By Fr. Jonathan Filkins

One of the obvious separations between ourselves and God are the disparate ways we look upon our creations and His Creations. It does not take much of our imaginations to perceive the transitory and the eternal. Any study of Egyptology, reveals both the climatological changes, as well as the relics of the eras disappearing into the sands of time. While the relics of King Tutankhamun dazzle us with their finery, they pale when compared to the finery of our Creator.
At the end of the first chapter of the Book of Genesis, we observe, “And God saw every thing he had made, and behold, it was very good. This is, of course, from our Creation story. In the preceding days God created the Heavens, the Earth, seas, land and everything which swims, crawls, walks or flies. On the sixth day he created man, the last day of his labors, not only in substance, but in His own image.
Yet, even though we have the possibility to be of the image of God, we also have the ability to not be of His image. Going forward, in Genesis, we learn of the creation of man, then woman. They are told to enjoy this Eden, but not to take from the Tree of Knowledge; the tree of good and evil. Despite the warning, they took from the tree and ate. Some may say it was the serpent who enticed the first woman, named Eve, and their mutual curiosity. Humans were cast out of this perfect place, and set apart from God. As Christians, it is our belief that our sinful natures are a direct result of this duo’s expulsion, and our knowledge of what is good, or evil.
So then, as our Creator was resplendent at the onset of the initial creation, then what is His place in our creation? No matter what the biological excuses, they fail to provide the sufficiency for what our unique purposes are, as we are created by the same source, then we are no less good, no less sacrosanct, then what has come before. As Adam and Eve had the knowledge of God, and what is required to live in their Godly lives, so do we Christians.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to understand the trinitarian doctrine of the Church; the inseparable and immutable facets of God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The latter is within ourselves; no less so than it was received by the Apostles.
There can be no diminution of the power of God. What makes all of our existence so complex is this Fallen Nature. As exemplified by Adam and Eve, they had a choice to make; we too have the same choice. It begs the question, “Do we follow all of the teachings of God, through Jesus Christ, or do we stand apart from Him; even a little bit. Most of us, in our brutal honesty, while we would prefer the former, we seem destined to live the latter, regularly.
However, it is the free will of we, his creation, which offers us hope. Clearly, our lives on this earth are a continual test of all of we sinners. God seeks from us a better place. While we may not understand His plan for our Salvation, we are to understand our role in it. Giving in, or giving up, ourselves to standing apart from God through sin, is not a part of this plan.
In our daily lives, we are creatures of habit. Consider our daily morning routine. Routinely, we arise at the same time, complete our oblations, and proceed in the same methodical fashion.
Being a sinner, or not, is much the same exercise. Time, and tide, tends us to gloss over the routine habits of our lives; whether they be for good, or naught.
Living up to our Creator’s expectations…and God saw it was very good.