Or was it? Was it just possible that Eve’s return to the starting point was not a willed birth into a new cosmic existence, still less self-divinization, but a grotesque circular fantasy leading her straight back to her creaturely nothingness? But not without a great price, however. In her mind’s eye, she danced naked in a cosmic palace of evolutionary consciousness. But in the reality of the tree’s shadow, a sign of things as they really are, she fell existentially into a toxic dump, the one we have come to know as the fall of humankind, a hell vastly larger than her imaginings.
Reacting to the weight of their own grave sin in the pale but sufficient light of shame (the last defense of what is authentically human), they ran away from their Creator). They literally fell into the living God’s hands to their condemnation. [cf. Heb 10:31] The Sacred Scriptures are silent about God’s arched eyebrows when he saw the priceless fig leaf skirts and what they signified, the first of many things that man and woman would hide from each other.
From the aspect of relationship, we may appraise Adam's personal sin as the greater of the two. Adam, the precursor of prophets, kings and priests (and Christ himself) broke his intercessory relationship with God by valuing the creaturely Eve -- the image of himself -- more highly than the creator. The priestly custodian of God’s image and likeness betrayed all human beings by his failure to plead pardon for Eve and for all creation.Eve, model and progenitor of the human race as mother of the living, sinned by stealing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge for the purpose of self-empowerment. The consequences of her actions would gravely harm all generations of human beings. The fruit itself is quite irrelevant, what it stands for is not. Irrespective of which commandment or law is transgressed by human beings, there is no sin that does not offend both God’s sovereignty and original human innocence. At bottom, the least sin violates the sacred order, spiritual and temporal, that God’s law protects.
And the sacred order of things is first and foremost understood by human beings as that which is relational. The word relationship, absurdly cheapened in popular usage as “connection”, properly encompasses such goods as personhood, filiation, community, humaneness, charity, unity, vowed commitments, benevolence and the like.
The term “right order” means to be in right relationship with God and with all human persons. Contextually, it refers to being rightly oriented to the whole of reality. It is no exaggeration to say that grave sin is profoundly disorienting to the human person, making it difficult if not impossible for the sinner to see things as they really are. Sin offends the good, it offends the law that protects the good, and it offends the sacred order in which the good is situated.
Sin impairs the sinner’s eyes of faith. To the degree that a person sins, he is blinded to the pleasing and life-affirming order of the whole of reality. Moreover, the sinner loses spiritual depth-perception. He no longer can readily distinguish the difference between creation as a good and the particular good that God wills or does not will for him personally.
Interestingly, Adam and Eve's transgression against the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was the remote factor in their expulsion. The proximate factor was the threat that they would partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life and become a new breed of immortal transgressors: “‘Lest man put forth his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live for ever’ -- therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden”. [Gen 3:22-23]
By the time Adam and Eve sinned, God had enough already of immortal creaturely sinners, that is to say, the angel Lucifer and his skunky seraphic swarm. For precisely this reason, God determined in saecula saeculorum that his perfect only-begotten Son come down and gather lost souls as a “chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people” to praise his saving glory. [1Pet 2:9] Likewise from the beginning, he determined that a flesh and blood sinner not go up and scatter. [cf. Lk 11:23]
Tragically, humanity fell with Adam and Eve into perpetual suffering and death, losing all memory of intimacy with God. Many aspects of the Genesis story always will be debated, but perhaps common agreement can be expected on this point: The human response to faith, even the denial of faith, is always very personal, far-reaching and involves other human beings. Thanks be to God, however, we do not struggle without help.
My human nature is flawed and mere self-interest leads me to commit evil against myself and others. Natural temperance is a help to moderate my thoughts, words and actions for the sake of my authentic self-interest. Nevertheless, something more is needed, a gift:
FOR IF many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.
IF, BECAUSE of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
THEN AS one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. [Rom 5:15-19]
The Spirit of God leads me to say no to anything that could be an obstacle to the goods of God’s kingdom: self-understanding and integrity, authentic intimacy with other persons and communion with God. By faith, I know “that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear”. [Heb 11:3] By faith, I seek “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”. [Heb 11:1] By faith, I accept citizenship in “a better country, that is, a heavenly one”. [Heb 11:16] By faith, I discern that the “goods” of the natural world are not good enough to effect my salvation.
Hence, by the grace of Christ, the virtue of temperance receives a supernatural character. To break the stranglehold of sin and death, I must cooperate with grace and choose the good. The virtue of temperance involves a yes as well as a no. I am to say yes to the good that God wants. I am to say no to the delusions of selfishness and materialism. Moreover, I must learn to say no to the good things and good people of this world God has not willed for me. The only way I may know the good that God wants for me is to pray and wait in silence for his salvation: “For we walk by faith, and not by sight”. [2Cor 5:7]
Every human story reveals a longing to recover what was lost by Adam and Eve’s tragic immoderation. Like Adam and Eve in happier days, we want to walk with God in the cool of the evening breeze. [cf. Gen 3:8] It is sanctifying grace alone that sustains and perfects my fundamental desire for communion with God. The grace-filled virtue of temperance empowers me to choose decisively for God and the good that God wants, to keep his commandments, humbly walking with him in the journey of faith, turning neither to the left or the right.
