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In this episode, Brett, Brian, and Jason continue their examination of vocation in the estate of the Family by doing a Bible Study on Genesis 2:18-25. In marriage, your spouse is your primary neighbor. Adam’s particular vocational responsibility to Eve was to communicate God’s will and God’s Word to Eve, and he failed at that.
Brothers,
I am really enjoying this part of your series. A pastor I had in the past used to talk about vocation by making the argument that in our vocations we are supposed to be continuing the ministry of Jesus. That ministry in essence was lessening the affects of the Fall. Jesus lessened the affects but did not totally eliminate those affects. Everyone he fed eventually became hungry again. Everyone he healed later got sick again. Even everyone he raised from the dead eventually died again! My pastor would point out that when we lessen the effects of the Fall in every sphere in which God has placed us we are doing exactly what Jesus did. He argued that even when a housewife dusts, she is lessening the affects of the Fall. This approach to vocation was totally different than I had been taught in my fundamentalist Baptist days where we had a hierarchy of callings. With this understanding everyone’s callings are just as important as anyone else’s.
I love the phrase “lessen the affects of the Fall”. I have used it hundreds of times especially when I have had to defend my profession of being a criminal defense attorney. I now sue nursing homes for neglecting or abusing their residents. Again, I am lessening the affects of the Fall which includes greed. I used to share an office with another attorney and frequently when either of us would leave the office for the courthouse we would yell out “less the effects of the Fall today”.
Also, I do like your take on Adam as being responsible for teaching Eve God’s Law regarding eating of the forbidden fruit. I have heard many sermons that condemned Eve for misstating what God had said about the forbidden fruit (“neither shall ye touch it”, from my old KJV days 😉 ). I am of the opinion that Eve was actually repeating exactly what Adam had taught her about the forbidden fruit. Her experience was similar to mine being raised as a fundamentalist. I was often taught that a certain thing was not only forbidden (many times it wasn’t) but that I shouldn’t even touch it. Because if I didn’t touch it then surely I couldn’t consume it. So, I argue that Adam was actually the first Fundamentalist.
Any way, keep up the great work.
Your brother in Christ,
JT