The Consequences of Disobedience: Repentance

As an Orthodox Christian, I’ve always found solace and inspiration in studying the Bible. Recently, with the help of Saint Ephraim the Syrian’s interpretations, my understanding and appreciation of the Bible have deepened significantly. His writings opened my eyes to insights I hadn’t seen before, making my Bible reading a lot more interesting and enriching.

One question that has always puzzled me is the purpose of our existence. Through reading Saint Seraphim’s teachings, I discovered that our purpose is to attain God’s grace. We are saved through God’s grace, but it requires effort on our part. Just like you don't get food on your table without earning money, buying groceries, cooking, and setting the table, attaining God’s grace and salvation also requires effort and change.

It all starts with recognizing our sinful ways. When we see our own mistakes, we can work to fix them. We’re all sinners, and that means we need to continually strive to become better people. This involves following God’s commandments, repenting, participating in sacraments, attending church, and doing good deeds. Yes, we might fail sometimes, but what matters is that we keep trying.

There are many sins beyond the commandments that we should avoid, such as judging, gossiping, vanity, jealousy, lust, gluttony, and even occultism and much more. Despite our sinful nature, God loves us and waits for us to repent. Some people mistakenly believe that since Jesus died for our sins, we’re automatically saved. But that's not true. Faith without works is dead. We need to show our love for God and His people through our actions.

When God created the first humans, He knew they would eventually disobey and that their descendants would fill the earth. In Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and to have dominion over all living things. In His love, God created a garden full of fruit-bearing trees and placed Adam and Eve there, giving them everything along with free will. He only asked them not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, warning that disobedience would bring death. Unfortunately, they were influenced by the serpent and gave in to temptation.

The serpent, appearing in its ugly form, offered no true benefit, yet Eve believed its lie that eating the fruit wouldn’t lead to death. This made her question God’s truthfulness. Eve ate the fruit and gave it to Adam. Was it hunger or a desire for power that motivated her? Humans often chase after power, wealth, and influence, thinking these will bring lasting fulfilment. But this pursuit can corrupt the soul and hinder salvation.

To protect us from self-destruction and evil, God gave us commandments. Even with these guidelines, we still sin, but God offers forgiveness through repentance, which requires genuine remorse and a change of heart. When God walked in the garden and found Adam and Eve hiding, He knew of their disobedience. They hid, not out of guilt, but from shame. God gave them a chance to repent and seek forgiveness, but Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. This shifting of responsibility is something we all recognize. Without acknowledging our wrongdoing, repentance is impossible, and consequences are inevitable.

Adam and Eve's failure to repent led to their expulsion from the Garden and affected all generations to come. If they had truly repented, they might have stayed in God's favor. Today, many of us struggle to recognize our faults, which hinders our ability to repent and seek forgiveness. Yet, God is always ready to forgive those who sincerely seek Him, showing His immense love and mercy.

True repentance involves acknowledging our wrongdoing, feeling genuine remorse, and actively striving to change. It’s a journey of self-reflection and transformation, essential for spiritual growth and reconciliation with God.

Blessings,

Emiliya Ahmadova