The Third Exchange (III)

The question of the Garden hangs over this Pauline passage about the three exchanges like a heavy morning dew which hugs the earth.  When the Lord God comes looking for the Garden of Eden couple and finds them hiding and hears the first words of their confession, He speaks from a broken heart saying, "What is this that you have done?"  (Genesis 3:13).  As Paul writes of the three exchanges made by those who choose to live in darkness rather than the light, he points to exchanging the original self for the distorted self, exchanging the truth for a lie, and then finally he writes, "they worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..."  (Romans 1:25)     

While the sacred Word is clear about the primary importance of worshiping the Creator, anyone who listens to the bombardments of contemporary culture understands that a different message is being preached.  Culture tells us that nothing should be of a greater concern than caring for the hungry and demanding ego which lives within us.  Culture tells us we can be self sufficient, we can provide our own security systems, and we can overcome whatever it is that is out there seeking to do us harm.    

Of course, it is all a lie.  It is a huge lie.  And even though it is a lie, we have fallen in love with the idea that self is sufficient.  Whatever it is upon which we ultimately depend is what we worship.  We may say with our words that we depend on God, but a close and honest look at the way we live shows in so many cases that the Creator is not the first choice, but a default choice if all else fails.  In making such a choice we have chosen to worship the creature rather than the Creator and it is a choice which takes away gratitude to God for His goodness and causes us to live in a way that brings dishonor to His name.