But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
NOTICE: God said - You shall surely DIE! You will be dead! Spiritually DEAD!
Gen 3:4-5
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil
NOTICE: The serpent said - You shall NOT surely DIE! You will not be spiritually dead but....... if you eat then YOU WILL HAVE FREE WILL.
Now, I ask you, Do you believe God or the serpent? Do you believe that you will have FREE WILL if you only will disobey God?
John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Calvinist: Man does NOT have a free will. He is DEAD and his will is a slave.
"But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." John 6:64-66
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
NOTICE: God said - You shall surely DIE! You will be dead! Spiritually DEAD!
:bouncy:I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you add "spiritually dead" to the verse. God told them they would become mortal and die when they ate the fruit. He said they would surely die, as in, they will definitely die, He didn't say they would die instantly. He also didn't say they would die spiritually. If He meant that they would die some kind of ghosty spirit death instantly, I think He would have said so.
Gen 3:4-5
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil
NOTICE: The serpent said - You shall NOT surely DIE! You will not be spiritually dead but....... if you eat then YOU WILL HAVE FREE WILL.
Now, I ask you, Do you believe God or the serpent? Do you believe that you will have FREE WILL if you only will disobey God?
:bouncy:Logically, if Eve could eat from the tree, then she already had free will to disobey what God had told her not to do. Satan told Eve that she would have what he himself wanted; "to be like God", not "free will". Also, it was very clearly a lie that the serpent was telling Eve, I'm not sure what you're trying to get across. Is this pasted from something else? It seems a little below your usual level of competency.
John 8:44
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Calvinist: Man does NOT have a free will. He is DEAD and his will is a slave.
Arminian: Man is NOT dead and he has free will.
Now, Who is the LIAR?
**How about both? I would say that the bible truth is that man is dead and degenerate and does not seek God, even whatever "righteousness" he can muster on his own is filthy rags in the sight of God(Romans 3:10-11, Isaiah 64:6). We have absolutely no hope of salvation or redemption without God, but when God scatters the word, hearing comes by the word, and faith comes by hearing(Romans 10:17, Luke 8:11, 1 Cor. 1:21). Reading and hearing the word brings conviction and slays us in our sin(Romans 7:9), and we can only look to Christ for help(Romans 7:24-25). "Look and live"(John 3:14-16, Numbers 21:8).
I say that the Calvinist is wrong in making God a puppeteer, and Arminian is wrong in giving men the power to save themselves. Both are incorrect.
2 Peter 1:5-11: Make every effort to add to you faith {A FREE GIFT} goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and **LOVE**. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective...and will make your calling and election sure...and you will receive a *RICH WELCOME* into our Eternal Kingdom of Jesus Christ!
By saying REWARDS are not *EARNED* by the saints contradicts over 50 passages from the inspired Words of God and removes one of the most important incentives for obeying all of the NT commands with love with the hope countless eternal *REWARDS* for faithful and loving service!! There are many Satanic Calvinists who teach that born again saints do not have free will and that their good works are all predistined for the glory of God and therefore will not **EARN** heavenly **REWARDS**, However, what does God's infallible Words say about this ??
Daniel 12:3: Those who impart wisdom {NIV} will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness. like the stars for ever and ever!
Revelation 2:18; 3:21: Jesus says, "To him who overcomes I will give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it....And I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."
Jesus says, "At the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne...Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for My sake will receive 100 times as much !!" Matthew 19:28,29
SALVATION IS 100% FREE BUT HEAVENLY REWARDS ARE 100% EARNED:
Hebrews 11:1,6: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see....And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He **REWARDS** those who earnestly seek Him!!
Ephesians 6:8: Serve wholeheartedly , as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will **REWARD** everyone for what ever good he does!.
Revelation 22:12 Jesus says, �Behold I am coming soon! My **REWARD** is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done!�
Matthew 16:27: Jesus says, �The Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels and THEN He will **REWARD** each person according to what he has done!�
2 Corinthians 5:9,10: We make it our goal to please Him... for we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15: His work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives , he will receive his **REWARD**. If it is burned up he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Colossians 3:23-25: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, siince you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a **REWARD**. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
How to Win Heavenly CROWNS:
I Corinthians 9:24-27: Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes in to strict training. They do it to get a **CROWN that will not last; but we do it to get a **CROWN THAT WILL LAST FOREVER! Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly. I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize!
2 John 1:8: Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be **REWARDED** fully!. Revelation 3:11: Jesus says, �I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your **CROWN!�
2 Timothy 4:7,8: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the **CROWN of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,will award to me on that day�and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing!
The **CROWN of Life for those who persevere under trials and persecution:
James 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the **CROWN OF LIFE that God has promised to those who **LOVE** Him!
Revelation 2:10 Jesus says, �Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer... Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the **CROWN OF LIFE!�
Matthew 5:11,12: Jesus says, �Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, beacuase great is your **REWARD** in heaven!
Hebrews 10:32-36: Remember those earlier days after you had received the Light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of sufferin. Sometimes you were publicaly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly **REWARDED**. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you receive what He has promised!
I agree with DHTM. Very well said. I also believe this story is about redemption, or the lack of it and the resulting need for a "second Adam" as Paul put it. Eve had fallen. She had been disobedient and needed redemption right then. Adam could have stood against the serpent and not taken the fruit. He would have then defeated the serpent and redeemed Eve but instead he fell along with her and hence the need for a redeemer that would not fall to temptation and would overcome the serpent.
In this light both schools of thought are wrong. Man had free will before the fall and man cannot save himself.
We have record of the theif on the cross we hear from his mouth " Lord remember me"
Those Jesus rejects because He never knew them were those who " We did such and such" in your name. They determined what they would do and attached jesus name to it.
We hear today people profess salvation but no Lordship this is the false gospel going around.
The issus in the garden was one of Lordship as well when they rebelled out of their free wills to reject Gods word and do it on their own.
When we repent and say yes God. When we repent and admit our rebellion towards God. When we repent and follow God. When we believe we have need of salvation due to our individual rebellion and turn away from our rebellion and turn toward God through Jesus. Jesus righteousness due to His absolute submission to God even till death.
We have life.
Without free will their is no Lordship issue.
In the garden their was 2 deaths. Death to the glory that covered them and so death to their communion,fellowship and complete access to God. Second death to their mortal bodies one day.
In Christ one of those deaths were put to death and that is access to God.
It is in agreement with God that we can say yes Lord. It was in dissagreement to God that Adam and Eve sinned.
It is in agreement with God that we find salvation due to the restored Lordship in our lives.
So the question is this........Is God Lord in your life? He is mine.
