
Ornish, Love and Survival)
Do not miss the point; God wired the desire to love and to be loved in our genetic makeup. That
is why there has been a lot of talk about the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic-
related isolations. One doctor writes, "Many will die with corona, not of corona." Many people,
at the point of death, may be infected with COVID-19, but it's not COVID-19 that kills them. It
may be depression, isolation, neglect, hate, etc. And, of course, the humour surrounding corona
relationships cannot be passed by without notice. They are but evidences of man's need and
desire for love, and his natural discomfort with isolation.
The danger we must take care of is the use of relationships as therapies to deal with isolation and
feelings of loneliness.
Nevertheless, notice what Dean Ornish admits: he cannot explain why mere biological machines
as a result of a cosmic explosion have love as a fundamental need and nature. The answer can
only be found in a belief in God. That we are more than mere atoms concerned with self-
preservation; we are social beings concerned with social preservation.
The end of creation…
Day 1: creates the heavens and the earth and Day 4: fills the heaven space luminaries (light
separates the light from the darkness objects)
Day 2: creates the sky and water mass Day 5: fills the two spaces with birds and fish
Day 3: creates (or makes to emerge) the dry Day 6: fills the land with land animals and
land man
Notice that, day 1-3 have their parallels in day 4-6. The story of the six days of creation is a build-
up towards day 7, rest.
On day 6, God creates the first parents, first friends, first acquaintances, first boyfriend and
girlfriend. On day 7, God creates a non-material space in time for fellowship. Simply put, God
creates relationships for the purpose of fellowship with each other and with Him. Our human
relationships are completed by His presence in them.
Genesis 2 …
In Genesis 2, we meet Eden. A quick theological point: In Genesis 1, God uses the name Elohim
which emphasizes His power. In Genesis 2, God adds the name Jehovah, His personal name,
emphasizing relationship. The first gives a transcendental picture of creation. He speaks and
things obey. In the second, there's a more intimate picture of creation. He gets involved.
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God makes man. Genesis 1:26 said it was in the image of God. 2:7 shows us the nature of man.
What was the purpose of the creation? Let us consider this quotation:
“When Adam came from the Creator's hand, he bore, in his physical, mental, and spiritual nature,
a likeness to his Maker. "God created man in His own image" (Genesis 1:27), and it was His
purpose that the longer man lived the more fully he should reveal this image—the more fully
reflect the glory of the Creator.” (White, Ellen G., Education 15.1)
God makes man, puts him in a relationship called marriage, and gives him the life purpose of
more fully reflecting the glory of God. Notice, this was to keep on increasing as he kept on existing
- a non-stop exponential growth into God-likeness. Do you think God still desires that?
Let us see what this non-stop exponential growth into God-likeness means.
“All his faculties were capable of development; their capacity and vigor were continually to
increase.” Ed 15.1
A faculty means the powers or capacities of the mind. Examples of these capacities are reasoning,
imagining, remembering and feeling. All these are things that our minds do. God desires we be
in contexts which the vigor (ability) and capacity (vitality) of these mental powers increase.
To summarize what we've seen so far,
1. God wired love into us, and created in us a psychological, emotional and behavioral capacity
to love. If we deny ourselves the privilege of love, we get suffering, disease and premature death.
2. Relationships were made for fellowship. Our human relationships are completed by the
presence of God.
3. We need to be in relationships that increase the capacity of the mind.
Let us see the different dimensions in which man was to continue growing:
Throughout eternal ages he would have continued to gain new treasures of knowledge, to
discover fresh springs of happiness, and to obtain clearer and yet clearer conceptions of the
wisdom, the power, and the love of God. Ed 15.1
- knowledge (Intellectual)
- happiness (emotional)
- conceptions of God (spiritual)
Do our relationships cause us to increase in all three spheres?
1. Have we been in (or seen, coz we always speak for aggrieved friends) relationships where
you don't really have anything to say beyond "I love you", "I miss you", "I wish you were
here" and "I love your meme"? Relationships where we do not stimulate each other's
thought and intellect. You do not speak about your life aspirations and visions, your
careers and professions, your positions on the politics and economics of the country, etc.
I mean, even a simple, "How was your day?" should give you responses that make you
happy you asked! Dear reader, what do you usually talk about in your relationships?
2. What are some forms of emotional immaturities you've seen in your own, or in other
 people's, relationships? While discussing emotional abuse, the following examples were
brandished:
I've seen guys pull the "I'm the man in this relationship" line to get a lady to do something... I've
seen blackmail... I've seen ladies pretend to cry to get a guy to do something... I've seen people
intentionally get each other jealous in the name of saving a relationship... I've seen people threaten
to harm themselves if you leave them... All these are manifestations of abuse... And many of us do
these things in small or big levels.
Relationships should lead us to grow emotionally. Be more mature in handling both joy
and pain. And be more real with what we feel without being irresponsible.
3. And finally, spiritual growth. Increase in our appreciation of God. Growth in our
sanctification. Have more consistent devotions, more intimate prayer life, read inspired
literature more, cover more of scripture.
And where does God place them to experience this growth?
Genesis 2:8
And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had
formed.
God makes man with a purpose to continue growing, and He places them in the garden. What
does He put in the garden?
Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and
good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good
and evil.
Eden means pleasure. God surrounds man with pleasure. God desires that our relationships
should supply this pleasure. Remember in Genesis 2:7, man is a physical and spiritual being.
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Therefore, he needs both physical and spiritual (mental, emotional, spiritual) pleasure. And God
provides relationships, both horizontal and vertical, to avail this pleasure.
Man has a physical and a spiritual nature. The physical nature is what we usually call the five
common senses: the senses of touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. The associated organs (eyes,
ears, nose, tongue and skin) are pleasure receptors given us by God.
What are some good pleasures we receive through taste? (The relish of digging your teeth into
ripe mangoes, for instance.) What are some good pleasures we receive through smell? (The scent
of roses and tulips, for instance.) What are some good pleasures we receive through sight? (Do
you enjoy a good shot of nature?) What are some good pleasures we receive through hearing?
(Oh, the sound of birds singing in the early morning sunrise.) What are some good pleasures we
receive through touch? (The kiss of a morning sun or the warm embrace of a lover?)
In summary, God gave us physical pleasure organs and provided a garden to provide legitimate
pleasure to satisfy the need. God is a lover of pleasure, amen?
Psalms 16:11
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore.
God is in favour of pleasure within the parameters of proper relationships
Psalms 36:7-9
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under
the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and
thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in
thy light shall we see light.
In a right relationship with God, and with men in God, we experience pleasure to its full
Notice, morality is beyond the physical nature. It is in the spiritual nature. The organs themselves
are neither moral nor immoral. The eyes are not immoral that look at women lustfully; the eyes
simply make physical perceptions of the environment. Immorality is in the mind.
The spiritual nature has three divisions:
1. Lower powers
They are sometimes called animal propensities because they are actually what we share with
animals. “All animal propensities are to be subjected to the higher powers of the soul.” (White,
Ellen G., Adventist Home 127.2)
We can broadly group these into three:
i. Appetite (desire for food)
ii. Passion (sexual desires)
iii. Desire (a longing to acquire and create)
Of course, we see this in creation. God gives them a diet right after creating them. He gives them
romantic love to sexually enjoy. He gives them power to rule and procreate.
2. Higher powers
These can broadly be reduced to three: intellect, reasoning and conscience.
i. Intellect: the faculty that acquires factual data and assesses it
ii. Reasoning: the faculty that understands cause and effect relationships
iii. Conscience: the faculty that understands the difference between right and wrong
(conscience is what makes you feel guilty; if you lack it, we call you a psychopath)
The great controversy is actually happening in your mind. Jerusalem and Babylon are there.
The devil uses your lower powers to tempt you. God uses the higher powers to guide you out of
temptation. Take the forbidden fruit test for instance:
Genesis 2:16-17 KJV
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely
eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Do you remember that every fruit in the garden was good for food and pleasant to the eye
(Genesis 2:9)?
That is it. The fruit will always taste good and please the senses. The physical pleasure receptors,
I said, are amoral, neither moral nor immoral. The tongue meets food and it will enjoy the taste
of that sandwich whether it has been bought at the restaurant or stolen.
So God gives them a law.
To the intellect, he provides information (“do not eat”). To the reasoning faculties he gives cause
and effect (“if you eat, you will die”), and He send the Holy Spirit in the conscience to create a
desire for right).
What happens when the higher powers do not control the lower powers?
Genesis 3:6
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with
her, and he ate."
If it tastes good, you will eat it (appetite),
If it feels good, you will do it (passion), and
If you want it, you will take it (desire).
And the advertising industry knows this... That is why naked ladies will be advertising engine
oil, as though telling the men, “She comes with the engine.”
We said there were three parts:
1. The higher powers,
2. The lower powers, and
3. The will power.
Lower powers desire. Higher powers advise. Will power decides.
Will you say yes to physical intimacy before marriage?
He touches you and the skin says, “Yes”. You have read the law and your conscience says, “No!”.
Will you have enough will power to run from Potiphar's wife?
I will close with C. S. Lewis' words:
"Sin is an ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure." (In The Screwtape Letters)
Back to Eden is going back to relationships that are governed by the higher powers and not the
lower powers. The lower powers are only evil when they overrule they higher powers. In the
right context, they are beautiful. And as your relationship progresses in the right path, you'll
confirm this over and over again.
My prayer for you is that you may find gardens of Eden full of pleasure that are approved before
God.