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In this episode, Brett, Brian, and Jason continue their examination of Article 2 of the Augsburg Confession and the Apology of the Augsburg Confession. Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden brought a triple death on all humanity.
Being Lutheran Podcast Episode #161 – Augsburg Confession Article 2, Part 2
Totally agree that Adam was “the first worship leader of the family”. I have actually accused him of being the first fundamentalist. Having grown up in one of the fundamentalist branches of the Church we were taught that not only were we not allowed to “eat” certain things but we also weren’t allowed to “touch” them either. The thinking made perfect sense: not touching something significantly reduces the chance of us not eating it. So, Scripture clearly teaches that we are not to be drunk. How best to avoid becoming drunk if you never touch it. There was a real gnostic feel to it because at its core we believed that the physical thing was ontologically evil.
When I read what Eve told the serpent I am brought back to my fundamentalistic childhood: “And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” – Genesis 3:2-3
The thing is, God’s law was given directly to Adam and it was his duty to teach God’s law to his wife. In all likelihood, what Eve says to the serpent is simply repeating what she had been taught by Adam.
This comparison to fundamentalism is spot on. I’ve used Genesis 3 to teach the pitfalls of both Gnosticism and Pharisaism, and I can see how fundamentalism easily fits into that. When we think we’re treating the Word with more respect, we’re actually diluting it and putting our own thoughts and opinions above it.