21 | Resolving the Traditional Views

As Christians today, we see the eschatological City of God as the goal for his work in Christ. In this goal, God’s people, his children of the new creation, are dwelling in God’s house, his eternal kingdom, under God’s rule, the law of the Spirit. In the process of achieving this goal, the city is literally constructed of the people God has chosen to have a part in establishing it.[1]

• The city gates bear the names of the twelve tribes of Israel: It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.[2]
• The foundation stones bear the names of the twelve apostles: And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.[3]
• And those who remain faithful to the end, they are the pillars of the temple: The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.[4]

 

One can not overlook that the vision of this City of God given through the revelation hidden in Christ was not known to the authors of Scripture or the prophets of old. Only in the light of Christ’s revelation to the world can one even hope to glimpse such a glorious end to the work of the last Adam,[5] which began with the first Adam. Yet within that glorious city are viewed connections with a previous point of intersection between the divine and our humble domain of the natural – the garden in Eden. Within the New Jerusalem are some of the same elements that characterized that garden:[6]

• The Tree of Life is there
• The river in the midst of the city
• A city of pure gold

 

The one element missing is the one element that led humanity from the innocence of immaturity and not knowing into the innocence of knowing by the righteousness of Christ. These are the children of God whose names are written into the Lamb’s Book of Life, and they will dwell forever in the presence of God in peace.

And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:23-27)

No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)

 

All this comes about by the work of God in Christ, though it was initiated for humanity by Adam and Eve’s choice. Through a choice that was framed in disobedience, which many would claim “there is no good in this awareness or its resulting consequences,” God has turned the fruit it bears into a bride, clothed with fine linen, bright and pure, the wife of the Lamb.

 

Within the Mystery of God in Christ dwells the answer to the question missing from the traditional perspective – what is the path from primal creation (the garden of Genesis 3) to the new creation (of Revelation 21)?[7] This is the question McDonough was unable to answer satisfactorily, though he approached it thoroughly, consulting with the likes of Plato and Philo on the one hand and Augustine and Edwards on the other, along with some lesser known theologians.[8] Yet for all his insights, which were many, he was constrained not by the breadth of information, which was exhaustive, but by the unknown and the known.

On the one side, he and his references were constrained by what they were unaware of – the mystery of God in Christ. On the other side, they were constrained by their own presuppositions. For McDonough, in his conclusion to the book, he continues to limit his discussion of God’s work in Christ to the restoration of a fallen world. Even though he considered the possibility of an ongoing creation and acknowledges the divine mystery, I suspect this idea was insufficient to overcome the weight and influence of his references.[9]

So armed with the knowledge of the mystery of God in Christ and his goal for the new creation, let’s proceed to go where Plato, Philo, Augustine, and Edwards didn’t, and let’s answer McDonough’s question in a way that reaches beyond the work of redemption and into the ongoing creation started in Eden and completed in Yeshua the Christ.

What was prior was better?

It’s believed that the curses of Genesis 3 signal a change that what was prior was better than what was known after taking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. This movement to a worse state is said to align with the common interpretation as an account of sin and punishment. The curses are a result of disobedience;[10] negative consequences as a result of transgressing the restriction of Genesis 2:16-17. However, when we do a comparison of what actually changes for Adam and Eve after taking from the tree of exception, some surprising insights come to light.

 

Circumstance	Before	After
Man and woman are created for reproduction within this physical realm. (1:26-27)	Genesis 1:28 – a primary command is given – to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. They must leave the garden to fulfill it.	Genesis 3:23 – they are sent out of the garden to work the ground and to fulfill the prime directive.
Man and woman are created to have dominion over the whole earth. (1:26-27)	Genesis 1:26 – God blesses them with their dominion over the earth.	Genesis 3:14-18 – That blessing and dominion is not removed due to disobedience. Only the serpent and the ground are cursed.
Mortal; made from the dust of the ground to which the living soul will return.	Genesis 2:7 – made from the dust	Genesis 3:19 – dust you are still
God’s provision for humanity is always there, both inside the garden and outside.	Genesis 2:8-10 – God’s provision in the garden is direct, supplied by the fruits of trees and water from the river.	Genesis 3:18-19 – God’s provision is now indirect, and man will get his food from the plants of the field and by his own labor.
They were given honorable work.	Genesis 2:15 – given the assignment to care for the garden and to keep it	Genesis 3:16-19 – their work continues on a larger scale. The ground is cursed, not humanity; and you shall work and sweat all the days of your life. Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth (1:28).
The man was given the task of naming all the birds and animals.	Genesis 2:18-20 – The man named all the animals by their type.	Genesis 3:21 – God shed blood and used the skins of some of these animals to clothe Adam and Eve.
Marriage is the relationship within which they can fulfill the primary command (1:28)	Genesis 2:23 – The man called his wife “Woman.” It’s hinted that the man should leave the direct provision of his father’s house (2:24)	Genesis 3:20a – The man called his wife “Eve.” The two shall become one flesh and cling to each other (2:24; 4:1) living the prime directive (1:28)
Genesis 3:5a – your eyes will be opened is a claim of increased awareness and consciousness. The serpent was speaking the truth as clarified by the author (3:7). The truth of this claim is also verified by observing the behavior of Adam and Eve before and after taking the fruit.	Genesis 2:25 – They were naked and unashamed. This confers a level of innocence and immaturity upon them; they lacked moral discernment and moral maturity.	They experienced embarrassment and shame in their nakedness (3:7b,10). They gain awareness of their sexuality (a form of maturity). They’re given in marriage, but procreation isn’t mentioned until after exiting the garden (4:1). Adam doesn’t name Eve until after they’ve left the garden (3:20).
Genesis 3:5b – you will be like God, knowing good and evil.	Genesis 1:26-27 – They were created incomplete in the image and likeness of God.	Added to this image and likeness is the knowledge of good and evil. God him-self claims this made them more like those who dwell in the unseen realm (3:22).

 

It’s important to note what actually changes as a result of their disobedience without reading into the narrative what we expect to be the outcome:

• The man and woman were created for reproduction, and upon exiting the garden, they were properly equipped to fulfill the primary command. Note also that they were put out of the garden not as a punishment or separation from God, but to guard against their access to the Tree of Life and to work the land outside the garden (3:23-24), the ground from which Adam was made (2:5-6). They were created for the purpose of fulfilling the primary goal (1:28), which extends beyond the scope of the garden. Gaining access to the Tree of Life now would undermine that objective.
• Their consignment to a challenging life isn’t a curse or punishment for disobedience (3:16-19). God is making them aware of conditions they will face outside the confines of the garden and the amount of work involved on their part; Eve in reproduction and commitment to her husband, and Adam in his work and the knowledge of their mortality. Only the ground and the serpent are cursed. The previous blessings remain intact and are not rescinded in any way.
• The unity of the husband and wife was to develop by leaving the father’s house (2:24). Remaining within the confines of the walled garden constituted the Father’s house and his direct provision for Adam and Eve. Upon exiting the garden, Adam and Eve would now mature and grow in their reliance on each other in addition to relying on God’s indirect provision. This is a necessary step in fulfilling God’s primary goal for them (1:28), while being an ongoing test of their autonomy and their remembrance of the God who created them.
• The most significant change is in their level of awareness. By their own choice, they emerge from innocence and into a more discerning awareness of the reality before them, though they would not have fully understood the concepts of good and evil and the responsibility it entails. Before taking from the tree of exception, they simply lacked the maturity and experience that comes with this awareness. This, however, would change once they’re outside the garden. There, they would come face-to-face with the impact and responsibility having such knowledge would present. That, of course, becomes the very reason for allowing the test – so they could learn.

 

The comparison of states before and after taking from the Tree of Knowledge must be viewed from Adam and Eve’s perspective, not ours. They lacked the moral distinction we possess as they had not yet eaten of the tree of exception from which they would gain such moral discernment. Before taking from the Tree of Knowledge, they were ill-equipped to complete God’s prime directive and still lacked shrewdness. Afterward, they had everything they needed to multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, now with increased God-likeness.

    

What Adam Did vs What Adam Is

If one presupposes that God’s will and purpose for creating Adam and Eve was initially one of perfection and completeness as he placed them in a protected garden where his divine holiness could dwell among them forever in that state, then the traditional view of “the fall of mankind” seems an appropriate one. It is said that the result of this fall has released incalculable evil upon humanity through the weakness of our original parents.[11]

 

For the authors of the original books of the Old Testament and the many commentators who followed, this is a reasonable and expected conclusion since they were ignorant of the mystery of God in Christ. They would not have fully understood nor anticipated the new creation in Christ to be inaugurated by the Son of Man and the Lamb of God. Yet for the Christian, clinging to this traditional view is equivalent to preferring the letter of the law over the spirit of the law. Just as Yeshua came to magnify and fulfill the law, likewise he came to bring humanity out of the physical/natural realm and into the glorious spiritual realm; completing humanity’s creation into the image of the Son of God.

 

The Christian is equipped with insight not available to the authors and commentators of the Old Testament. Christians possess an awareness of the mystery of God manifested in the very body of Christ over these last two millennia. Together with God’s Holy Spirit given to them through various gifts, they have ears to hear and eyes to see. Christ’s Spirit can lead them into understanding the deeper meaning of humanity’s first creation through his work to complete the new creation, in which he leads many sons and daughters from dust to glory.

To achieve that understanding, one must be willing to set aside the traditional view temporarily; if necessary, to sacrifice it on the alter that is the work of God in Christ. There are numerous presuppositions about the events of Genesis 2-3 at the root of the traditional view, and each of them is derived from a perspective of penal punishment related to what Adam and Eve did:

• The idea that Adam and Eve were initially created perfect, holy, and pure.
• That Adam and Eve possessed immortality, contingent or otherwise.
• That Adam and Eve forfeited this immortality through disobedience.
• The consequence of God’s command not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil brought death or even spiritual death upon the world.

 

I’ve already addressed the result and nature of sin and death as it relates to what Adam and Eve did in depth in Chapter 15.[12] It shows that the traditional claim that the sin of humanity was the result of their disobedience, and God rejected them as his image-bearers and vice-regents on earth, is incoherent with God’s character and purpose. Neither of these negative claims appears to align with God’s underlying goals, his ongoing relationship with humanity, and the universal salvation planned before the world was made and later revealed in Yeshua the Christ.

Perfect, Holy, and Pure?

If one presumes that God’s intention was to create Adam and Eve as complete extensions of his own divine likeness; holy, perfect, and immortal, then the traditional view of their fall makes sense. Yet when we set aside these assumptions and view the narrative as it’s written through the lens of Christ’s new creation, we have an altogether different story. The focus shifts from what Adam did to what Adam is. We see that God’s will and purpose was to begin with imperfect, incomplete, and mortal beings, and from this seed of the dust bring about a glorious body – the fruit of the earth.

• Humanity will have all the attributes of the elohim[13] except immortality. In addition, God imparts to them authority over the earth. They will learn to rule not only themselves, but the world overall.[14]
• Mortal humanity can attain immortality and eternal life through a means other than the Tree of Life; a means that will help motivate them to learn that virtue has its own rewards – and immortality will be one of those rewards.
• God will continue in relationship with them through the Holy Spirit and guide them into fruitful and productive lives, and they will learn that – I alone am God and there is none like me.
• Those of humanity who choose to reject or oppose God will be mercifully destroyed and consumed with fire. Without the sacrifice of Christ, the wages of their sin will be death – the second death of judgment from which there is no hope of resurrection.[15]

 

The faithfulness of God to accomplish in us what he has completed in Christ is proven by his work in the Blessed Redeemer. Though Adam and Eve and all since were unfaithful in trusting God, he remains faithful and has made himself known first through the creation, then through the promised Son of Man;[16] the physical/natural first, then the spiritual.[17] When seen through the lens of the new creation in Christ and God’s perspective of hopefulness, we can recognize that Adam and Eve were created imperfect, incomplete, and mortal. More importantly, these three characteristics which Adam and Eve possessed were not of their own making, nor were they derived from what Adam and Eve did. These characteristics are derived from what Adam and Eve are; human.

• Imperfect is the condition as it relates to their ability to sin. This condition appears to be derived from the free will and self-determination with which they’ve been imbued. The existence of these two naturally leads to the possibility of not just obedience but disobedience and even rebellion. When combined with the inherent weakness of the flesh, this contributes to the disobedience and futility to which God consigned all humanity and subjects all creation.[18]
• Incomplete refers to humanity’s created state in comparison to the intended goal as described by the new creation in Christ.[19] To arrive at the two key components of those glorified children of God, righteousness and eternal life, God has placed his hope in the work of the Son of Man, the last Adam.[20] This work of the Lamb of God was ordained before the foundations of the world were set in place and before the creation of mankind.[21]

Imperfection in Heaven

As we’ll see, the focus needs to shift from one of perfection or imperfection to one of free moral agency. We can see an example of this when looking at another of God’s created beings. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God himself claims this being as “blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you.” The story surrounding the King of Tyre[22] is not without its own complexities by the duality of figures that are in view. The Prince of Tyre appears to be a Gentile king whose arrogance has reached such heights that he claims to be god-like. This is not without cause as he’s influenced by another being who shares this arrogance; one referred to as the King of Tyre.

Amidst the prophecies of Ezekiel against the nations surrounding Judea and Jerusalem is a judgment upon the city of Tyre and its rulers. The reason for this harsh judgment against Tyre is due to its harsh treatment and exploitation of Jerusalem following Nebuchadnezzar’s taking of that city. Tyre seeks to benefit at Jerusalem’s expense in the midst of her calamity. Clearly, the rulers of Tyre are unaware that God’s hand is upon the Jews in Jerusalem to correct them but not to destroy them completely. God will tolerate no interference from her neighboring nations who seek to treat her with further contempt. Though God corrects Jerusalem and her inhabitants, he will yet gather Israel which he has scattered and will manifest his holiness within them in the sight of all the nations, and Israel shall dwell secure in its own land. For this cause, God has prophesied destruction for the coastal city of Tyre, and especially for its arrogant rulers, physical and divine. For the mortal Prince of Tyre, one who claims to be a god, he will face his death at the hands of the Babylonian armies God will bring against him. Will he then still claim “I am a god”?

 

But it is the lament for the King of Tyre which we want to focus on the most. He is the ruler behind the ruler; a divine being in the midst of the stones of fire, one who was an anointed cherub;[23]

• You were the fullest example of wisdom and beauty
• You were in Eden, adorned with the brilliance of precious stones
• You were an anointed guardian of the throne
• I (God) placed you in the midst of the stones of fire on the mountain of God

 

God confers innocence upon this created being (elohim) – until iniquity was found in him. And how is it that this unrighteousness exposed itself?

• Your pride and beauty corrupted you
• You forsook wisdom for the sake of your splendor

 

As a result, God’s judgment comes upon the King of Tyre.

• I (God) cast you to the ground to humble you, as an example before kings
• Fire consumes you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you
• You have come to a dreadful end
• You shall be no more, forever

 

The turning point for this anointed throne guardian was an internal one. Like all elohim possessing free will and the knowledge of good and evil,[24] his pride and beauty eventually got the better of him, and led him into sin and opposition to God. The issue isn’t whether God created him a perfect or imperfect being. The more relevant point is that God created the elohim with free will, to have a relationship with God and to be an extension of his rulership in the divine realm and in the physical realm. But with free will and self-determination, which was initially aligned with God’s will, when it was eventually tested, succumbed to pride and arrogance. God knows all too well the risks associated with free-will beings; that by nature of having a choice and self-determination there is the possibility of disobedience and even rebellion. Because they’re not robots designed only for obedience, this possibility exists for each of the divine beings God has created.

As in Heaven, So on Earth

Is there any reason we should expect it would be different for mankind? As we’ve already established, Adam and Eve, along with the rest of creation, share a common mortal existence and a perishable destiny within this physical realm created for them. By this condition alone, one could reasonably conclude they are imperfect, being subject to decay and death as they are and were created. Yet we see that Adam and Eve were given free will and a choice.[25] And as we’re all aware, that free will led them to take from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil – revealing the disobedience and imperfection within them.

 

The two characteristics, imperfect and incomplete, are also represented in the garden scene by the two trees. The Tree of Life represents eternal life in the image and likeness of Christ, and the Tree of Knowledge represents the character and wisdom (moral conscience) by which the righteousness of God in Christ is measured.[26] It was never intended for Adam and Eve to obtain this maturity or the glorious state within the confines of the garden. This conclusion is derived from the conditions of their creation and the realm they were given to inhabit.

• The mortal condition of Adam and Eve’s creation is consistent throughout the story and does not change because of the transgression. Their creation is described in Genesis 2:6-7 as derived from the mist and the dust of the ground and made into a mortal, living soul. This same condition exists after their transgression, as expressed by God’s clarification of the state they now find themselves in due to this independent act; By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

 

For You are Dust, Not Immortal

Being physical and made from dust, one wouldn’t expect Adam to be able to ascend to the heavenly domain where God abides, so God creates a walled garden as his temporary dwelling place on earth. It’s reasonable to ask, what is it that keeps Adam from being able to go where God dwells – especially if he was created complete in his likeness to God and immortal? The Apostle Paul provides the answer for us in the context of God’s kingdom – flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Clearly, Adam’s physical nature, being made of dust, is what contributed most to this “perishable” condition. Even though God breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life, it did not change Adam’s fundamental and perishable condition. He merely became a living creature (living soul). One that was still subject to death and decay and would eventually return to the dust from which he was created. Nothing has been added to the Genesis narrative except the clarification by Paul that humanity was created perishable, which agrees with the creation of Adam from the dust of the earth. God makes it very clear to them what they are as they depart into the greater world he has created for them; you are dust. He didn’t say “you’re an immortal spirit dwelling in this physical shell.” He didn’t say “I made you immortal, and due to your transgression, you’re now made of dust which can decay and die.” God’s statement of truth is that – you are made from dust, and to dust you shall return.

Now at this point, we have a choice. We can believe what God claims to be the case, or we can believe something else. If we choose to believe what God claims, it leaves us with one clear conclusion about the condition of Adam and Eve. Though they were created in God’s image; male and female he created them, they are incomplete in that image in at least one sense; they are perishable and lack the “imperishable” nature necessary to dwell in God’s kingdom, his heavenly realm. This characteristic, together with the previous two noted, is how the narrative reveals that Adam and Eve were created imperfect, incomplete, and mortal. As inglorious as that sounds, it’s quite suitable for the physical realm in which they were created to dwell all the days of their lives.

Are Adam and Eve Losers?

The traditional expectation that Adam and Eve must have forfeited something as a result of their disobedience continues to be an enormous barrier to understanding the will of God to lead humanity into the image and likeness of the Son of Man. In many cases, the item forfeited is assumed to be immortality.

 

On its own, the narrative of Genesis 1-3 portrays eternal life (immortality) as something to be gained, not lost. Humans are never spoken of as immortal.[27] This can be derived from the narrative itself by looking at the role and expectation God had for his created children:

• They were created male and female (1:27; 2:18,23), made for reproduction
• They were given dominion over the rest of the physical creation (1:26)
• They were created capable of fulfilling the primary command (1:28)
• The man and the woman were made for each other to reproduce within the bonds of marriage (2:23-24)

 

Each of these circumstances were applied to Adam and Eve according to the will and purpose of God. Each of these circumstances aligns and equips them with the ability to succeed in fulfilling his primary directive. These circumstances also contradict any idea that Adam and Eve were created first as immortal, divine-like beings. Another reason for this becomes evident when one stops to consider that reproduction is not a characteristic of any elohim possessing immortality. In fact there is severe judgment upon those elohim who sought to reproduce through human women; a situation which significantly increased the corruption of humanity and resulted in a global flood.[28]

 

Another variation of the traditional view of their being created immortal is something referred to as contingent immortality. In an article about Romans 12, Dr. Heiser defines contingent immortality.

I believe Adam had “contingent immortality” (he’d keep living as long as three things held true: (1) he ate from the tree of life; (2) he didn’t do anything stupid to kill himself; (3) he didn’t sin and get expelled from the garden).[29]

 

Even the idea of contingent immortality contradicts the basic circumstances noted above, which is why I don’t agree with Dr. Heiser in this case.[30] It’s also based upon the expectation that Adam and Eve forfeited something valuable as a result of the transgression. If instead we let the text speak for itself in the context of what God reveals about himself in the person of Yeshua the Christ, we’ll notice that the focus shifts from what Adam did to what Adam was. According to the narrative, God created Adam and Eve in his likeness, but clearly that initial likeness was incomplete. It’s also consistent with the narrative to conclude that Adam and Eve are created mortal, from the dust of the earth (2:7); a state that did not change after their disobedience (3:19).

 

All of these factors, when taken together, point to the necessity of procreation in order to achieve what God created them for. These factors existed before their disobedience, and they existed after it. Mortality and procreation become interconnected and co-essential to the primary goal God has for his creation (1:28). To introduce the state of immortality, where procreation is no longer incentivized or necessary, is to undermine the Creator’s fundamental purpose in creating a natural realm for humanity to dwell. That the natural realm is incentivized for reproduction is apparent and inherent throughout the world’s many creatures. That elohim lack this incentive within the divine realm is evidenced by the events surrounding Genesis 6:1-4. A key aspect of the events surrounding Mount Hermon is the condescending of the elohim from the spiritual realm to the physical realm in order to mate with human women and reproduce.[31] In his discussion, Dr. Heiser comments on Matthew 22:23-33 to clarify that the text doesn’t say angelic beings can’t have sexual relations; it says they don’t.[32]

“In the spiritual world, the realm of divine beings, there is no need for procreation. Procreation is a necessity for perpetuating the human population.”

 

In an earlier article about these Sons of God,[33] Dr. Heiser references Morgenstern’s The Mythological Background of Psalm 82. Morgenstern’s article makes a clarification about the difference between mortal and immortal as it relates to the elohim who are referred to in Psalm 82. Here’s what he says on page 73.

“Manifestly v. 7a implies that these gods had been immortal, that this had been Yahweh’s concept of them, and that this condition of immortality was inherent in their divine nature. Impliedly only men are mortal, subject to death.”

 

Morgenstern continues on page 81 detailing the essential contrast between mortal and immortal.

“Obviously, the very concepts of divinity and attendant immortality are basically antithetical to and exclusive of the concepts of marriage, sexual relations and childbirth. Immortality is the distinguishing characteristic of divinity, marriage and childbirth the distinguishing characteristics of mortality. Mortality necessitates sexual relations and childbirth, if existence is to continue at all, while correspondingly divinity absolutely negates and forbids all sexual relations and resultant childbirth. Such at least are the logical implications of the antithetical concepts of gods and men and of mortality and immortality, as they were conceived in certain circles of early post-exilic Judaism and as they found concrete expression in Genesis 6:1—4 and in Psalm 82:8-9.”

 

Here, Morgenstern makes the case, when comparing mortal with immortal, that the very concepts of divinity and attendant immortality are antithetical and exclusive to the concepts of marriage and reproduction. Whereas mortality necessitates marriage and reproduction in order to continue its existence, immortality does not. This conclusion is completely consistent with the Genesis 2-3 narrative and the events of Genesis 6:1-4 (the Watchers).

It’s precisely what we see when the Watchers (elohim) intersect with humans and the resulting by-product of the Nephilim. Clearly, this cross-breeding between distinct kinds worked against the Creator’s original intent, as it resulted in such severe pollution of not only humanity but all air-breathing creatures that it later required cleansing the earth with a flood. It’s important to note that further cleansing occurred as the descendants of Israel came to occupy the land of Canaan and continued through the reign of King David.

This example of mating between mortal and immortal illustrates the distinction between the two kinds; each intended by God to dwell in their respective realms. Elohim were created to dwell primarily within the spiritual realm, while humanity, being made from the dust of the earth, was clearly created to dwell in the physical/natural realm.

 

The introduction of immortality to the natural realm through Adam and Eve would have eventually resulted in a similar destructive outcome. Having free will and the ability to disobey, a trait shared with the elohim, humanity had the same potential for disaster within the physical realm had they been equipped with immortality too soon. It’s this possibility which requires Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden; to cut off all humanity’s direct access to the Tree of Life and immortality. At this point in time, it would only serve to undermine God’s creative work and intended goal as described in Genesis 1:28.

Since it appears that God’s intent to further humanity’s creation with the addition of morality (the knowledge of good and evil) was for their benefit, he clearly accounted for their choice through the pre-ordained work of redemption available in the Son of God and the Lamb of God. Certainly God was aware of the risk, yet he already accounted for his righteous judgment and their ultimate redemption. This affirms the pro-active character of an omniscient being, and also confirms the extent to which he was willing to demonstrate long-suffering in order to grow his family.[34] This means the initial creation of Adam and Eve without the knowledge of good and evil, and the availability of it through the tree of exception, is an intentional act. Add to this the clear command of exception that was also intentional, and you have God providing choice as the basis of his relationship with us in all aspects, yet leading us always toward the Tree of Life in Yeshua the Christ.[35]

 

We cannot overstate the importance of choice. Choice is such a vital component of God’s relationship with humanity that he subjects Adam and Eve to a choice which is necessary for their development as his children, even though it must come through their disobedience. In no way does immortality achieve God’s desired goal for humanity within his physical/natural creation; to multiply and fill the earth. It’s precisely for this reason that God intended an order to the imaging of his children. Beginning with the dust of the earth in order to achieve the glory of the divine, the perishable would eventually achieve the imperishable, but not by their own hand; it is a gift from God that must be gladly received.

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(Romans 5:17-21)

 

To summarize these points, the focus continues to lean toward what Adam and Eve are and away from what Adam and Eve did:

• It is God who created them with free will and self-determination. These traits provide at least the possibility for disobedience or rebellion. This is evidenced as well in the spiritual realm by those elohim who oppose God’s work. They too are equipped with free will and self-determination.
• Adam and Eve were not created righteous. Innocent perhaps, but not righteous, and nothing in the text suggests so. Righteousness, like eternal life, comes through Yeshua, the promised source of redemption.[36] This is consistent with their inclination to disobedience.[37] A disobedience that opened the doorway to their further growth into a more complete image and likeness of God (3:22). Theirs was a disobedience arrived at through free will. Their ability to sin is a byproduct of who they are, not what they did.
• They were created imperfect in nature, incomplete in the image of God, and mortally susceptible to death. After taking from the tree of exception, they’re more aware of this reality and these limitations than they were before. Their need for a redeemer existed from the moment they were formed from the mist and the dust of the ground. The process to grow through their physical nature will not be an easy one, but it will be a necessary one[38] since God’s goal was to bring them into his spiritual realm later.[39]
• They did not lose immortality because of their transgression. Immortality was always something to be gained, not lost. Adam was created mortal from the dust of the earth (2:7), and Eve was created from him, also mortal. This same mortality continues after their disobedience (3:19). From dust they came, and to dust they will return; mortal. The possibility of death existed before they took from the tree of exception, and it continued to exist afterward. What changed was their awareness of this reality.
• Also, they were created male and female for the purposes of reproduction (1:26-27). The elohim, who are created in the spiritual realm with immortality, don’t appear equipped for reproduction as evidenced by the Watchers. Humanity’s primary and overarching command is to multiply and fill the earth (1:28). Reproduction is tied to mortality and is inseparable from it.[40] This is an essential part of the divine council perspective. The reason some elohim left their heavenly abode was so they could reproduce with human women.[41]
• The only thing that was truly lost was their innocence and God’s direct provision. By leaving the Father’s house, they were now faced with the harshness of reality and building their own lives, together in the context of God’s indirect provision (2:24; 3:16-19,21,23).

 

From our perspective today, as the manifestation of the mystery of God in Christ, we can see that we were not created righteous because the righteousness gained in Christ overcomes the disobedience to which humanity was initially subjected. Adam and Eve’s decision was a product of who they were and not what they did; a result of their free will, conscience, and self-determination imbued in them by our Creator.

Misery only Increases After the Fall

Amongst the impacts resulting from the traditional view of the events in Genesis 2-3 is what some call a horrendous and miserable outcome upon humanity. Many join them in claiming “the fall” of humanity by the sin of Adam and Eve leaves the entire race involved in guilt, and as a result of their lack of character, doom descends on all their posterity. If you recall from chapter one, those claims include the following:[42]

• There is no good in this awareness or its resulting consequences.
• It is said to be the origin of an evil conscience.
• It resulted in the forfeiture of divine favor.
• It resulted in the forfeiture of the Tree of Life.
• With it comes the awareness and experience of all the misery such a condition involves.

 

When viewed honestly, such claims themselves “fall” because they attribute to Adam and Eve their own level of moral maturity and experience, a maturity that Adam and Eve clearly lacked. These claimants fail to see that the very reason they’re able to come to any measure of moral behavior is because they’re on this side of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Curse Adam and Eve? They should be thanking them.

 

On the surface there is an increase in the misery introduced in Genesis 3:15-18 that appears as a curse, making the former state appear better than the current state.[43] With a short-term perspective in mind, this might well be the case. But if God’s purpose was to get humanity to the state of the new creation in Christ, their emergence out of innocence becomes an essential part of that process, and righteous character is an essential component that remains to be developed. This future development is seen first where humanity is elevated above all other creatures in the natural realm, being created in the divine image; God-like yet incomplete. However, the underlying theme of human development is built into the narrative from multiple directions;

1. the primary goal of reproduction and dominion
2. the introduction of the two trees
3. the enmity with the serpent, and its eventual subduing
4. the command of exception concerning the knowledge of good and evil
5. the assignment of man to work

Work Increases

The work man was given in the garden corresponds directly with the authority he was attributed with in Genesis 1:26-28. They were given work as participants in God’s ongoing creative activity. Having been given the appropriate authority, mankind will now go forth and develop the responsibility and accountability for that work. None of this was taken away after taking of the fruit or exiting the garden. If anything, the “curses” broaden the awareness of what is required of mankind in their work, and points to a future state to be fulfilled by Eve’s offspring (3:15). This work is not initiated by humanity until they are sent from the garden.[44] God’s plan and process calls for the natural/physical first followed later by the spiritual. When viewed outside the mystery of God in Christ, we get it backwards thinking immortal flesh and blood can inherit God’s imperishable kingdom.

The work assigned to humanity is entirely consistent with the context established by the narrative; authority given to subdue the natural realm. However, that’s never going to happen without a great deal of effort on our part. The knowledge of good and evil provides a moral context within which that work can be measured and character realized.

Responsibility and Accountability Increases

The tree of exception is the hinge-point for the emergence of humanity out of immaturity and innocence. It’s in this state of innocence that the tree of exception is identified and the lessor command is given to Adam (2:16-17). When issuing the command of death (in dying, you shall surely die), God’s perspective is one encompassing a much larger context than Adam and Eve, the serpent, or even the author of Genesis could have fully recognized or appreciated. It’s not the death common to man that Adam subjects humanity to.[45] It’s the death of judgment, the second death.[46]

 

No one is better equipped to understand the grace of God and the level of value he places on free will than the followers of Christ. Each of us had God’s grace extended to us in immeasurable ways when he called us out of darkness and into the light of Christ. Adam and Eve acted out of the same free will and self-determination that leads each human into disobedience, as the Apostle Paul reminds us.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (Romans 3:23-25)

 

It wasn’t Adam and Eve’s behavior that created the sin that the rest of humanity inherited. It was in fact their humanity that the rest of us inherit, along with the knowledge of good and evil, by which we could know what sin is. All sin and fall short of the glory of God because all were created incomplete in the God-likeness. Recall that it was God who set the order of things; the physical/natural first, then the spiritual. Where is the righteousness and holiness of Adam and Eve, typical in the traditional view of the fall, described in the narrative? You won’t find it. It has to be added. But as our history reveals, it will in fact be added when Yeshua the Christ arrives to provide it for all humanity to receive if they so choose.

Spiritual maturation for the children of God begins in the physical realm in which he created us to dwell. Over the millennia and within the mysterious work of God in Christ, the height, width, length, and depth of God’s wisdom is revealed.

• To lead flawed and imperfect humanity into the obedience of faith, into the righteousness of Yeshua, and ultimately into eternal life.[47]
• By his own virtues of grace, mercy, love, patience, long-suffering, and faithfulness, God will discipline the free will and self-determination inherent in his children.
• Through the revelation of truth in the Logos of God, he will overcome evil, not remove it as a choice.[48] Within the context of free will, good and evil will always coexist. It’s through character that all conscious beings can come to recognize and pursue the rewards of virtue. For humanity, one of those rewards is life eternal.
• Free will is also the instrument by which death is likewise overcome. For those who choose to surrender to Christ and the obedience of faith, they receive eternal life, and the second death has no power over them. For them, death is overcome as a victory. For those who choose otherwise, theirs is the second and permanent death of righteous judgment. For them, death is overcome in its final and permanent execution. In this way, death also is destroyed.[49]

The Great Dragon continues to Decrease

Since the revelation of the Son of God and the resurrection of the Son of Man, the great dragon that serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, possesses a kingdom in decline. Though it appears to be increasing within our physical realm, its future demise is set. It and those willing to inhabit it are destined for destruction.[50] As the Kingdom of Priests increases by the spreading of the gospel to all nations and God’s calling in the Spirit, the first phase of Christ’s kingdom-building process continues to encroach on the powers and authorities in heavenly places that impact the course of our world.[51]

The inauguration of the “kingdom which has no end” spells certain doom for the kingdoms of the earth which do have an end. Even from the very beginning of mankind’s existence, the spiritual tempter behind the serpent was rendering a greater service to mankind than either he or we can appreciate. Because God allowed the serpent to do what the serpent does, God was able to shape the context for humanity’s development from the mist and the dust into the glorious likeness of Christ, even though it came through disobedience.

 

The traditional perspective maintains almost universally that the serpent’s involvement results in a significant failing on Adam and Eve’s part (the fall), that they were victims of the serpent’s deception, an animal they should have exercised dominion over.[52] But this was no ordinary serpent, was it? Others take it even further and assign all the death in the world to the devil.[53] One commentary, however, rightly clarifies that the devil lacks the power to inflict death, showing that the focus of his attention is the “power of the fear of death” and its hold over humanity.[54] The devil, like the serpent, is playing to the same fear of mortality Adam and Eve were exposed to when they emerged out of innocence and unknowing and came to realize mortality firsthand with their own children.

 

I take the perspective that God is supreme and wouldn’t leave his children subject to the guile of the serpent, whose true lie has gone largely unnoticed, unless it served an important part in achieving his goals.[55] God is patient. Though the serpent meant to undermine God’s intent for the seed planted in the mist and the dust, God would achieve our glory not by skirting around the circumstances but by working through them for our benefit and his glory. This is partly revealed in his treatment of the serpent in the garden, which some commentators observed.[56] I’ll quote Keil and Delitzsch:

“When God addressed the animal, and pronounced a curse upon it, this presupposed that the curse had regard not so much to the irrational beast as to the spiritual tempter, and that the punishment which fell upon the serpent was merely a symbol of his own. The punishment of the serpent corresponded to the crime. It had exalted itself above the man; therefore upon its belly it should go, and dust it should eat all the days of its life.”

 

There is a foretelling of humanity’s ultimate success over the serpent and the spiritual tempter according to God’s plan. Though the serpent meant to exalt himself above humanity by leading us into destruction, through a man God would not only bring about the crushing of the angel of light[57] but would exalt those made of the mist and the dust to rule over the elohim and Malak in the heavenly realm. All this was in God’s view within the garden scene, yet it only became fully visible to us through the light in Christ. Additionally, recall that the scope of Adam and Eve’s dominion was restricted to the physical realm in which they inhabited. This is no ordinary serpent as we know them today, either in the physical sense or in the being behind the serpent. Within Ancient Near Eastern culture and writings, serpents were often viewed as a winged dragon often depicted as a composite creature. From this perspective, God’s curse upon the serpent[58] that on your belly you shall go appears more like a curse and a fall than for a serpent that merely has legs. The mention of the other beasts of the field in the curse suggests the serpent is at least equivalent to their roaming capability or is superior to it (3:14a).

 

Keil and Delitzsch continue with regard to the perpetual enmity God established not only between the serpent and the woman but between their seed. From the supernatural perspective, it isn’t simply an enmity between humanity and a serpent, over which humanity has the authority to subdue, but it’s an enmity that reaches into the unseen realm where humanity, left alone and at that point in time, had no authority or means to subdue or resist. Yet in the pages of scripture past, we see Yeshua, the God of the Old Testament, interact either directly or indirectly by his Spirit to lead his chosen people out of the darkness and deception of these opposing spirits.

 

The physical contrast illustrated in the narrative between the serpent, who is reduced to biting the heel of man whereas the man will crush the head of the serpent, speaks to a greater spiritual battle revealed in Yeshua the Christ and all those who trust in God. In Christ, we see the will of God to overcome with grace and mercy that which the serpent intended to overthrow by deceit. What the serpent intended for our destruction, God would use for our glorification.[59] As I’ve indicated previously, the creation of humanity with sovereignty over the physical/natural realm is as much a test for those in the unseen realm as it is for us in the natural realm. The circumstance of the serpent in the garden is only the first of several intersections of the unseen realm impacting the ongoing creative work of God on earth. Though these intersections were intended for our corruption, God would direct them for our benefit.

 

This same enmity is reflected again when the Watchers descend and corrupt the seed of man. Fortunately, through Noah, God preserved the seed connecting the first Adam and the last. And it was through the last Adam that humanity would gain both the means to resist and overcome the influences from the unseen realm, and will eventually gain the authority to subdue and judge the inhabitants of that realm. Within God’s judgment of the serpent is his subtle promise for humanity’s intended future; to reign over heaven and earth in glory as coheirs and co-rulers with the last Adam. This is part of the larger context to which the work of God in Christ is pointing.

 

As the gospel of God’s kingdom began to come to light, Christ’s victory over Satan continues to manifest itself into our realm. As the revelation of God by the gospel goes out to God’s chosen around Judea and Samaria, Yeshua proclaims that his work sees Satan falling from heaven like lightning.[60] Together with his disciples, Yeshua takes the battle of the unseen realm to the very “gates of hell” at the foot of Mount Hermon in the region of Bashan (the place of the serpent).[61] Here resides a center of worship for the lesser god Pan and the high god Zeus. It is here that Yeshua is declared the Son of the living God.[62] It is upon Mount Hermon (this rock), considered the defensive gates of Satan and those elohim who oppose God, that Christ will initiate his kingdom challenge. By the power of God and the work of Christ, these now find themselves under assault. Those gates will not stand against Christ and his body of believers on earth; the kingdom of God is at hand.[63]

 

Keil and Delitzsch continue to note that “it was through the woman that the craft of the devil brought sin and death into the world, so it is also through the woman that the grace of God will give to the fallen human race the conqueror of sin, of death, and of the devil.” This traditional claim can be understood more accurately by viewing it from the larger context revealed by the mystery of God in Christ. The craft of the devil through the woman only brought sin into the world by means of his deception, leading to their disobedience. God used this first expression of humanity’s free will and self-determination as the means by which we could learn what sin actually is. Sin was always going to be both possible and probable considering the limitations of life in the natural realm. Yet, it was this life and this realm that God saw as very good for achieving his intended goal. A goal for which God was willing to exercise great patience and long-suffering to achieve, and one that his faithfulness and hope in Yeshua the Christ was well deserved and fruitful.

 

In this context,[64] Satan is seen as one who by deceit renders men and women to condemnation; a catalyst to sin, not the source of it.

• In the garden via the hidden lie
• Humanity exits the garden with the same free will, self-determination, and knowledge of good and evil shared by all those of the unseen realm.
• Humans have the same opportunity for evil as the elohim but more so because we bear with the weakness of the flesh, something the elohim are not encumbered with.
• The apostle Paul acknowledges the “sin within us” that opposes the command.[65] This would be true even without the negative influences from the unseen realm, but it becomes worse as a result of that influence.
• Even in the field of the gospel, planted by those with the word of God, the devil can rob some of life in Christ[66] for a time.

 

Thankfully, by the mystery of God in Christ, God’s faithfulness is shown in that Yeshua has disarmed this power of deception by the cross for all humanity. In Christ, we find our victory not only over our past but over our future, whether we receive the grace of God offered in Christ now or then. Only those who reject the source of life will forfeit their lives, and, like the disobedient in the unseen realm, they will die like men. As Dr. Heiser discusses in detail the fate of those in the unseen realm who’ve opposed the work of God and his Christ is certain; they too will die like men.[67]

 

Though the serpent helped subject humanity to the certainty of the second death through God’s righteous judgment, this is a death fitting for those who’ve only known mortality. Is not the greater weight upon those of the unseen realm who’ve known immortality but will now face the harsh reality of an end? Theirs is the greater judgment and the greater fall. They’ve fallen into the pit of destruction that was intended for humanity, while humanity is raised to glory in the unseen realm through the completed work of God in Christ. Praise God for his wisdom and his faithfulness.

Creation Increases

With the introduction of the two trees within the garden narrative, God is illustrating both the context for his ongoing creation and his intended goal for humanity. If one assumes that God created Adam and Eve perfect, complete, and immortal, the value of the two trees is diminished.[68] This is precisely what I’ve observed when reading many commentaries on the narrative; the two trees have no significant role to play except to juxtapose the choice before Adam and Eve. Yet within the context of the narrative, the choice was never directly between the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Neither in the command of restriction (2:16-17) or in general awareness of the two trees, as the Tree of Life is not clearly introduced except as a restriction after taking from the tree of exception. The choice was always one of static existence within the confines of the garden, continuing in innocence and not knowing, or step further into their God-likeness by pursuing the knowledge of good and evil shared by their Creator. This is precisely what is in focus when the serpent tempts Eve. Nowhere in the dialog between the serpent and Eve is the Tree of Life addressed (3:1-5), nor is it a motivation for or against the choice being made.

 

From the perspective of the work of God in Christ, the two trees clearly reflect the process of that work; the physical first, then the spiritual. That process reveals the moral development necessary to discern the righteousness available to us in Christ. And it’s only through that righteousness that a pathway to eternal life (the Tree of Life) is opened up to us.[69] The first and foremost command is the driving force for the ongoing creation process and humanity’s development into the maturity and likeness of Yeshua the Christ. This command outlines the context for everything that follows to achieve God’s intended goal for his children.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

 

Eden is not, nor was it ever intended to be, the destination of humanity. Eden was the starting point for the new creation in Christ to be revealed in the future. The natural creation, of which Eden was a part, is what God saw as very good for achieving this intended new creation. Eden is not where Adam was created (2:5-8), nor is it his final destiny. Though Adam was assigned work to tend and keep the garden, it is meant to be a starting point for God’s ongoing creative work on behalf of his children. It is God who subjects his creation to futility, not Adam, and this occurred before Adam was created. Adam merely opened the door to morality, wisdom, and discernment through his disobedience. The death Adam exposed all humanity to was not the first death common to mortal mankind, but the second.[70] This is the death referred to in God’s command of restriction (2:16-17), and the death which hangs over all humanity. It’s part of the futility to which God subjected the world, and from which all creation, including humanity, is redeemed from through Christ our Lord.

God is only Good; We are made Likewise

Along with the presupposition that Adam and Eve must forfeit something because of their disobedience, comes the expectation that Adam and Eve are created perfect and already possessing immortality; complete in their image of God. Yet the narrative illustrates just the opposite; Adam and Eve were in fact made imperfect, incomplete, and mortal. These characteristics were not of Adam and Eve’s making, nor did they come about by anything Adam and Eve did. These characteristics are derived from what Adam and Eve are; human.

The traditional view often sees good and evil as negative aspects of humanity’s development. Many interpreters assume moral understanding before Adam and Eve take of the fruit. This explains why they’re left wondering about the effect of their disobedience and its role for humanity. Adam and Eve had a conscience and moral ability, but not moral maturity; this fits the definition of innocence. It’s the beginning of moral maturity that comes about through the tree of exception. Though it came through disobedience, it did come through a conscious choice; a choice to be more God-like (3:5-6). It was God who placed the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden and drew their attention to it. His declaration that it did move them closer to his likeness (3:22) is altogether a clear indicator that further development was intended. When good and evil are seen as an ability (moral discernment), something that grows over time with maturity, now you have an environment for character development. This is consistent with his instruction later to his chosen people Israel – I set before you life and death, good and evil, choose life . . .[71]

 

A related consideration is that character is not developed by fiat; it cannot just be given. It comes through challenge, testing, struggle, and even sacrifice. Their exposure to morality can arm them with shrewdness, but they will be judged accordingly by their use of it; for good or ill. Dr. Peterson points this out when he claims “Life itself is suffering. It’s not a social construct.”[72] Scripture agrees.[73]

 

I have no desire to return to the traditional sense of things. That would be equivalent to desiring childish ignorance over the wisdom of life’s experience. The one might be more comfortable than the other (ignorance is bliss), but it negates what the wisdom of life is trying to teach us. Each of us, like our Lord, is asked to bear our respective crosses willingly. Doing so ennobles us to Christ while simultaneously giving value to our own crosses. Because his cross, the one with the greatest value, was given on our behalf, it confers value on our suffering and sacrifice as well, as long as we continue in the obedience of faith. Learning from our own disobedience is of far greater value than being told how to behave. The former is a product of maturity, personal responsibility, and accountability, while the latter is reserved for the immature. The former leads to a conscious choice; willing obedience through personal experience and suffering. This leads to unity with the Godhead – a unity of wills.[74]

Shame and Guilt upon Humanity

The idea that Adam and Eve brought guilt and shame upon all humanity through their disobedience lacks the context of what God reveals in Yeshua the Christ. As was shown previously,[75] Adam and Eve bear the guilt alone for their disobedience, and this is how God judges in righteousness.[76] And what of their shame? Though the word isn’t used, their actions appear to reflect it. What’s typically labeled shame could just as easily be viewed as embarrassment, exemplified in the narrative by noting that in their innocence and not knowing, they hadn’t consummated their marriage until after eating of the tree.[77] Nakedness without shame is a sign of innocence. While the need to cover their nakedness and hide from the Lord God suggests a response out of guilt, their attempts to deflect accountability for their actions reveals immaturity instead. How it is viewed depends on where one is starting from. In the case of the immature, which is how I see Adam and Eve, it’s shame without guilt; an awkwardness from something not previously experienced and weren’t prepared for. The need to cover is then a natural reaction to the new awareness of their vulnerability. The traditional approach is an accurate one for a mature person, but Adam and Eve were not. Their deference and blame when confronted with their disobedience is an expression of their immaturity. We see it as guilt because we’re looking at it from this side of knowledge and maturity.

 

I’ve already touched briefly on the connection between nakedness and shrewdness.[78] Though their nakedness reveals much about their condition, Van Ee rightly moves the discussion beyond their nakedness to their reaction to it. He suggests the knowledge of their nakedness is equal to the shame which caused it.[79] Though his approach is useful, Van Ee lets the traditional idea of alienation from God cloud his otherwise useful conclusion:

“Neverless, clothing does not have a negative connotation. Nakedness is not used in Gen 2-3 as an ideal in contrast to clothing; instead, it expresses a state of innocence.”[80]

 

It’s from this innocent state of not knowing that Adam and Eve’s reactions must be viewed. It has to do with the struggle of moving from not-knowing to a larger state of awareness. Nakedness without shame is a sign of innocence at one extreme and a sign of mature intimacy at the other extreme. The difference between the two is filled with knowing. It’s after taking from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that Adam and Eve, and their progeny, begin that trek through knowing. Regardless of how it’s interpreted, any shame they might have felt as a result of their disobedience, that shame, like their guilt, is their own. Theirs was a unique form of innocence in that their experience within the walled garden was untouched by the realities of good and evil prevalent elsewhere in the world. No other humans can be assigned an equal level of innocence, for all since have been the product of a world exposed to the knowledge of good and evil. This is the reality we see in the realm of the physical and natural. According to Christ, each person bears the shame for their poor choices, and each will have the opportunity to grow through them into the maturity and likeness of Christ.

Yet, there is a tendency for some of us on this side of the tree of exception to attribute the sense of shame we experience as a race to the choice of our first parents. In part, this comes from the sense of shame we all share, but can’t fully account for. There is an element of shame for humanity in being made from the mist and the dust, lower than the angels. There is an element of shame in being made incomplete, imperfect, and mortal. There is an element of shame in the futility to which God subjected the world and the vulnerability in which it must dwell. The world felt it when they were subjected to the incursion of the Watchers and the corruption they produced on the earth, leading humanity further away from its creator. Israel, too, God’s chosen people, felt the shame throughout most of their history due to their inability to remain faithful. Yet for all the shame and vulnerability heaped upon humanity, God did not separate or alienate himself from us, but chose instead to set aside his glory momentarily and dwell among us in the flesh. And in doing so, God made a way for his work to be completed; refined and sifted and tested through the water and the fire. God would elevate those of the mist and the dust to the stature of Yeshua the Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man. Praise God for his longsuffering and his faithfulness from which he has never departed.