The Literal Meaning of Genesis (continued)
is, to be obedient under His rule rather than to live uncontrolled and abuse his freedom. Hence, the author did not want to put this expression earlier but rather to save it for that part of the narrative where God would put man in Paradise to cultivate and to guard him. Thus he did not say, as in all the preceding instances, ""And God took the man whom He made," but rather he said, And the Lord God took the man whom He made and placed him in Paradise in order to cultivate him so that he would be just and guard him so that he would be safe, doing this by His rule, which is useful not for Him but for us.
For God does not need our service, but we need His rule so that He may cultivate and guard us. Accordingly, He alone is the true Lord, because we serve Him not for His advantage and welfare but for ours. For if He needed us, by that very fact He would not be our true Lord, since through our efforts He would be helped in His need, and being subject to that need He Himself would be in servitude. With good reason the Psalmist sang: I said to the Lord, "Thou art my God, for Thou hast no need of my goods."®* And what I said about our serving Him for our advantage and welfare should not be taken to mean that we expect something from Him other than Himself, who is our supreme advantage and welfare. Thus, our love for Him is freely given according to the Psalmist: But it is good for me to adhere to God.®?
CHAPTER 12
God works in man by His grace.
25. Man is not so constituted that he would be able, when once created, to perform any good deed by his own powers if his Creator abandoned him. All his good action consists in his being turned to Him by whom he has been made, and in his becoming, by his Creator's power, just, faithful, wise, and blessed always. He does not acquire these qualities and then depart, as is the case when a sick person is healed by a medical doctor and then goes his way. For the physician who healed the body worked as an outside agent assisting nature, which was working