Dear Wes: Sometimes we can suffer from paralysis-of-analysis if we aren't careful. I will make a few COMMENTS in your email, as I don't have time to restate and re-teach the entire scenario:
Dear Ray,
In your Lake of Fire series - part 2 you claim (below in red) that man sinned before eating the forbidden fruit. That the result of this sin was the eating of the fruit.
It was not the temptation or deception entering INTO Eve that caused her to sin and bring separation from her Creator and God. It was what was already in her that caused her to sin. Proof:
"For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies" (Mat. 15:19).
Notice it: "And when the woman saw [in her heart] that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eye [in her heart], and a tree to be desired [in her heart] to make one wise [an idol of the heart], she took ['For out of the heart proceed ... thefts...'] of the fruit thereof, and did eat" (Gen. 3:6).
Did you notice that last phrase "...and did eat"? It was not the "eating" of the fruit that made her a sinner -- she had ALREADY sinned by looking, lusting, and fantasizing about her potential wisdom. It was AFTER she sinned that she "did eat."
Not to eat of this tree was the first law.
Gen 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
COMMENT: No, that was NOT, "the first laws" or commandments. The first commandments of God to the man and the woman were:
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, [1] Be fruitful, and [2] multiply, and [3] replenish the earth, and [4] subdue it: and [5] have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
There are five commandments alone that came before not eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Now then, one of the categories of animals that "move upon the earth" is "serpents." They were specifically COMMANDED to "have DOMINION OVER....serpents..." Eve allowed the sepent to have dominion over HER. She BROKE the commandment of God and SINNED.
However, they were not told to not even think about eating of it. They had no knowledge of right and wrong so how could their desires be sinful?
COMMENT: How could they desire to "NOT eat of the forbidden frui9t?" According to your thinking, they didn't even know that it was WRONG to disobey God, did they? Oh but they DID!
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Eve was FULLY aware of the fact that she knew full well that it was WRONG to eat of this forbidden fruit. She even stated as much.
Without this critical knowledge they at least should not be accountable for these thoughts. They were only given one law a physical law.
COMMENT: That's your reasoning. They did have "critical knowledge." Adam knew how to dress and keep the garden. He names thousands of animals, etc.
This would appear to be in line with the physical codified Old Testament Law which started later with Moses I believe. For example you could have desires for your neighbor's wife as long as you did not act them out. Once Jesus arrived on the scene a higher spiritual law of don't even think about it was implemented. Is sin not just a transgression of the law?
COMMENT: "Is is LAWLESSNESS." It matters not if you are aware of a law or not. If Eve had not lusted with her flesh and lusted with her eyes and lusted with her mind, she would have NEVER EATEN THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT!
God be with you,
Ray
Please help me to understand this better.
Thanks, Wes
