Adam & Eve: Perfect but not everlasting life? (page 2)

waton

Able gave from the "first fruits" but Cain only "some of" his vegies.

V. There were no first fruit veggies, the ground was cursed. Abel was favoured, for being smart, offering stuff even the dogs, pigs would not eat. vegetarians all.

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Isn't the Watchtower's teaching that Adam and Eve, once they proved faithful, were to be granted "everlasting life" but not immortality?

Yes. But nowhere in the story it says that they have to “prove being faithful” in order to add years to their life or obtain another life-status (immortality).

According to Genesis, they didn’t have to prove obedience to obtain everlasting life. They HAD to be obedient to not die: The total opposite.

God did not tell them: “ Do not eat, and you will have everlasting life”. He said: “Do not eat and die”

Jackson pulled it out of his ass indeed.

truth_b_known

According to Genesis, they didn’t have to prove obedience to obtain everlasting life. They HAD to be obedient to not die: The total opposite.

This has been the usual Watchtower doctrine for ever. Remember when the Watchtower recommended we ask householders "Where would Adam and Eve be today if they had not sinned?" The idea was to show that perfect humans don't age past 30, never get sick, and live forever.

Veritas1

Is it not revealed in Genesis 1:26-27 that Adam and Eve were created in God's image and likeness? This distinguishes them and us from all of God's creation. It does not mention equality with God. Thereby, equality with God is excluded. Being created in God's image and likeness does involve a similarity of nature - i.e. intellect, will and authority. Is it not also revealed that God said: 'Let us make man in our own image' (Genesis 1:26)? Christians see in this text the first hint of the Trinity, which in due course is revealed fully by Jesus Christ.

Does Jesus not say: 'Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect' (Matthew 5:48)? This is in the context of a discussion on Leviticus 19:18 'you must love your neighbour as yourself'. So God's love is perfect, and since we are made in God's image and likeness, we are commanded by Jesus to use our intellect and will in the service of love or our neighbour, which is the only way to seek to be perfect.

When the rich young man asked Jesus what he needed to do to possess eternal life (Matthew 19:16), Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. When the young man tells Jesus that he has kept the commandments, Jesus doesn't tell him that he has attained perfection. Rather, he tells him that there is still one thing he lacks (Luke 18:22). If he desires to be perfect, there are two things required: Sell what you have and give the money to the poor, then follow Jesus.

So, the discussion with the rich young man about possessing eternal life (Matthew 19:16) is followed by a discussion with the disciples and the question put to Jesus: 'Who, then, can be saved?' (Matthew 19:25). And what was Jesus' response? 'For men this is impossible; for God everything is possible' (Matthew 19:26). And when Peter makes the question more personal, asking about himself and all who had followed Jesus, Jesus replies: 'I tell you most solemnly, there is no one who has left house, wife, brothers, parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God who will not be given repayment many times over in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life' (Luke 18:30).

FFGhost

I think it's probably based on their interpretation of Genesis 3:22:

Now in order that he may not put his hand out and take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live forever—

Their idea is that the "tree of life" somehow magic-theologically conferred eternal life, and that they were somehow prohibited from getting to it even before messing with the "tree of the knowledge of good and bad". That somehow this blockage to that tree would be lifted once "X amount of time" had passed and they "qualified" to eat from it.

This is what you get when you have semi-literate guys who would be hard-pressed to hold down a job as a cashier at Wal-mart as your theological visionaries.

ThomasMore

Adam and Eve were evicted for disobedience, not lying. When the serpent drew Eve into conversation by falsely remarking to Eve that perhaps God was not permitting them to eat from all the trees of the garden, she rushed to God’s defense by saying that “from all the trees we may eat except for the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Bad”.

Question solved - they had access to the tree of Life and no doubt ate from it since it signified Gods pleasure with them.

After they sinned, they were disallowed from eating of that tree again because it would have signified forgiveness, something God was not willing to extend.

Whether or not one takes the account literally, this is a simple matter to comprehend if one reads it as written.

slimboyfat

Everlasting life, as JWs understand it, is just life that doesn’t end. So, as mortal beings, they don’t believe you ever “have” it, as such, because no matter how long you live, it is still possible you could die. That’s with the exception of the anointed, because they know they will live forever when they are given immortality.

waton

they know they will live forever when they are given immortality. sbf:

that is the scary part, that partakers both lowly and at the pinnacle, will be given untrammeled reign, never to be stopped again.

Adam & Eve: Perfect but not everlasting life?

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