And I will have to rush through these, Percho, as I need to be going.
Romans 5:12-14 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned (in trespasses) from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (As Gal. 3:22 states) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, (under sin being in dying they will surely be dead, dying thou dost die Gen. 2:17)
Not too often this is brought up (under sin being in dying they will surely be dead, dying thou dost die Gen. 2:17), pretty cool, though.
(In Gen 1:29,30 before trespasses and sin we learn God gave to man herb seed and tree seed for food and beast herb seed for food. I show this because of what Old Union Brother posted from Rom 14:23 concerning eating of faith. I believe to eat of faith is the same as Jesus spoke of in John 6.)
John 6:53-57 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat (food) indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
The correlation between eating the flesh of Christ and life is there, but it is good to distinguish, as Christ did, between the physical life which "Moses did not give" and the spiritual life which Christ came to give to fallen man. He came that man might have the life of God. Similarly the trees and vegetation were for physical life, even as they are now.
Agreed. I am one that believes that Christ here does in fact prophesy of the life man would receive...after He died. The life of God in man can best be seen, in my view, as beginning at Pentecost, when the Comforter was given to man.
(Death and Life are related to eating.
But we have to be careful, I feel, to distinguish between spiritual and physical life. It is generally held that Adam did die "the day he ate of the tree," that is, spiritually. I believe that.
Even in the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we see that they died physically, but did not cease to exist, which could be viewed as a form of life, even spiritual, though one would be hard pressed to insist that they (even Lazarus) had the life of God.
We see that Life is related to eating of Jesus which must be related to eating of the tree of Life.
In the New Heaven and earth, there will be a tree of life(two of them maybe...they are on both sides of the river...lol), said to be for the "healing" of the nations (which I feel probably points to man restored to his former condition rather than "if we get hurt...eat of the leaves").
What is good to consider is that the residents gained eternal life before entrance to the eternal state. Not only that, I would suggest that eternal life, the life of God, does not, and never has come from any source other than God Himself.
It seems reasonable to conclude that eternal life will not be sustained by the tree, as well as to conclude that eternal life was or would not have been sustained in the Garden.
This points the issue of Adam's separation from God, not the tree or the garden.
And this was the point, primarily, I hoped to be able to offer something to consider on. Again, you asked for "help," hope that qualifies.
Be back in a bit.