Adam's Error

Here's a little tidbit I never caught before. In the story of the Fall in Genesis 3, the serpent had a conversation with Eve. He asked her to question what God said. He told her God lied. He convinced her that if she ate the fruit God forbade, she would be "like God." (Gen 3:1-5) The serpent only talked to Eve. The serpent only deceived Eve (1 Tim 2:14). Now, we know that Adam sinned as well, that "she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." (Gen 3:6) But Adam's error wasn't that he was deceived by the serpent; Adam's error was that he "listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree." (Gen 3:17) Eve was led astray by the serpent; Adam was led astray by Eve. Adam preferred Eve to God.

The outcome we know. Creation was subjected to futility (Rom 8:20-21; Gen 3:17-18) and Adam and through him all humans were sentenced to hard labor (Gen 3:19). Eve (and all women since), on the other hand, received her own sentence. "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you." (Gen 3:16) Now, that phrase, "your desire will be for your husband" isn't emotional or sexual desire for her husband, but the desire to rule (as illustrated in the next time the term is used in Gen 4:7). For women, the result of Eve's being deceived by Satan was pain in childbirth and a lifetime of head-butting with the leadership God ordained in the form of her husband.

It has ever been thus. In today's world the curse is winning. For a century or more women's voices have grown louder and louder, more overt in their "desire for her husband" and in rebellion against God's rule. We call it "feminism" and consider it noble and normal even in the church because, after all, it's been with us all our lives. So when Paul says, "I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet" (1 Tim 2:12), we are outraged, even in the church. "He didn't mean that." Responses range from "Paul was a misogynist" to "Paul was only talking about in his day when women were uneducated and suppressed." They all mean, "No, that's not true anymore." They don't care that Paul gives his reasoning.

For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1 Tim 2:13-14)

Paul bases his reasoning in creation order and God-given responsibilities (1 Cor 11:2-3), but that doesn't matter. Women (and men who have listened to them) boldly stand and say, "We will not go gently into the night. We will stand against God's oppression of women." Thus demonstrating God's analysis (Gen 3:17) and proving God's curse (Gen 3:16) and affirming Paul's reasoning (1 Tim 2:13-14).

I hadn't seen before that Adam's error was listening to his wife when she urged him to defy God. Having seen it, I can't unsee it. Sin happens in all households, but this one is as prevalent in Christian households as it is in unbeliever households. The Bible holds that women are made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), co-heirs and worthy of all honor (1 Peter 3:7), not to be devalued or diminished, but they have their own particular essential role to fulfill (Gen 2:18) as do men (Gen 3:17-19; 1 Cor 11:3). Just as in the Garden, we've jettisoned that structure and, in doing so, diminished both men and women. We celebrate wives who will not submit (Eph 5:22-24) and castigate husbands who will not love (Eph 5:25-28) and turn God's creation order and roles on their heads and call it "good." I expect no less of those who are hostile to God (Rom 8:7). Christians, what's your excuse?