What was the purpose of the Tree of Life

[Ovedya]

Physical death is merely the design of creation.  God never intended for man to be immortal at any time, aside from his having partaken of the tree of life.  All natural life was designed to pass through birth, life, death, and resurrection. It is this process which testifies of God's power, His nature, His immutability. Hence, it is the  reason for Romans 1:20; God's very nature is indelibly written in the cycle of life, the cycle of the environment, the cycle of the earth - all of which testify of the Lord Jesus and redemption itself. God became a man, God lived a perfect human life, God died a perfect guiltless and redemptive death, God resurrected, and God ascended once more to produce a multiplication of Himself in life and nature. This is the pattern of all living things - birth, life, death, resurrection, procreation. Therefore, it is an error to presume that God created Adam to live forever apart from His own life. God created Adam in the same pattern as all of His other creation, only with the exception that man had the right to the Tree of Life, which would have given Adam eternal life, the life of God Himself, and thereby live forever (Gen. 63:22).

 

 

I find it interesting the traditional interpretation of that old Christian chestnut, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  The word "everlasting" has misled believers for centuries. Actually the most accurate and proper translation is "eternal."  the word "eternal imparts a much deeper meaning. Rather than saying "You will live forever," it says "you will have the eternal life, the nature of God Himself."  Living forever may have been an important aspiration for some, even many, who have read this verse, but knowing that we will have another life, another nature, another source by which we can live for eternity, is so much more valuable, so much deeper, so accurate to God's original intention in Genesis.  

 

I think it offends some believers when I tell them, "You are not going to live forever." Because this seems to defy what they believe. However, when I tell them that their eternal life in Christ Jesus simply means that they have the very life of God Himself; and that that life will result in an eternal boundless city, filled with the expression of the Triune God, they come around pretty quickly.

[Guest]

 

God

 

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.  1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (ESV)

 

Is Good

 

"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. John 5:24 (NASB)

[enoob57]

Physical death is merely the design of creation.  God never intended for man to be immortal at any time, aside from his having partaken of the tree of life.  All natural life was designed to pass through birth, life, death, and resurrection.

Death was contingent upon the eating of the forbidden fruit!

Gen 2:17

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.

KJV

God's Will was not that they should eat of it!

Lev 11:44-45

44 For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves,

and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves

with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

45 For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt,

to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.

KJV

This is what is called foundational thought and reason from God... until you get this right

all else built upon it will be in error also! For in the very simple you have death necessitated

in life and that is error! As God Who has no part of death (The Father and Holy Spirit) has In The

Son tasted death for every man... Love, Steven

[chrisstavrous]

In the garden?  I often wonder if there was no physical death prior to the fall, why was there a need for a tree of life?

 

In the garden?  I often wonder if there was no physical death prior to the fall, why was there a need for a tree of life?

Well depends, do 6 days of creation time mean an unspecifide amount of time or does 6 days just mean 6 days. Because if millions of years are passing to get to adam and eve then death would seem a sensible claim to make. But if it was only 6 normal days then it can also be sensible to claim there was no death untill the fall.

Edited February 17, 2014 by chrisstavrous

[Ovedya]

 

Death was contingent upon the eating of the forbidden fruit!

Gen 2:17

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.

KJV

 

 

If this were the real case, then, God lied to Adam, because he did not die "...in the day that he ate thereof."   

 

Romans  5:12 is the key: "Therefore just as through one man sin entered into the world, and through sin, death; and thus death passed on to all men because all have sinned --"

 

 

This is not physical death, but spiritual death, a disconnection from the life of God (1 Cor. 5:33). Were it the case that God created only man to live physically forever, apart from the only source of eternal life - God - then one would have a serious theological issue with the divine nature of man. In other words, God's creation of man would have already involved the imparting of his divinity, and man would never have had to eat of the Tree of Life. One would have to therefore presume that the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (essentially the nature of Satan) was more powerful than the divine nature of God, for it cause man to lose that life, and furthermore be cut off from that life.

 

So the only logical theological conclusion can be that the death described in Gen. 2:17 was not a literal physical death which had not previously existed, but a spiritual death, a cutting off from the life of God, which had theretofore not existed.

 

...For in the very simple you have death necessitated

in life and that is error! As God Who has no part of death (The Father and Holy Spirit) has In The

Son tasted death for every man... Love, Steven 

 

 

 

Death is necessitated, as I wrote previously. The fact that God cannot partake of death due to His holiness has nothing to do with the cycles of life that God himself established in the creation.  Consider Genesis 1::

 

10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas; and God saw that it was good

 

11 And God said, Let the earth sprout grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to their kind with their seed in them upon the earth; and it was so.

 

12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with their seed in them according to their kind; and God saw that it was good.

 

13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

 

14 And God said, Let there be light-bearers in the expanse of heaven to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;

 

So there you have God creating the grass, the trees, herbs, fruit trees, etc. and then establishing seasons. These items of creation were brought forth by God (post flood, but that's another story) with their seeds in them so that they could immediately procreate. However, the dropping of those seeds is a type of death (John 12:24), and the seasons themselves represent death and resurrection. The cycles of birth, life, death, resurrection, were all included in the creation, and there is no reason to presume that man was created in any other way.

[Ovedya]

 

In the garden?  I often wonder if there was no physical death prior to the fall, why was there a need for a tree of life?

 

In the garden?  I often wonder if there was no physical death prior to the fall, why was there a need for a tree of life?

Well depends, do 6 days of creation time mean an unspecifide amount of time or does 6 days just mean 6 days. Because if millions of years are passing to get to adam and eve then death would seem a sensible claim to make. But if it was only 6 normal days then it can also be sensible to claim there was no death untill the fall.

 

 

 

Day 3. Seasons and days, etc.  This is an established time, by which the writer of Genesis lived. If I recall, in that era the calender was 13 months and each day was recorded as 25 hours.  Sure, there would have been no death until the fall, even after the fall, for at least 13 months, roughly, anyway.

[Willa]

Jesus mentioned a similar parable, saying I am the Vine and you are the branches. John 15:4-8 v.5 He who abides in Me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

The thing I thought of, after our making the moral choice between the trees in the garden, was holy communion, and how it tells us of God living in us by His Spirit. Partaking of the healing, sustaining (bread) flesh and the redeeming, cleansing (wine mixed with water) blood were teaching us that His blood sacrifice made it possible for God to once again live in us by His Spirit and through His Word dwelling in us. (The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit 1 Cor 15:45b)

Jesus said John 6:56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day. He who KEEPS ON eating My flesh and drinking My blood abides (continually dwells) in Me, and I in Him. V63 The SPIRIT IS HE THAT GIVES LIFE. The flesh is not of any use at all. THE WORDS I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING TO YOU ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE. So it is His words and Spirit that are the flesh that we are to consume and to fill ourselves with them.

So perhaps the tree of life and the living waters expressed the same thought. The fruit of the tree was to come into us, sustains us and give us life, as was the the water of life of Rev. 22:1. Yet they are connected to God's Words and the Holy Spirit living them. Had Adam and Eve truly perceived God's words and feasted on them and His lifegiving Spirit, they may have deeply treasured what was given them and might not have been so tempted by the words of the serpent. So I also need to feast on, devour, treasure and remain in God's Word. Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.

The tree of life is a symbol of God's provision for our eternal life. But it and the River of Life, living waters, also tell us that God gives us of His very Life, His Spirit, which is eternal. John 4:10,14. The only requirement is abiding (remaining in, dwelling in) Him and in His words.

Sorry If I am not expressing myself clearly. I was seeing connections of the same thought in many parables and symbols, and they all were tumbling together in my mind. But you guys probably connected all of this long ago. I had in part.

Your thoughts?

Willa

[enoob57]

If this were the real case, then, God lied to Adam, because he did not die "...in the day that he ate thereof."

It was both- as Spiritual death was immediate and entropy was set forth in all creation.

that's why this verse is of importance

Rom 8:21-23

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption

into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation

groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves

also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,

waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV

The bondage of corruption for the creature is death and man's is the fear of it!

Rom 8:15

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the

Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

KJV

 

Death is necessitated, as I wrote previously. The fact that God cannot partake of death due to His holiness has nothing to do with the cycles of life that God himself established in the creation.  Consider Genesis 1::

Death is an enemy not a natural created process of God!

1 Cor 15:22-26

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward

they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he

shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he

shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he

must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

KJV

Satan is then the first enemy cast in the lake of fire

Rev 20:10

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the

beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

KJV

Rev 20:14-15

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

KJV

So clearly God teaches satan and his followers, both angels and man, death and hell are to

be eternally in the lake of fire which burns forever without termination!

 

So there you have God creating the grass, the trees, herbs, fruit trees, etc. and then establishing seasons. These items of creation were brought forth by God (post flood, but that's another story) with their seeds in them so that they could immediately procreate. However, the dropping of those seeds is a type of death (John 12:24), and the seasons themselves represent death and resurrection. The cycles of birth, life, death, resurrection, were all included in the creation, and there is no reason to presume that man was created in any other way.

Once again you are looking through a lens of a fallen and cursed world

whereby God warns us to renew our minds according to His Word and not in the

darkened shadows of this present world! Sin brings confusion and trying to

understand God's Word by this sin filled place a mistake...

Love, Steven

[Ovedya]

 

 

It was both- as Spiritual death was immediate and entropy was set forth in all creation.

that's why this verse is of importance

Rom 8:21-23

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption

into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation

groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. 23 And not only they, but ourselves

also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves,

waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

KJV

 

 

There is no reason to presume, "...the bondage of corruption" is anything less than the spiritual corruption - the death - brought on by man's fall. The preceding verses subject the two matters of God's life, and sonship of the believers, and the three laws from the preceding chapter (The three laws in ch. 7 of Romans are the Mosaic law (v.7), the law of sin (v. 11), and the law of the flesh (v. 23). Chapter 8 begins with the mentioning of the Law of the Spirit of Life, which has freed us in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. But note that the death he is speaking of is not physical death at all, but continuing the same thought, spiritual death. He writes that, "The mind set on the flesh is death" (v. 8). Certainly this cannot reference physical death at all.  Eventually, when we get to verses 21-23, Paul's point is not creation specifically, but the redemption of our bodies.  Certainly creation has been corrupted by the fall, but there is no reason to believe at all, nor any evidence that the creation was infected with physical death as a disease.

 

 

 

The bondage of corruption for the creature is death and man's is the fear of it!

Rom 8:15

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the

Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

KJV

 

In context with vv. 12-14: "So then, brothers, we are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh; For if you live according to the flesh, you must die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God."

 

In context, "the spirit of slavery" in verse 15 is actually just the slavery of the law of sin and death, mentioned in the previous chapter. Remember that these letters were written fluently. They had not been divided into chapter and verse until hundreds of years after Paul wrote them. Chapters 7 and 8 of Romans may contain a few varying subjects, but they were fluid in their concept. You have to consider the broader context of verses as well as what each one imparts.

 

 

 

Death is an enemy not a natural created process of God!

1 Cor 15:22-26

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward

they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he

shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he

shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he

must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

KJV

 

 

Yes, both Paul and John personified death in their writings.  So?  

 

You still didn't really address the fact that God, in His creative work, made seasons.  Why would we need seasons if God did not set into motion the natural cycle? See, where I live we have summer, fall, winter, and spring. Out of the 4 seasons only 1 is not profitable for planting, tending and reaping. The other - winter - is when all the crops die after having been harvested. Also, other plant life enters into hibernation until the warm weather brings them "back to life" (A picture of resurrection).  

 

It would be absurd to think that God did not create the natural cycles of life through the seasons. It would be further hard to argue that God intended anything but the natural cycles of life in the creation. You would have to do some serious theological gymnastics in order to prove that God intended everything to life forever, and that the seasons were completely irrelevant. 

 

Therefore, there is no reason to presume that in God's creation of His highest order - man - was really that much different.  Now, is there reason to believe or suspect that man's life was shortened by sin? Sure!  Is there reason to believe that disease and decay came with the fall? Absolutely. But there is no reason or evidence at all that God created man to live forever apart from having eaten the tree of life. Otherwise He would never have cut man off from the tree: "...lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever -" (Gen. 3:22)

[enoob57]

Yes, both Paul and John personified death in their writings.  So?

There is only one concept of death and that is separation from life- being explained

by physical indicators toward spiritual realities Rom 1:18-22

John 14:6

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

KJV

 

You still didn't really address the fact that God, in His creative work, made seasons.  Why would we need seasons if God did not set into motion the natural cycle? See, where I live we have summer, fall, winter, and spring. Out of the 4 seasons only 1 is not profitable for planting, tending and reaping. The other - winter - is when all the crops die after having been harvested. Also, other plant life enters into hibernation until the warm weather brings them "back to life" (A picture of resurrection).  

 

It would be absurd to think that God did not create the natural cycles of life through the seasons. It would be further hard to argue that God intended anything but the natural cycles of life in the creation. You would have to do some serious theological gymnastics in order to prove that God intended everything to life forever, and that the seasons were completely irrelevant. 

 

Therefore, there is no reason to presume that in God's creation of His highest order - man - was really that much different.  Now, is there reason to believe or suspect that man's life was shortened by sin? Sure!  Is there reason to believe that disease and decay came with the fall? Absolutely. But there is no reason or evidence at all that God created man to live forever apart from having eaten the tree of life. Otherwise He would never have cut man off from the tree: "...lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever -" (Gen. 3:22)

Again! We do not know what the original creation was like without the presence of sin and God's

curse put upon it- obviously! Your idea of present day seasons is out of context to pre-fall

conditions especially as they, Adam & Eve, had no need of covering... certainly that in itself

should support that fact of difference from present seasons and seasons then!

 

But there is no reason or evidence at all that God created man to live forever apart from having eaten the tree of life. Otherwise He would never have cut man off from the tree: "...lest he put forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever -" (Gen. 3:22)

This mentioned in the context is after sin had occurred by eating of the tree

that was forbidden... thus in that context it was a picture of God's Grace in

not allowing Adam and Eve and their offspring to be sealed in their sin by the

eating of The Tree of Life...

Love, Steven