starting point for the gospel is ‘relationship’. We are each made to have a relationship with God. As an old saying common in Christian circles goes, ‘within each human heart is a God-shaped vacuum’ that can only be filled with God’s presence. Christianity is not a set of rules, it is not a religion of ritual and ‘do’s and do not’s’, ‘should’s and should not’s’ – it is a relationship. It is a relationship between a cosmic eternal personal being of love and creativity and his created, volitional beings. As part of that relationship we will live out our uniqueness with our special abilities to see God’s world become what he dreams it to be.
So the great question, ‘Why am I here?’ from a Christian point of view finds its answer in the concept of relationship. We are created to love as God has loved us – loving him, loving one another and loving the creation given to us. As we do this, each in our own unique way, we will build God’s world as he intended. In terms of our overall question, ‘What’s God up to on planet earth?’, he has created humanity for an eternal loving relationship with him. He has created humanity to express their individuality in unity, in partnership with God, co-creating with him to build his glorious world.
But this is just the beginning of our journey. As we will see in the next chapter, the original intention of God has been violated and this has had some far-reaching consequences…
Questions for Reflection
1. Is there a God or gods? Is there any evidence? Consider alternative explanations for reality.
2. What is your journey of believing or not believing? Perhaps write it down and reflect on it.
3. If there is a God? What is he like? How might we describe God?
4. Do you agree that love and relationship lies at the heart of existence?
5. How do you think the first three chapters of Genesis should be read? Literally? Symbolic/literal? Myth?
6. What is the place of freedom and volition? Is it essential to love? Are humans truly free? What is freedom?
7. How do you see yourself? Do you have a sense of worth? Does the existence of a God who ‘loves you as you are’ change things for you?
In chapter one we discussed the idea that humanity was created by God for a love-based relationship with the creator of the universe, with each other and with the world. This chapter introduces the second R of the Christian message, ‘Rupture’. Here we will discuss how God’s plan has been disrupted. We will find that, just as a cataclysmic earthquake splits the earth, so the relationships between God and his created people, between people themselves, and between humankind and the world itself have been torn apart and are in need of restoration.
Most people recognise intuitively that things are not what they could be, so here we will discuss how the Bible explains the problem. If chapter one answered the question ‘Why am I here?’ This chapter answers the question, ‘What’s wrong with the world?’
The Fall
The ‘Rupture’ refers to the rupturing of the intended relationship between God, humanity and the world. This came about at what Christians call ‘the fall of humankind’ (or ‘the Fall’).1
After God prohibited Adam and Eve (the first humans) from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden, the snake (Satan),2 enticed Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. He came to Eve and asked her a simple question: ‘Did God really say, “you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”’ Eve responded by misquoting God, failing to recall his words accurately: ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die”.’ This was a distortion and an amplification of God’s words. He had said ‘do not eat it’; she reported that he said ‘do not touch it’.3
Then the snake responded, ‘You will not surely die, for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’4 This involved an out and out lie followed by a half-truth. The lie was suggesting that ‘you will not surely die’ which directly contradicted God’s explicit warning.5 The half-truth was that their eyes would be opened and they would be like God, knowing good and evil. That their eyes would be opened was true in a sense – like God, they would realise the difference between good and evil. However, in other ways they would be less like God. They would be separated from him and they would no longer be a pure reflection of his image. They would no longer be sustained by the tree of life and the image of God in humanity would be damaged. Unlike God, they would no longer be good. Neither would they be anything like God in power, as he alone is all-powerful.
The story says that Eve, seduced not only by the attractiveness of the fruit and its apparent gourmet qualities, was also drawn in by Satan’s words that it would make her like God. She interpreted this as meaning that she would have the wisdom of God, and she ate the fruit. She then gave some to her husband who was with her at the time and he too ate it.6 Adam’s presence mentioned here indicates that while Eve took the initiative, Adam was equally culpable of disobedience (‘sin’). As a result, their relationship with God was ruptured.7
As soon as they had eaten, all ‘hell’ broke loose. First, their relationship with their inner self was shattered. Instantly they realised they were naked and experienced shame, guilt and self-deprecation for the first time.8 This outcome points to the initial shattering of self-esteem and the introduction of fear, guilt and shame into human experience. Psychologically, the image of God, while still intact to a degree, had been badly broken.
Secondly, their relationship with God was fractured. The story goes on to tell us that God came looking for them, so that he could walk with them in the garden in the cool of the day.9 Imagine what that would have been like, to wander through a garden with the creator of the universe. But instead of finding his ‘kids’ happily playing in the garden, they were terrified because of their fear and shame when they heard him coming, and they hid (3:8).
So God called Adam, ‘Where are you?’ Adam was at least honest in responding, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’10 This revealed that they had sinned against God and the relationship between God and humanity was forever ruptured.
Why did such a seemingly small event lead to a rupture in the relationship? The answer is found in one particular attribute of God mentioned in chapter one – his perfect purity or holiness. God is pure and will not dwell with evil, unless it is dealt with, since it is repugnant to him. Hence, at the moment when humans disobeyed, rejected and rebelled against God, corruption was etched into human existence. Adam and Eve were the parents of all humanity and they passed this status down to their descendants through the ages.
Because of this, God was no longer able to dwell with humanity in this intimate, free relationship due to the impurity that violated his sense and being. He thus expelled Adam and Eve from the garden and barred them from having a direct relationship with him.11 Access to the tree of life was also barred and so humanity became subject to death and decay.12 If God had allowed them to remain in the garden and eat of the tree of life, they in their fallenness would have gained eternal existence and the universe would be forever blighted with the presence of evil.
The third consequence was that their relationship with one another was ruptured. When we read on we see that Adam and Eve instantly began to fight, seeking to blame someone else for their indiscretion.
First, Adam tried to blame Eve. When God asked them, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’13 Adam’s response was to implicate Eve and, indirectly, God himself: ‘The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’14 Yet, as noted above, he was with her at the time of eating and was equally culpable. Here we have the first marital