It's cheating theologically to say, "Well, God's shared all his other attributes
like intelligence and creativity and emotions.
But he didn't share this one, we don't have free will."
A couple other things. So Adam and Eve, we'll spend a few minutes
on this, because we're going to get into it a little bit later next week.
But we know what happens with Adam and Eve.
We know the story, I'm not going to rehearse the story itself.
But in your reading for tonight, I get into a little bit about
kind of the implications here. And about God's foreknowledge,
if the fall was predestinated, doesn't that make God the cause of evil?
Adam and Eve hadn't sin prior to the incident in the garden,
but they were not perfect. Only God is perfect.
Adam and Eve were not God. They were images of God. They were innocent.
God had shared his attributes with them, one of which is freedom.
And again, you know from the content of the book, like I said, we'll get,
I know we'll get into when we get into supernatural rebellions.
But it's a really significant thought that when God decides to share his attribute
of freedom with beings in this world, humans, and in the supernatural world.
When God makes that decision, he has decided that he is not going to either
make robots or turn them into robots.
They have the capacity for failure. They have the capacity for rebellion.
God knows this. He's not surprised when it happens.
This is the basis of what theologians and philosophical theologians will call
the "freewill defense", the "freewill theodicy", the explanation for evil.
It's an intrinsic...
it's a view that derives and arises from the text, because of imaging,
this is what I want you to see, you cannot rightly be called an imager of God,
if you do not have this attribute, because God is not without that attribute,
God is not a robot.
It's cheating theologically to say, "well, God shared all his other attributes,
like intelligence and creativity and emotions, but he didn't share this one.
We don't have free will. But the other ones Yeah, you know."
Well, you cheat.
On what basis are you going to withhold this one and accept all the other ones?
"Because that's what some creedal statement says in the XVI Century..."
Well, you know, good for you.
Okay, you know, on what biblical basis are you going to withhold that?
Are you going to say; all the other ones count except for this one?
Because if that one gets on the table, then we have an explanation for evil
that doesn't involve God forcing sin, predestinated sin, or even needing sin.
It is what it is because lesser beings who are able to choose chose wrongly.
I know that's not comforting on one level, because well,
"why doesn't God step in there and stop everything?"
Well, he could, but he'll have to eliminate everybody.
And that would be like admitting it's a bad idea.
"Well, nobody's gonna be around to criticize God, why doesn't he just wipe us?"
Yeah, well, sure.
That's what you're reduced to; the elimination of all intelligent beings,
everything that's made in God's image.
Yeah, God can end evil real quickly.
But the fact that he didn't do that ought to be a sufficient answer for you.
He has something else in mind despite the pain of failure, the pain of evil.
Now I want to get to this one.
We can talk about the temptation and we will a little bit later.
I want to get to this summary note and then I want to share a resource with you.
This is from a guy named Terence Fretheim. I believe this as the Fretheim quote.
And I don't agree with him theologically on certain things,
but I like the way he puts this:
«The continued use of image of God language in the narrative.»
Remember, image of God it doesn't go away after the fall.
«(5:1; 9:6)... is notable [in] that Adam is not presented as a slob
or Eve as a foul wretch.» I kind of liked the way he put that.
They're still imagers, is his point. They're not lesser in status.
«God’s sending them out of Eden to take up the same task given in 2:15»,
and he repeats it in 3:23,
«recognizes that humanity has not been reduced to a state of total depravity.»
Like, there's just nothing good in you anymore. Why do you even exists?
I'm just going to turn my back on you and we're done.
«Adam and Eve leave the garden with a certain integrity,» they're still imagers,
«still the bearers of the divine purposes for the world.
Moreover, that the flood story does not immediately follow
is important; the situation is not yet what it will be in chapter 6.»
It's going to get worse.
«Rather, the Creator of the universe takes on human form,
goes for a walk among the creatures.»
That's Genesis 3:8, by the way, «and personally engages them.
This is no naive theology; God comes to the man and the woman in their sin;
God does not leave them or walk elsewhere.»
I think that's really well said.