The Original Self

The first two chapters of Genesis do not say anything about original sin, but they do speak volumes about original intentions.  Original intentions speak of the intended plan of God for the creation and the creatures like you and me.  At one point the Word says about the creation He had made with the words, "indeed, it was very good."  (Genesis 1:31)  As we read this section of original intentions, we see a picture of humanity before what is known as the Fall, before sin entered the picture, and before the original self given at creation was tainted and flawed with something which did not speak of the divine intention.    

The original self is that part of our inner essence which bears the hand print of the Creator.  Our original self is made in the likeness of the Lord God.  It is at this point in our being that we bear the likeness of the One who created us and brought us into this world.  We can never be as He is, but each one of us in some way bears the essence of our Creator within us from the moment of conception on through our life in the eternal home which He readies for us.    

Of course, the problem for us is that the original self is soon compromised and tainted by what might be called the false self.  The Genesis account speaks of an intimate, unique, and personal relationship with the God who is described as coming into the Garden in the evening.  Genesis speaks of that relationship as one framed by openness, transparency, empty of fear, and loving.  As we begin to choose what God does not intend, the false self begins to be the self through which we seek to relate to God, but in the change, everything changes.  We become afraid, seek to hide, and only express trust and love when it fits into our needs.  The brokenness with which we walk as we walk with our false self to guide is away from our original self and it is our openness to the grace of God and Christ Jesus which make us alive once again in such a way that we are at one with the One who has made us.