Banished
In Roxley’s Radlands, players can play “event” cards on their event track. Event cards have a yellow and black boarder, and can be played to gain the effect given on the card on a future turn. The event cards have a numbered bomb icon on them that determines how many turns it takes for the event to trigger.
The event card, “Banish”, is played for 1 water on position 1 on the event tract. This means that on your next turn, the event will trigger going from 1 to 0. The “Banish” event card’s effect allows the player to destroy any enemy on the field. The card depicts a lonely punk walking into the sunset.
Sometimes gaming terminology spills over into real life. My son used to play in the dog’s water bowl. Even though I would clearly tell him to not tip over the dog’s bowl, he would produce a smile from one ear to the other, and tip that bowl completely over. As punishment I would tell my son he was “banished” from the kitchen. I would take him by the hand, put him on the other side of the baby gate, and say “you’re banished”. Was this harsh? Perhaps. Was it effective? Yes. Eventually the punishment of being separated from mom, dad, and our dog Clancy out weighed the fun of tipping the dog’s water bowl over and he stopped.. for the most part.
The Oasis of Eden
In the book of Genesis, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In this Garden they had no worries or pains. They are living in perfect peace with God. However, God introduces a one thing they must not do – do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for the day you eat of it, you shall die. One may ask – why would God allow for the possibility of disobedience in the first place? Would it have not been better for him to create a Garden where disobedience was impossible? Also, when Adam and Eve disobeyed, they did not die the day they ate it, they continued on living. So what did God mean by – you shall truly die the day you eat of the forbidden tree?
The weight of free will
One of the strongest arguments for the existence of God is that we all have a free will. If we were pond scum evolved to a higher order, then we could only do what our biochemical reactions would have us do. But my life experience has shown me that, although my emotions or feelings may produce a desire in me to do something, I still have the freedom to act or not act on those desires.
Let me give an illusttrion to the importance free will has on our soceity:
Let’s say I am walking out of class on a college campus and see a balding man carrying a bunch of books. I ball up my fist and hit that man as hard as I can. I am brought before a judge and the judge asks me, “Sam, why did you hit that professor.” Let’s say my response is, “well Judge, when I was a kid, my father had some balding on his head. And every now and then he would beat me with books. So when I saw that professor, he reminded me of my dad who beat me with books, so I had to hit him.” The judge is going to say, “I am sorry your dad hurt you, but no Sam, you did not have to punch that professor. And because you punched that professor, you are going to be held responsible for your actions toward him.”
I am thankful that our justice system recognizes free will for this reason, people should be held accountable for their actions. Free will means we all have a choice and that is the primary reason God put the forbidden tree in the middle of the garden, for one cannot truly love without free will. Love is a free choice to look after the well being of another. To put someone else’s needs above your own. If God made us moist robots that were programmed to love, then that is not love, that is manipulation. Unfortunately we see this today when people manipulate others to remain in relationship with them with threat, guilt, or power. God does not operate this way. He gives us the freedom to choose him or to walk a way. But God warned Adam and Eve of the cost of rebellion – death.
Sin - Radiation to the soul
What is sin? Sin is taking the good gifts of God, and misusing them in a destructive way. I can use my intellect to figure out ways to destroy other people or I can figure out ways to encourage people. Sin is the perversion of God’s gift and using them in such a way that “I” think is better than Him. See, God knows these good gifts better than us because he created them for us to enjoy. These gifts include life, reason, sexuality, family, athletic ability and so on. God does not come in to be a killjoy on the good things in life. But instead, he desires for us to learn how he would have us to use our gifts for loving and serving others. The reason why sin is radiation to the soul, or poison to the soul, is that sin separates us from God. Sin is willful disobedience. Sin is willingly and knowingly doing what you know you should not do or sin is willingly and knowingly NOT doing what you know you should do. God made it clear to Adam and Eve, that if they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that is, if they choose what is good and evil for themselves instead of trusting God, then they would surely die that same day. But the weird thing is, they did not die that same day. Well… not physically.
Spiritual death
The death experienced by Adam and Eve was not a physical one. Yes, it was the beginning of physical death. Their bodies were now subject to decay. The real death that occurred was a relational one, a spiritual death by telling God to step back, we got this! After Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, the first thing they noticed was their nakedness. They were ashamed of their good bodies God made them. Then God comes walking in the Garden in the cool of the day and asks an interesting question – “Adam, Eve where are you?” Did God lose track of them? No. It was both a sign of the separation that had just taken place and a question of reflection – where are you? Where are you in your relationship with God?
The consequences for their sin was expressed in their banishment from the Garden of Eden, which was now being blocked by a fiery ever-turning sword. Adam and Eve were now banished and left with the question – where are you? Later Adam and Eve will have two sons – Cain and Able. Cain eventually murdered Abel out of jealously for Able who had more favor with God than he. God will then ask Cain – where is your brother? These two questions – where are you and where is your brother, are the two most important questions we can ask ourselves today. Where are you in your relationship with God? Where are you in your relationship with your brother (aka neighbor, the people close to you.) God knows that real meaning in life is living for these two – God and others. Sin banishes us from God and others. Sin puts us in isolation. Just like the event card in Radlands, it destroys us. The good news is that God has come down in human form to take the banishment for us.
Let me introduce you to one that stops the event “Banish” from happening in our lives – Jesus of Nazareth.
Back to Eden
Jesus on the cross absorbed the hit we deserved. While bleeding and dying on the cross, Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Then he said, “God, why have you forsaken me.” For the first time in Jesus’ existence, Jesus was separate/banished from God. Why? Jesus took mine and your sin on himself as a means of offering forgiveness. Therefore, the Father separated himself from the Son, Jesus, as judgment for our sin. Jesus then descended into the place of punishment in order to experience the Godlessness of hell on our behalf. In other words, the only way back to Eden was through a fiery sword, through hell. You and I could not do that and return alive. But the good news is that Jesus did. God’s Holy Spirit resurrected Jesus, and he lives today. He invites you into a relationship with Him, today. Read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and search out if Jesus is reliable enough for you to put your faith in him. Look at the way he lived, his teachings, his death, and his resurrection. My prayer is with you as you make that most important decision.