When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her; and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. -Genesis 3:6-7
Christians commonly refer to this event as The Fall.
They claim that Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit was what caused sin to somehow enter into their natures.
However, is this logical?
Seriously, think about this people.
If prior to eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, there was no sin in the world and Adam and Eve did not have sin natures, how did Eve have the potential to sin in the first place by eating from the tree?
Well, the Hebrews have a different notion of how man received what Christians call the sin nature.
They believe that when God created Adam and Eve, He created them in the very beginning with both a “good inclination” and an “evil inclination“.
In Hebrew, the “good inclination” is called the Yetser Tov and the “evil inclination” is called the Yetser Harah.
So from the outset, humankind already had the capacity to both sin and do good and was given a free will to choose which inclination to go with when confronted with a moral decision.
We will explore this in much more depth in a later lesson.
However, just know for now that there is a huge difference between how Jews and Christians perceive this event.
For the modern church, this event resulted in humankind’s relationship with God being severed and his very being becoming infected with what Christians call a “sin nature“.
Thus, the conclusion reached is that we need a Savior who will restore us to mankind’s “pre-fall” condition.
The Jewish people on the other hand view the fall in a somewhat positive light.
What happened when Adam and Eve ate from the fruit of the tree is that they became liberated in a sense.
They now had the capacity (and responsibility) to make choices.
However, prior to the rebellion, they were like robots, because there was no other choice.
Prior to God’s command that forbade them from eating from the tree, there was only a single pathway laid out by God with no alternative.
Kind of like voting in an election where there is only one candidate to choose from.
However, through their act of rebellion, Adam and Eve acquired a kind of freedom and could now choose for themselves whether to love and obey God.
Of course God had to give them this choice because forced love is not love at all.
I know this might be a little difficult to comprehend, but understand that because of this fundamental difference in perspectives, for the Jewish people, a savior has not been about having an individual person’s relationship restored with God.
Rather, it has always been about making the Hebrews the dominant culture all over the world.
Salvation was always seen as national issue.
The “Savior” or in Hebrew speak “The Messiah” would be the mightiest warrior-king Israel ever had born from the offspring of King David.
From this perspective, it is easy to see why many Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah when he first came to earth.
He just didn’t match their expectations that the messiah would be a great “warrior-king” and He did not establish global peace.
Although believers understand that when Jesus returns, He will come back as a warrior-king, this is important information to have in order to understand the mindset of your Jewish neighbor.
Please Please Please do the scriptures Justus!
This idea is clearly unscripted. Lets look at what God says, and let the bible speak for itself.
The law defines sin:
1Jo 3:4 “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.”
Ro 3:20 “for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”
Ro 7:8 “For without the law sin was dead.”
1Co 15:56 “the strength of sin is the law.”
So the comment this writer made earlier “prior to the rebellion, they were like robots, because there was no other choice.” Is false. That’s why he gave them a law. He gave them freedom of choice to obey, or disobey. Obedience would demonstrate there love for him. (this idea is of obeying the law is all though the law, cp. De 11:1, 13, 22. 19:9. 30:16, 20…) I agree that “ forced love is not love”, that’s why man free will.
Prior to the fall they had freedom of choice, but didn’t have knowledge of good and evil…
The idea of these God and evil incarnations is not even in the record, but the bible tells us were the idea came from. – 2Co 11:3 “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Eve’s mind was corrupted by the serpents thinking and logic. Once the seeds were sown in her mind the lusts where aroused. (James 1:14 (Her own desires where stronger than her love for God)).. This corruption of human thinking resalted in two types of people, those who thought like the serpent – the seed of the serpent; and those who thought like the woman before she was corrupted (who stood for truth Gen.3:2-3) – the seed of the woman (ultimately Christ).
There was to be enmity between the two seeds until Christ crushes the thinking power of the serpent. Cp Gen.3:15 with Heb.2:14
The author also says that this choice to love only existed post the fall. But as we just discussed, the choice was there as soon as the commandment was given. (even before eve was created)
If they were robots be for the fall, then God is responsible for the fall. Ro 9:14 “Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.” But he used the situation to outwork a greater good. (see last sentence of comment)
The curse was the result of disobedience. There was nothing inherently bad about the tree, it was simply a means of attaining knowledge – (becoming like the Elohim.)
Both choices of life and death where were offered before the fall (Gen.2:9,17) and after the fall (eg De 30:19)
The author claims that the fall bought freedom. But the bible clearly says in many places that is sin brings death..!
The fall severed the relationship between God and man… eg. Isa 59:2 “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you…”
So God sent his son to make a way possible to be delivered form this sin prone nature. The second time he comes to this earth, he will remove entirely all remnants of the curse, And renew that relationship with God to a state better than that in Genesis. Not only free from the bonds of sin, but immortal and we will love our God and that relationship will be restored – Re 21:3 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
AMEN!!
Very well stated, Stephen.