The Sin Of Adam
Sermon
It always strikes me as strange that St Paul puts so much emphasis on Adam's sin, but that the Church has consistently blamed Eve for the introduction of sin into the world. In fact, if we stick strictly to the story in Genesis, it was neither Adam nor Eve but the serpent who introduced sin, for the serpent lied to Eve and put temptation in her path (Genesis 3:1-6).
That original temptation was an interesting one. Adam and Eve had been given the run of the garden by God. There were no "no go" areas, they could eat anything they wanted except the fruit of the tree of good and evil, and they lived in idyllic innocence. And God himself walked with them and talked with them in the cool of the day.
At that point, neither Adam nor Eve had thought to ask why they shouldn't eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, they simply accepted God's word.
The story doesn't explain how the serpent was so knowledgeable - had he already eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? That would explain how he knew so much about the tree and how he knew so much about God. Or was he indeed Lucifer, the fallen angel who became synonymous with the Devil?
The serpent's knowledge is certainly greater than Adam and Eve's, and he tempts them by first displaying his greater knowledge, then assuring them that they can have that sort of knowledge too, if only they eat the fruit. He wraps up the temptation by reassuring them that what he's suggesting they do, is OK. It's sensible and practical, there's no good reason why they shouldn't do it, and God won't really mind.
Thus the trap is carefully baited, and Eve falls for it. But notice that she doesn't just eat the apple herself. She repeats the serpent's actions, by offering the fruit to Adam as well. And of course, Adam can't resist sharing in her complicity. And so sin spreads, and spreads rapidly and easily. With the birth of human beings came the birth of sin, and we're all part of it. None of us are free from sin and none of us can limit its effect, for sin spreads like wildfire from very small beginnings.
Sin begins with temptation, but temptation isn't sinful in itself since it's resistible. We don't have to succumb to temptation, and maybe if we spot temptation, we can resist it. But temptation is notoriously difficult to spot, and so most of us find ourselves embroiled in sin with no clear idea of how we're arrived there and no memory of an actual moment of temptation. Things just happen and we tend to react to circumstances.
I don't believe that God is forever looking over our shoulders and tutting or wagging his finger at us. Since he created us, he's aware that we're human beings, not gods, and so he expects human reactions and human behaviour from us. And he continues to love us however extreme those human reactions or that human behaviour might be. Nonetheless, it's obvious that sin separates us from God.
If I went to watch a rugger (Rugby football) match, I might quite enjoy it, but I wouldn't get the same enjoyment from it that Ian, my husband would get. Ian knows all about rugger. He used to play it in his youth, he knows the rules and regulations and he can appreciate the finer details which constitute good play. I don't know the rules and regulations, and I don't appreciate the finer details of good play, so whilst it might be mildly enjoyable (or not!) I would miss out on the total experience of watching rugger.
And that's a bit how sin separates us from God. Although we might all quite enjoy God, if we're in a state of sin, we miss out on the total experience. Because God has always been aware of this and always wants the best for human beings, in Old Testament times he instituted a scheme of reparation. The sacrificial system developed, in which God was able to forgive sins. Chosen animals "carried" the sin of the people, and were sacrificed before God in special ways, thus repairing the relationship between God and human beings once again.
But it wasn't a totally satisfactory system. Sin became synonymous with breaking the rules, so that as the human social order became more complex, so the the rules too became more complex. In some situations (such as menstruation or skin disease or following a birth) people were considered unclean for reasons totally beyond their control, and had to sacrifice to get right again with God. The converse of this was that those who kept rigidly to the rules considered they were right with God.
Jesus questioned all these assumptions. As the only human being to be able to withstand temptation, he was the antithesis of Adam, negating Adam's sin from all those years earlier. The devil tempted Jesus in much the same way as he had tempted Adam, implying that it was sensible and practical for Jesus to turn stones into bread, and that God wouldn't mind but would protect Jesus if he threw himself from the pinnacle of the temple. Unlike Adam, Jesus withstood his temptations.
The writer to the Hebrews took this idea of the negation of Adam's sin further, and considered Jesus' death on the cross as the final, perfect sacrifice for sin, wiping out the need for any further sacrifices. Thus for Christians there is no further need for any reparation for sin. Jesus gave his life on the cross so that we could always be in a right relationship with God. All we have to do is to accept God's forgiveness, which is ever present.
In order to accept that forgiveness, we must first recognise our sin, acknowledge it, repent and move forward on our way, receiving God's forgiveness. Then we'll be able to appreciate God's presence and his kingdom, with no separation whatsoever from God. This is what Jesus has made possible for us. He's brought us life instead of death. And Jesus pointed out that sin is far more than simply breaking the rules. Some of the Pharisees, who held it as a matter of honour that they kept rigidly to the law, were actually much greater sinners than those who were aware of their imperfections and their need of God, but who didn't keep the law in such fine detail.
The first man, Adam, brought sin into the world, not simply by breaking the rules, but by ruining the perfect relationship which human beings had with God. The greatest human being, Jesus, completely counteracted that first shameful act and achieved forgiveness for human beings for all time, and restored that perfect relationship with God. And all we have to do is to accept that forgiveness and hold fast to Jesus, following him into the Kingdom of Heaven. And that way, as St Paul said in today's reading from Romans, we're made righteous - right with God - for all time.
What an amazing gift!
That original temptation was an interesting one. Adam and Eve had been given the run of the garden by God. There were no "no go" areas, they could eat anything they wanted except the fruit of the tree of good and evil, and they lived in idyllic innocence. And God himself walked with them and talked with them in the cool of the day.
At that point, neither Adam nor Eve had thought to ask why they shouldn't eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, they simply accepted God's word.
The story doesn't explain how the serpent was so knowledgeable - had he already eaten the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? That would explain how he knew so much about the tree and how he knew so much about God. Or was he indeed Lucifer, the fallen angel who became synonymous with the Devil?
The serpent's knowledge is certainly greater than Adam and Eve's, and he tempts them by first displaying his greater knowledge, then assuring them that they can have that sort of knowledge too, if only they eat the fruit. He wraps up the temptation by reassuring them that what he's suggesting they do, is OK. It's sensible and practical, there's no good reason why they shouldn't do it, and God won't really mind.
Thus the trap is carefully baited, and Eve falls for it. But notice that she doesn't just eat the apple herself. She repeats the serpent's actions, by offering the fruit to Adam as well. And of course, Adam can't resist sharing in her complicity. And so sin spreads, and spreads rapidly and easily. With the birth of human beings came the birth of sin, and we're all part of it. None of us are free from sin and none of us can limit its effect, for sin spreads like wildfire from very small beginnings.
Sin begins with temptation, but temptation isn't sinful in itself since it's resistible. We don't have to succumb to temptation, and maybe if we spot temptation, we can resist it. But temptation is notoriously difficult to spot, and so most of us find ourselves embroiled in sin with no clear idea of how we're arrived there and no memory of an actual moment of temptation. Things just happen and we tend to react to circumstances.
I don't believe that God is forever looking over our shoulders and tutting or wagging his finger at us. Since he created us, he's aware that we're human beings, not gods, and so he expects human reactions and human behaviour from us. And he continues to love us however extreme those human reactions or that human behaviour might be. Nonetheless, it's obvious that sin separates us from God.
If I went to watch a rugger (Rugby football) match, I might quite enjoy it, but I wouldn't get the same enjoyment from it that Ian, my husband would get. Ian knows all about rugger. He used to play it in his youth, he knows the rules and regulations and he can appreciate the finer details which constitute good play. I don't know the rules and regulations, and I don't appreciate the finer details of good play, so whilst it might be mildly enjoyable (or not!) I would miss out on the total experience of watching rugger.
And that's a bit how sin separates us from God. Although we might all quite enjoy God, if we're in a state of sin, we miss out on the total experience. Because God has always been aware of this and always wants the best for human beings, in Old Testament times he instituted a scheme of reparation. The sacrificial system developed, in which God was able to forgive sins. Chosen animals "carried" the sin of the people, and were sacrificed before God in special ways, thus repairing the relationship between God and human beings once again.
But it wasn't a totally satisfactory system. Sin became synonymous with breaking the rules, so that as the human social order became more complex, so the the rules too became more complex. In some situations (such as menstruation or skin disease or following a birth) people were considered unclean for reasons totally beyond their control, and had to sacrifice to get right again with God. The converse of this was that those who kept rigidly to the rules considered they were right with God.
Jesus questioned all these assumptions. As the only human being to be able to withstand temptation, he was the antithesis of Adam, negating Adam's sin from all those years earlier. The devil tempted Jesus in much the same way as he had tempted Adam, implying that it was sensible and practical for Jesus to turn stones into bread, and that God wouldn't mind but would protect Jesus if he threw himself from the pinnacle of the temple. Unlike Adam, Jesus withstood his temptations.
The writer to the Hebrews took this idea of the negation of Adam's sin further, and considered Jesus' death on the cross as the final, perfect sacrifice for sin, wiping out the need for any further sacrifices. Thus for Christians there is no further need for any reparation for sin. Jesus gave his life on the cross so that we could always be in a right relationship with God. All we have to do is to accept God's forgiveness, which is ever present.
In order to accept that forgiveness, we must first recognise our sin, acknowledge it, repent and move forward on our way, receiving God's forgiveness. Then we'll be able to appreciate God's presence and his kingdom, with no separation whatsoever from God. This is what Jesus has made possible for us. He's brought us life instead of death. And Jesus pointed out that sin is far more than simply breaking the rules. Some of the Pharisees, who held it as a matter of honour that they kept rigidly to the law, were actually much greater sinners than those who were aware of their imperfections and their need of God, but who didn't keep the law in such fine detail.
The first man, Adam, brought sin into the world, not simply by breaking the rules, but by ruining the perfect relationship which human beings had with God. The greatest human being, Jesus, completely counteracted that first shameful act and achieved forgiveness for human beings for all time, and restored that perfect relationship with God. And all we have to do is to accept that forgiveness and hold fast to Jesus, following him into the Kingdom of Heaven. And that way, as St Paul said in today's reading from Romans, we're made righteous - right with God - for all time.
What an amazing gift!
