THE FALL OF MAN
Genesis 3:1-24
One cannot really see how far man has fallen unless one sees God’s destiny for him. From one who bears God’s image, who carries in him the divine breath of the life of God, who carries God’s authority to rule over his Creation, who enjoys God’s love and care in the Garden lovingly built by God — from the heights of one destined for greatness to one who is now exposed, naked — dust you are, and to dust you shall return!
It is difficult for us to imagine the seduction that went on between the serpent and Eve, how the serpent was able to cast doubts in Eve’s mind about the character of God. In the terse description that Genesis 3 gives us we can see the simple modus operandi: focus on the restrictions and blind the person to the real freedom that is already given; contradict the key reason given for the restriction but instead suggest selfish motives behind the restriction. Once we let go of God’s wisdom and instead seek to apply our own wisdom, the war is won. We have decided that WE will be the ones to judge what is right, what is wrong; what is good, what is evil; what is sinful, what is righteous; what is acceptable, what is not.
What Adam did not appreciate is how much who he is rests on his ties with God. Without God he is dust. With God he rules the whole of Creation.
Is it not true the same battles are fought, even now, in our hearts, minds, and lives? And is it not true that through Christ we now have everything, but ONLY if we remain in him. Let us not repeat the mistakes Adam and Eve made. We have so much more than they have then. We have God’s Word; we have God’s Spirit; and we have God’s Son. But the truth still remains: all that we are and can be is only true when we remain with God.