Insecurity

What causes wall-building between people?  Why do we close ourselves from each other?  It has been suggested that this practice began in the garden, but what is it about the effects of sin that evokes this behavior?  In a former post I suggested that it was perhaps the distortion of God’s image in us.  Until the fall, Adam and Eve were a picture of God’s image in the world.  When Adam and Eve looked into each other’s face, they saw the beauty of God.  However, after the fall, the image that they saw was far from what they had been accustomed.  

This might account for a response of repulsion, but alienation?  Perhaps another word can assist us at this point.  “Insecurity”.  Humans do not like insecurity.  In America we have created an entire social system to prevent the horror of insecurity called, “Social Security”.  To be insecure is to be vulnerable, exposed, even transparent.  Now, vulnerability, exposure, and transparency are not evil things in their own right, however, given the correct conditions they become awful things which must be prevented at all cost.  

Have you ever heard the phrase “knowledge is power”?  Its true, knowledge is power, and in a world disintegrated by sin, power is king.  Let’s begin from the top.  When Adam and Eve believed the serpent’s whopper — that they themselves could be God — they created a reality in which the possession of power would become necessary for their continued existence.  When you no longer trust in God to lead you, you must lead yourself.  

Herein lies the rub, the only way that a person can be certain of a good life, is to have perfect and comprehensive knowledge of the entirety of life’s variables.  Orthodox Christian teaching reminds us that God is infinite in His knowledge, nothing catches Him by surprise.  However, a recent jogging experience in the midst of a freak thunderstorm reminds me that humans are not so infinite in their knowledge.  With such limited knowledge, it is clear that humans cannot be as powerful as God.  The ancient pagans understood this concept, which is why they worked out an interesting system in which they could essentially manipulate their gods.  Where the pagans did in their manipulation, we do in our alienation.  When you lack the knowledge to control your entire world, you will settle for what you know and what you can control.  The remainder of life is marked by maintaining control of what you know.  Yet, if you want to perpetuate this control, you must never share your knowledge, never open up, never be exposed.  What you have over another person is your power over them.  

Sin is marked by distrust, both of God and of others.  Adam and Eve hid from each other for the same reason that they hid from God, they could no longer trust each other.  They felt exposed, bare, transparent, which created insecurity.  Until their disobedience, they trusted in God to protect them, even from the things that they could not foresee.  They could be completely transparent to each other because of their mutual trust.  The tree’s delicious fruit created and “every man for himself” reality in which self-reliance and preservation was the new order of the day.  To be exposed was gravely dangerous and possibly destructive.  

I am reminded of Jesus’ words in his Sermon on the Mount… 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  Matthew 5:38-39

I formerly thought that Jesus was talking about some kind of masochistic worthiness.  I don’t think so any longer.  Rather, it seems that Jesus’ words are directed at the effects of the Garden alienation.  When we are harmed by others, it is easy to no longer be willing to open ourselves to them.  We close off and hide away, its natural.  Jesus calls us to something extraordinary, he calls us to exhibit his nature, a reintegration of his image in us.  Instead of turning our face away and providing a human originated security, put your need for security in the hands of God and turn a fresh, untainted, unharmed check to your neighbor, and love them with Christ’s love.  The fall has propagated the lie that we can be secure in ourselves and we don’t need God.  Salvation necessitates that we reject self-security and look only to God for the security that we long for and need.