Kako je sve prošlo pogrešno

Originalni projekat Eden

Povratak na početak…

Zaista shvatiti Isusovu središnju važnost’ poruku o pokajanju i slobodi trebamo se vratiti na početak biblijskog izvještaja o Božjem ophođenju s ljudskim rodom – na knjigu Postanka, u stvari.

Adamov zadatak

The early world was ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31): but it was wild and needed taming (Gen 1:26-28). Adam and Eve’s assignment was to rule it as God’s representatives. But they were not yet ready for this; so God put them in a safe place, Eden, which Adam was made responsible for cultivating and protecting (Gen 2:15).

There were two very special trees. The tree of life gave Adam and Eve perfect health (Gen 3:22); and they could eat from it whenever they wished (Gen 2:17-18). But the tree of knowledge of good and evil, was not there to eat: but to teach Adam how to love – by caring for the interests of others. Adam had to be free to choose whether to do this; because love is only love when it is dobrovoljno.

Uđite u Zmiju

Now we get a master-class on temptation from the most devious con-artist of all time – the serpent (a.k.a. Satana), an implacable enemy of God. Adamu i Evi nije imao ništa vrijedno da ponudi. Umjesto toga, prevario ih je u trgovinu kako bi stekli ono što već imaju! Once he had successfully undermined their confidence in God’s goodness, their own natural desires did the rest.

Zarobljeni vlastitim grijesima

Zmijina nagrada

What did the serpent gain from Adam’s sin?

• God had put Adam in charge of the earth. When Adam chose to follow Satan rather than God, he became Satan’s servant; and Satan became earth’s ruler.
• Satan was looking for an insurance policy and was aware of God’s affection for mankind. Sada, if God sought to judge Satan, he could claim that God would be unjust to spare humanity but not himself.
• Satan also knew that ‘death’ meant permanent separation from God. He thought that, ako je Bog htio da ukine ovu kaznu za Adama, he could demand an equivalent payment – either his own pardon or some infinite penalty of his choosing. He thought he had outsmarted God.

Fall Nature

Humans have the same kinds of natural needs and instincts as other animals. But we were made with the capacity to know God, reason, predviđaju i donose moralne izbore, overruling our natural responses when necessary. We were designed to live in an ongoing relationship with God: so that we could draw on his wisdom and strength whenever we needed it. Without Him in our lives we revert to being just ‘clever animals’ – i dalje u stanju da uči i radi neverovatne stvari: ali nesposobni da pravilno upravljamo našom prirodno egocentričnom životinjskom prirodom.

Cut off from God’s presence, Adam was spiritually dead already and, fizički, we are all doomed. But what if evil tyrants had been immortal? Physical death was a way of limiting the damage until God’s master-plan was fulfilled.

Katalog neuspjeha

Sveobuhvatna lekcija istorije može se ovako sažeti: Čoveče, through his ingenuity can control nature: ali ne može pobijediti vlastitu sebičnost. On može vladati zemljom: ali on sam je pod vladavinom vlastitog grijeha i na kraju je podložan kontinuiranoj manipulaciji istog obmanjujućeg duha koji ga je prvi uvukao u ovu zbrku.

Naš nenaplativi dug

Mnogi ljudi pretpostavljaju da će Bog suditi ljudima tako što će vagati njihova 'dobra'’ djela protiv njihovih 'loših’ ones. But the problem is that your ‘best’ is no more than God expected in the first place; tako, regardless of what you do, every failure is adding to a mounting debt that you can never repay.

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