Legalism (Genesis 3-4)

Trivia time. Where is the first example of legalism in the Bible found? You guessed it. Genesis 3. Verse 3 to be specific. We are all familiar with this passage. The serpent comes and leads Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. Through his cunning and guile, he convinces Eve that God is not trustworthy and that there is great pleasure to be found in that apple or kumquat or whatever it was. What often goes unnoticed is Eve's comment in verse 3. In conversing with the serpent, Eve says that she and Adam were not to eat from the tree or touch its fruit.

As you probably realize, this was an expansion of God's command. God said don't eat the fruit. He didn't say don't touch the tree. Where did Eve get this idea from? My best guess- she got the idea from Adam. Genesis tells us that he was the one who received God's command about the tree. Loving this woman God had put by his side, Adam didn't want to see her get in trouble. So, how to make sure she stayed away from the fruit? Add a rule. Not only don't you eat the fruit. You don't even touch it.

God's people have long thought that adding to God's rules was an effective sin deterrent. The Pharisees thought this. Many of Paul's opponents thought this. And many Christians today think this. I grew up in a tradition that seemed to think adding to God's rules was a good way to stop sin. ("Don't drink. Don't dance. Don't listen to rock and roll). Genesis 3 teaches us early on that more rules don't help us keep the right rules. More effective is truly knowing God. If Eve had been insightful enough to trust God's character and intentions, she would have never had that piece of fruit.