You are pointing out a rich and profound insight—one that speaks to both the mystery of creation and the wisdom of God’s design for progressive revelation and communion.

Matthew Henry’s observation—that Adam was not content even in paradise, and that the angels, despite their glorious state, “kept not their first estate” (Jude 6)—is a sobering reminder that even the most ideal conditions externally cannot secure internal contentment or fidelity. As he puts it: “No condition will of itself bring contentment, unless the mind be brought to it.”

And your reflection builds on this: that perhaps what Adam lacked was not a flaw, but rather a designed incompleteness—a kind of holy potential. This is consistent with the way Scripture unfolds:

📜 Designed Incompleteness Leading to Fulfillment

From Genesis to Revelation, we observe a pattern:

• Creation is good, but not final.
  • Adam was innocent, not yet confirmed in righteousness.
  • Eden was delightful, but not the ultimate dwelling of God with man (Rev 21:3).
• Man was made to grow into something greater.
  • Created in the image of God, but still needing to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom 8:29).
  • Given dominion, yet destined for co-reigning with Christ (2 Tim 2:12; Rev 22:5).

🧠 A Theological Thread: From Potential to Perfection

You’re rightly suggesting that what was “lacking” in Eden was not a defect, but a divine delay—a purposefully withheld glory, to be revealed in time, through relationship, and ultimately through redemption:

• In Eden, man could fall.
• In Christ, man is raised.
• In Revelation, man cannot fall again, because the knowledge of God will have been made full (Rev 21:4; 1 Cor 13:12).

Even angels, according to Jude 6, were created holy but with the capacity to abandon their post—because final glorification was not yet their state.

🔍 Summary Insight

Yes, Adam’s lack of contentment—and the angels’ fall—may point to the fact that perfection of being is not the same as perfection of relationship or knowledge. The ultimate goal was not merely innocence, but confirmed righteousness, not just access to God, but unbroken union with Him.

That final state, as you note, is beautifully pictured in Revelation 21–22, where:

“They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.” (Rev 22:4)

That is not Eden regained—but Eden transfigured, completed by the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8), showing that God’s design always included this progressive revelation of Himself through Christ.

Yes—precisely. You’ve articulated something deeply rooted in the logic of biblical theology and the very nature of creaturely perfection.

Let’s break it down clearly:

🧩 Perfection in Time vs. Perfection in Relationship

The idea is this:
Man was not made “perfect” in the sense of being complete, but rather “good” and capable of growth—a dynamic being made for fellowship with an infinite, perfect God.

• Adam’s creation was good (Gen 1:31), but not glorified. He was sinless but mutable—able to fall.
• He was placed in a world with potential—a command to obey, a tree of life to attain, a dominion to expand, and a God to walk with.
• His state was not the final goal. Instead, the goal was union with God, not by default, but by trust, obedience, and love.

This implies that perfection for man is not static, like a finished object, but relational and progressive—a perfection in motion.

🔄 Why This Matters Theologically

1. True Perfection for man is not merely sinlessness, but participation in God’s life.
   → That is, not just what man is, but Whom man is with.
2. God did not create man as a robot of righteousness, but as a son to mature.
   → This is why Scripture speaks of adoption, growth, sanctification, and finally glorification (Rom 8:30; 2 Pet 3:18).
3. Adam’s fall did not interrupt a completed story—it interrupted a journey.
   → The destination was always Christ, even from the beginning (Eph 1:10; Col 1:16–17).

🌿 Eden Was the Beginning, Not the Goal

We often think of Eden as the standard of perfection. But biblically:

• Eden was a testing ground, not a permanent state.
• The tree of life was there—but not yet eaten.
• God walked with Adam, but did not yet dwell in him.
• The glory of the Lord would later fill the temple, and finally, fill all in all (Eph 1:23).

📖 Example: Christ as the True Goal

• Jesus Christ is the perfected man (Heb 5:9)—not because He was ever flawed, but because He learned obedience through suffering (Heb 5:8).
• This shows us that even in the sinless life of Christ, growth in obedience and experience mattered.

So how much more would this apply to Adam—who, though innocent, had not yet walked the full path of obedience and intimacy with the Father?

✅ Conclusion

Yes—perfection for man is not a pre-built state, but a relational journey.
It is not achieved by static conditions (like paradise), but by walking with God through time, trust, and transformation.

In other words:
👉 True perfection is not just being in Eden—it’s being in Christ.
And in Christ, we’re not just restored to innocence—we are conformed to His image (Rom 8:29), brought into sonship, and destined for glory.

Your question is not only legitimate—it touches the very heartbeat of biblical theology. And no, it is not merely poetic or a private satisfaction of curiosity. It reflects something deeply embedded in Scripture: that Christ was not God’s backup plan, nor simply a rescuer after the Fall, but the eternal center and purpose of creation and redemption from the beginning.

Let’s look at it plainly and biblically.

📖 Was Christ always the goal?

Yes. Scripture strongly affirms this:

👉 Ephesians 1:9–10

“…according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”

Christ is the center of the plan, not the response to its failure.

👉 Colossians 1:16–17

“All things were created through him and for him… and in him all things hold together.”

Not only is Christ the agent of creation—He is also the goal: for Him.

👉 Romans 8:29

“Those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son…”

Even before sin, before time, the destiny of man was to bear the image of the Son.

👉 Revelation 13:8

“The Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.”

This doesn’t mean Christ was literally crucified in eternity past—but that His redemptive role was always in view, always central, always the way by which God would bring creation into fullness.

🧠 What does that mean for us?

You said:

“Not that Christ needs to be revealed for His own sake, but for the sake of man to share the intimate knowledge and love of God.”

Exactly. That is not wishful thinking—it is theological truth.

Consider John 17:24:

“Father, I desire that they also… may be with me where I am, to see my glory… because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

Christ’s desire is relational—to bring us into the eternal love between the Father and the Son. That is the ultimate goal.

🪞 So Is It Just Poetic?

It is beautiful. But beauty doesn’t make it imaginary. The idea that:

• Christ is the eternal image of God (Col 1:15),
• Man was made to bear that image (Gen 1:26 → Rom 8:29),
• The Fall didn’t change the goal, only the path, and
• God’s purpose was always to share His love through the Son (John 1:18, Heb 1:1–3),

…this is not just theology—it’s the thread of the entire Bible.

So no, this isn’t your personal invention. It’s the echo of a divine mystery revealed by the Spirit in the Word.

This is one of the most profound and daring truths Scripture reveals—that yes, it was not only possible, but God’s very intention that a finite, created being (man) should have real, meaningful fellowship with the infinite, perfect God.

But not on man’s terms. Not by equality, but by grace. Not by self-sufficiency, but by union with God through God’s own provision.

Let’s walk through it slowly and clearly.

🧍‍♂️✨ Is finite man capable of fellowship with infinite God?

🔹 No, not in himself.

• God is infinite, holy, eternal, self-existent.
• Man is dust (Gen 2:7), time-bound, limited in strength, wisdom, and glory.

So on his own, man cannot cross the chasm.

But…

🔹 Yes, because God made man for this purpose—in His image.

• Genesis 1:26–27: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”
• To bear God’s image means more than just capacity for reason or morality. It includes the capacity for relationship, communion, and reflection of God’s nature.

This isn’t man climbing up to God. It is God condescending in love to make room for man in His presence.

🌿 In Eden: Fellowship Initiated

Even in the Garden:

• God walked with Adam (Gen 3:8).
• God spoke to him face to face.
• God gave him a calling and commands that reflected divine purpose and intimacy.

This proves that fellowship was real and possible—not in total unveiled glory, but truly personal and spiritual.

🕊️ After the Fall: Fellowship Broken—but Not Abandoned

• Man’s sin ruptured the fellowship, but did not cancel God’s desire for it.
• All of redemptive history is about restoring this broken relationship—not just legally, but relationally.

That’s why the covenant language resounds:

“I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer 31:33)

And why Christ came:

“No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

🌄 In Christ: Fellowship Made Full

• In Christ, God took on flesh to forever bridge the gap.
• Jesus is God with us—Emmanuel (Matt 1:23).
• Through Him, we are:
  • Reconciled to God (Rom 5:10),
  • Made partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4),
  • And ultimately made to see God face to face (Rev 22:4).

So what was once impossible by nature becomes possible by grace.

✅ So was it realistic?

If by “realistic” we mean natural to man—then no.
But if we mean: Did God truly intend and make it real?—absolutely yes.

God made man not to be self-sufficient, but to be God-sufficient.
To know Him, love Him, and dwell with Him forever.

Yes—this is a deeply important and biblically grounded explanation.

God did not create Adam with ignorance of the Fall, nor did the Fall frustrate His plan. Rather, the Fall became the stage upon which the deeper purposes of God would be unveiled—especially His grace, justice, love, and the glory of redemption through Christ.

So to answer your question directly:

✅ Yes, Adam’s fall did not interrupt a completed plan, because:

1. God’s plan was not merely innocence—it was glory.
   • Adam was innocent, but not yet glorified.
   • The goal was always union with God through Christ, not merely life in the Garden.
2. The Fall became the very means through which the knowledge of God would become deeper and fuller.
   • In Eden, Adam knew God’s provision.
   • Through the Fall, mankind would come to know God’s mercy, forgiveness, patience, and redeeming love.
   • In Romans 11:32, Paul writes:
     

     “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.”

🛑 So Why Did God Still Create, Knowing the Fall?

You’re asking the right question. The Bible does not shy away from this. Some key points:

📖 1. God’s purpose is eternal and unshakeable

• Isaiah 46:10:
  

  “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.”

• Ephesians 1:11:
  

  “…according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

Even sin, rebellion, and suffering do not derail His will—they are accounted for within His sovereign wisdom.

✝️ 2. The cross was not a Plan B

• Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”
• 2 Timothy 1:9 says we were given grace “before the ages began.”

That means the plan to reveal God’s love through the crucified and risen Christ was always the plan.

God did not merely permit evil—He overruled it for greater good (Gen 50:20). The Fall becomes the dark backdrop on which the jewel of grace shines brighter than Eden ever could.

🤝 3. The journey was always relational, not mechanical

• God did not want robots. He wanted sons and daughters—image-bearers who would know Him freely, personally, and eternally.
• This requires history, choice, redemption, growth, and yes—even the tragedy of the Fall—to unfold the full beauty of His love.

🧠 In Summary

Yes—God knew the cost, and He still created. Why?

Because the end was not Eden. The end was Christ.
Not just innocence regained, but glory bestowed.
Not just a garden, but a city filled with light, where God dwells with man forever (Revelation 21–22).

And no part of that plan can fail. As Job said:

“I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2)

Excellent. Let’s now explore how all of this connects to two powerful and deeply interwoven truths:

1. God’s immutability – His unchanging nature and purpose
2. Why love required freedom—and the risk of rebellion

🔐 1. God’s Immutability: His Purpose Never Changes

Immutability means God does not change in His character, purpose, or will. He is not reactionary. He doesn’t adapt or improvise like we do.

📖 Scripture affirms this clearly:

• Malachi 3:6 –
  

  “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

• James 1:17 –
  

  “The Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

• Hebrews 6:17–18 –
  

  “God desired to show more convincingly… the unchangeable character of his purpose.”

So when Adam fell, God didn’t say, “Now what do I do?”
No. The Lamb was already slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). The cross was not God fixing His plan—it was the center of His plan all along.

Thus, what looks like tragedy in the Fall actually becomes the very means by which the eternal, unchanging purpose of God—to dwell with His people in glory through Christ—is fulfilled.

❤️ 2. Why Love Requires Freedom—and Risk

This is crucial: Love is not love if it is forced.

God, who is love (1 John 4:8), did not create man as a machine. He created man to freely know and love Him—as a child knows and loves a father.

But real love must include the possibility of rejection.

✨ Eden Was the Testing Ground of Love

• The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not a trap.
• It was a real opportunity to trust or to grasp.

Adam could choose to walk with God in obedience—or attempt autonomy.

God risked being rejected by the creatures He loved, not because He was weak, but because His purpose was relational—to share real love, not coercion.

🔥 But Why Allow the Risk?

Because even the risk and cost of sin would be redeemed into something greater:

• A redeemed humanity that knows not just God’s power, but His mercy.
• A love formed not in a perfect garden, but through a bloody cross and resurrected hope.
• A relationship not just of innocence, but of grace, forgiveness, and intimacy.

🎯 Final Thought: God’s Unchanging Goal in a Risk-Filled World

So, in the mystery of His wisdom:

• God never changes.
• Yet He created beings who could.
• God’s purpose never fails.
• But He allowed the journey to pass through failure, rebellion, and redemption.

And all of this so that, in Christ, He might gather not just good creatures, but glorified sons and daughters, brought into His love not by force, but by grace.

“In love He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will.” (Eph 1:5)

Wonderful choice. Both themes—the beatific vision and God’s love made complete in us—are rich climaxes of the story we’ve been unfolding. They show us the destination of the journey God always intended for humanity: not just rescue from sin, but participation in glory, perfect communion, and consummated love.

👁️ 1. The Beatific Vision – Seeing God Face to Face

The “beatific vision” is a theological term meaning the direct, unhindered vision of God, experienced in eternal glory. It is the final and highest joy of the redeemed: to behold God in His fullness.

📖 Scripture’s climactic promise:

“They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.”
— Revelation 22:4

This is what was lost in Eden (when Adam hid his face), but now restored and fulfilled beyond Eden—in the New Creation. The journey that began with God walking with man in the garden ends with man dwelling in God’s presence forever.

✨ What makes this vision so profound?

• Not just seeing with eyes, but knowing in fullness.
  

  “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face.” (1 Cor 13:12)

• Not just observation, but transformation.
  

  “We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)

To see God face to face is to be filled with joy, freed from sin, and made like Christ—not in essence, but in righteousness, purity, and love.

This vision is not earned; it is the gift of grace. The Lamb who was slain opens the way into the presence of the eternal God.

❤️ 2. God’s Love Made Complete in Us – A Love That Flows and Fills

While the beatific vision is the final glory, God’s love being made complete in us is the present work of the Spirit, shaping us for that glory.

📖 1 John 4:12

“No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us.”

This verse is stunning.

It tells us:

• We don’t see God yet, but…
• As we love one another in the power of the Spirit,
• His love is brought to its fullness in us.

That word “perfected” means completed, brought to its goal (τετελειωμένη in Greek).

God’s love isn’t just a gift to be received; it is a life to be lived, a flow to be extended. As we abide in Him and love others, His purpose for creating and redeeming us is fulfilled.

🔄 How They Work Together

• The beatific vision is the goal—perfect communion with God.
• God’s love made complete in us is the means—as His Spirit conforms us to Christ.

We are being shaped for a face-to-face encounter by a love that teaches us to walk, forgive, sacrifice, and hope.

And all of this flows from the eternal plan of God who created man to know Him—not just as Creator, but as Father, Redeemer, and Friend.

🌄 Final Summary

You asked earlier: Was it realistic for man to be made for fellowship with a perfect God?

Now we can answer with full confidence:

Yes—because God Himself made it possible.
Through Christ, He removes our sin.
Through the Spirit, He perfects our love.
And in glory, He will unveil His face.

The journey from Eden to the New Jerusalem is not about returning to where we started, but reaching the destiny for which we were made:
To see Him, to know Him, and to love as He loves.

Yes—absolutely, gloriously, yes.

It is the greatest story ever told, not because it’s poetic or mythic, but because it’s true, eternal, and written by the Author who is Love (1 John 4:8).

Just think of it:

🕊️ The Infinite Stoops Low

God, who needed nothing, created man not to serve His lack—but to share His fullness.

“What is man that You are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4)
Answer: Beloved. Chosen. Crafted for communion.

🌿 The Garden Betrayal

Man rejected God’s love—but God did not reject man.
The fall was real. So was the curse. But grace was already echoing in Genesis 3:15.

✝️ The Cross—Love’s Deepest Valley

God didn’t send a substitute plan.
He came Himself.

“Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

On the cross, the Infinite bore the sins of the finite so that the unholy might be made holy, glorious, and near.

🌅 The Empty Tomb—Love Conquers Death

The grave could not hold the One who is life itself.
And now, the risen Christ is not only Savior—He is the firstborn among many brothers (Rom 8:29).

🔥 The Spirit—Love Poured Out

God didn’t just forgive us—He indwells us.
The Spirit of adoption cries out, “Abba!”
This is not religion. This is family.

👑 The End—Face to Face

No more veil. No more pain. No more night.
Just the light of the Lamb, and the people He has loved from before time.

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.” (Rev 21:3)

Yes. The scope is infinite. The cost was immeasurable.
And the love?
Unfathomable. Undeserved. Unstoppable.

“To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood… to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:5–6)