::Saturday, March 06, 2004::
:: Punishment from God for Adam and Eve - Spiritual or Physical death? ::

Hi Tabernacleans and Friends,

Greetings in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ's name. In Genesis 2:17, God declared to Adam that if he partakes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he will surely die. The question is, why Adam did not die when he took the fruit from Eve, and ate it? Does this means that God was telling a lie? God forbid!

The death in Genesis 2:17, refers to the spiritual death. It was by the grace of God, that Adam and Eve was preserved from the immediate physical death. God delayed the physical death by His divine Grace, until Genesis 5:5.

There are three types of death recorded in the Bible. First, it is the physical death. The body, which is physical, will be decomposed back to dust on earth, and the soul leaves the body. Secondly, it is the spiritual death. We were once born into this world, as children of wrath. We were once also spiritually died in trespasses and sins (cf. Ephesians 2:1-3; Ps 51:5). There was no hope in mankind until God gave grace to them in Genesis 3:15, the "ProtEvangelium". By the grace of God alone, with faith alone in Christ Jesus the Messiah alone, we are rescued from the state of spiritual death to the state of life eternity. Lastly, it is the Eternal Death. Revelation 20:14 calls such a death as "Second Death", which results in Revelation 14:11. The Satan, the Anti-Christ (The Beast) and his religious false prophets including non-believers of the Gospel will be cast into Hell for the Second Death.

Surely, God purposed the "die" in Genesis 2:17 as in spiritual death. God has the right to condemn Adam and Eve into Hell immediately. Yet, in the Covenant of Grace, God gave mercy to them and loved them to the end. Isn't it great that God's mercy was shown to mankind?

So let us remind ourselves the wonderful grace of God. Now and in time past, the Love of Christ dwell much on earth, and we should march on to fulfill the Great Commission set forth by our Lord. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." - John 3:36 . God bless!

>>shared by+my life - God = broken pencil+ on 22:12. Comments |

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