We will begin this study by first aiming to understand God’s definition of victory. Many scriptures provide God’s guidance on how we ought to live or how to please God: The 10 Commandments, words from the prophets, Proverbs, and the Epistles are some direct examples. However, we will begin by studying Genesis, in particular, the Garden of Eden, to understand what God’s original design was for His people. What was His initial definition of victory – before the Fall?
Let’s begin by looking at the scripture:
Genesis 2:5-18 (ESV)
5 When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, 6 and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— 7 then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon. It is the one that flowed around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
What are some things you notice about the Garden that God created? Based on the scripture, what do you think God wanted for humans when he created Eden?
In looking at this set of scripture, we see that “In the beginning”, God designed the Garden to foster our flourishing in four concrete ways:
- Physical flourishing: The Garden of Eden was man’s original dwelling – and God built it perfectly. An exquisite garden, beautiful and full of delicious food. “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.” (Genesis 2:9a). We also read of Eden, “A river flowed out of Eden to water the Garden… [the river] flowed around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there” (Selections from Genesis 2:10-12). So, not only was the Garden beautiful and full of physical nourishment, it was well watered and in a resource-rich land. God created the Garden so we would be physically taken care of, because God desires our physical flourishing.
- Mental flourishing: Even before the Fall, while all was still right with the world, Adam was tasked to ‘work and keep’ the land and name the animals (Genesis 2:15). As a unit, Adam and Eve were tasked to “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28). God, an eternal and infinitely powerful being, created Man and immediately gave him (and her) a job to do. A job, no doubt, God could have easily done himself. If you buy into the creation story, it seems that a God who had just spoken light into being certainly could have come up with names for the animals. But, he delegates the cultivation of the world to Adam and Eve. He gives them this mighty responsibility. Why? Because we, created in God’s image, are also designed to have purpose. God created the Garden with opportunities for Man to have purpose because God desires our mental flourishing.
- Relational flourishing: In the beginning, God created community. Even though Adam theoretically had everything he needed to live, God identified ‘it is not good for man to be alone’ before His creation of Eve (Genesis 2:18 – 22). In all of God’s creation up until this point, this is the only time God identifies anything as not good. God desires community for us (and is even in community with Himself through the trinity), so He wanted to ensure Adam also had community. We were not intended to live in isolation, even with all other needs fulfilled. God desires for us to be in fellowship with others because God desires our relational flourishing.
- Spiritual flourishing: Finally, in Eden, God communed directly with His creation (Genesis 3:8). God created us so we could know Him and be known by Him. Adam and Eve experienced this in its original form, by walking alongside God in the Garden. Because we were created to be in relationship with God and that is the only way we can be fully satisfied, this is the most notable aspect of Eden. Redeeming this loss is the central message of the Cross. God desires that we know Him and are fully known by Him, because that is the only way we will ever be truly satisfied. God desires our spiritual flourishing.
While we see in Genesis 1-2 that God cares about our flourishing in all areas of our lives (mentally, relationally, physically, spiritually), the overarching storyline of the Bible suggests that the most important way we can flourish is spiritually.
The overarching story of scripture is this: God created the world and man. Man sinned. In order to reconcile fallen man back to a perfect and holy God, God sent His one and only Son to die on the cross, that our sins would be forgiven. God did this not to judge us, but to reconcile us back to Him. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17). Throughout the entire arc of scripture, we see God relentlessly working to reconcile His people back to communion with Him, which is finally fulfilled through His son’s death and resurrection.
God didn’t send His son to die for us so that we would always be physically taken care of, or because He wants us to have perfect relationships with one another. He didn’t send His son to die on the cross so that we would have purpose. Those things are all good things – but they are secondary. The primary reason God sent His son to die on the cross for our sins was so that we could be reconciled back to God and commune with Him – both here on Earth and in Eternity.
This nuance is important as we distinguish between what God wants for us and how we should ultimately define our victory. God wants wonderful things for us – He wants us to flourish physically, relationally, mentally, and spiritually. God doesn’t want you to have anxiety over your finances, to endure heartbreak or suffer shame. He wants you to live in peace, thrive in abundance, and have rich community. Yet, none of these things are the goal.
Our primary victory, our goal on earth is not to have any of these things, but to live in communion with God. To know Him personally, deeply, and intimately. To draw near to Him in the good and the bad, to rely on him, to walk with him day in and day out. This is where our sole victory is found – and while there are many other wonderful things on Earth that God wants for us, this is first and foremost. Without this, we have lost in the grand scheme of eternity.
As stated in Mark 8:36 ESV, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?”
Again, other ways of flourishing – mentally, physically, relationally – are important to God as well. God wants flourishing for us in those areas of our lives – we see this in how He created Eden. And yet, He doesn’t want those things instead of spiritual flourishing, but only in addition to spiritual flourishing. These dimensions of our lives – physical, mental, and relational are secondary relative to our spiritual lives.
As we progress through the rest of the study, let’s remember that God created us with these different needs (and to fulfill those needs!) but that the ultimate need we have is communion with Him through Jesus Christ – and this is our ultimate definition of victory.
Reflection questions
- How do you think God defines victory in your life? What do you think His primary definitions of victory are and what are His secondary definitions of victory for you?
- Do you believe God wants you to flourish in all areas of your life? Why or why not?
- Which areas of your life (e.g., work, family, friends) do you find most challenging to focus on God’s definition of victory?
- Why is it sometimes hard to remember that God’s primary definition of victory is truly most important for us? What are ways we can better anchor on God’s definition of victory, as opposed to the more common definitions we sometimes find ourselves using?
Photo by Marcos Paulo Prado on Unsplash
Beautiful