Basic HTML Version
separareness - is rhe lack of love.
"The experience of separareness
arouses anxiery," says Fromm. "Ir is
indeed, che source of a11 anxiery...."
Beyond rhar, ir arouses shame and rhe
feeling of guilr. This experience of
guilr and shame in separateness is ex–
pressed in che Bíblica! story of Adam
and Eve.
Adam and Eve:
Paradise Lose
"Afrer Adam and Eve have earen
of rhe 'rree of knowledge of good and
evil,' afrer rhey have disobeyed [rherc
is no good and evil unless rhere is
freedom ro disobey] ... rhey saw rhar
rhey were naked and rhey were
ashamed.'"
Fromm implies rhar rhe separare–
ness being spoken of is rhe separarion
berween Adam and Eve. "While rec–
ognizing rheir separareness rhey re–
main srrangers because they have not
yer learned ro love each orher. ..." he
says. Bur ro assume rhis ro be che
poinr of che narrarive is ro miss irs
true implicarion.
In chis account, che imporrant sep–
ararion is not berween Adam and Evc.
The importan/ sepamtio11 is between man
a11d God!
The accounr chronicles rhe
singular evenr in which mankind was
cut off from conracr wirh an ercrnal,
all-powerful being. Ar this moment
in hisrory, man was forced
tO
fill chis
void by invenring gods - both mate·
rial and religious - in his own image.
Adam and Evc had disobeyed; rhcy
could no longer be ar one with rhcir
Crearor. Because being ar one pre–
supposes rhar borh parries share rhe
sarne way of life. As menrioned, rwo
cannor walk rogerher unless they
agree. Love is based on acceptance of
common beliefs, aspirarions and de–
sires. There can be no !ove when no
common acceprance exisrs.
Thus, rhe narrarive in Genesis says
of chis Crearor, "The man is becomc
as one of us, ro know good and evil:
and now, lest he put forrh his hand,
and cake also of rhe rree of life. and
ear, and live for cver: rherefore rhe
Lord God senr him forrh from che
28
garden of Eden, ro till the ground
from whence he was raken.
So be
dro11e
out the man,-
and he placed at rhc casr
of rhe garden of Eden Cherubims,
and a flaming sword which rurned
every way. ro keep che way of rhe cree
of life."
The rrec of lifc symbolized the way
ro
rhe ]ove, che union rhar would
reaHy sarisfy. Man was now on his
own. This severing of rhe connecrion
berween man and God lefr a sorr of
mental need in Adam's mind - and
in every orher human since.
Proof of chis nced has been dis–
cussed in chis article. Ir is bound up
wirh the human need ro lind love,
union, acceprancc. guidance and help.
The Really True Believer:
Paradise Regained
So ir is rhar Jcsus in rhe New Tcs–
ramenr speaks of a new rype union
berween man and God which he
made possible. Jesus said of his dis–
ciples in John 17:20-22. ·'Neirher pray
1 for rhese alone, buc for rhem also
which shall believe on me rhrough
rheir word; char they all rnay be one;
as thou, Farhcr, art in me, and I in
rhee, char rhey also rnay be one in us:
rhat the world may believe rhar rhou
hase senr me .. .
that they may be one,
even as we are one."
Jesus was able ro promise union
wirh God - rhc !ove rhar sacisfics -
ro rhe rrue belicvcrs. Earlier He said,
"If you love me, keep my command–
menrs. And 1 will pray rhe Farher,
and he shall give you anorher Com–
foner" Oohn 14:15-16) . Thc abilicy
ro have rhis love demanded obedience
ro
rhe same way of Iife pracriced by
Jesus. For rhen, the rrue belicver,
Jesus and God could walk rogerher -
united in !ove.
Bur before a union can rakc place
berween man and God, rhe wall of
separarion crccrcd by Adam's sin and
rhc subseguent sins of humaniry muse
be broken down. This wall is rhe sin–
fui condicion in which man livcs.
"Your iniguiries [sins] have sepa–
rared berween you and your God,"
críes rhe Old Tesramenr prophet
Isaiah, "and your sins bave
hid his face
from you, thac he will nor hear"
(Isaiah 59:2).
And so ir was thar in che Old Tes–
ramenr sacrificial law, a goar repre–
senring che bearer of rhe sins of
humaniry was killed. This aronement
- or ar-one-ment - rirual was
enacred in rhe following way by a
Levirical pricsr.
"Then shall he kili rhe goat of che
sin offering, rhar is for rhe people,
and bring his blood wirhin the vail.
... And he shall make an aronemenr
for che holy place, because of rhc un–
cleanness of rhe children of Israel, and
becausc of rheir rransgressions in all
rheir sins" (Leviricus 16:15-16).
From rhe Apostle Paul we under–
srand rhar chis goar represenred rhe
New Tesramenr Messiah - Jesus
who died for rhe sins of humaniry.
"For if rhc blood of bulls and of
goars, and rhc ashes of an hcifer
sprinkling che unclean, sancti lieth ro
rhe
puri~·ing
of rhe flesh," says rhe
Aposrle Paul in Hebrews 9:13, "how
much more
~hall
che blood of Chrisr,
who rhrough rhe erernal Spirit of–
fered himself wirhour spor ro God.
purge your conscience from de-.td
works ro serve che living God?"
The Love Thac Sarisfies
So ir is rhat man can find union
wirh God once che wall of his sins is
removed. Thcn che rrue
agape,
che
Greek word for che !ove of God, can
fuse rhe crue believer wirh his Crc·
aror. This love - rhe love rhat saris–
fies - opens a new dimension for rhe
human being.
He need no longer grapple with
his helplessncss. He can tap che power
of an Almighty God, che Crcaror of
rhe univcrse. He need no longcr fear
rhe rerminarion of a shorr life, for rhe
Crearor promises rhe true believer
eterna! Iife. He need no longer search
for his idenriry and purpose in life.
The individual need no longcr feel
:done, unlovcd, rejecred or separared.
Even rhough rhe world may despise
him, he can always counr on che !ove
of God - a !ove thar is unlimircd.
And it is a !ove rhat sarisfies roday
and forevcr. O
PLAIN TRUTH December 1972