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Here is another draft/snippet from my forthcoming book (re)aligning with God.

Genesis 3 marks the watershed moment in humanity’s walk with God. Before Gen 3, men and women enjoyed endlessly open and free relationships with God, the created world, and one another. They lived in the world described and assumed by Genesis 1:1–2:25. Genesis 3:1–7 narrates the disastrous conversation between Eve, Adam, and the serpent. Bonhoeffer’s calls this encounter the “first conversation about God.” This is a sublime observation. The root of humanity’s rebellion is the idolatrous objectification of God. In Genesis 2, humanity freely conversed with God. In Genesis 3, God moves from subject to object. The serpent tempts Eve and Adam. At issue is the trustworthiness of God. The serpent denies that God can be trusted. Humanity needs to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because God is intentionally withholding something good and desirable from humanity. In essence, the existential question faced by Eve is this one: Do I trust that God has my best interests at heart? This is the fundament question that all people face. In the context of Genesis 1–3, God has demonstrated his trustworthiness and care for humanity by providing a idyllic setting in Eden, abundant food, authentic relationships between men and women, purposeful vocation as keepers of creation and regents of the Creator, and unfettered access to himself. God has gifted humanity with access to all sources of food except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This exception serves as the only prohibition that God gives to humanity. Otherwise humanity is endlessly free to fulfill God’s creation affirming mandates. Yet it is the prohibition against eating the fruit of a single tree that serves as the impetus for the temptation facing Eve and Adam. Thus from the beginning humanity’s sin and rebellion against God is irrational and astonishing given God’s kindness and grace to humanity. Humanity was supposed to exercise dominion over the created world, but instead allows a serpent to usurp authority and lead the first man and woman away from the Creator God. In the conversation with the serpent, God becomes an object rather than the subject of a moment-by moment-relationship. Trust is broken. Apart from dependence on and trust in God, humanity goes its own way and eats the forbidden fruit. The effects are tectonic. Adam and Eve feel the breech immediately. Their new knowledge illuminates only their own nudity for which they feel shame. They hide from God.

In the aftermath of their decision, God comes looking for his prized creation. God does not hide from humanity; humanity hides from God. This is the profound irony of sin. Adam and Eve attempt to reach beyond their creaturely status and tragically fall well below the potential for which they were crafted. Their decision to eat from the tree causes immediate breeches in their relational web. They have already experienced their own nakedness and the separation that they now sense between their once naked and one-flesh bodies. Their unfettered access to God becomes a liability as they are fearful at the once welcomed sound of God’s approach. Yet the first words out of the Creator’s mouth are “Where are you?” (3:9) God’s response to sin is an immediate attempt to re-engage humanity relationally. this line demonstrates God’s continued engagement with humanity despite their disobedience. God doesn’t withdraw from Creation – he goes looking for his lost people. The verb used for God’s pursuit of humanity is qr’ “called.” The Lord calls out to a humanity that has alienated itself through its actions.

Humanity’s rebellion has consequences (Gen 3:14-24). God draws out of Adam and Eve the details of their conversation with the serpent and their actions. The serpent is downgraded from its high place in the animal world to a creature, which will henceforth craw about on its belly. Adam and Eve will face a daunting new world. Their vocation of filling the earth will now by complicated by painful childbirth and the relational brokenness. Gen 3:16 describes a new power dynamic between the sexes. No longer will the relationship be rooted in mutuality. Men and women will focus on issues of power and attempt to dominate one another. Humanity also will experience the created world as an adversary. Humanity will toil over the earth to maintain life. Easy access to food and sustenance ends. The climax of sin’s consequences is humanity’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Access to the tree of life and immortality ends for all people from Adam and Eve onwards. As Paul will pen years later, “…through one man sin entered into the world and through sin came death. Thus death spread through all humanity because all have sinned” (Rom 5:12).

A missional reading or hermeneutic recognizes the devastating effects of human sin on God’s creational design. However, it also highlights the character of God in response to Adam and Eve’s transgression. We have already observed that God pursues humanity in the aftermath of the garden. God does not speak words of condemnation, but rather calls out to humanity, “Where are you?” One of the distinctive features of the divine–human relationship is the capacity for verbal communication. This does not end with the entrance of sin. The relationship between God and humanity has changed, but verbal revelation remains. Moreover Gen 3:21 records an additional act of God’s grace and mercy. The immediate result of Adam and Eve’s consumption of the fruit of the forbidden tree was the sudden realization of their own nakedness. This marks the irony of their disobedience. They were seeking wisdom and instead discover nakedness through their folly. They move from “naked and unashamed” in chapter two to “naked and ashamed” in their heightened awareness. Yet, instead of leaving them exposed and humiliated, God kindly provides a suitable covering for the man and woman. God’s love and compassion for humanity, even when men and women are at their worst, will remain a hallmark of God’s character and actions. It serves as a model for God’s people as we seek to engage the world with the Gospel.

What do you think?

© 2010 Brian D. Russell

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missional hermeneutics
missional hermeneutic
book of Genesis

I count it a privilege to have taught with Dr. Robert Tuttle for ten years on the Orlando campus of Asbury Seminary. He was the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism. Bob retired from full-time teaching this academic year or as he puts it “I retired from attending faculty meetings.”

In his honor, the Asbury Alumni E-link has included a student’s list of some of Tuttle’s more memorable actions and quotations.

Here is sample of the quotations:
# “I really don’t need anything, I just want to look at you.”
# “It’s a mistake to fear the enemies of God.” (from Joshua’s, Caleb’s and the others spying of the promised land who returned with a bad report)
# “God is a stickler for details in times of transition.” (from the fella who steadied the Ark when it was about to fall of the cart, and he died)
# “Serves you right!” (what Tuttle always says whenever something good happens to you)
# “How’s your soul?” or “Do you love the Lord?” (when abruptly stopping people in the hallways)
# “Is everyone in here saved?” (what he asks after entering a room)
# “God has a lot more invested in you than you do.”
# “Lord, give me eyes to see and love others as though they were my own children.”
# “I don’t know what I’m talking about.”
# “Make sure no one gets saved ’til I get there!”
# “You’re a sinner son, probably the worst of all! As sweet as you are.” (and the whole time, he’d be holding the hand of that person.)

Check out the rest

I can see Jesus carrying his cross all alone,
He took on our flesh so far from his rightful throne.
Disregarded his name
He embraced the cross
And its shame
To save the lost.

He’s the Son of God, carrying the sins of the world

I can see Jesus wearing a crown made of thorns,
In the anguish of death, feeling humanity’s scorn.
His Father’s will to obey
He died on the tree
To set us free
And show the way.

He’s the Son of God, healing all the pain of the world.

I can see Jesus crying to all “It is done,”
Creation’s redeemer, our Lord God’s victory won.
The offer is made
The price has been paid
To give us life
And end all strife.

He’s the Son of God, still reaching out to us today.
He’s the Son of God, still reaching out to us today.

So see through the pain
The means to true gain
For its true
He died for you.

He’s the Son of God, carrying the sins of the world.
Amen.

© 2006 Brian D. Russell (rev. 2010)

I posted an earlier version of this essay on 3/8. I have updated it in light of additional reflection and class discussion.

Here is the latest edition:
The Missional Character of God in Genesis 2-4

A missional hermeneutic of the Scriptures is acutely interested in tracing God’s missional activity as presented in the Scripture. Those who work in missional hermeneutics begin with the metanarrative in the Bible. In this essay, I want to comment briefly on God’s response to human disobedience in Genesis 2-4. These chapters begin to offer a portrait of God’s missional activity specifically. Part of the power of this portrayal is the overarching grace and mercy present in God’s response. It is important in a missiological reading of these texts to recognize that this is a suprising element. Sin has consequences and these texts make no bones about the graveness of sin and its repercussions are immediate and creation distorting. Yet in spite of human rebellion and callous disregard of God’ creational intentions, the Creator does not withdraw and leave creation to unravel through its own devices. Rather, God continues to offer guidance and relationship. The biblical God is not merely a “fair weather deity”; the LORD God remains engaged in the messiness of human affairs in order to act redemptively.

The backdrop to these texts are the creation stories: 1:1-2:3 and 2:4-2:25. These offer a portrait of God’s creational intentions and humanity’s role within them. We are also introduced to God’s missional character as one who acts to bring order, beauty, and rest to Creation. Humanity stands at the pinnacle of God’s creative work and at the center of God’s plans. Humanity was created to serve as God’s visible representatives before Creation to serve as stewards over it and to fill it so that God may be witnessed to and glorified all over creation.

The tragic story of Genesis 3:1-7 undoes this original plan. Humanity is shown to lack trust in the true sovereign over creation. How does God respond to the disobedience of Adam and Eve?

Let us consider these key post-Fall texts in Genesis 3-4:

3:9 “Adam, where are you?”
On one hand, this is one of the saddest moments in Scripture. The relationship between humanity and God has been ruptured from the intimate portrayal in Genesis 2:4-25 to such an extent that Adam and Eve hide from their Creator. On the other hand, this line demonstrates God’s continued engagement with humanity despite their disobedience. God doesn’t withdraw from Creation – he goes looking for his lost people. The verb used for God’s pursuit of humanity is qr’ “called.” The Lord calls out to a humanity that has alienated itself through its actions.

3:9ff God continues to speak with humanity in the Garden. Humanity’s sin does not mark the end of verbal revelation.

3:21 “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”
The immediate result of Adam and Eve’s consumption of the fruit of the forbidden tree is the realization of their own nakedness. This marks the irony of their disobedience. They were seeking wisdom and instead reveal their own folly. They move from “naked and unashamed” in chapter two to “naked and ashamed” in their new heightened state. Yet, God shows great mercy here. Instead of leaving them exposed and humiliated, he graciously provides a suitable covering for the man and woman.

4:1-2 Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.
In giving birth to her firstborn, Eve recognizes the hand of God. God’s creational mandate for humanity of “being fruitful and multiplying” remains valid. God continues to permit humanity to fulfill its mission. Disobedience does not alter humanity’s ability to fill the earth.

4:6-7 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
This is perhaps the most astonishing example of missional engagement in these chapters. In these verses, God attempts an intervention before Cain takes a disastrous road. He offers a grave warning to Cain and offers him an alternative path that would open the way to a new life. This profound act of grace goes unheeded but it demonstrates that God continues to desire the best for humanity.

Moreover, God’s verbal revelation to Cain suggests that God’s Word continues even in a post-Garden of Eden world. God’s revelation is not confined to Eden but is operative and available outside of Eden. Humanity is expelled from the Garden but this does not mean that humanity is cut off from verbal communication. It may not heed God’s Word, but it will be available to those with ears to hear.

4:15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
In a remarkable act of mercy, God protects Cain from the very fate suffered by his brother. Unlike Cain who showed no such mercy to Abel, God provides Cain with a protective mark.

4:17-24 Cain to the 7th Generation
Cain is not merely a “fugitive and wanderer” as the LORD had spoken (v. 12). Cain settles in the land of Nod. There he marries and has a son Enoch. Moreover he founds a city named after his own son. Cain is not cut off from humanity. Instead he has descendants. The pattern is familiar. There are consequences to Cain’s actions, but God’s mercy continues to show its face.

4:25-26 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.
God works to redeem the death of Abel by blessing Adam and Eve with another son, Seth. The last sentence of verse 26 suggests that this side of the family begins the proper worship of Yhwh. This is surely the response desired by God in his missional response to the infestation of sin in humanity. Most English translation use a plural here suggesting unnamed persons responding to Yhwh. The Hebrew in 4:26 is singular. The closest possible subject is Enosh or the line of Seth in general. The LXX clearly understands Enosh or the line of Seth as the one who begins to “call upon the name of Yhwh.” The word translated “callED” (Heb qr’) is the same one used in 3:9 of God’s initial response to humanity’s sin.

Concluding Reflections
1) God’s saving actions for humanity reach their climax and fullest revelation in the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus. But God begins the movement that will culminate in Jesus immediately upon the entrance of sin in the world. Thus, from the beginning of the Bible to the end, it is God who initiates salvation.

2) God’s mercy and grace in response to human sin and messiness serves as a missional model for the community of faith. Sin is not taken lightly and its grave affects are clear, but God continues to reach out with hope and love to His fallen world. In fact, God takes the initiative to redeem humanity. As noted above, God’s first response is to call out: “Adam, where are you?” or simply “Where are you?” God makes the first move. Yes, sin is profoundly tragic, but it does not alter God’s desire for real relationship with humanity.

3) These texts give no warrant for a knee-jerk withdrawl from engagement with the world. The community of faith, if faithful to God’s missional model, will remain engaged in the world rather than seeking to separate and build a bulwark around itself to keep the world out. Genesis 3-11 offers a snapshot of the world that we inhabit. It is not merely some far off place. If God continues to engage his lost world, this remains our mandate as well.

4) There are persons who will respond to God’s missional actions. God shows great patience and acts broadly in search of those who will respond to his grace. This suggests that followers of Christ should practice a consistent and persistent witness of loving service and clear communication of the Gospel to as wide a population as possible. As God’s missional work in Genesis 3 and 4 involved both words and deeds, so should ours. The only tangible response to God in these chapters is the actions of Enosh in 4:26. A person in the line of Seth began to call upon God’s name. The word call (Heb qr’) brings to mind God’s call to Adam in 3:9. Finally, God’s invitation for relationship is heeded. The lesson here is about faithfulness. God’s people must commit to offer a clear and persistent witness to the Gospel. There is no guarantee of a response from everyone, but this text reminds us that there will be some who will indeed.

© 2010 Brian D. Russell

I completed Day 2 of DM802 Biblical Interpretation for the Church and the World for the Beeson International Leaders cohort. The cohort consists of students from Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, India, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Liberia. It is a true privilege to engage these church leaders from the global Christian movement.

The course is the required hermeneutics class for Asbury Theological Seminary’s D.Min. program. I am covering the required elements through lens of a missional hermeneutic. Today I present an overview of the metanarrative of Scripture: Creation - Fall - Israel - Jesus the Messiah - Church - New Creation. I present the materials with an emphasis on the Scriptural call for God’s people to serve as a missional community that reflects God’s character to/for/in the world. In the process three broad themes emerge: mission, community, and holiness. I find these three themes serve as a trustworthy guide to understanding the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.

I have found the Beeson Pastors to be n fun and engaging group of missional leaders and thinkers. They have pressed me for clarification and helped me immensely this week to sharpen my own thinking about missional hermeneutics. The material is resonating in the class. I am always grateful to God for such times.

Here is a picture of my new friends:

I am teaching a Doctor of Ministry seminar on hermeneutics titled “Biblical Interpretation for Church and World” for a group of international pastors through Asbury Seminary’s Beeson International Pastors program.

If you are interested in seeing the syllabus, you can download it here: missional hermeneutics. I am eager to meet the students who are all leaders from churches around the world. I am expecting to learn as much from these leaders as they will from me.

I’ll use this blog to post updates and key insights.

I will be teaching this course on the Orlando FL campus of Asbury again in July. If you are interested in Asbury’s Doctor of Ministry programs, follow these links: Asbury’s DMin.

Here are the textbooks that I am using this week:

Bauckham, Richard. Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004. 128 pp.

Davis, Ellen F., and Richard B. Hays, eds. The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003.

Flemming, Dean. Contextualization of theology: An evangelical assessment. Downer’s Grove: IVP, 2005.

Goldingay, John. Models for Interpretation of Scripture. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

Green, Joel. Seized by Truth: Reading the Bible As Scripture. Nashville: Abingdon, 2007.

Oswalt, John. Called to Be Holy. Evangel, 1999.

Wright, Christopher. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. Downers Grove: IVP, 2006.