Cheryl Schatz

Mark,
You said:

You want me to believe that both had equal authority in the garden, yet you admit that Adam had a reponsibility that Eve did not in protecting the garden.

Adam had more knowledge than Eve did as she was not yet created when God created the garden and the animals. If Eve had been around to see what Adam saw, and if God would have disallowed her as a watchman, then she would have been unequal since they would have had the same knowledge but only one would have been responsible for that knowledge. But that is not the case.

God’s way has always been to make us accountable for the individual revelation that He has given us. When God gave Adam revelation of who He is as Creator, Adam was responsible for that revelation and he was held accountable.

God made both Adam and Eve rulers of the world. There was no distinction. Knowledge given to one when the other one did not yet exist is a responsibility to use that knowledge that has nothing to do with an inequality between the two.

Today God gives individual knowledge of His word in a special way that helps to protect the flock. Those who have knowledge are not unequal with the flock that they are protecting.

God has given me wisdom in working with the cults and many pastors have used that wisdom to become informed and to informed the Christians in their church. Does that make me better than the pastor who was not taught this information in seminary? Not at all. But I am still responsible for doing something with what God gives me. Individual knowledge never makes one person as better than another nor does it allow the person who has the knowledge to “rule over” others. Knowledge like this that has been given by God is meant to benefit the flock and all those who have been gifted are accountable in the way that they benefit others. If we hold back our gifts for our own use and refuse to give what we have to serve others, we will one day stand before God to give an account of ourselves and for our lack of faithfulness.

So, no, I do not believe that Adam had more authority. Adam had more knowledge of the nature of God and this knowledge gave him a responsibility that was very grave. Adam failed. We must not.

It seems you want to say Adam did indeed have a role or responsibility above that of Eve in protecting the garden, yet want to try and hold onto equality.

It was not a responsibility “above” that of Eve. It was a responsibility in line with the direct knowledge and experience of God that He had. For them to be unequal would entail a restriction on Eve in the equal knowledge or a responsibility of Adam over Eve. Neither of these are in the text, so we need to stick with what God wrote and He made them both rulers in the same way. Eve ruled in the garden in the same way that Adam ruled. Adam was just responsible for knowing evil because of the knowledge that he had.

I hope that helps!