A Question about Adam.....

Since he died, and since God says the tree of life would have caused him to live forever, he hadn't eaten from the tree of life.

 

He was created immortal. He would have lived forever had he not eaten from the tree of the knowlege of good and evil. With respect to the fruit of the tree of life, it was maybe the variety that God's goodness provided for mans thorough enjoyment. (speculation)

In any case he did not begin to die until the judgment after the fall. Only after sin entered the picture was death available.

my $.02 great exercise/question

 

I'm sorry. I'm really going to need an answer one way or another, especially since it involves the heart and soul of the major, and in my view, false doctrine of the Fall. </font>[/QUOTE]I'm sorry, but the text doesn't say. Ask God for the answer if you wish, but God apparently didn't want to inspire that answer into the text of Genesis.

 

Okay.

I agree with Stefan -- the Bible is not clear about the Tree of Life. All we know is that Adam and Eve were not allowed to eat from it after sinning.

As for the doctrine of the Fall, I think Gen. 3 and Rom. 5 covers it -- sin brought separation from God, and brought death and decay into the world.

Since our bodies are called corruptible in 1 Cor. 15 and the resurrection of Christ means we will have new bodies, incorruptible, I think part of the death from the Fall is physical death.

 

Gen 3
22 Then the LORD God said, ""Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever''

This is the history of what the Bible calls "mortal man". It begins with creation and then because of denied access to the tree of life - the FIRST of mankind - (from the very start) is NOT going to "live forever" without the Gospel of salvation!

But still -- mankind is "mortal".

Job 10:5 NKJV
5 Are Your days like the days of a mortal man?

Ps 146:3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.

Ps 22
29All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship, All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him, Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

So WHEN will this Mortal put on IMMORTALITY?

In Christ,

Bob

 

So the Bible clearly teaches - mankind IS MORTAL -

But it can also be said that we are made in the image of God. NOT that we can CREATE matter like God or SPEAK worlds into existence like God or raise the dead like God or make our soul immortal -- but we can choose to do good to be faithful, to be just, to be merciful and loving and even to express independant thought -- like God.

In Christ,

Bob

 

I came across this the other day - it's a commentary on immortality and man. I wanted to post it but I lost it and finally found it again! This is just an excerpt. I am not necessarily agreeing with it, but thought it would be of interest since it is on topic.

 

This is their summary:

 

My opinion is that Adam and Eve were created neither mortal nor immortal, but rather with the ability to choose either. The events in the garden are not just about disobedience and sin entering the world, though that is certainly the main theme.

I think that Adam and Eve did more than just to choose to eat from the tree of knowledge. They chose it instead of the tree of life. I think that if they had refused to eat from the tree of knowledge and ate from the tree of life they would have then been immortal.

They could not choose both, and that is why they were banned from the garden.

 

I find no scritpures saying that man is immortal, that we have an immortal soul OR that the wicked live for ever, sin foerver, curse God forever etc.

In Matt 10 we find that God is the one who "destroys BOTH body AND soul in fiery hell".

I think this is an accurate text.

In Christ,

Bob

 

WHen he is expelled from the Garden God says, "lest he eat of the tree of life and live forever." That implies to me that he did not have eternal life.

I interpret the story to be that he had access to the tree of life, and was going to be given immortality, but he blew it, and God prevented him from having it.