Sunday School class is interesting – especially when we discuss Adam and Eve. For many groups, the teaching is that they committed sexual sin and therefore ran afoul of God and were ushered out of the Garden of Eden. For some others, this life is a one shot deal and there is nothing to look forward to when we leave this mortal condition. The arguments rage all around us, but the scriptures make it clear that mortality is not a one shot deal, it is rather a series of tests to see if we will do what God has asked us to do. The first and major commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God” and in the Garden the requirement of obedience was stated “Of the trees of the garden thou shalt freely eat, but of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil thou shalt not eat, for in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die”. Nevertheless, Adam and Eve had their agency as to whether they would keep this commandment. A commandment to multiply and replenish the earth was also given but as yet, they were not mortal and mortality had to be introduced before multiplication could take place. So we see that one commandment had to be transgressed in order for the other to be fulfilled. Transgression is the term applied to a situation where the law is broken in innocence or rather without an understanding of good versus evil and sin is committed where the individual has direct knowledge of the right and wrong of the question they face.
The Class examined Genesis and discussed the following points:
1. They were married while living in the Garden and before they were cast out. Genesis 3: 6 KJV She took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
2. Adam chose to eat because – Genesis 3:12 KJV the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.
3. The subtlety of the serpent overpowered innocent Eve in Genesis 3:13 KJV And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
4. God dealt with the Serpent Genesis 3:13 KJV Because thou has done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
5. God’s reprimand to Eve Genesis 3:16 KJV I will greatly ultiply thy sorrow and they conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
6. God’s reprimand to Adam Genesis 3:17 KJV Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of hty wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded the, saying, Thou shaltl not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; and the curse continues through to Vs. 19
7. Genesis 3:20 KJV Adam explains the meaning of his wife’s name. and Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
8. God made clothing for Adam and Eve Genesis 3:21 KJV Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
9. Then the significant statement of the Lord God in Genesis 3:22 KJV And the Lord God said, behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. The class discussion over this verse pointed out that “one of us” denotes plurality and the key to becoming as the Gods is “to know good and evil”.
10. Adam and Eve were then sent forth from the garden in vs. 23 and so that Adam did not go back and eat of the tree of Life and live forever, cherubims and a flaming sword turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.
The discussion was lively and we came away with a greater understanding of the situation in the Garden, learned that it was not sexual sin, but rather that by eating of the fruit, Adam and Eve had introduced mortality. A change came over their Garden of Eden God Created bodies so that they could now procreate and becoming mortal they could have children.
We also discussed "As man is, God once was; As God is, man may become."
As the teacher I was impressed with the gusto with which they examined the Genesis chapter. I was also exhausted after the lesson – it is hard to keep 15 Adults focused on the subject in hand.
After church we came home and the crock pot meal was ready to eat.
In the evening Bill had a meeting to go to in Topsham and he drove with some of the members because his ability to not get lost is legend. We drove 108 miles on Christmas morning to try to find a member and bring them to church service.
While he was there at the meeting, I worked on my genealogy on the computer entering the information from the death certificates that have been sent to me from Australia. A distant cousin has sent me almost 40 certificates and many updates to my Lockyer line. This is the line for my Mother.
Genealogy is not without its skirmishes but sooner or later, someone comes forward with the exact information that completes the picture and now I have a better picture of my Lockyer lineage from Othery, Somersetshire, England.
No comments:
Post a Comment