MC Lesson 2.8.26

Genesis 3 | The Fight for Our Families

Background of the Text

Reminders for reading Genesis

Prose Narrative

Creation account and the installment of the first marriage

Second Creation Account, microscope view

About the Text

Does the text concern itself with the identity of the serpent? (vs. 1)

No, focuses instead on the role of man, woman and the opposing origin of evil

Some believe that a literal serpent is required, others see it more as a image for evil.

There is an obvious connection between Satan and the serpent later in the revealed word of God, even if the intent is not clear here. That connection does not mean that the serpent IS Satan, but that there is a connection.

The Temptation (vs. 2-7)

God’s command began with the positive (“from every tree of the garden you may freely eat”) while the serpents begins with a negative assertion (“you shall not eat”).

This misstating leads Eve to express the command of God in her own words. She adds, “nor shall you touch it” (more restrictive)

Other subtle shifts: (1) “you are free to eat from any tree” (God) vs. “we may eat fruit from the trees” (Eve), underplays the generosity of God; (2) You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (God) vs. “you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it” (Eve), overstates the restriction; (3) “For when you eat of it you will surely die” (God) vs. “Or you will die” (Eve), underrated her obligations.

Full blown contradiction from the serpent.

“good for food… a delight to the eyes… desirable to make one wise”

this is paralleled in 1 John 2:16

The serpent’s temptation here is an attempt to achieve “good” outside of God’s provision (Sailhamer)

The Curses (vs. 14-19)

The Serpent

The Woman

They now live in a new reality of suffering and struggle

Counters “be fruitful and multiply” by adding pain

The Man

Counters “subdue the earth”, no longer will it be enjoyable, but difficult

GENESIS 3:15 Interpretations

Messianic Prophecy (Protoevanglium)

Rom. 16:20

Rev. 20:2

Jesus Himself and the NT writers (so the Holy Spirit) seem to have no objection with expounding (reframing) the original intent to uncover the new understanding as it related to Christ.

Matthew 2:15, 17-18

No Messianic Prophecy

Keep in its original context, it does not deny Christ’s victory over Satan, but merely emphasizes that here the writer is not intending to write a Christological prophecy, but on the ongoing struggle from now on with evil.

Could it be both of these?

Taken literally as an explanation for people’s fear of snakes

Figurative description of humanity’s ongoing struggle with with

Theological Truths from the Text

The Goodness of Restrictions

To be restricted is to live under the authority of someone else

Temptation can be from external sources, but is always handled in the heart

Original Sin

Romans 5:12-21

Understanding Augustine vs. Pelagius

Augustine ( and Luther, Calvin): “Adam… as it were, a root, and that, accordingly, by his corruption, the whole human race was deservedly vitiated (soiled).” Calvin

Pelagius: Adam’s sin simply set a bad example, it would be unfair for God to punish all for the sin of one. Nothing is “passed down” regarding sin, people will choose to sin later in life however.

Others argue that Rom. 5:12 is Paul stating that because of Adam’s sin, all of humanity now has the CAPABILITY to sin. Death and guilt fall onto people because of their own individual sin and not because of Adam’s original sin.

Imputed Guilt: People are born sinners (Lev. 16:21-22; Zech. 3:4)

Adam’s sin imputed to all of humanity

Christian’s sin imputed to Christ

Christs righteousness imputed to Christians

Conditional Imputation: Sin is imputed after a conscious choice to sin (Pelagianism/semi-Pelagianism)

Applying the Text

How do we respond to temptation?

Specifically instant gratification?

3 Commitments

We stand in prayer

We stand in the Word

We stand together

What are your patterns of prayer and righteousness in...

Your heart

Your home

Your habits

Further Notes

- Pelagianism

○ Human Responsibility/ Free Will

Only freely chosen actions are the ones that we are responsible for.

○ Nature is Grace (Major Heresy)

Possessing an unbroken human nature is all you need (only prereq) in order to obtain salvation.

□ A Will

□ Ears to Hear

□ Brain that can understand & respond

§ No supernatural dimension to soteriology.

○ Original Sin

§ Imitation; calls into question infant baptism

□ Sinful patterns were picked up, but there is nothing "spiritually genetic" that is carried on. Believed that people are born "spiritually neutral", and then at some point we decide to sin later on.

○ Free Will

§ All have it

§ State of Nature (not a Christian yet)

□ We are fully equipped to know God through free will.

○ Grace

§ A Natural Power

§ Example of Christ, follow his rules

§ Enlightenment of baptism

○ Election

§ Those who've chosen to follow

○ Natural Body

§ Adam's death natural; sexual desire is natural.

§ Believed that some things were natural to our bodies

□ Even if Adam hadn't sinned this things would be true.

□ Sex isn't evil

□ Difficulties are natural

- Augustinism

○ The priority of God in salvation

§ God is the one who intimates salvation

○ The will is in bondage to sin

§ Apart from Christ, we are completely separated.

○ Grace is a supernatural power

○ Original Sin

§ Inclined to evil; infant baptism is necessary

§ There is a necessary line drawn from Adam's sin to the present

§ Our will has "cupiditas" (love for the world) which will yield good/bad actions

But none of these "good" actions are Godly, therefore our will fails

§ We need our hearts rewired "caritas" (charity) which brings the Good in our life.

○ Free Will

§ None have it; we desire sin

§ We have free will, but it will only choose "good", never Godly "Good".

○ Grace

§ A supernatural power

§ Bestowing of the spirit on the believer

○ Election

§ Those whom God gifts

§ Nothing in our nature where we can come to God on our own.

○ Natural Body

§ Adam would not have died; sexual desire is evil

It may be helpful to summarize our doctrine of grace in this way:

1. While common grace is a reality, the emphasis in Scripture is upon redemptive grace.

2. From beginning to end, salvation is entirely by God’s gracious work.

3. Human merit is not involved in salvation whatsoever.

4. If there is a human faculty called “freewill” (libertarian choice),divine grace must liberate it to be truly free in a spiritual sense. The heresy of Pelagianism, which gives great power to the will, must be rejected. The error of semi-Pelagianism, which places a spark of natural goodness in the human soul, must also be corrected. The problem of Calvinism (predestination) versus Arminianism (prevenient grace), however, remains unsolved, because both systems move extrapolate beyond the direct statements of biblical revelation.

5. Faith is a divine gift. The experience of faith despairs in the power of man and relies upon God alone. Faith is a divine movement in the human being; at the same time, it is the end of human effort.

6. The human being is fully involved in salvation. People are not mechanical automatons, but beings created in the divine image. They still possess a mind, heart, will, and body as a human being. However, granting a natural soteriological power to the human being moves toward a denial of the necessity of divine grace for salvation.

7. Divine grace truly transforms the sinner. The heresy of cheap grace, known in other contexts as “antinomianism,” must, therefore, be rejected.