Thanks for your insights. It seems to me that being in the fallen state and
having eternal life are contradictory. However, newly created man could
have had eternal life. Our death, and as a consequence Christ's, is an
integral part of the salvation through Christ. I think that man could have
lived forever in his paradisal state but not in the sin state after the
Fall. On can often extrapolate from Scripture, we all do it, and derive
something that is not explicitly there. I envision Paradise as close to
Heaven but with a drastic difference and that is the knowledge of man of the
consequences of sin since he had sinned already and was aware of his
redemption. In Heaven we will know all things because we can gather that
from the presence of the Lord.
Take care,
Moorad
-----Original Message-----
From: Glenn R. Morton <grmorton@waymark.net>
To: Moorad Alexanian <alexanian@uncwil.edu>; asa@calvin.edu <asa@calvin.edu>
Date: Sunday, May 30, 1999 6:02 PM
Subject: Re: The origin of scientific thinking
>Hi Moorad,
>
>Moorad Alexanian wrote:
>>
>> Hello Glenn,
>>
>> C.S. Lewis said that paradisal man could be like a brute that when we
knew
>> him we would fall to his feet a worship him. I do agree with that view.
In
>> fact, the movie "Being There" reminded me of that description of unfallen
>> man and I was not surprised with the ending of the movie where Peter
Sellers
>> actually walks on water! But all this is a particular interpretation of
>> Scripture.
>
>fascinating interpretation of Being There.
>
>>We really do not know but certainly the Fall does indicate a
>> drastic change in kind and not merely a change in degree. We really do
not
>> know man before the Fall. Was he able to subsist without eating,
sleeping,
>> and so on?
>
>Two things in my mind say that man before the fall had to eat. First
>God gave him food--green food. Secondly, if man was able to live without
>eating, then what was the Tree of Life for? If The Tree of Life imparted
>eternal life as is indicated by Genesis 3:22. But if Adam and Eve
>already had eternal life, then the Tree of Life served no purpose
>whatsoever. It couldn't impart what they already possessed. So, I don't
>think that Adam and Eve were supermen and superwomen.
>
>> My reading of Scripture is that man before the Fall was superior
>> in intellect and closer to God that present day man.
>
>Exactly what verse in scripture indicates to you that Adam and Eve were
>superior in intellect? I have never seen a verse that could be so
>construed. I presume that you like me would prefer to get our theology
>from the Bible and I just don't see this superior intellect statement
>anywhere. Also what verse indicates that they had eternal life and could
>live without eating? And if they could live without eating, why were
>they told to eat? What would be the point?
>
>--
>glenn
>
>Foundation, Fall and Flood
>Adam, Apes and Anthropology
>http://www.isource.net/~grmorton/dmd.htm