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From time to time, it is vital that we get back to the basics of the Christian life. After all, we must deal with the ongoing presence of sin, so it is easy for us to neglect the basic duties we have as God’s people. I want to briefly consider one of the first duties God gave us when He put Adam in the garden “to work it and keep it” (Gen. 2:15).
Often, I think we miss that this verse speaks of a religious calling imposed on Adam and his descendants. The same Hebrew word for “keep” is also used in Scripture to describe the job of the old covenant priests when they are commanded to “keep guard” over the tabernacle (e.g., Num. 18:4). Further, it is almost universally recognized today that the tabernacle (later, the temple) with its images of such things as trees and cherubim was intended to be a miniature garden of Eden (e.g., see Ex. 25:31–26:37; 1 Kings 6:23–36). When we put these facts and others together, it becomes clear that Eden was not merely a garden but a garden sanctuary, a place for worship, and the later tabernacle and temple were a kind of re-creation of it. Adam’s tending and keeping of the garden, then, was not merely the physical task of gardening but involved priestly work as well. He was to watch over the worship of the Lord, prevent falsehood from entering the sanctuary, and do other things associated with the priesthood.
Of course, Adam failed, and so Christ came to save us from sin and restore God’s original intent for creation. This includes the priestly or religious vocation, for as Peter tells us, believers in Jesus have been constituted as a holy and royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:4–10).
Certainly, Scripture conceives of ordained church officers as playing a special, leading role in guarding worship so that it is always conducted in spirit and in truth (1 Tim. 3:1–13). Yet this does not mean that the task of guarding the sanctuary, as it were, falls only on them. All believers have a role in fulfilling the religious vocation given to mankind.
What, then, does this look like? Well, not all of us can be ordained pastors or teachers, but we can insist (respectfully, of course) that our elders and other church leaders allow only qualified men who love the Bible and teach its truth into our pulpits. As church leaders ask us for our opinions and input regarding church programs, we can let them know that we want true worship to be the priority and for that to shape every other outreach of the church.
We can work to support the education of God’s people in the things of God. We can step up and volunteer when Sunday school teachers and nursery workers are needed, and then we can make sure that we are prepared to teach. We can engage in regular family worship. This does not have to be complicated. Sing a hymn, read a passage of Scripture, work on memorizing a catechism question. Everyone can do it.
Much more could be said, but the point is that protecting the true worship of God in some measure falls on all of us. Let us take up that calling to the glory of the Lord.