The last discussion regarding our Christian myth began by considering the significance of such questions as: Who are we? What are we? Where are we? My effort was to try and focus on our need to orient ourselves throughout are lives. We always want to know where we’re at in time and place, and we want to know where we’re at in abstract ways as well. This is especially true with regard to our relationships with other people. We ask ourselves questions like: Am I in good standing where I work? Does my spouse still love me? Am I going to make the team? Our existence in relation to other people is fundamental to pretty much everything we do throughout our lives. It starts with the basics of life in a family, then the development of friendships outside of the family, and beyond that the need to affiliate with others in order to make our way in the world.

It’s not easy. Even in the best of circumstances there always seems to be the potential for misunderstanding and strife. From infancy the tendency for conflict with others is natural. We’ve got our agenda and the powers that be—read mom and dad—have theirs’s. Later when we’re knocking around the neighborhood with our friends we can’t agree on what to do with our “free” time. Later still we’re faced with the responsibility of selecting our leaders on Election Day, something that’s becoming increasingly acrid each time we do it. Why is it so hard? Why is the potential for strife so pronounced?

This brings us to chapter three of our “myth” concerning beginnings. In chapter 2 of Genesis we’re provided with a more detailed presentation of our origins, with attention given to the establishment of gender; the fundamental point being the intentional design of men and women by our creator God. All is well and the Lord, from the very beginning of their existence, encouraged the first couple to be “fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:28) There was only one restriction. They could make use of everything that was available in their environment with one exception: a tree that produced a fruit called the “knowledge of good and evil.” (Genesis 2:16-17) And as Shakespeare once said through his Hamlet: “there’s the rub.” It’s surprising to note how often people refer to this fruit as an apple. In so doing, they tend to completely miss the point of what’s said here. They think that the sin of Adam and Eve was simply not doing what they were told when the language indicates something far more disturbing. Instead of acknowledging the Lord’s judgment regarding what is good and bad, the first couple chose to decide for themselves; they chose to move out from under the authority of God and go their own way. The result was a curse from God which compromised their relationship with each other, and their connection with the rest of creation. (Genesis 3:14-19) In effect it rendered them less than human because true humanity, by design, can only be realized in relationship with the Lord. Any effort to rectify the human condition apart from God is futile, producing at best a mere facsimile of human “actualization.”

I know that’s a mouthful, but isn’t that what everyone is trying to do in their own way. Beyond simply getting enough to eat and having a roof over their head, most people engage in some version of an effort to make their lives significant…worthwhile…and fulfilling. The attempt is informed by notions of religion, politics, wealth, prestige…and family. And for most folks around the globe it’s an effort that’s not informed by the one true God of the Bible. It’s that separation from God which began when Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden that has resulted in all of the strife associated with human existence.

From that point on the Lord has been about the business of providing a way for us to be reconciled to Him. This effort was inaugurated when He provided Adam and Eve with a means to cover up their nakedness. Ever since then the Lord has sought to address this breach of fellowship; an effort which came to a head when our Savior appeared, voluntarily died on a cross, and made that reconciliation evident when He rose from the dead! Why did the Lord do that? Remember He had told Adam that the consequence of eating the forbidden fruit was death. (Genesis 2:17) So why did the Lord immediately begin to make provision for Adam and the rest of us in our fallen condition? Considering this reminds me of a question that is often asked by people who refuse to believe in the existence of God. The conversation often starts when an attempt is made to present the good news to a decided skeptic. The Christian presenting the gospel starts out by saying that Jesus died for our sins on the cross, then the person he’s talking to starts to smirk and roll his eyes suggesting he’s heard this before. He then interrupts the presentation and says, “I don’t believe in God.” And before the Christian can reply he says, “If there’s a God why does he allow so much suffering and chaos in the world?”

Considering this question prompted me to consider the alternatives the Lord had when He first discovered the fallen condition of Adam and Eve. He found them hiding in shame having attempted to cover up their nakedness and realized that they’d eaten from the forbidden tree. As I thought about this it occurred to me that the Lord had three options. He could’ve killed them on the spot, He could’ve redesigned them so that they didn’t have the capacity to disobey Him, or He could work with them as He did, making a provision for their current condition. Why did He choose option three? I believe the answer to that question is the same answer to the skeptic’s question. The Lord work’s with us and allows all the suffering in the world because He loves us!

Now that probably sounds strange. If He loved Adam and Eve, and all of us who came after them, shouldn’t He look beyond our mistakes and try and convince us—or force us—to do the right thing? Isn’t that what parents are supposed to do? Why did God allow all this mayhem to infiltrate the world? The answer to that is not easy to hear. I think the Lord couldn’t overlook it. He couldn’t go back on His word, and He couldn’t allow us—starting with Adam and Eve—to decide for ourselves what’s good and evil. None of us have the capacity to do that on our own and we were never intended to try. And He couldn’t force us to do His bidding because that’s inconsistent with His nature. God is love and as bearers of God’s image we’re meant to love, which has to do with existing in a relationship. And the first and foremost relationship pertaining to our existence is our relationship with the Lord Himself. When Adam and Eve decided to make their own choice apart from God they violated that relationship and were dehumanized as a result. From then on the Lord’s been about the business of addressing that breach. He couldn’t force Adam and Eve to do the right thing because in that condition love wouldn’t define the relationship. Love has to be freely given and received. As far as God is concerned love is central to His being and He freely bestows it on whomever He wishes. Adam and Eve—and all the rest of us—were created in God’s image, meaning that our very nature is to exist in relationship with God and with one another. That’s why I said that Adam and Eve’s decision to go their own way resulted in their dehumanization. And that’s why the Lord has been engaged in an ongoing effort to bring about our reconciliation with Him.

Now I know that I’ve been focusing on a section of scripture that presents a multitude of issues pertaining to our existence. There are a lot of inferences regarding the human condition and the nature of God in these first chapters of Genesis. And I haven’t come close to addressing all of them, that wasn’t my goal. My intention was to introduce you to the importance of this “myth” and to help you to begin to recognize some of the implications of what is presented in this story. These chapters of Genesis present truth regarding the nature of our existence. And one of the foremost features of that nature has to do with our relationship with our creator God. We can’t really understand ourselves properly if our starting point is based on independence from God. That is simply not who we are as a “species.” The problem is that in our current situation as modern Americans it’s difficult if not impossible to discern our true nature.

We’re on our own without the Lord, and any attempt to understand ourselves in this condition is like trying to understand a machine that runs on gasoline without understanding what gasoline is. That’s why it’s so important for us to take the Bible seriously, to study it, and to apply it to every facet of our lives. The scriptures provide a revelation that helps us bridge the gap between ourselves and our creator. He has invested in His word and it has the potential to inform us in ways that are difficult if not impossible to achieve on our own or through any other source.

Having attempted to make this case I encourage you to READ YOUR BIBLE! STUDY YOUR BIBLE! DISCUSS WHAT’S PRESENTED IN YOUR BIBLE! It will impact you in ways that nothing else can.