God's plans are bigger than us

I thought it was interesting that when the Israelites where angry at Moses for the Pharaoh's punishment on them for his actions; Moses turns around and reminds God of his promise to deliver his people from their suffering and he protests when he does not do anything for the Israelites. Then, God reprimands  Moses by saying he has not forgotten about the Israelites and their suffering. Later on God punishes the Egyptians for not letting his people go and ultimately they reach the promised land. This goes to show that God's plans in more than one situation prove to be too mind boggling for us humans to understand.

PS I commented on "Back to Dust"

The Master's Plan

What is sin?  How could it come to be?  Where is the line between good and evil?  We constantly discuss "The Fall" and how man is inherently sinful due to Adam and Eve's mistakes, but what exactly did they do that was evil?  These are questions that have haunted my mind for years, but after much contemplating, this is what I have found.  It is no secret that humans are special to God.  We were created in His image; therefore, we are set apart from other created things.  Since we were created to be unique and special, I realized that being created in the image of God meant that we retain traits that He has (creativity, discernment, reason, the ability to think critically, etc.)  I also realized why we were created.  In Genesis, God physically walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  This is the epitome of our purpose in life: to literally walk with God.  This means that He doesn't want robots who only do what He says because He is God.  He desires for our hearts to be overjoyed within His presence and to truly enjoy time with him.  In order to create humans so that they would choose to be with Him, God instilled within them the ability to have free will.  This is the same free will that would have allowed Satan to choose to rebel against a sovereign God.  That means that God allows us to choose Him or reject Him.  This choice is essential.  By understanding the idea that God gives us our own free will, the line between good and evil becomes blatantly obvious.  Good and evil are nothing more than God or not God.  God IS good.  Hence, evil is the absence of God.  Therefore, sin is simply anything that is not of/from God, and its wage is death.  What Adam and Eve started in the Garden was not due to a particular thing that they did; instead, their fault was that they disobeyed God's command and denied his authority.  They rebelled against God.  However, let us not assume that God created evil.  Such a thought is absurd and out of the very character of a Holy God.  He gave us the freedom to choose Him or deny Him; as a result, evil was born from the decision to rebel.  Thus, Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden where the Tree of Life stood.  What a tragedy it would have been for Adam and Eve to live forever with their newly adopted nature to rebel against God.  That is why death is essential to life.  The good news is Jesus Christ.  He is the final piece to the puzzle: the "Second Adam."  Jesus is the revelation of the Master's perfect plan.  When He willingly sacrificed His perfect life on the cross, Jesus conquered death and bridged the gap between God and man.  Jesus is God's way of reversing the effects of mankind's wrongdoing.  In order for God to conquer evil, He had to give the world a choice. For as long as Adam and Eve sought to serve God alone, evil would never be apparent to them.  Since they chose to rebel against Him by partaking of the fruit, they chose death.  However, since God is omniscient, He made a way when there was no way: Jesus.  The Cornerstone of our faith.  Mankind may once again "walk with God" in life.  Although death still exists as punishment for our evil choices, the beauty of Jesus is that our walk continues after death.  Death has become the new beginning.  We must only choose to follow Him wherever he leads.

ehyeh asher ehyeh

I AM... When speaking of God, what more is there to say? This thought brought me back to Wednesday as I was sitting by the pool with a couple of friends and we were discussing love and how messed up most peoples’ view of it is. Since yesterday, I have been thinking hard on the idea of love. Our discussion brought us to the idea that none of us can truly define love. All we know is the parts of love that we have experienced. Therefore, man cannot truly know what love is. 

This connected directly with our conversation about the "I AM" statement in class. Who is God? I can’t tell you 100% who God is just like I can’t tell you 100% what love really is. The best thing about this is that we don’t know!!! I mean if I could wrap yourself up completely in God or something like love, I would never want to pursue either of those things. The mystery that surrounds God is the thing that keeps us coming back to the search and causes us to dig in deeper. Just like we, yes guys too, want to figure out what love is, so we keep searching. 

Ignorance of Man

Genesis tells us that originally man was created to be ignorant of the concepts of good and evil. God made us this way because when He created all things, they were good. To know what was evil wasn’t to know what God had created, but to be given desires that weren’t meant for humankind. The tree of knowledge gave mankind desires and conceptions that distorted their view of God and their relationship with Him. Ignorance was not God’s plan for mankind it was relationship with him. God did not desire to keep knowledge from humans. He desired to keep a relationship with them, which could only be continued so long as their hearts remained pure. Once Eve and then Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, they became aware of what wasn’t pure. God’s desire wasn’t to keep his creation ignorant, but it was to keep them from becoming arrogant. 

P.S. I commented on Sam Weeks's "The Holiness of God"

The Holiness of God

Something that stood out to me in the Exodus reading that hasn't really before was when God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. This is something that we as humans truly cannot grasp. What I want to focus on, however, is not the fact that Moses was standing on holy ground, but that this encounter was when God called Moses to such a great task. Its interesting to me that God gives Moses a brief glimpse of his glory almost as a prelude to his instructions. What I realized here is that this is how God approaches me in my walk over and over again. Whenever God calls me to do something or convicts me about something, it is always in light of who He is. I can't speak in absolutes, but I think its safe to say that whenever I'm diligent about pursuing God in the word and in prayer, He convicts me about things in my life and calls me to action. This is exactly what happened to Moses at the bush. He was confronted with an absolutely perfect, holy, God and immediately prompted to action. I think this is the mindset that God calls us to have as we approach life and ministry in general. We have to live our lives in light of who He is, regardless of anything and everything else.

P.S. I commented on Amanda's

Why does it have to be an apple?

I never understood why people say the forbidden fruit is an apple. I mean when i was little  I thought I was sinning when i ate an apple. it ever actually says what kind of fruit it is. It could be a fig for all we know. I just think it is misleading when sunday school teacher talk about how adam and eve ate the apple and were kicked out of eden. and was that even the reason they got kicked out? there are so many questions yet so few answers. For all we know it could have been a vegetable, who knows.But thats the greater question.

P.S. I commented on Danielles the larger Question

Showing Himself once again...

In Exodus, we see many times God showing us just how powerful he truly is. We see him placing someone to find Moses as a baby, and then making Moses into a great leader. We see him telling Moses to tell the people "I Am sent you." I think this statement of I Am, is God saying in a way, that there is really no need for any further explanation, he was God from the beginning, he still is and will always be God over everything. As someone brought up in class, why did God not just stop after one plague? My answer to that would be that he once again was showing the people then and even now, just how powerful he is, and how he has control over everything.

P.S. I commented on Amanda's post. 

The Importance of the Passover

The ancient Hebraic culture was very ritualistic, and many of these rituals sprung from the old covenent with God under wich they lived. Today, we briefly talked about the Passover, but I don't think that we were able to truely delve into its importance. The instructions for the Passover did not only entail the sacrificing of an animal to wipe its blood apon the door post, but it also began a new era for the Jewish people as they made their great exodus out of Egypt. They were instucted to consider that month the first month of their year, and then given very specific instructions on how to offer their sacrifice to God so that the angel of Death would pass by their housholds. Is this not forshadowing? The crusifixtion of Christ took place during the Passover festival (or is suspected to have). Was he not the sacrifice that allows the Angel of Death to pass over each of us? Did his death not mark the beginning of a new era; a new covenent?

Hardened Hearts

God sent ten plagues on the Egyptians. He turned water to blood, inflicted the men with boils, sent hail to destroy their crops, and killed their firstborn sons. Through Aaron, God warned Pharaoh before each plague, telling him to allow the Israelites to leave. But Pharaoh hardened his heart - at least, a few times. God also hardened the heart of Pharaoh.

Why would God send these ten plagues when He could solve the problem at once? Someone in our class suggested that He was punishing the Egyptians for oppressing the Israelites. Others pointed out that with each plague He showed His power over Egyptian gods. I'm not saying that these statements are not correct, but I do have another idea: these plagues may have been an example to doubting Israelites. In Exodus 5:21, some Israelites said to Moses and Aaron, "May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us." (NIV) Exodus 6:9 reads, "Moses reported this to the Israelies, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage." (NIV) The Israelites seemed a little hesitant about this proposed journey. Was God using these plagues to show His power and sovereignty to His own chosen people?

One verse seems to explain the use of these plagues. In Exodus 10:2, God said He was doing these things so "that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD." (NIV) It appears, then, that at least part of the reason behind the plagues was to acquaint the Israelites with the I AM.

I commented on emilylaforce's post.

Finding the Burning Bush

        In Exodus 3:1-4, I think there is a huge underlying picture that is overlooked. This is Moses first real encounter with God, and what happens here is important. There are two aspects that we generally skim over, and I'd like to address it here.

      First thing we see is that Moses is minding his own business, going about his day-to-day life, tending the sheep. When he notices that there is bush burning, but the fire is not consuming the bush. He then decides to go investing the phenomenon. This is the point where God speaks to Moses. "So when the Lord saw the he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said 'I am here'"
     Ok, so what so special about that? Pause for a moment here.  God did not call out to Moses, till Moses took notice of Him and went to investigate. This for me is something encouraging for me. Many Christians, myself included, have prayed "God just use me... God what's do you want me to do... God what am I suppose to do?" I think this can help answer some of those questions. Sometimes to get find a response for God, we have to go where we see Him, we have to be willing to actually move towards God. It takes action on our parts, and action that has to be immediate.  Notice that Moses did not say, "Hmm. Well I'll take this flock home and then come back and see what's going on." No, he immediately went aside.  I think many Christians will be surprised how quickly God sends His answers when He sees that we are willing to take the first step.
    The other is that when God speaks to Moses, Moses answers. Now, this is pretty big for me. I know that Moses probably had a firm understanding of the God of the Hebrews, but there isn't any evidence to show the Moses had a close relationship with God to this point. I mean he intentionally killed a man. Yes, I know there was no Ten Commandments yet, but nonetheless it was against Egyptian law.  Why did Moses not run away and hide when he heard God's voice speak to him through a burning bush? I don't know about you, but if that happened to me I'd be pretty scared. I don't think I would have answered, "Here I am".  This is incredible that Moses did this. He was willing to reveal himself to this unknown thing.  Now, maybe he knew this was God from the start, still, this is incredible. He said "Here I am".  From here begins one the most epic man-to-creator relationship ever told.

Maybe I'm starting to ramble, but this is some scripture that has really been stuck in my head. I think this small bit is incredibly powerful. I'd love to hear some feedback!

Commented on Tinsley's post!

Ehyeh asher ehyeh

What really stood out to me in the reading and discussion was Exodus 3:15 “I am who I am.” Moses was so reluctant to go before Pharaoh; he was grasping for any excuse not to go. So why did God answer the way he did? We tossed around several thoughts about the reason for God’s answer, “Ehyeh asher ehyeh.” Yes, God is bigger than a simple human definition, and words cannot encompass his vastness. A mere name would be an attempt to contain or define him, which is fruitless. But maybe God answered the way he did because he knew what a problem Moses had with trusting him. Moses had already come up with all these excuses about why he was the wrong guy for the job, but God was trying to get him to understand that it was never about his ability at all. God made his mouth, God knew his shortcomings, yet God chose him. God had already revealed himself in a burning bush. His power was evident and he was making a point by saying, “I am.” Moses wanted a name from God that would prove that God could do all he said he would. He wanted something to hold onto, something clear to say to people to prove that God was really big enough to do all of this. What Moses didn’t understand—what I find so intriguing—is that the very ambiguity of “I am” holds the promise and confirmation of everything Moses was looking for. No it’s not clear and it’s not a name to cling to; it’s a statement of power and sovereignty that highlights our limited understanding of the holy. After God said, “I am who I am,” he also said for Moses to tell them “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob has appeared to me...” He was restating his previously known name, emphasizing his faithfulness and his power by the combination of the two. “I AM has sent me to you” means He WAS faithful, He IS present, and He WILL be, forever. It’s the direct reversal of verse 11, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” God is saying, it’s not about who YOU are… it’s about who I AM.

P.S. commented on Tinsley’s “A darkness which may be felt.”

The Four forms of God in Exodus

When reading through Exodus there were four forms which God took on that struck out to me. In all the forms He took on, He was always taking them on to protect and help bring about justice for the Israelites.

The first one is obviously when He appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush to tell Moses He is called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. This is a pretty interesting and unique way God has chosen to reveal Himself and report to Moses his calling, but later on we again see God in the form of fire.

 The second one was when Moses summons the elders and tells them about the Passover. In chapter twelve and verse twenty-three Moses says "the destroyer" is going to be kept from entering their houses if He sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts.  I'm assuming God in this verse is "the destroyer" since later on in verse twenty-nine it says "the Lord struck every firstborn male in the land of Egypt".  So in this form of God we see Him being a "destroyer" and bringing death and destruction to the land of Egypt and only sparing the Israelites.

The third and fourth forms that God takes on is when He is leading the Israelites out of Egypt. During the day He goes ahead "in a pillar of a cloud" and during the night He goes ahead "in a pillar of fire." Seeing God as a cloud is new, but now God has returned to the form of fire to lead His people out of Egypt which is the same form He was in when He first told Moses he would lead the Israelites out of Egypt. 

It is so amazing to see the great lengths that God will go to to protect His followers.  From going to a reporting flame in a bush, to a "destroyer", to a guiding cloud, and finally to a leading pillar of fire, God always makes sure He is bringing glory to His name and letting his sovereignty shine.  I now will never doubt Exodus chapter fourteen verse fourteen when Moses says "The Lord will fight for you;" because just seeing the variety of forms God takes on in one book of the bible confirms this verse.


P.S. commented on TinsleyG's A darkness that may be felt

A larger question.

I find it fascinating when we read scripture in an English class. One of the beautiful things about scripture is that you can read it in several different ways. It certainly is the infallible word of God—but God is also an artist who has placed in us a love of depth and beauty, and He has created His scriptures in a way that we might delve into them in a broader sense.  Just because I read the first 30 chapters of Genesis literally does not mean I cannot view it as having a greater meaning. Of course it can still be symbolic; after all, God is the author of eternity, so why would he not be able to make a literal event have greater themes that apply to all of humanity. Why couldn’t Adam be a literal man and a symbolic figure as well? The two views of scripture do not contradict. In fact, they further each other by giving the reader a broader understanding of the Bible as a whole. 

What about Aaron?

When we learn about Moses and the burning bush and the deliverance of the slaves from Egypt, Aaron is hardly ever mentioned. Yes, we know him as Moses' brother but his significance is much deeper than his familial ties. It is Aaron who speaks the words of God to the Israelites and to the Pharaoh. When God communicates his plan for the Israelites freedom with Moses through the burning bush, Moses makes several excuses as to why God should choose someone else for the job. He says he is not eloquent in speech. He says he is not good enough. He says he does not know God's name. He says the people will not believe him. Then, in Exodus 4:13 Moses bluntly says, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else." And God does. He sends Aaron. Because Moses passed over the opportunity to deliver God's people out of fear, Aaron becomes the speaker and gives God glory through his obedience. Aaron plays a bigger role in the Exodus than we give him credit for.

P.S.- I commented on Tinsley's post.

Reward Through Odyssean Behaviour

Whenever I’ve read the stories of Jacob and Esau, or Jacob and Laban, I always considered Jacob to be the hero of the story and I always thought that Esau and Laban were giving him the short end of the stick. When I read Genesis 25-33 for Tuesday though, I realized that Jacob is a lot craftier than I ever gave him credit for, and perhaps Laban and Esau are wronged just as much as Jacob is, not to mention poor Leah and the maidservants.

Jacob steals both the birthright and blessing from his brother, uses trickery to obtain most of the best of Laban’s flock, and runs off with Laban’s daughters (granted they were already married to Jacob). Yet, God still blesses him above all other men. Out of Jacob is born the Nation of Israel, God’s Chosen People. God is not impressed with Jacob’s craftiness, but with Jacob’s faith and loyalty to Him. God does not reward all of Jacob’s behavior though. In fact, when Jacob show favoritism to Rachel, God makes her womb barren and rewards Leah, giving Leah 6 sons and a daughter before Rachel is even able to conceive.

Hero or not, I still believe that Jacob does right more than anyone else in the chapters we read. If he hadn’t, God would not have chosen him to be the father of such a great nation. Until next time!

Tantum e tenebris receptum constabit

~Meghan

PS. I commented on Malory’s blog post “Why I Love Dr. Mashburn”

PPS. Thanks to Dr. Schuler, I have read way too much British Literature lately and therefore feel the need to  spell some words as the Brits do! Ex. My title! 

A darkness which may be felt.

“Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even a darkness which may be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the sons of Israel had light in their dwellings. (Exodus 10:21-23 NASB)”

Some of us were talking about this particular plague before class, but it keeps coming to my mind.  I’d never thought about this plague in particular much before, we always talk about the hail, locusts, boils, etc., but very rarely the darkness. Think about it for a minute: Darkness so thick you can feel it. Darkness inescapable, darkness so thick not even the smallest sliver of light can enter.  There’s something about humans that draws us to light, from when we’re children with nightlights to the way we love clear, sunshiny days.  It’s impossible for us to even picture a darkness this thick, so deep that all the Egyptians could do was sit perfectly still in complete terror for three full days. Isn’t it interesting that this particular plague would freeze them into stillness?  They were doing war against the God who constantly alludes to Light, the God who separated the Light from the Darkness, and now let the darkness roll over the Egyptians when they turned against Him.  In some ways, it reminds me of the darkness that covered Israel when they crucified Jesus, the darkness that lasted three hours.  When people turn their back on God, all they’re left with is empty darkness.  Just as darkness is the complete absence of light, a life that’s missing God is nothing.

P.S. I commented on Michelle’s post “God and the concept of Free Will.”

God and the concept of free will

The topic of free will is a controversal issue in the christian faith. This is greatly portrayed when both Pharoh and God harden the kings heart. Does this concept declare that free will is just an illusion? I think there is more than just a black and white area of this dispute. The fact of the matter is that I believe that God knows who you are, inside and out, your actions and motivations behind them. This also means that he knows what you are going to do and why you do them. So if he knows what you are going to do anyways, then he can also do things to cause the right reactions that are needed. So when God hardened Pharoh's heart, I think he knew that Pharoh would harden his heart anyways as was shown with his previous actions. Also I think it was a form of jusice for the Israelites oppression. When the king was given a warning (the staff to serpent) and went to the extreme of increasing the slaves workload and oppression, I think of it as the king slapping God in the face. It was a direct insult towards God and, as it is shown throughout the bible, God does not take these offences lightly. The plagues symbolized the offences that the slaves were subjected to. The blood in the river and the death of the first born portray the slaughter of the Israeli children by the soldiers of Egypt ordered  by Pharoh. Sickness, lice, frogs, sores, and locust could be attributed to things one must suffer through as slaves. The death of the Egyptian livestock could be considered parallel to the sickly and dying slaves and their livestock. The falling of fire and hail could represent the beatings and torture they went through as slaves. Finally, the darkness might indicate the darkness of not just the Pharoh's heart; but that of all the people of Egypt that saw the injustice and did nothing. 

Fate, Choice, and Pharaoh's Hardened Heart

In class today we sort of touched on the subject of Pharaoh's hardened heart but when we started talking about why God hardened his heart and then started talking about fate, we sort of shied away from it a little bit I thought. Now from what I heard in class, it seemed as though people said there's either fate or choice. Now I could be wrong but that's what I remember hearing and I would just like to say that I believe fate and choice work together and that there not so separate as we usually think they are.

In the passages of Exodus that we read it states that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, and in the passage that Josh read in class today, Romans 9:17-18 says "For the scripture says to Pharaoh, for this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that my name be proclaimed throughout the whole earth. So then He has mercy on who He desires and He hardens who He desires."

Now some might interpret that scripture to mean that God raised Pharaoh up so that he would make the Israelites slaves, to defy God, and then ultimately to die. I however, interpret it differently. I believe that it is everybody's purpose in life to glorify God. I believe that it is my purpose, your purpose, and yes, even Pharaoh's purpose. How we go about doing that however, is completely unique to each person. It says in 2 Peter 3:9 that God wishes for none to perish but that all should come to repentance. I believe this also applies to Pharaoh, therefore I don't think that God would raise someone up just to sin and die. Like I said previously, it was Pharaoh's purpose in life to glorify God. He just did that by defying him thereby allowing the opportunity for God's plagues to be enacted.

Now that we have established that God didn't raise Pharaoh up to kill him let's move on to why God actually hardens Pharaoh's heart. So, before God actually hardens Pharaoh's heart, the word says that Pharaoh hardened his own heart at least 3 times. Since we believe, as I hope we all do, that God is outside of time, God knew that Pharaoh would choose to harden his own heart, God already knew what Pharaoh's choice would be, so in essence Pharaoh's fate was already decided, not because God hardened his heart, but because Pharaoh chose to seal his fate by choosing to be hardened towards the Lord.

Destruction of Sin

In Exodus chapters 7-12 we see God sending plagues to destroy Egyptians, their land, and their livestock. Most of this is a result of Pharaoh's hardness; Pharaoh's stubbornness. I think this relates so well with people nowadays as well. 

It is said that we all have our own individual "sin issue". The one thing that we struggle with most in this world that goes against the direction of God. While we are caught up in that sin, we tend to pay very little attention to the things of God. Eventually He will begin to give sign after sign to try and make you see the error of your ways and repent, but sin blinds us, and we continue in our way until something more extreme happens. 

If Pharaoh had seen the greatness of God's wrath towards his people after the first plague, imagine the damage that would've been spared. The Egyptians would've still had livestock, slaves, health, and most importantly, their firstborn child. 

So what's the moral of the story? I believe what we can take out of this is simple, the longer we go being stuck in sin, the worse the consequences may be to us, and even the people around us. 

P.s. I commented on Joshua Spell's "Back to Dust"

Back to Dust

The creation and fall account of Genesis communicates fundamental truth about man's temporal being. Man's imperfection stands in contrast to God, who is characterized by absolute perfection. God creates a perfect world; man rejects it. God is the voice of righteousness; man hears the voice of the snake. God gives man a simple law to obey; instead, he opens open Pandora's Box.

Cursed be the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat the bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

The once pristine garden is overrun with thistles; man's once great estate is marred by vice, folly, pain, sorrow, madness, oppression, toil, wickedness, vanity, weariness of the flesh— all a striving after the wind— and in the end, death. "All go to one place; all are from the dust, and to dust all return" (Ecclesiastes 3:21).

That is the human condition: we are walking dust. For a time we shall walk, but shortly, the wind will blow and carry us away. Always, we are going back to dust.

EDIT: Commented on Mallory Searcey's "Why I Love Dr. Mashburn."

Who sinned first?

I think Genesis chapter 3 is one of the most controversial passages in the bible. It should be easy, right? Adam and Eve ate the fruit, causing man to have a sin nature and this is why things are the way they are today. But it all comes down to one argument: just who's fault is it anyway? 

Some say,"It's Eve's fault! She led Adam into deception and is the reason why we're stuck with our sin nature!" Others say,"It was Adam's fault cause God told him first and he didn't stop Eve but ate the fruit with her." 

Well, I think that the fall of man is a little bit more complex than a simple case of  "who done it". 

First off, we have to figure out what's going on inside the mind of Eve before we start accusing anyone. 

It's a well known fact that Eve was created after Adam. In Genesis chapter 2, verse 15-18, it says 

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

So God tells Adam first about the tree, and it clearly states that after he told Adam this, he sets out to make a helper for him (Eve). So Eve isn't there when God tells Adam about the tree. So technically, Adam knew about the tree first. 

Where am I going with this, you may be asking yourself. I promise, I'm getting there.

So in Genesis chapter 3, verses 2-3, it says

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ 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.’”

Wait a minute, she adds something onto it. God didn't say if you touched the fruit you would die. Personally, I think Adam told Eve what God said about the tree and that the message got misconstrued in the second telling. 

In the coming verses, Eve doubts God and then determines that she needs to take matters into her own hands because God's holding out on her. Where's Adam in all this you ask? Here it is in verse 6

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

So he's right beside her. Didn't God tell him first about the tree? Shouldn't he have known better and said, "Honey, God told us not to do that. Let's get this snake to take a hike."
Nope, he ate the fruit. So Adam gives up his authority and passively accepts the lie.

Essentially, I think it's both their faults. It says that they took walks with God in the garden, so they must have known him, right? They must have known that he's a loving God who provided everything they needed to flourish. But then curiosity came into play. Since Adam was the spiritual leader and God told him about the tree first, I think the blame lies with him. That's the way it is with all leadership. The blame always falls on the leader's shoulders.

As well as that, it says in Romans 5:15,17

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

So although Adam and Eve are both partially responsible for the fall of man, the scripture states that sin and death came through the trespass of one man. And obviously, Eve is not a man. So the blame ultimately falls with Adam. 

Here, I rest my case. 

(P.S. commented on Emerson Larios' Imitators of Odysseus)

Why I love Dr. Mashburn.

This class was easily the fourth time I've heard Mashburn speak on Genesis, and it never gets old. I remember the first time, it was second semester of my freshman year and he was a LOT more intense with our ethics class than he was on honors today. Or at least that's how my memory framed it, because I flipped out. He wrote a series of questions on the board, which he said in class today. Some of which include-

What was the original sin?

Is knowledge evil?

Was the garden without sin, if so, WHY was the SNAKE THERE?

Was it adam's fault or eve's?

Where IS the garden, if it's a literal place, then where did it go?

And for the most part my handy set of sunday school answers had kept me comfortable until that point. And then all the sudden, the walls came down. I was mad for at least a week.  But behind anger, and behind defense (as my friend Sara Dye so eloquently put it) lurks fear. When I had to throw out my answer to combat Mashburn, it meant I was afraid of what he said. Afraid his questions would shake the pillars of my faith and they did.

The funny thing about this, is that I agree even less with what Mashburn believes about creation than I did my freshman year. For me, the truth that Adam and Eve existed as literal people in a literal garden is an integral part of my faith. I turned down a really incredible job a few months ago because of it. I'm not saying that I'm going to start a fight, and I can name off a list of incredible Christians who don't hold that view, I'm just saying for me personally, it's important. 

But I love hearing Dr. Mashburn speak, because I love to think about it. I love to listen to what he has to say because I DO think there's value in it, if even more value because I disagree. I've found that the best teachers are the teachers who tell me they don't agree with me, who challenge me, who push me. Even the Rabbis would argue and debate with each other over the meaning of scripture. This is what it means to be in the freedom of a community of believers. That I can say i don't have all the answers, I don't know where the garden of Eden actually is, and that really is okay.

If Dr. Mashburn had asked me what the imago dei meant 2 years ago, I would have had an answer. And now I can confidently say I stand in awe of the glory and the wonder of what it means that God made me in his image. And I struggle, and will always struggle, to understand the glory and the love and grace that were bestowed upon me. And I don't even know what it means.