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August 28, 2022 |
| Pulling Eve From Under The Bus | ||
Liberalism has brought many changes that seem to be embedded permanently in Christianity. The goal of equality has required equality of the sexes and not just equality of value but equality of outcome.
This has resulted in an interesting change in the understanding of the events of the original sin. It is no longer acceptable to think that Eve's sin was a greater sin or that she caused Adam to sin. Pastors teach only that they both sinned and make no mention of the details. Translators translate to diminish the details of what the Bible says.
This is particularly true because it recognizes something these groups do not want recognized. It presumes that modern women are offended to hear that Eve's sin was greater or that she caused Adam to sin. This is odd because modern women would not be offended to hear that their great-grandmother had sinned in a similar way. Nor would they be offended to hear that Noah's wife had sinned.
This presumption of offense, in fact, recognizes that there is an understood consequence of Eve's sin that falls on all women. The same is true of men suffering the consequences of Adam's sin, but that isn't our topic here. Modern women recognize in a deep unspoken way that they are the daughters of Eve. Men understand this as well.
That deep understanding also says that modern women have inherited a characteristic from Eve - she doesn't like being last on the list of God / Man / Woman. She desires to be at least the equal of man and she says "anything you can do, I can do better" and "Toxic Masculinity".
There is also a presumption that there are other pastors who are teaching a version of the original sin story that is hostile to women, one that throws them under the bus.
Somehow truth is no longer in focus. It isn't as though the story is difficult to understand and there are competing interpretations. This has become a women's issue.
The most common way to equalize man and woman, as stated before, is simply to avoid digging into the details of the verses. Then it becomes possible to say "they both sinned".
That runs into trouble with other verses, though.
Let women learn in silence with all submission, 12 For I do not allow a woman to teach, neither to usurp over a man, but she should be quiet; 13 For Adam was formed first, and then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and violated the commandment; 15 But she lives by her children, if they continue in faith and in love, in holiness and in modesty. (1 Timothy 2:11-15)
Paul is using the distinction between Eve's sin and Adam's sin to explain why women are not allowed to teach.
If you are going to look at the verses, you need a way to make Adam's sin equivalent to or worse than Eve's sin. This is commonly done using this verse.
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)
The claim is made that the phrase "with her" means that Adam was present while the snake was deceiving Eve and while Eve was reaching for and eating the fruit. That makes Adam's sin into a failure to act as head-of-household. Then Adam's role as head-of-household must become a second commandment, and even a greater commandment. That way Adam's sin can be declared to be a greater sin than hers. Eve is out from under the bus.
There are many problems with that claim.
The claim is usually further buttressed with other verses.
But death reigned from Adam and until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's violation of the law, who was the image of him who was to come. (Romans 5:14)
and
For just as by Adam all people die, in this way also by the Messiah they all live (1 Corinthians 15:22)
Because only Adam's sin is mentioned, it is claimed that his sin was the worse sin.
The reason only Adam is mentioned is more biblical than that. He was the head of the household and therefore responsible for everything that happened. Also, he did sin. Also, he was the image of God, as Romans 5:14 says above.
The most important thing to understand is this. If Adam had known what he was eating when he ate the fruit, then he would have been eating it because he was deceived also. That's the difference between Eve's sin and Adam's; she knew she was doing wrong and did it intentionally.
So, Adam was not there when the snake was deceiving Eve. He didn't know she had eaten the fruit, when she brought him fruit to eat. That was likely something she had done many times before.
Adam was tricked by Eve. He says as much to God when he says, "she gave me from the tree, and I ate." Adam feels like the injured party and thinks he has done nothing wrong. God says "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree".
Adam was not supposed to trust Eve to the degree that he was trusting her. Having a commandment that there was a fruit not to be eaten, he was responsible for himself not to eat that fruit. He had entrusted her not to give that fruit to him.
There is a lesson for all of us in Adam's exchange with God. What God says is wrong, is always wrong, no matter what anyone else does. Also, we are responsible for what we do. The blame for what we do does not fall on anyone else.
But I fear lest, as the Serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, that your minds may also in this way be corrupted from the simplicity that is in the Messiah. (2 Corinthians 11:3)