Readings for today: Genesis 3-5
What does it mean to be made in the image of God? It’s an important question. A close reading of Scripture reveals several things. First and foremost is the ability to procreate. Not just biologically but relationally and creatively. The first command God gives us is to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. This is the creation mandate given to humanity. Second, dominion. What separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom is that we are given responsibility. The authority to rule over all God has made. And we are called to exercise this call in God’s name and for God’s glory. Thirdly, it means community. It is not good for man to be alone. We don’t do well when we are isolated from one another. So we get married. We build friendships. We have a longing deep inside our hearts to connect with other human beings in a deep way. Fourth, we are endowed with a free will. We are given real choices to exercise in our lives and because those choices are real, they come with real consequences. Good, bad, or otherwise. God created us in order to have a relationship with us. But in order for relationships to be real, they must be chosen. No one can force you to love. Love must be freely given.
So God creates Adam and Eve in perfection. He places them in a beautiful Garden where they will work and live and begin to exercise the call He has placed on their lives. Who knows how long they lived in paradise? Who knows how long they walked with God in the cool of the day? But God also had to take a risk. In order to have the relationship He desired with humanity, He had to give them a choice. They must be free to choose love or else it’s not love at all. So He plants a tree in the Garden. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree represents a test for Adam and Eve. Will they love God or will they love Self? Will they choose God or will they choose Self? Tragically, they choose Self and the result is a cascading series of events as they, and the world they were given responsibility for, descend into violence, chaos and ruin.
The first thing that happens is they die spiritually. Their souls literally wither inside. Their hearts grow cold and hard. Their desires become disordered. Their wills become enslaved. Their thoughts are reoriented around themselves. As a result they feel shame. They feel fear. They feel pain. They feel anger and rage. They are disconnected from God. From one another. From the creation they were given charge over. Now the very ground will fight them. They will fight each other. And they will fight the very God who created them in the first place. Furthermore, their decision impacts their descendants as their sinful condition is passed down biologically to each successive generation. So Cain kills Abel and lives the rest of his life in fear. Tubal-Cain creates instruments of bronze and iron for war. Lamech kills a man for insulting him. Humanity descending further and further into evil and violence and hate. This is what’s wrong with us. This is what’s wrong with the world. This is the Bible’s diagnosis of humanity’s condition.
Psalms 51 declares that we are born into sin. Conceived in iniquity. All of us are corrupted. None of us escape. There is no such thing as an “innocent” human being. There is no such thing as a “pure” human being. We all rightfully deserve an eternity apart from God. An eternity east of Eden. An eternity of exile and separation and isolation and pain. And this is not some arbitrary or capricious judgment by God but the result of the very real, sinful choices we all make on a daily basis. We are responsible for our own condition. We are suffering the consequences of the choices we’ve made. And the only hope we have is God’s mercy and grace. His passion to pursue us despite our rebellion. His willingness to lay down His own life in order save us from our sin. Without God, we are lost. Without God, we are helpless. Without God, we are dead in our trespasses and sin. Completely unable and unwilling to fulfill the purpose for which we were created.
This is why we call what happened the “Fall.” It was a fall from grace. A fall from glory. We “fell” out of love with God. Out of love for each other. Out of love for the world. And what we see happening around the world today is simply the ripple effect of that first tragic decision.
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 6-7