| Author | Message | ||
| Lori (Lori) |
Something in another thread caused me to consider this---Did Adam and Eve really "possess" eternal life or did they merely have a perfect life? Gen 2:17--Adam and Eve spiritually died the moment they ate the fruit. This spiritual death cut off their communion with God-they were immediately estranged from Him. But this spiritual death did not effect their ability to live eternally. "He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever"--Gen. 3:22. Adam and Eve's eternal existence was related to their access of the tree of life not to their spiritual life. Their spiritual life was directly related to their obedience. They only had ONE rule--don't eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They didn't obey this rule; they spiritually died. But their eternal life was related to what they had access to!! Do you see the application that this has for our spiritual life in the church age and the security it offers us???!! | ||
| Loneviking (Loneviking) |
I think I see what you are getting at---the Tree of Life that they had access to was what was keeping them alive. The problem I have with that is that there is no record that they HAD to eat of that tree (before the Fall) in order to maintain their eternal life. We really aren't told what role that the Tree of Life played before the fall. We only know that it apparently had the ability to give eternal life after the fall IF Adam and Eve could reach it. However, note also that if they would have reached the Tree of Life they would not have been restored spiritually. They would have been sinners who would have lived eternally---much as the fallen angels. Instead, another way out was found for them and the human race and that was through another man--named Jesus Christ. Clear as mud? Bill S. |
