Genesis 4:7 – Says, “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
How do we understand these sin metaphors?
Driving to Bible study this morning and listening to J Peterson’s new book have presented me with this question. If I am given this fact, what response am I called to have? What is my responsibility?
It seems plausible that this would not be the impossible task it often feels like. God does not ask us to do impossible things. He has always given us a way to do what he asks. In this verse, God states two facts and then gives a directive. Sin is crouching against you. You must rule over it.
I think I have seen many ways this has been used in the church. The most popular way is as a warning and a shame. “Be careful; sin is all around you. If you are not careful, you will fall into sin. You must try hard to avoid it, if not it will devour you.” I have realized that this is the worst way to look at this verse and then, by extension, interpret the Bible.
If we look at sin as simply as something to avoid, we are missing the entire message. We miss the big picture, and sadly, we fail to follow the directive that is given. This is interesting because it is like “the lie” in the garden. It is cloaked in a half-truth. It has enough truth to lead to some credibility, and it is confirmed by our ability to avoid sin momentarily and gain a sense of short-term victory. The long game of this is inevitably lost or met with endless battles.
I wonder if you have ever seen those shows with the people who are attacked by their exotic pets—a man mauled by a pet tiger. A snake strangles a child, and a live-in bear mauls the parents. Today, I do not believe that sin is crouching at our doors. I believe it is living in our houses. I believe it has its room and it eats at our tables. I believe it has been tamed. However, like an exotic pet, we are deceived if we think it is predictable or controllable.
This practice of avoidance of sin is detrimental to our families and society. It gets us only halfway. Actually, it doesn’t even get us halfway. To avoid is the opposite of what we are commanded to do. The command is to rule.
This command is echoed throughout the New Testament, but I sometimes feel I have missed it. Proverbs and the Old Testament allude to this idea. I wonder if the feminine movement has weakened us on this point. In the 50s, it was considered wise not to go to the movies. Now, we have them in our homes. I am not advocating for avoiding movies, just making a point.
Genesis 4:7
“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
Romans 6:14
“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Romans 6:23
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
James 4:17
“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
1 John 3:9
“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
What does it mean to rule? From Webster 1828:
1. To govern; to control the will and actions of others, either by arbitrary power and authority, or by established laws. The emperors of the east rule their subjects without the restraints of a constitution. In limited governments, men are ruled by known laws.
2. To govern the movements of things; to conduct; to manage; to control. That God rules the world he has created, is a fundamental article of belief.
3. To manage; to conduct, in almost any manner.
4. To settle as by a rule
5. To mark with lines by a ruler; as, to rule a blank book.
6. To establish by decree or decision; to determine; as a court.
RULE, verb intransitive To have power or command; to exercise supreme authority.
We subdue and rule over all other creatures.
What does it mean to have dominion? From Webster 1828:
1. Sovereign or supreme authority; the power of governing and controlling.
2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose of at pleasure; right of possession and use without being accountable; as the private dominion of individuals.
3. Territory under a government; region; country; district governed, or within the limits of the authority of a prince or state; as the British dominions.
4. Government; right of governing. Jamaica is under the dominion of Great Britain.
5. Predominance; ascendant.
6. An order of angels.
Whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers. Colossians 1:16.
7. Persons governed.
Judah was his sanctuary; Israel his dominion Psalms 114:2.
In these two lengthy definitions, it is apparent that avoidance is almost the opposite of rule or dominion. To confront is the opposite of avoiding, and it is closer to our command from God.
1. To stand face to face in full view; to face; to stand in front.
2. To stand in direct opposition; to oppose.
3. To set face to face; to bring into the presence of; as a accused person and a witness, in court, for examination and discovery of the truth; followed by with.
4. To set together for comparison; to compare one thing with another.
I would argue that confronting is the first step to rule and dominion. You cannot rule without confrontation. You cannot lead your home without confrontation. You cannot lead a church without confrontation. Confrontation is the awareness that rule and dominion need to be effective.
The other side of the balance is submission. When rule exists without submission, it is tyranny.
I understand these words have lost their meaning over the last many years and need to be applied better. However, there is no reason not to employ them now. The language is everywhere in scripture if we look for it. If you change how you understand your responsibility, you will quickly see the confirmation of the truth.
Romans 4:13,14 Do not present you members as instruments…For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death
1 Peter 5:6-9 – Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.
Genesis 4:7 “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
To be passive and avoidant are the pathways to sin. This attitude leads to Adam’s fall. Passive and avoidant do not equal humility. It is clear that simply and passively avoiding sin is the quickest way to get eaten. To do what God has called us to do means first we must open our eyes. Second, we must reject being a victim. And lastly, we must rule. He did not give us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and self-control.
2 Tim 1: 6,7 – For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power, love, and self-control.
I think our first reaction to sin crouching at the door is fear. It is the wrong reaction. With a different perspective, we can look at the encouragement in 2 Tim much differently now. We have power, love, and self-control. Let’s take these one at a time.
Power. I believe we think power means supernatural or otherworldly force. I admit that if this is what it meant, then I would doubt whether that would indeed be something I possess. However, I think that power, in this case, simply means agency—the ability to do. I believe the best understanding is that we are not victims.
Love. Love is that which is best. The highest. The purest. Love is the unfiltered and stainless truth in its purest form. Love is reality at its clearest focus. It is both situational and static. Love is.
The last is, in my opinion, the most misunderstood: self-control. I have associated this with willpower—my ability to resist. From my experience, this is folly. Self-control is an illusion in the modern evangelical understanding of the concept. The true essence of the term can only be fully understood in light of the other two.
God has given us the ability to rule over sin with truth. When we rule, aiming at what is the highest, we govern ourselves and sin. We do not cower from the lion or ignore it. We cage it.
To rule means we take ownership of the situations in life we are put in. We reject the situations that present temptation unchecked. We say no to things we know we cannot handle. We are given the strength to say no to being home alone. It is not the strength to resist the woman when you are standing in front of her door.
The practicality of this is relatively simple in theory, but it requires courage, not trusting yourself, and laying down your ego. It starts by speaking the truth, which means closing loopholes. It also means not letting the lion in the house or hotel room.
Be watchful. Temptation is the same as suffering. You can avoid suffering if you don’t give the lion a seat at your table. If your rule is not to walk down the street where the adultress lives, you need no willpower to keep from sharing her table.
So, I guess the point I am trying to make is that if you use willpower alone to battle the lion, you will eventually be eaten. We cannot be content with avoiding or taming temptation; we must take the agency we have been given and rule over it.
Nos & Rehtaf, Dnabsuh 