Rob's Thoughts

In two previous blogs we discussed Creation: it’s cause, goal, and object.  Today we are going to move on to decreation as put forth in the first three chapters of the Bible.

Decreation

If creation was accomplished by God’s word, de-creation happens because of rebellion against God’s created word.  God’s word creates, while sin destroys.  Put this way, sin must be seen as a refusal to submit to the authority of God’s life giving, creative word.  This is exactly what we see in chapter three of Genesis.  We see sin as an act of exchanging God’s word for Satan’s word.  We see the consequences of sin in the reversal of created order and an expulsion from the rest.

The Act of Sin

Satan begins his attack on God and humanity through a great reversal.  God created humanity as head of the animals, Adam as the head of women, and Himself as the head of Adam.  Satan attacks all three levels of order.  First, He attacks the authority of humanity over the animals by becoming/entering an animal and giving the woman a directive.  Nowhere in the created order do we see animals having the right to instruct humanity.  The snake was attempting to rule the woman, and through her, the man.  Second, Satan attacks the order of headship by not approaching Adam, but instead, the woman.  He does not begin his dialogue with man but the text says that in his craftiness “he said to the woman[1]….”  Thirdly, he attacks the authority of God.  First, by feigning indignation at God’s supposed command, which he misrepresents:  “Did God actually tell you that you cannot eat from any tree in the garden[2].”   Then, by directly contradicting His creative word:  “But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die[3].’”   So Satan reverses the lines of authority that the Lord had established.  (Clearly we can see that the term ‘original sin’ is unhelpful to describe humanity’s fall since here we have Satan sinning before Adam ever did.)  Adam at this point was charged to keep the garden.  Instead of following Satan’s reordering (or de-ordering) of creation, he should have killed the snake right there reestablishing the original order that God had told him to maintain.  But, sadly he doesn’t.  Instead he and the woman abandon the creative, order-bringing, life-giving word of God and exchange it for the destructive word that Satan gave – effectively accepting Satan’s re-ordering (or de-ordering) of creation.  The consequences are devastating.

Consequences of Sin

The reversal of created order. Before God ever pronounces judgment on his creatures for their sin, its consequences are already being felt.  The sexual intimacy and connection that man shared with the woman is now lost as they both felt shame from their nakedness.  The narrative is mute on why nakedness is the point of shame for humanity.  Various scholars speculate that it is because of sexual awakening[4], but this seems to ignore the reality that man and women were already sexually awake[5].  Additionally, the harmony that existed between man and women and between humanity and God was shattered – once again before the curse.  Evidence of these broken relationships is the blame that man and women place on each other and God[6].  Even more, man and women fear God and hide from Him[7].  This demonstrates the catastrophic loss of harmony between creator and creature.

If the act of sin itself results in tumult, judgment is even greater tumult put in place by God.  God effectively hands humans over to the de-creation they already wrought by their own sin.  He does this first by further disrupting the relationship between man and women.  He tells the woman that her desire will be for Adam’s rule, but instead of her gaining that position, the opposite will happen.  Man will inflict his position of authority over her in brutal and wicked ways[8].  Second, he tells Adam that the ground will be of disorder.  It will no longer accept his headship, indeed the ground now will rule over him[9].  Lastly their dominion over animals will be difficult and chaotic.  To the serpent he curses him to crawl on his belly but then explains that there will be enmity between humanity and the animal kingdom[10].  There is more in this statement to the snake of course than simply animal kingdom tumult, but we cannot miss the reality that God is cursing more than Satan here.  He curses the relationship between humans and animals.

Exile from rest. Perhaps the most crushing act of judgment that was pronounced on humanity was exile from rest:  “Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life[11].”  No longer would God dwell with man.  Man’s sin had now fixed a chasm between soiled humanity and perfect deity.  No longer would the relationship between God and man be one of harmony and rest.  God would now stand as judge against sinners.  No longer would God allow man to dwell in paradise.  Indeed, the first of many exiles for the people of God had taken place.

Summary. Romans chapter one tells us that sin is the act of exchanging the glory of God for a lie.  Certainly we see this reality here in Genesis chapter three.  All of creation, even the very imprint of God upon humanity, pointed to the greatness of the glory of God.  But, in a reversal of which had never before been, the greatness of the living God was exchanged for a lie from a serpent thus plunging all of creation into chaos.  The reader is left with many questions.  Is this the ending to the story?  Is there any hope for humanity?  Is there a way back to Eden?  If so how do we find it?  Come back tomorrow for the answer.

[2] Genesis 3:1

[3] Genesis 3:4

[4] Herman Bavnik, Sin and Salvation in Christ vol 3 of Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, Translated by John Vriend.  (Grand Rapids: Baker Academics), 2007. 30

[5] Genesis 1:28

[6] Genesis 3:12-13

[7] Genesis 3:8

[8] Genesis 3:15

[9] Genesis 3:17-19

[10] Genesis 3:14 -15

[11] Genesis 3:23