Immanuel Lutheran Church Study Forum

What is the Lutheran view on:

The physical act Chava did in Gen 6? I know the spiritual act. I am speaking about the actual physical act. Do Lutherans believe in a literal eating of fruit or some kind of intercourse brought on by deceitful seduction from the serpent? Or, is there no view of anything literal that they did?

Side note: I see the correlation btwn the fact that the first Adam became cursed through a serpent via sin; the Last Adam became a bronze serpent on a pole to save the ppl from the venom of serpent bites (due to their own sin). When haters try to throw shade on Yeshua/Jesus by saying things like, "Jesus is a serpent and a curse" (yes, I get that from time to time b/c they got a hold of some Hebrew meanings) I always respond with: "Indeed, He is the bronze serpent lifted HIGH on the pole becoming the curse for us so that we may look upon Him and be healed from the LOW serpent's venom of our sin".

Just like the lion, there is a duality in symbolism; a wicked serpent in Gan Eden and an image that represents Messiah's conquering deeds. One low, One high. I see the connection btwn the 2 Adams, 2 serpents, 2 lions, 2 births, 2 deaths. There can be a rebirth/born again (or not) and a second death (or not). If one is reborn of the Spirit, they do not die the second death. The Lion for us is Messiah. The serpent for us is the Last Adam who hung on a pole. If one remains in the first Adam, the lion for them is the devourer. The serpent for them is a deadly curse and they die the 2nd death. Flesh vs Spirit. Progeny. Whose your daddy?

With regards to your first question, Lutherans absolutely, unequivocally reject this proposal. We believe that the Bible is what it claims to be; in the case of Genesis, it's a recounting of historical events. The events of Genesis actually, literally happened in the manner they are told. "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6).

Luther's words regarding this verse: "The whole point therefore lies in this...that the tree was a tree to be desired, because it made the eaters thereof wise. And this is the very aim of the devil, to cause a man to think his knowledge and wisdom the greater, the further he departs from the Word" (Luther's Genesis Commentary, Chapter 3). The fall was so much uglier than sex, it was corruption, such that our First Parents sought to become like God Himself and establish their own standard of good and evil. This disobedience manifested itself in the physical eating of physical fruit of a physical tree. And yet, when the serpent said "you will be like God, knowing good and evil", it failed to mention that the only way in which humans could come to have the wisdom of good and evil is by participating in evil, i.e. disobeying God's good commandments. God says "do not eat of the fruit of this tree" (3:5), and yet, they ate.

How good and gracious is it for us, then, that God offers us another kind of food; food that does not condemn but which redeems. For Jesus said "Take and eat. This is my body which is broken for you", and again "Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins". Therefore, by physically eating dead fruit of a living tree, mankind fell into the snare of the Devil, bringing upon itself sin, death, suffering, and destruction. Yet, by physically eating the living fruit of a dead tree, that is, the crucified Christ, mankind is once more restored, redeemed, justified, and resurrected. No more do we fear death, but instead we rest in the blessed promise that Jesus is most assuredly mine.

The idea you were asking about is called "serpent seed theory", and thanks for asking about it because it was a fun research rabbit hole (I hadn't heard of it before). In short, it is one of the many false doctrines that originated in Gnosticism, which is an early church heresy that the church fathers spent a lot of time roundly rejecting. It regained popularity in the early 20th century mainly as a vehicle for antisemitism and outright racism, such that Jews and non-white people are the descendants of Satan and Eve. This has never been a mainstream Christian view, and fails to hold up to any kind of hermeneutical rigor. Here's a very good short article I found on the subject (though it's written from a non-Lutheran perspective): Did Eve Have Sex With Satan?

I also believe in the literal view.