hide.



Genesis 3:6-8


"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden."



I believe the first step (after effectual grace) in either justification or sanctification is coming to God with your hands in the air in admission/repentence. Look at the first beatittude - bankruptcy in spirit. What is the opposite? Hiding. Pretending there is no sin or even reshaping our view of God and his attributes.


"First characteristic of depravity: It seeks to hide from God. It understands its nakedness; it understands its corruptness, but it doesn't want exposure to God. I don't expect unbelievers to come flooding into this church, do you? I know churches that are mostly populated by unbelievers. That's because you can go there and not be exposed to God. You can go there and still hide from God. Satan had promised them freedom from God's limiting control. Satan had told them that God was less good than God purported to be, and that by eating they would be like God and, therefore, they would free themselves from God's restraining control. Well, they didn't get freedom. They got slavery to sin, slavery to shame, slavery to guilt, and fear. Sinners fear God. Romans 1:32: They know that those who do those things are worthy of death, but they do them just the same, and they approve of those who do them." That's Romans 1:32. The sinner understands his sin, he understands his corruption, understands his guilt, understands shame. That's built into the fabric of his life. He understands that there's an accountability before God. He understands all that; cannot do anything about it, still loves his sin, cannot repent, will not repent, but runs to hide from God one way or another. That's depravity. "I was afraid." Fear replaced joy."

-John MacArthur

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