Scriptures in Genesis Showing God's Fellowship Before Fall
The book of Genesis portrays a period of direct fellowship between God and humanity before the Fall, primarily in the Garden of Eden narrative. This fellowship is characterized by God's presence, communication, and provision for Adam and Eve.
God's direct interaction with Adam is evident in the creation account and subsequent commands. God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden "to dress it and to keep it" and issued a specific command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil: "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" [4]. This command implies a direct, personal relationship where God communicates His will to humanity. The narrative also describes God's creative acts, such as gathering the waters and making dry land appear [3], and His preparation of the heavens and the earth [1].
The intimacy of this fellowship is further highlighted by Adam and Eve's unashamed state before the Fall. Genesis 2:25 states that "the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed." This verse is cross-referenced with Genesis 3:7 and 3:10, which describe their subsequent shame and hiding after eating from the forbidden tree [2]. Their lack of shame before the Fall suggests an open and unhindered relationship with God and each other.
After their disobedience, the immediate consequence was a disruption of this fellowship. When God called out, "Where art thou?" Adam responded, "I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" [2]. This fear and hiding contrast sharply with their previous state, indicating a break in the uninhibited communion they once shared with their Creator. The narrative of the Fall, as described in Genesis 3, details the serpent's temptation and humanity's subsequent disobedience, leading to a change in their relationship with God [4].
Sources
- Genesis “Genesis 1:1 (YLT) — In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth--”
- Treasury of Scripture Knowledge “Genesis 3:10 cross-references: Genesis 2:25, Genesis 3:7, Exodus 3:6, Exodus 32:25, Job 23:15, Psalms 119:120, Isaiah 33:14, Isaiah 47:3, Isaiah 57:11, 1 John 3:20, Revelation 3:17, Revelation 16:15”
- Genesis “God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. -- Genesis 1:9”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 36: CHAPTER VII. THE FALL. The Scriptural Account . The Scriptural account of the Fall, as given in the look of Genesis, is, That God placed Adam in “the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 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 Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman”