Lent Week 1

Psalm: Psalm 32
Old Testament: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7
Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11
Epistle: Romans 5:12-19 

On Wednesday this week we observed Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. Hopefully you were able to attend an Ash Wednesday service at a a church around you. You can see my post about Lent and Ash Wednesday HERE. Lent is an important in time in the life of church to reflect on our own personal sins and need for forgiveness, and also a time to reflect as a corporate body the sins we participated in or benefited from. These corporate sins span across time and space, but as we reflect on them, we are reminded the ways in the present we are still caught up in things that do harm to others. Lent is also a time not just to reflect on our sin and finitude ("from dust we have come, and to dust we return.") but also a time of fasting and repentance. All of these things are very biblical concepts, but they are also things we like to avoid. The season of Lent however forces us to this place. It forces us to confront things we would rather avoid and ultimately it leads us to the cross and the place where we can find forgiveness.

Today's readings draw us deep into the theology of Original Sin. In fact, the verses from Genesis and Romans are the two main passages from where this theology is drawn. I must say that the doctrine of Original Sin is one which I have been trying to find deeper answers to, but just haven't had the time to research it. My questions stem from the question surrounding the literalness of the Genesis narrative. If, as many have postulated, both ancient and modern, that the creation narrative is to be read poetically and theologically, rather than literally, what does this say about the doctrine of Original Sin and particularly how it is picked up by Paul and his understanding of Jesus as New Adam. I think there are some answers out there; I just need to find them and move past the very literal reading of Genesis I have been taught and grown up with.

So, this week is actually going to be short. I have been reading a little bit in the Brazos Theological Commentary, and the New Beacon Bible Commentary and I encourage you to do some reading on the subject. I will always recommend the Brazos Theological Commentary because it is a unique way of organizing a biblical commentary around theological themes rather than your traditional word-study, form criticism, redaction criticism, etc. that tends to fill modern volumes. Another commentary I like, since were on the subject, is the set of Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture that IVP put out. These volumes simply gather Patristic commentary on the Scripture from the 1st century to around 750 A.D. in one place for easy reference. A great resource if you are doing an exegetical paper!

But with all the reading I was doing, I was trying to answer questions that I just don't have the time to study, and ultimately no matter how much reading I does, a satisfactory answer may not be found. The facts of the matter are simple: 1. At some point God created. 2. Subsequently, sometime later humanity arose by some means. And 3. We can quite obviously observe that sin entered the picture at some point and things are not as they should be. 4. The answer than is that we need salvation to undo the sin of humanity that has cursed all of creation. The Bible paints the Story of Salvation, or as Dr. Lodahl called it in his book, The Story of God, in such a way that we are to understand that salvation is about undoing the sin of Adam. This is the way we are to read Romans 5. Paul wants us to see that in Adam, all have died, and God's solution is to send his Son, Jesus Christ, so that in him all may live. (A brief aside since this post is just going to be me rambling anyway. How are to understand a strict Calvinist reading of pre-destination and limited atonement in light of this statement. If in Adam ALL died, wouldn't God solution to be that in Christ only the one's he chooses will be saved. God's salvation is for all, and just as the fall was a act of free will, so too is humanities choice to return to God through Christ)

I have just a few more thoughts. Notice how in the Gospel Jesus is tempted by the devil, thus recapitulation not only Adam and Eve's temptation by the serpent, and thus representing a new start for humanity. But he also recapitulates, relives and renews, the story of Israel wandering around in the desert for 40 years. I have of course talked about recapitulation as a theme before. Also, if you are interested about interpreting the serpent in Genesis as Satan, which the text does not say, see the Brazos Theological Commentary pgs. 77-85 for a really great discussion on why we should do so.

Like, I said this post is a little more rambling than usual. Perhaps I got caught up reading too much about Original Sin and the first three chapters of Genesis. It is really fascinating stuff. Like always, I encourage you to read the texts this week and hopefully we can all learn something new and grow in our relationship with Jesus through his Spirit.

Grace and Peace.