Answer
We are reminded that, at the very beginning of creation, it was all very good. God the Creator pronounced his pleasure on everything that he had made. It was very good. No sin, no suffering in any way to stain the joy and the delight of Adam and Eve in the fellowship of their Creator. Of course, we know what happens in Genesis 3. They're tempted. They succumb to the temptation. They rebel. Paradise is lost, as John Milton said. But God's intention is to bring us to paradise, to bring us to a place, really, a sanctuary, a temple, a garden-temple, in which we enjoy fellowship with our Creator again.
Answer by Dr. Dennis E. Johnson
Dr. Dennis E. Johnson is Academic Dean and Professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in California.