Tuesday, 14 December 2010
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The Relevance of the Bible to Modern Culture (Part Three)
I talked previously about the irrelevance of sin in a post-modern culture. On second thought, what I have observed is that we are in a post-post-modern culture, if that is possible. Postmodernity has been thrust out as well, unable to answer the questions of modernity at all. In this post, I am intending to outline the origin of sin, and how sin is a relevant topic, more so, because sin ultimately and above all leads to death. Note I borrowed heavily from the book “Sinfulness of Sin” by Ralph Venning in this post.
Generally, sin is against the well being of man. When Adam was put in the Garden of Eden to begin with, all the creatures came to him and were under his control (Genesis 2v.19). The man was in a serene paradise with nothing more than he could want, he had direct contact with God without having to hide or fear from God (Genesis 3v.8). He had the Woman, and she was beautiful and they were united and content (Genesis 2v.24). All of creation was under his control and there was no sickness or pain or suffering. Man was a complete and very good creation.
But when Man sinned, he was turned out of his home, gone were the good land and the paradise. He was thrust out of the Garden of Eden to become like a beggar, living by his own hands and to produce sustenance by the sweat of his brow. (Genesis 3v.19) Mankind was cursed and from his once great status as friends of God, became fugitives from God. What a paradigm shift that sin brings about to our state!
Sin deprives us of our livelihood and makes us lose all point to living by removing God from the center of our lives. Once we were born of a high lineage, when we begin to consider how great it would have been to have the Lord of Lords describe us as “very good”. Moreover, we have been fashioned in the image of a Holy Almighty God, and by sin alone we forfeited it all to follow our own false judgment.
Sin made man stupid and a fool. Note that after the sin when men tried to hide from God, the passage goes:
“The Lord called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?” The man answered, “I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid”.
Obviously man knows that God is omnipotent, so why try to hide from an all-knowing and all-seeing God? Adam had become hardened in heart from sin. They did not come out and beg for forgiveness, he was still proud in heart and slow to admit he had wronged an all-powerful God. This plays out in society today, there is a bitter generation that cannot let go of their childhood, destroying and eating away at their lives. They are not able to forgive, nor are they able to forget. Justifying evil because of evils done to them, not willing to turn their other cheek.
In the first sin, Adam sought to challenge God and blame the wife, turning the blame from himself onto “The woman YOU put you put her with me”. His assertion was that it was God’s fault that he sinned, and no doing of his own. Michael Yousuf attributes sin as the main reason for so many divorces today. He’s totally right, that in so many marriages, if people would just admit they themselves are in the wrong without blaming others. This point was clear in the book I am reading for a counseling course I am participating in, by Jay Adams as well.
Finally, sin removes our comfort and joy. It says:
“In sorrow shall you eat all the days of your life.” Genesis 3v.17.
Sin degrades man and defiles him, we were made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8v.5) but now post-Fall we are almost as low as the devils. Man was once a companion for God himself, but sin has separated God and man with a giant void. Sin brings in all suffering and heartache to all human lives, much of the suffering which we are so familiar with. God accursed Adam and Eve, as representatives of mankind:
“I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children…Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you." (Genesis 3v.16, 17-18).
Man has changed from being a lord in the Garden of Eden to a slave to the lusts and fancies of his heart.
How relevant do you think the story of the Garden of Eden is to our lives today? Do you think about it often?
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- From: llamalima@xanga
- About Me: Who am I? I am 19 year old university student, prone to stressing over about some assignment due the next day. I sometimes have time to blog mostly about Christian thoughts. In my spare time, I am also a musical connoisseur, ninja, movie junkie, and full-time hypochondriac. I may have lied about one of those, or a few.
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Comments (20)
I went from hardcore Christian to hardcore pagan but for some reason I still enjoy reading theological stuff.
Anyhow this was one of your better posts, this guy is good.
When I try to be obnoxious and get under Christians skin (which is always:) I often ask them if they really believe a walking talking snake stole the universe, obviously referring to the garden of Eden.
I had an experienced elder of a church AND he was a lifelong salesmen and you all know that experienced salesmen are good with there words. Anyhow he totally refused to answer my question. He felt trapped. So I would say it is EXTREMELY relevant because that will be the first thing that obnoxious pricks like me will fire into.
I just noticed the author is Asian.That explains why this post is good, Asian people are SMART!
I love the story of the Garden of Eden. It's quite deep, the further you press into it. For example, when Adam said, "we were naked," that was technically not true. He was wearing those fig leaves he and Eve threw together. But in the eyes of God, we see ourselves as we really are... apart from the 'rags of our righteousness,' we are destitute, and poor, and naked, and blind...
"Sin made man stupid and a fool."
apparently, man was created foolish, because he disobeyed God.
anyway... the problem with your overall argument only makes sense if you're Christian. there's no non-religious reason to believe that we would magically stop dying if we could all lead blameless lives. so, it's not that sin is relevant to modern culture. it's related to Christian culture.... which, no offense, is kind of a "well, duh!" statement anyway. if you're Christian, sin should absolutely matter. but it is still irrelevant to culture as a whole. entire civilizations have risen, thrived, and collapsed without ever having the notion of sin.
@GoshenHypnosis@xanga - wasn't it Satan in the form of a walking snake? (until God crushed him and no longer let snakes walk but crawl on their bellies as a reminder of Christ's victory over sin?) And I don't believe he stole the universe. God is still in control and has given us the way back to a personal relationship with him and freedom from the bondage of sin in our spirit.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I disagree. I think that you will agree with me that the world is no where near perfect. There are many evils and injustices in this world. Since God is a just and righteous god, our own sin, however small or large it may be, condemns us to separation from him. We no longer have the relationship that Adam and Eve had with him. The only way for us to have a personal, intimate relationship with him is if the sins, or injustices, of everyone is paid for by someone who has never sinned, God's Son, Jesus Christ. After Jesus rose from the dead and conquered death (symbolic of his victory over Satan and sin) we now have the a way to have that relationship with God. If one does not believe there to be sin, how can they understand who God is and what he has done for mankind? Which is the very basis of Christianity... I think we can agree that this world needs to be saved from evil and injustice, right? Sin is just a "religious" term for it.
@jensa07@xanga - I don't mean to be technical, but since you said that Adam was not technically naked, I hope to settle your confusion.
9But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" 10And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." 11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" Genesis 3:9-11
Adam used the past tense. "I HEARD the sound of you in the garden, and I WAS afraid, because I WAS naked, and I HID myself." After Adam ate the fruit God commanded him not to eat, he realized he was naked. That's when he became afraid of God and "hid" or put on fig clothing. Adam was naked before putting on the fig clothing. That is what he was referring to in that verse, not that he was naked at that exact moment God was talking to him.
But you're right. There is a lot of meaning deeper than just whether or not he was clothed or not. The reason Adam covered himself was that he no longer had that intimate relationship with God. That is why waiting until after marriage for sex is more than just a rule God gave us. It's a symbol of our relationship with God. It's intimacy. After Adam sinned he no longer felt comfortable in front of God naked. He was afraid. Do you understand what I am trying to say? It is more than just the physicality of the clothes but what it represents in our soul...
@TheyCallMePaulNow@xanga - yes absolutely that is what the fairy tale claims but it is extremely hard to explain that to someone who has anything more then a third grade education especially when you try and tell them that "God is still in control but he allowed a snake temporarily take over because he is so powerful and wise".
You see you have to word it like it really is because there are believe it or not a couple of smart people out there that will call you out on the fact that presuppositionally this story is somewhat similar to Santa Claus, Whinny the Poo, and the Peter Pan man, and when you explain to them that "God does not reveal his infinite wisdom to the wise of this world" they have a tendency to look at you like you may have had one too many hits off the crack pipe.
I am seriously not trying to be a smart ass because I have been on both sides of this coin and I must admit, I am happy to be on the skeptic side now because it makes me feel quit a bit more honest with myself.
Good post.
Christianity's strength is not in explaining away evil or in saying that it is not relevant.
Christianity's strength is in showing us how bad sin is for us and for those around us, and for helping us to not sin. Jesus, Mary, the Chruch, and the saints help us in this battle.
Do a search: The First Scandal.
@TheyCallMePaulNow@xanga -
"I think that you will agree with me that the world is no where near perfect."
true, but i don't believe that it ever was or ever can be. injustice is relative and a fact of life. sorry, but you're talking to someone who has a lack of belief in God. in order to convince me of "sin," you need to convince me that it's possible to have anything else but sin.
"If one does not believe there to be sin, how
can they understand who God is and what he has done for mankind? Which
is the very basis of Christianity"
and that's why i see Christianity's logic as circular: in order to become Christian, you have to already have a Christian ideology. if you can't provide evidence of sin outside your faith, then your sin only exist inside your faith. therefore, it's only relevant to those who share your faith.
"... I think we can agree that this
world needs to be saved from evil and injustice, right? "
i think that if anyone is even remotely interested in making this world a better place, they should stop waiting for an invisible being in the sky "save" them. so no, i don't believe in your concept of salvation. i think that people are 100% capable of change, and that if they want the world to be a better place they should roll up their sleeves and get to work.
@TheyCallMePaulNow@xanga - yeah, I know what you're saying. It seems you missed my point though, because that's what I was implying. In all aspects of the word, (our word), naked means you're wearing your birthday suit. Adam wasn't, but he felt it, because he really was. You don't get this unless you're in the presence of God. Premarital sex, too, isn't really so terrible unless you see yourself (and your partner) in the eyes of God, which, whether or not you actually believe in Him, causes you to see them (and yourself) as a human being.
@GoshenHypnosis@xanga - lol.
@llamalima@xanga -
My take is that sin (by any name) is totally relevant, but your (or Venning's) interpretation seems unhelpful (Christian or otherwise). So what do I do with the conclusion you reach? Strive / discipline myself to be sinless? And then what? Will my life not have suffering, sickness...and be joyful all the time? Sorry don't buy it.
Yet I do sense there IS hope in the story (whether historical or not doesn't matter). What if the Adam and Eve story is representational of each of our life's journey. When we're born we don't sin, right? We're totally innocent...and transparent as babies. Its only when fear enters the scene and we worry we won't get what we need that we are tempted to manipulate, grab, rebel, etc, ie self promote and self protect (aka sin).
But rebellion doesn't have to be the end of the story...after all there was the second Adam (Jesus) that came to redeem...to replace the law with a relationship through the Spirit. So what does that well trod Christian-esey phrase offer anyone (Christian or otherwise)? It seems to me to mean that its clear we can't 'not sin' on our own...any of us (Christian or otherwise) I think we can, given the right circumstances (wealth, comfort, safe relationships, religious conviction), 'manage' our behavior in some way (right, think about the standard argument that we're a 'modern moral' society and don't need 'religion' to be 'good'). But I'm convinced that only works for season's in our lives...if we actually choose to 'feel' our feelings and LIVE. That's a pretty loaded set of thoughts, b/c I seem to be arguing if I CAN live a moral life for my entire life than I'm choosing to NOT feel (meaning perhaps not clearly seeing my own sin and/or am likely stuffing my own feelings, or even choosing to be a good boy out of fear), but there it is (based on my own life experience).
Sin actually means merely 'missing the mark,' and the 'mark' is a life following God. And the Gospels seem to say that a life following God is actually GOOD (in a tangible way that I can feel I assume) in this life...and the next! So I think that following Jesus gives us the joy (and hope) to face our fears (suffer well)...and 'die' to our sins ... all that to mean we CAN change our behavior (and experience of life) permanently and for the better! And that's impossible or at best a very long process otherwise. So I don't believe there are two worldviews, one for Christians and one for everyone else...that totally makes no sense to me. It seems there's one integrated worldview and it requires all of us to share our experience of the world, while in relationship together...to discover a fuller understanding of 'Truth.'
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I think you misunderstand me. I don't believe salvation is "making this world a better place." I don't believe it's about the change itself but about the hope that Jesus HAS conquered this world. Instead of making this world a better place, I believe that through faith in Jesus, God will remove me from this world, and thus, from imperfection to perfection, Heaven.
I completely understand your view. Reality. Why put your trust in something that isn't tangible? Right? It seems foolish to you. I understand that.
In your own words you say that you "think that people are 100% capable of
change, and that if they want the world to be a better place they should
roll up their sleeves and get to work." However, if you believe that "it ever was or ever can be" perfect, then isn't our effort ultimately in vain? Also, if the only thing driving you in life is to change, what happens if you don't, or worse what happens if you do? Then what? After living a full life, granted that we all live 'til we're old and gray, comes death. Is that the end? I understand this way of thinking, but I for one would much rather hope for more, that there is perfection beyond our world and that he cares enough about us to give us the strength to endure this world and the grace to bring us into his world, Heaven, when it's our time. To me, that seems less circular than the world you described. I think history has shown just how fragile humanity is. If humanity truly can change, why haven't we? I believe it is because we are just that, human. Has God saved this world? Not yet,but he's saved me. And you're right, God is giving me an opportunity to have an impact on this world. I do hope to work hard and make a difference to humanity (I work in the medical field) though now I have a purpose, a reason to do so. To be a reflection of God to those around me. I am very grateful for the relationship that I have with God. Without him what purpose in this life do I have? Or the next? For if this is all there is to live for, change in a world that is unjust, then I would much rather believe in God. I understand how you feel about this whole thing, but I hope that I have helped you to understand my view a little better. And I am glad that you have a drive for change in this world. It desperately needs it. Peace be with you. =)
@jensa07@xanga - I didn't mean to say that premarital sex was terrible, only that sex, or being naked, is intimate. Nothing is hidden. When Adam sinned, he was naked. But because he now had something to hide from God, he realized that he was naked, physically and spiritually.Thus, he hid from God physically and spiritually. He clothed himself and avoided God. In the Bible, God often uses a physical symbol or character to represent the spiritual. In this case, Adams physical nakedness symbolized his relationship with God. Once Adam took away the intimacy, he put separation between him and God. I know that this is what you were referring to, but it is important to note that Adam and Eve were indeed physically naked. Again, I don't wish to be argumentative, but hope to make it more clear as to why it's so important that he was both literally and symbolically naked.
@GoshenHypnosis@xanga - If you are so critical of Christianity, then let me be critical of belief that Christianity is not true. Without God, what purpose is there to life? And is this all there is? Would you rather live in a world that is lost and has no hope at all? For, I believe, that any path outside of Christianity will ultimately lead to despair. Just ask Picasso...
@TheyCallMePaulNow@xanga -
"I don't believe it's about the change itself but about the hope that Jesus HAS conquered this world."
i don't believe there is anything to conquer. if the world is imperfect, it is because we have made it that way. the world does not exist outside of us.
"However, if you believe that "it ever was or ever can be" perfect, then isn't our effort ultimately in vain?"
why should that mean we cannot take steps to improve. it seems like a defeatist attitude, a perfectionist attitude, to say that you won't try something without knowing you can succeed.
"Also, if the only thing driving you in life is to change, what happens if you don't, or worse what happens if you do?"
i'm not sure what you mean. if i fail to change, or change in a way i do not like, i have no one to blame but myself.
"I understand this way of thinking, but I for one would much rather hope for more"
and that's fine. but i'm satisfied with existence as it is. i'm not interested in seeing this life as nothing more than a test, or a waiting room to get into Heaven. if there really is something better on the other side, the only logical thing to choose is mass suicide.
"If humanity truly can change, why haven't we?
because as a whole, we're incredibly selfish, apathetic beings. it's just a matter of fact. any anthropologist will tell you that as a species, we haven't evolved to care about anyone outside of our immediate social circle.
"I do hope to work hard and make a difference
to humanity (I work in the medical field) though now I have a purpose, a
reason to do so."
frankly, i find it sad that you don't care enough about other human beings and need an invisible being to motivate you to be a better person. it makes your religion sound like a crutch. and it's a crutch i don't feel i need.
"Without him what purpose in this life do I have?"
i'm an existentialist. i believe we choose our own purpose.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - I am really enjoying our conversation. I hope that you do not view it as a debate or argument. I certainly don't mean for it to be one. If you wish, we can continue this conversation through messaging. How 'bout it? =)
@TheyCallMePaulNow@xanga - It would be foolish for me to say there is no God because nobody knows. Both sides of the issue when dogmatic are equally foolish. But your argument is mute. Every religion makes that argument.
I am extremely open minded to both sides but when it comes to organized religion and man's monopoly upon it there are certain things I know. The power of belief's are phenomenal. With the right belief system (suggestion) you can get all your teeth pulled out with no anesthesia. I just did a post on that.
My argument to you would be that why is it that a Christian cannot pray and believe and have his teeth pulled out without anesthesia if God is so real and "powerful" when in fact a "pagan" like me can through self hypnosis?