What is Discipleship? Original Intent

Continuing with the theme of Discipleship: I wrote previously about the Doctrine of Original Intent. This is not a church doctrine, it is typically used as the methodology of interpreting the Constitution. "What did the Founding Fathers mean when they said ..." The competing view of constitutional interpretation is to see it as an evolving document that -- sort of like silly putty -- can be bent and shaped to mean new things in relation to new challenges.

I prefer to approach the scriptures with a "doctrine of original intent" -- taking Genesis chapters 1 - 3 as the seed bed for the rest of redemptive history up to and including the return of our Lord in glory. If we get the first three chapters wrong, we skew the whole rest of the story.

How does this sync up with discipleship? It is my belief that discipleship could be the defining characteristic of Adam's relationship with God. God had created Adam to be his "manager" of creation. In doing so, Adam had to learn the ropes. Who would teach him? The Creator, of course. God was the one who knew how it all worked and what He wanted Adam to accomplish with it. With that in view, after Adam and Eve disobeyed God, God came "walking in the garden in the cool of the day." I believe that this was an example of "mentoring" times that He shared with Adam prior to the fall.

Is this all stated in the text? Not in so many words. As we continue this series we will look at other things later in history that point back to this.