From John

What do you think?
(a) If two men love each other, why shouldn’t they get married?
(b) If someone has a painful terminal disease, shouldn’t they be able to get medical assistance to end their own life?
(c) If a woman wants to change gender, what’s wrong with that?

What do you think, and WHY DO YOU THINK THAT?
Your responses to questions such as these will be affected by several factors, such as your childhood and upbringing, your experiences in life, the experiences of friends and family members, opinions expressed by people you respect, and the culture that surrounds you through TV, radio, the internet, newspapers & magazines etc.

But are your responses affected by the Word of God?
The Bible does not usually give us simple answers to complex questions, but God promises that if we are seeking to know and obey his word, he will guide us in his truth (Psalm 25:4-9). 
Will we hold to that truth as far more important than any other factor or opinion or culture?

Our midweek Bridge passages for January – March 2023 are the first 11 chapters of the Bible, which could be described as “The Primeval History”. These are particularly significant for our thinking about questions such as a, b, & c above. We have considered (in Genesis 1 & 2) God’s creation of everything and everybody – “and it was very good” (Gen.1:31). Then last week we considered “The Fall” – humankind’s rebellion against God, described in Genesis 3:1-7.
This week we learn of the consequences of that rebellion.
Please read Genesis 3:8-24 .

This passage paints a grimly realistic picture of the disorder – the sin and suffering resulting from humans disobeying God. Three kinds of disorder are indicated here.

1) SPIRITUAL DISORDER
“They hid from the Lord God…” (v8). How desperately sad – and how futile! (See Psalm 139.) Yet God in his mercy seeks them and calls to them. Last Sunday in St C’s we heard Jesus’ parable of the Lost Son(s); a vivid illustration of our foolish attempts to escape from God’s authority, but also of God’s Father-heart, longing for us to return.
Humankind is hiding from God, is battling evil (v15), & is banished from the Garden of Eden (v24).

2) DISORDER OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
“The man blamed the woman, the woman blamed the serpent, and the serpent didn’t have a leg to stand on!” (vv11-13). We are all very familiar with “blame culture”: how quick we are to point the finger at others.
And even our most intimate relationships are subject to disorder: the brutalizing of sexual love (indicated in v16b) is sadly all too common.
As Derek Kidner writes, “Here in embryo are the mistrusts and passions which will ravage society.”

3) PHYSICAL DISORDER
Pain, toil, sweat, and the dust of death: these characterise human physical endeavour (vv16-19).
Nature itself is affected. From Romans 8:19-23 and from our knowledge of the pre-human world, it seems that nature has always been in a state of “bondage to decay”. God intended that we humans should subdue it, work it and take care of it (1:28 & 2:15). But our relapse into disorder has partially spoiled our work and care for the natural world (as Sir David Attenborough and others know only too well). 

CONCLUSION
This section of Genesis indeed paints a grim picture. It indicates that every part of life in the world is affected by sin – our rebellion against the God who created us and loves us. Charles Spurgeon put it like this: “As the salt flavours every drop in the Atlantic, so does sin affect every atom of our nature.”

Please have another look at questions a, b & c above. Which parts of the story in Genesis 1 – 3 affect your responses to these questions, and how?

Prayer
Holy God, you know the disorder of our sinful lives:
set straight our crooked hearts,
and bend our wills to love your goodness and your glory
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


Category: The Bridge , Thought for the week