What Happened to Us in Eden? - Psychology of the FallNäide

A JUST LOVE AND A LOVING JUSTICE

“Where are you?” That vital question leaves no doubt—and it is asked of the man first. God is not asking about geography. He is asking about Adam’s moral position, which had now changed.

Then God speaks with the woman. The Lord questions them in the order of creation (by presence), not in the order of disobedience nor by essence. So once again, this doesn’t necessarily point to hierarchy—it aligns perfectly with what we’ve seen so far. “What is this you have done?”—He asks her second. And she answers, as we have already considered.

The third addressed is the serpent. But it is not asked anything. It is an old adversary, and God already knows its ways. With it, He goes straight to the curse.

From there, the conversation seems to move back in reverse order: after Satan, the woman receives God’s response, and finally the man.

Curse or consequences? As in so many other situations, I don’t think we have to choose—because both coexist. The tension only arises when our own concept of God is lopsided—when we focus more on His love, or, on the other hand (though it should never be so), only on His justice—forgetting that in God, both exist inseparably. In Him, there is a just love and a loving justice.

It’s important to note that the consequences of Eden were not impersonal—and that is key to understanding “curse.” “Against you, you only, have I sinned,” wrote David in Psalm 51, words that fit Eden as well, describing one of the most broken moments of his life. The Lord was the one offended, and they would live with the consequences of that offense.

What seems clear is that the consequences did not arrive on their own. Sometimes God actively brought them about (for example, the flaming sword preventing their return to the garden). Other times, He allowed events to unfold without intervening to prevent, ease, or remove them (for example, the struggle for dominance or the pain of childbirth).

The world struggles with the idea of a God who imposes consequences. But so do we, as Christians. Yet when we turn our eyes to the cross, we are left with no choice but to lay aside our surprise at that reality.