Who are you going to blame?

August 5, 2020 (Wednesday)

 

A dark idea can from the story of the Fall. It appears as if Eve is to blame. This appears to be reinforced in Genesis 3:17a, “To the man he said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and you ate from the tree that I commanded, ‘Don’t eat from it,…” [CEB]

 

Adam listened to someone other than God. This social pressure lead him to violate the only command he needed to remember and obey.  If we dig deeper into Scripture a fuller picture will make itself clear.

 

Writing to the Corinthian church, Paul expresses his concern, “But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” [2 Corinthians 11:3 NLT] Eve is an example of someone who was “deceived.” To be fair to Eve, she was innocent and ignorant of anything resembling a lie. It doesn’t seem fair, but the enemy of your soul isn’t bound by the idea of “fair.”

 

Paul, writing to Timothy, reminds him, “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” [1 Timothy 2:14 NIV] Adam was not deceived, he was persuaded. In full understanding, Adam joined Eve in sin.  One idea behind the Greek word translated “deceived” is “cheated.” The word translated “sinner” (in the NIV) means "to cross a line." In other words, Adam KNEW, without excuse, what he was doing.

 

So Paul uses this story to form a basic tenant of the Christian faith. “Adam sinned, and that sin brought death into the world. Now everyone has sinned, and so everyone must die.” [Romans 5:12 CEV] This sets up the doctrine of “original sin” and is the basis of the doctrine of the “sin nature.” Paul does not stop at this point.

 

The question in Romans 5:13 is how can sin be charged against anyone’s account if there is no law. This was the case between the time of Adam and Moses. It’s also part of the question about salvation being only through Jesus. How can one be condemned if they have never heard the gospel?

 

Paul noted the universality of guilt, “Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.” [Romans 5:14 NIV] Paul is suggesting Adam is a “federal head.” As the official representative of ALL humanity, since all humans come out of him, he incurred guilt and debt for all humans.

 

Adam sinned, meaning we have a debt we cannot repay. Because Adam sinned it opened the door we have all went through… we all willfully sin. The proof of this is physical death. The reality of this is “spiritual death.” We are eternally separated from God and destined to a literal eternal Hell unless God will save us.

 

 The blood of Jesus pays the debt. The grace of God extends the invitation to “whosoever will.” Faith is our response. Literal eternal Heaven is the result.