An Appealing Vision: Part 2
The second-part of this brief worldview discussion surrounds the doctrines of The Fall & Original Sin. Genesis 3:1-7 describes the serpent's temptation of Eve to place herself in the position of God. She fell to the conniving of the serpent and her husband who should have been leading the discussion to ward off this temptation, followed along and both ate the fruit of the tree. Immediately both of their eyes were opened and the world has never been the same...
The Apostle Paul further described the effects of the Fall in Romans 5:12-21 (among other places). He mentions that all have died, but in what sense? In Adam, the human race suffered the punishment for having sinned together with Adam, or "in Adam" as a federal representative for all of humanity throughout history (doctrine of Original Sin). It's similar to the way in which nations stand "in" their leader. For instance, whether one likes it or not, as a citizen of the United States, we are represented by our President. If he decides to go to war, we in a sense stand "in" him and will also be affected by his decision in one way or another. This is a common practice throughout the history of humanity whether the system is one of democracy or tyranny, others feel the weight of one federal head's decision. The main difference is that Adam's disobedience presents itself not only in physical death but also spiritual death. All of humanity stood "in" him on that day in history...
The Apostle described the antitheses of life in relation to Christ and death in relation to Adam. This death is expressed in more ways than simply extending this cosmic Fall to individuals. Even the systems which make up society have felt the effects of the doctrine of Original Sin. Think, for example, everyday work. The effects of the Fall and the way in which Adam's sin has invaded our work is far-reaching. Ethical decision-making all the way to poor craftsmanship are simple examples of how the Fall has changed things for bad. Moreover, think of the Academy. For centuries the concept of a biblical, Christian filter for all of reality was a standard norm. Now that humanity has "progressed," this concept has been challenged and little by little, it has almost been completely removed. This is another example of how the doctrine of Original Sin has played itself out in daily life, challenging the overarching filter for understanding the world under the Lordship of Jesus. Another example is in the home. Think how the biblical norm of family has been challenged. How about even going outside of the controversial subject of Gay marriage and thinking through the radical decline of having a family where a father is actively loving and leading his family?
I have the privilege of serving in a full-time vocational ministry position dealing with individuals struggling with drug & alcohol abuse (of which I too was one...). Some have had the privilege of enjoying the benefits of redemption along with family reconciliation (like myself along with many others), yet others have struggled with great difficulty to enjoy this same reconciliation. They desire the experience of a redeemed family-life, however, they are experiencing the effects of the Fall, either through their own past regrets, or other extenuating circumstances. At the end of the day, the Fall has had an impact on the role of the father in my ministry context and by no means is this the only place where this problem exists. There appears to be an epidemic where children do not get to experience family-life with a father (myself included). Mass absenteeism, whether the father has outright rejected his role and taken no responsibility, OR, fathers that are present in body but absent in regards to serving their family needs (leadership, protection, and loving, emotional support, among many others) because they "work and put food on the table."
I suppose that I wanted to use the example of how the Fall has affected the father and his role because it has 1) impacted my life personally, and 2) like I mentioned above, Father's Day is right around the corner. I am thankful that the Lord has chosen to reveal himself to me in such a way that I was effectively drawn to him, reconciled, and adopted into his family. Also, I now have a Father that has set a path before me as a father of three (soon to be four!) to change the destructive patterns of sin through the Fall and Original Sin represented in the history of my life, as well as those I have the privilege of serving in ministry. But we will wait until the next post to describe the way in which Jesus has brought forth a cosmic-redemption in "every sphere of life."
