Cumu Tutti Wentong

U prughjettu originale Eden

Torna à u principiu…

Per capisce veramente l'impurtanza cintrali di Ghjesù’ missaghju nantu à u pentimentu è a libertà, avemu bisognu di vultà à u principiu di u cuntu di a Bibbia di i tratti di Diu cù a razza umana – à u libru di Genesi, in fattu.

Assegnazione di Adam

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 vuluntariu.

Entre u Serpente

Now we get a master-class on temptation from the most devious con-artist of all time – the serpent (a.k.a. Satanassu), an implacable enemy of God. Ùn avia nunda di valore à offre à Adam è Eva. Invece li hà ingannatu in un cummerciu per acquistà ciò chì avianu digià! Once he had successfully undermined their confidence in God’s goodness, their own natural desires did the rest.

Intrappulati da i nostri peccati

U Premiu di u Serpente

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. Avà, 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, si Diu vulia annullà sta pena per Adam, he could demand an equivalent payment – either his own pardon or some infinite penalty of his choosing. He thought he had outsmarted God.

Fall a natura

Humans have the same kinds of natural needs and instincts as other animals. But we were made with the capacity to know God, reason, predichendu è fà scelte murali, 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’ - sempre capaci di amparà è fà cose maravigghiusu: ma incapaci à gestisce bè a nostra natura animale naturalmente autocentrata.

Cut off from God’s presence, Adam was spiritually dead already and, fisicamenti, 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.

Un catalogu di fallimenti

A lezioni di a storia generale pò esse riassuntu cusì: Omu, through his ingenuity can control nature: ma ùn pò cunquistà u so egoismu. Pò guvernà a terra: ma ellu stessu hè guvernatu da u so propiu peccatu è, in ultimamente, sottumessu à a manipulazione in corso di u stessu spiritu ingannatore chì u primu l'hà purtatu in questu mess..

U nostru debitu impagabile

Parechje persone supponenu chì Diu ghjudicherà a ghjente pisendu u so "bene".’ atti contr'à i so 'mali’ ones. But the problem is that your ‘best’ is no more than God expected in the first place; cusì, regardless of what you do, every failure is adding to a mounting debt that you can never repay.

Leghje nantu…