"There is no understanding of any domain or dominion without understanding its design and purpose before sin and the fall.  We were not made for sin.  Sin happened, so God must and we must deal with it.  But we do not have governance, science, education, family, business, beauty and the arts, communication because we are fallen from God’s ideal.  We do not have nations and cultures because, after sin, there was no other way we could be ruled.  We have all of these arenas of life because we are created in the image of God and they are all part of revealing Him.  They are all ways in which we know, see and worship God.  Our work, creating communities that reflect who God is, is our worship now and forever."

Landa L. Cope

"Culture and community are born from the triune nature of God.  The potential was to multiply the nature and character of God over and over in individuals, in families, in tribes, in nations forever. This was Glory of God filling the earth through diverse communities of human beings committed to loving each other as God loves us all. And God declared is very good. In fact, it was so good that God declared one day in every seven as a day to sit back and look at the beauty and perfection of the productiveness of work, His and ours."

Landa L. Cope

Week 8

The Fall... Creation Entangled

“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5

Was the serpent lying? Genesis 3:7 says, “Then they eyes of both of them were opened…” and Genesis 3:22 says, “…Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil…” These verses show the serpent was telling the truth.

In verse four the serpent starts with a lie, and now in verse five is ending with truth. Why is this significant? This is his craft, we see it through the whole of scripture. He undermines Gods nature, character, personality and motive, then takes a truth of God and twists it so that it caters to our human desire.

So in verse five what has been brought into the picture or relationship?
    Possible doubt in their Creator, and what He has given or not given them?
    A desire for something outside of God?
    A desire to be god?
    A sense of what they have been given is not enough, wanting more?
    Etc…

Think back to Genesis 1 & 2, think of all that we have been given relationally with our Creator God and His creation. What is hanging in the balance here? A piece of fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil vs. what we have in Genesis 1 & 2. What would they be letting go of, and embracing?

Again, what are they about to lose?

Week 7

The Fall... Creation Entangled

The serpent said to the woman, “you surely will not die! Genesis 3:4

If we were to rephrase in our own words the serpents’ statement, you surely will not die, how would you say that? What is the serpent truly saying to them?
“God is not telling you the truth. He is lying to you.”
“God is a liar!”
“God has deceived you.”
“Your source of life, your creator, is lying to you.”
“Thus your basis of truth and reality is a lie.”

What has the serpent just done with those first few words? Has he not just undermined Gods’ character? Tried to cause His created being (made in His image and likeness) to question His motives and intensions? Has he not just tried to undermine their basis of truth, reality and life? Has he not just said he has knowledge, truth and understanding outside of God?

Who is trying to define truth now?

Week 6

The Fall… Creation Entangled.

The woman said to the serpent, “from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’  “ (Gen 3:2-3)

Here we see the woman has chosen to engage in this conversation with the serpent. Why? Does she want to defend what God had truly said? Is she interested in what the serpent might have to say about it? Is she truly ignorant of his motives?

If we look back at Genesis 2:16-17 it will confirm that the woman knows what God commanded. She has the knowledge and understanding of what God told them they could eat, what they could not eat, and why. They, Adam and Eve, had the understanding of choice. The tree was there for the taking if they wanted, yet they knew the consequences, death.

Did Adam and Eve have an understanding of what it meant to die? What was their concept of death? Would their work of cultivating and keeping the garden have given them an understanding of life and death?

The only different between what God said in Genesis 2:16-17 and what the woman says God said in Genesis 2:2-3 is that they are not to touch it. God did not say that. Now that could be a translation issue, but it could also be something the woman added in. If so, why would she do that? Is it important?

So, where is creation at, at this moment?

Week 5

The Fall… Creation Entangled.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘you shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Gen 3:1 NAS

If you remember from week three, Adam has obviously encountered the serpent before, as he would have given the serpent his name (Gen 2:19). Doesn’t that moment in time cause you to imagine and wonder what must have been going on as God brought the serpent to Adam to name? There they are, the three of them together. Did Adam know at that moment the serpent was crafty? Is that why Adam gave him the name serpent? If so, what were the dynamics?

Secondly, a beast is talking! In scripture it does not note that the man or woman were surprised by it. What does that mean? What was the communication like between Gods creation? We have many forms of communication today verbal and non-verbal, intrapersonal and interpersonal etc. Where they all present at the moment? Or was the communication outside our ability to understand?

Now, lets look at the question the serpent asks the woman. “Indeed, has God said, ‘you shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
In asking that question to the woman, what is the serpent doing?
Is he purposely misquoting God or distorting His words, if so, why? How is that significant?
He is obviously questioning her “source” of information, why is that important?
He is also testing her knowledge, her understanding. What is he trying to get to?

In questioning her “source” and her understanding the serpent is getting to her “belief system”, her understanding of truth and reality. And he is causing her to question it. Is that wrong?

So in this first verse of Genesis 3, the beginning of man’s fall, have we lost anything yet?
What does this tell us of communication?
What does it tell us about truth and reality?
What does it tell us of the serpent?
What does it tell us of God, His nature and character?
 

Week 4

Fall of man cont… Man and Man

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib, which He had taken from the man and brought her to the man. The man said, this is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” (Genesis 2:21-23 NAS)

God takes the rib of Adam and places it into the woman.  Why does God use Adam’s rib? Was it necessary?  When you look at Genesis 2:7 it is clear God does not need Adam’s rib. So, why did He use it?  What was His purpose in it?  What was God giving to man?  Was woman a “second self” of man?

God is clear on his purpose for the woman. As Genesis 2:20 tell us God is giving Adam a helper.  How does God define helper?  A companion?  One to share in the work?  Someone to complete the image of God?  What is Gods intention for them?

Why does God allow man to name her?  What does it place in man’s heart?  What is He giving of Himself to both of them in that? 

When Adam says, “Because she was taken out of Man”, what does that tell us about the foundation of science?  What has God put in place inside the design of man? 

What is God teaching us of His nature and character by creating man and woman?

So… what did we lose at the fall?

Week 3

Fall of man cont… Man & the Animals

“Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.” (Gen 2:19-20 NAS)

Imagine you are Adam in the garden and God is walking towards you with an elephant (which of course has no name yet) at His side.  You are captivated by this large creation that is coming towards you.  God has a huge smile on his face and says “what will you name My creation?”  Wow!  YOU get to name every living creature! 

What does this tell you about God’s intended relational with Man?  What does this tell us about man’s authority?  What does it tell man about his work?  What does it tell man about his part in identity?  What is God giving Man?  What is He placing in the heart and mind of man?

What was Adam’s response? How do you imagine he felt?
I wonder what the atmosphere of that moment was like?

Did Adam just start blurting out names randomly, or was there thought and contemplation put into each decision?  Genesis 2:23 will answer that for you.

Again… what did we lose at the fall?
 

Week 2

fall of man cont... God & Man

Lets take a more in-depth look into man being made in the image and likeness of God.

Genesis chapter 1 and 2 tell us that God conceived of replicating and multiplying His perfect Self, and the love and fellowship of God, three in one, by creating human beings. 

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; …” “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”(Gen 1:26-27 NAS)

“Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.” (Gen 2:7 NAS)

Imagine God, three in one, wanting and making man in His own image and likeness. Forming man with His own hands; breathing His own breath togive life! WOW!

Looking at Genesis 1:1-25, the rest of creation is spoken into existence, but man is fashioned and breathed life into by God.  What is God communicating by this?  What is He putting into place?

Think of our bodies and how intricately they are designed, and then think how He fashioned us with the dust of the ground and His breath, nothing else!  Does that not rattle your mind?  What does it tell you about God and the laws of science? What does it tell you about life?

What was God giving man when He gave him His image, His likeness?

What was His purpose and intention in it?

What does this tell us about God’s heart for man?

What does this tell us about God relationship with man?

What does this tell us of man’s value, man’s worth?

What does this tell you of man’s authority?

Again… what did we lose?

Week 1

To be continued…