Did God really test Adam and Eve, and Abraham?

Kalos

‘God does not test anyone.’ (James 1:14) Hence any account claiming God as testing man (perfect or imperfect) will betray the signs of man’s (not God’s) thought!

1) God asking Adam not to eat of a particular fruit-bearing tree defies all logic as any fruit-bearing tree is a symbol of goodness—producing nutritious food (not for themselves) for others; thus doing good for the sake of goodness, which is the very core-attribute of God Himself (Mathew 5:44-47; Mark 10:18) Hence eating [the principle] of a fruit-bearing tree would only make man “like God”—something Jesus himself commanded everyone to do!!!

2) God asking Abraham to kill his son is something that God Himself says he would never do—“something that I had not commanded or spoken of, and that had not come up into my heart.” (Jeremiah 19:5)

OnTheWayOut

The Abraham story is the epitome of the Bible's ridiculousness.

Were I Abraham and it were true, I would tell God there is no way I am doing that.

As for the Garden of Eden story, it would be saying that God tested those who did not know good and bad and then punished them for the innocence they had. I heard a woman say that were she to put an enjoyable snack before her toddler son and say "Now if you eat this, you will die today," he would say "Okay" and eat it right then.

prologos

Too many co-authors have spoiled the broth. but exellent point about the trees.

Just gleaned the sweetest apples from the neighbour's ground, and the overhang over the fence to our lot. It must be the weather. real sweet, no acid. and trees give shade, oxigen, windbreak, fuel, mushrooms among roots, lumber (even for coffins) flight started with wooden framed aircraft*. ship building ( not the ark disaster), and it added knowledge to a race that even as it was, VERY GOOD.

There was a niche for a synergistic masterpiece like that, so evolution had it evolve into it from Balsa to lignum vitae, peaches to wal nuts.

* not to mention the Mosquito, spruce goose, SG38, grunau baby.

Are we being tested by the creationist ideas?

long live niches and evolution.

humbled

Aye, prologos, well said of trees.

Kalos

prologos

Wah, these many good things you brought out about trees--good even for our coffins!

It's too wonderful prologos!!!

Crazyguy

The bible has almost 100 contradictions and most of the book of Genesis was taken from older writings and adapted for the Jews..

mohrb

You're right, that translation of that verse is problematic. That's why we have interlinear translations and greek to english dictionaries:

The word above translated as "test:"

1-to test one maliciously, craftily to put to the proof his feelings or judgment, Matthew 16:1; Matthew 19:3; Matthew 22:18, 35; Mark 8:11;Mark 10:2; Mark 12:15; Luke 11:16; Luke 20:23(where G T WH Tr text omit; Tr marginal reading brackets the words τί με πειράζετε ); John 8:6.

2-. to try or test one's faith, virtue, character, by enticement to sin; hence, according to the context equivalent to to solicit to sin, to tempt : James 1:13;Galatians 6:1; Revelation 2:10; of the temptations of the devil, Matthew 4:1, 3; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; hence, ὁ πειράζων , a substantive, Vulg. tentator , etc., the tempter : Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5.

3-. After the O. T. usage α . of God; to inflict evils upon one in order to prove his character and the steadfastness of his faith : 1 Corinthians 10:13;Hebrews 2:18; Hebrews 4:15 (see πειράω ); (where see WH 's Appendix); Revelation 3:10 (Genesis 22:1;Exodus 20:20; Deuteronomy 8:2; Wis. 3:5 Wis. 11:10(); Judith 8:25f). β . Men are said πειράζειν τόν Θεόν — by exhibitions of distrust, as though they wished to try whether he is not justly distrusted; by impious or wicked conduct to test God's justice and patience, and to challenge him, as it were, to give proof of his perfections: Acts 15:10; Hebrews 3:9 R G (Exodus 17:2, 7; Numbers 14:22; Psalm 77:41 (), ; (), etc.; cf. Grimm, Exgt. Hdb. on Sap., p. 49); namely, τόν Χριστόν ( L T Tr text WH τόν κύριον ), 1 Corinthians 10:9 (but L marginal reading T WH marginal reading ἐξεπείρασαν ); τό κυρίου ,Acts 5:9; absolutely πειράζειν ἐν δοιμασια (see δοκιμασία ), Hebrews 3:9 L T Tr WH . (On πειράζω (as compared with δοκιμάζω ), see Trench , § lxxiv.; cf. Cremer , under the word. Compare: ἐξπειράζω .)

... God surely tests us, but he does not do so with temptation of sin. He tests our faith and endurance and obedience. He does not tempt us into sin.

Context'd

humbled

My Book of Bible Stories says God tested Abraham by asking him to kill and burn Isaac. That child's book has God using the evil of human sacrifice to test Abraham. The Greek and the Hebrew all add up to the same meaning for test or tempt.

Flat contradiction here about God and temptation. kalos has it right. Read the opening post.

Did God really test Adam and Eve, and Abraham?

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