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Pt7 KNOWING AND USING WHAT GOD HAS SAID/YOUR BIBLE

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus! "

  So where was Adam all this time?  This subject was briefly touched on in Pt 4 of these posts and will be more fully discussed here.  After all, it was his job to "tend and keep" the garden.
"Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." (Genesis 2:15/NASB)
(see also Genesis 1:26 - 28)
  The Hebrew word for "tend" or "cultivate" is abad and is translated; tend, cultivate, dress (as in gardening), till, work, and labor.  There are other translations, but these are what is meant here as the words tend or cultivate refer to Adam being a gardener. i.e. doing the things necessary to nurture the garden and it's occupants .  The Hebrew word for "keep" is shamar and means keep, keeper, watch, watchman, preserve, guard.  So Adam was not only to work in the garden to nurture and help the various plants grow, but he was also it's protector, i.e. God assigned Adam the job of nurturing the garden and all that was in it (that would include Eve, plants, and animal life) and to keep the garden and all that was in it (that would include Eve, plants, and animal life) safe.

   This brings about the question; "Safe from what?"  After all, at this point there was no disease or death.  Animals did not eat each other or man, nor did man eat animals (Genesis 1:29 - 30).  There could be no threats from other people as Adam and Eve were the first man and woman created and God certainly would not have been a threat to Adam, Eve or the garden and its occupants.  So from who or from what was Adam supposed to protect Eve, the animals and the garden?
The *answer is shown in Genesis 3:1 and several other scriptures;
"So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."(Revelation 12:9/NKJV)
"He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;..."(Revelation 20:2/NKJV)
"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8:44/NKJV)
*NOTE; For a souce of good information go here
   Obviously Adam was not suppose to protect Eve, Eden and it's occupants from the serpent per se, but rather Satan.  For whatever reason Satan used the serpent to communicate with Eve.  However the discussion here is; "Where was Adam?", not whether the serpent was a real serpent or not - for further clarification on that matter go here.
   So where was Adam?  Was he with Eve when she conversed with the serpent?  Was he with Eve when she ate the fruit?  Or did he come to Eve after she ate the fruit?  The answer to the first question is more then likely **"NO", as the Bible plainly shows the first sin of Adam to be that of listening to Eve and partaking of the fruit;
"Then to Adam He said, 'Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat of it":' " (Genesis 3:17/NKJV)
   Yet if Adam;

1. was with Eve when she conversed with Satan,
2. knew what was right (was not deceived) as is stated in 1 Timothy 2:14,
3. and did not correct Eve (after all, he heard the command directly from God)

then he would have sinned before listening to her and partaking of the fruit as scripture plainly states;
" 'You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.' "  (Leviticus 19:17/NKJV)
"Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17/NASB)
See also; (Ezekiel 3: 16-21, 33:1-9, James 5:19-20)
    Furthermore, in Genesis 3: 11-19 the consequences upon Adam, Eve and the serpent/Satan lend credence to the belief that Adam was not with Eve when she conversed with the serpent/Satan  (see here for a strong argument why Adam was not with Eve at first).

**NOTE; I strongly believe that he was not there when she conversed with the serpent/Satan and was tempted.

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

Adam image source;
Creation of Adam
God image source;
Creation of Adam
Adam In the Garden source;
Adam In the Garden

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Pt6 KNOWING AND USING WHAT GOD HAS SAID/YOUR BIBLE

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus! "

    The text being discussed is below;
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die." ' " (Genesis 3:1-3/NASB)
   In order to understand the passage and how it relates to the topic of knowing and using God's Word the following questions were asked;

• Was Eve deliberately adding to God's word?
• Was she simply "interpreting" what God had said?
• Was she simply repeating what was given to her second hand?
• Or did she not accurately remember what God or Adam said?

   In previous posts it was determined she was repeating what was said to her by Adam as it is highly unlikely Eve was "deliberately adding to", "interpreting", and/or "taking liberties with" God's word (see 1 Timothy 2:13,14 and a brief explanation here).  Also, it was determined that Eve would have not forgotten what was said to her by Adam as God created her perfect (like Adam) with a perfect mind/brain (like Adam) and consequently a perfect memory (like Adam).
   Yet Eve repeating what Adam said does not necessitate the "consequence of Eve not following God", i.e. sin. It does reflect her relationship with Adam and God.  So;

1. How does this reflect her relationship with Adam, and
2. how does this reflect on her relationship with God?

   To answer question one is simple; it first appears Eve's relationship with Adam was one of trust (eventually her actions show otherwise).  The answer for question two is also just as simple; originally Eve appears to demonstrate a trust/faith in God and what He said, but again her actions show something different.  One might argue that Eve did not hear the command directly from God (as was pointed out in an earlier post), but obviously Eve believed Adam was speaking for God and repeating what He/God said.  Notice the opening part of the question posed to Eve by the serpent/ Satan;
"Has God indeed said...?" (Genesis 3:1/NKJV)
   This shows us two things;

1.  Eve believed Adam was speaking for God when she received the command second hand.  Otherwise she would have responded to the question differently.  Instead she takes it at face value. Furthermore,  the serpent/Satan would have simply asked something like;  "Did Adam say?" not "Has God indeed said?"
2. The serpent's/Satans intent was to challenge God's words, not Adams.

   In addition, Eve's response (Genesis 3:2, 3) to the question shows this and also shows;

• Adams relationship to God and role as spiritual leader; if 1 and 2 above are true and Eve did receive the command second hand then her response points to her belief that Adam was speaking on behalf of God when she received the command.  This lends credence to the man being the spiritual leader and head before the fall. 

    Some argue that Adam and Eve were created equals and that God did not intend for Adam to be the leader.  They state that mans headship is a part of the curse after the fall and that man is "saddled" with the responsibility of leadership.  They also wrongly conclude that Christ's redemptive work changed the relationship of the man and woman.  Christ' redemptive work did not change the realtionship, but restored it back to what it was suppose to be.  Up until the cross and resurrection the relationship of man and woman was/is marred by sin.  They wrongly draw this conclusion* from Genesis 3:16b;
"Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” (NKJV)
    It is true that Adam and Eve were/are created equals, and consequently men and women are created equal.  God's plan/order was and still is for man to have headship and authority in the home and society.  This has nothing to do with equality or our standing before God rather it has to do with how God designed men and women, their abilities and their roles.  The idea of one being lesser then the other is not Biblical or Christian.  So, one of the things shown in the fall of man is that God's order/plan for relationships between man and woman was not followed.  Matthew Henry and John Calvin add additional light in their commentaries of Genesis 3:16;
"If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary of the Bible)
"Thus the woman, who had perversely exceeded her proper bounds, is forced back to her own position. She had, indeed, previously been subject to her husband, but that was a liberal and gentle subjection; now, however, she is cast into servitude." (John Calvin's Commentary on Genesis 3:16)
    Again, it appears all roads lead back to Adam.

*NOTE; by applying the same logic we would also have to conclude that man was never meant to work as part of the curse states;
"...In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:17b/NKJV)
"In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread..." (Genesis 3:19a/NKJV)
However, we know that work was part of God's original plan for man as Genesis 2:15 states;
"Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it." (NKJV)

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

Adam image source;
Creation of Adam
God image source;
Creation of Adam
Dead End image source;
DeadEnd Boards.com

Pt5 KNOWING AND USING WHAT GOD HAS SAID/YOUR BIBLE 

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus! "

    The text we are discussing is below;
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die." ' " Genesis 3:1-3/NASB
    Whether Eve deliberately added to God's Word or she simply repeated what was given to her second hand were briefly discussed in previous posts. Following will be discussion of these other possible reasons;

• Was she simply "interpreting" what God had said?
• Did she not accurately remember what was said?

    If it is the case of the question; "Was she simply 'interpreting' what God had said?", then again there are obviously problems -

1. as shown earlier inaccurate interpretation, understanding and use of scripture obviously brings consequences and/or judgement (see the first post on this subject),
2. if Eve is taking "liberties" with God's word then this is a consequence of Eve not following God,
3. this reflects on Eve's relationship with Adam and God.
4. this in turn directly reveals the condition of Adam's relationship with God.

    In an earlier post I mentioned that somewhere between her creation (Genesis 2:21-24) and her encounter with the serpent/Satan (Genesis 3:1-5) Eve must have heard the command given to Adam about the forbidden tree (Genesis 2:15-17).  Whether she heard it directly from God or from Adam is unclear, but whether she heard it from God or from Adam does make a difference.  If she heard it directly from God then not only was she adding to (*and taking away from) His word, but also she was then directly disobeying God by eating the fruit.  A personal note;  I do not believe she heard the command directly from God as 1 Timothy 2:13 - 14 states that she was deceived into sin while Adam knowingly disobeyed and ate the fruit;
"For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." (1 Timothy 2:13,14/NKJV)

"For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.  And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression." (1 Timothy 2:13,14/NASB)
   So 1 Timothy, shows the circumstances leading to her disobedience and those of Adam are different, consequently it is highly unlikely Eve was "deliberately adding to", "interpreting", and/or "taking liberties with" God's word.  It is more likely that she was repeating what was said to her by Adam.  Furthermore, it is also highly unlikely that Eve would have forgotten what was said to her because (as in the case of Adam) it is doubtful that a perfect woman with a perfect brain would have forgotten anything.  It would seem then that our discussion continues to lead us to Adam and his relationship with Eve and God.
*NOTE; it is true Eve not only added to Gods command but also left out some of what was said by God to Adam. The results are still the same, i.e. "inaccurate interpretation, understanding and use of scripture obviously brings consequences and/or judgement." (See; Deuteronomy 4:1,2/Proverbs30:5,6/Galatians 1:6-12/Revelation 22:18,19)

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

Eve image source;
Enchantedgal Livejournal
original art by Kimberly Crick
Adam image source;
1902 Encyclopaedia-Michelangelo Buonarotti

Please pardon my mess hopefully Onesimus is moving to here;
hopefully Onesimus
image source; construction worker

Please pardon my mess hopefully Onesimus is moving to here;
hopefully Onesimus
image source; construction worker

JULY - GET OUT OF THE SHACKLES! - WHY HOPEFULLY ONESIMUS?

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus!"

   So who or what are you a slave to?
"Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever',..." (John 8:34, 35a/NKJV))
   I hope to re-post this once a month so anyone reading will understand my blog title and my purposes for creating this blog.  So why hopefully Onesimus?  Why such an odd name for a blogspot?  For an explanation please see my first post - GET OUT OF THE SHACKLES! - WHY HOPEFULLY ONESIMUS?  In that post I said Onesimus' situation is interesting and has a great deal of moral and ethical implications.  I also said, "I can definitely identify with Onesimus...after all we are all slaves to something or someone...it's simply a matter of who or what."  Those implications, the beauty of their parallels to Christianity, and why I can identify with Onesimus will be discussed in this and other posts.  However,  before I do any of these please allow me to explain the main purpose of this blog and particularly these posts, i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The bad news first -  (In the Shackles of Sin)
   Again I ask; who or what are you a slave to?
"Jesus answered them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.  And a slave does not abide in the house forever',..." (John 8:34, 35a/NKJV))

   You are not alone, the truth is we all have sinned and consequently will not get to be with God,
"...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,..." (Romans 3:23/NASB)
    We are all are weighed down by those things which seperate us from God, continually bring spiritual death in our lives, and inevitably destine us to hell;
"For the wages of sin is death,..." (Romans 6:23/NASB)

Now the good news - (Get Out of the Shackles It's Time to G.O.)
   God freely provided a way for us to be with Him;
"...but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23/NASB)
   God loves us so much He sent His son Jesus to pay the price;
"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8/NASB)
   God provided Someone who can and will set you free. All you have to do is turn to Him, acknowledge your need and ask Him to forgive you;
"...if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;..." (Romans 10:9/NASB)
   Once we have turned to Christ, confessed our sins, and need for forgiveness to Him we have peace with God;
"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,..." (Romans 5:1/NASB)
   Once we have done so we have the ability (through Christ) to overcome sin in our lives
"For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14/NASB)
   Once we make the choice to follow Christ we are heirs with Him;
"Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God." (Galatians 4:7/NASB)
   So, again I ask; who or what are you a slave to?

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

image source;
Get Out of the Shackles - wallpaper