by Dora Van Assen
4. ADAM IN CARNAL-MIND FORM
"And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress and to keep it (guard it). Gen 2:8-9, 15.
From whom was Adam to guard the garden, if he was the only man living at that time? This command to guard the garden in its self shows that there must have been other human beings ignorant and dead to the knowledge of God. It explains where Cain got his wife in the land of Nod and immediately built a city. His seed was lost among these people. It also explains how a serpent-man could converse with Eve, denying and twisting the words of God. Gen. 3:1-5, 4-16.
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (dying thou shalt die CCV) Gen. 2:16
God gave this commandment to Adam while he was yet alone. Eve never received this commandment directly from God hiself. I'm inclined to believe that she was warned by her husband. He could have said something like this: "See that tree in the very midst of the Garden: God said we are not to eat of it lest we die, so you better not touch it!" We get this impression from the words of Eve unto the serpent. "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, ye sahll not eat of it, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, lest ye die. Gen. 3:2-3 (Eve added to the word of God) Where could this thought have come from but from Adam. How often we have warned our children not to eat the cookies in the cookie jar, and so we said, "You are not to eat any of the cookies in that jar, SO YOU BETTER NOT TOUCH IT! This actually stirred up their desire to look into it and, of course, eat some. It seems that both Adam and Eve lived in the garden some time without noticing that particular tree until God himself drew their attention to it.
All the blame cannot be placed upon Eve for the fall of Adam. She arrived upon the scene much later than Adam. Besides, as we have pointed out, she did not receive the command directly from God himself. She received it second handed. Again we read, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. For Adam was first formed (developed) then Eve....Notwithstanding she shall be saved in THE CHILDBEARING." 1 Tim. 2:13-15 CCV
Since Adam was not deceived; (though in the transgression, Rom 5:14), he knew what he was doing. He had his eyes open, knowing the command of God. In his pride he wanted to become like God, "knowing good and evil". Gen. 3:22. We are further told that "every man" is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed." James 1:14 Jesus said that nothing from without could defile a man, but only that which was in him could defile him. "For from within, out of the heart of man, proceed evil thoughts, etc", especially pride! "All these things come from within, and defile the man." Mark 7:18-23
"To be carnally minded is death." Rom. 8:6. In this stataement we have a clear definition of death. The naturally-minded man IS DEAD while he lives. All through the ages we have had men with great minds, conniving and conceiving all manner of evil, bringing death not only upon themselves, but upon all that follow them. The air is polluted with great swelling words, brain-washing the masses, raising up world systems of domination, enslaving the ignorant and poor. "the blind leading the blind, and both falling in the ditch (grave)." Matt. 15:14. Thank God this present evil age created by the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience, shall be destroyed by the Manchild Company of mature sons, who are caught up in God and his throne. Rev. 12 and Eph. 1:2.
A better rendition of 1Timothy 2:15, harmonizing with other scriptures, reveals that Eve became "involved" in Adam's transgression, Rom. 5:14, "for in Adam all die", 1 Cor. 5:22 - not in Eve! Eve was forgiven because she confessed that she was beguiled. No woman wants to confess that she was seduced. This was very humiliating to her. We know that she was forgiven because God gave her the promise: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head. " Gen. 3:15. Eve became involved in Adam's fall by following him out of the garden into the realm of death. She loved (desired) her husband so much that she willingly of her own free will followed Adam out into a cold, cruel world to be his HELPER and COUNTERPART. Eve was not driven out of the garden, neither was it said that she would return to to the dust, for she was not taken out of the ground but out of Adam, who was dust in a higher and refined form, that can again make a still further change into the very image of Christ by the renewing of our mind...receiving the mind of Christ." Rom. 12:2, 1 Cor. 2:16.
God prophecied that Eve would bring forth her children in pain and sorrow, since Adam could only bring forth death. Death had entered his seed. Therefore death was in her children before they were born. This curse gave them the tendency to sin, which in its finality brings death. James 1:13-14. God also foretold that her very love for her husband (and being of a weaker stature) would give occasion to Adam to usurp over her, and rule her as his property. This is exactly what took place. Gen. 3:17. God was not laying down a rule that man had to rule over his wife, but he was foretelling Eve what would happen. How often we have seen women stick with their lazy, drunken, brutal, and unbelieving husbands, due to this misplaced love. It would be much better to separate from such an unholy condition and strive to make a decent Christian home for their children. In fact, the women then would have more time and privacy to really pray in faith and love for their salvation.
Adam understood this promise of the coming Redeemer given unto Eve. He gave her the name Eve, "because she is the mother of all living." Gen 3:26. She is the type of Mary who gave birth to Jesus, the promised Seed, thus fulfilling the covenant promise unto Abraham. "And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed." Acts 3:25. There is to be a greater fulfillment of this promised Seed; Eve also foreshadowed the Sunclothed-Sign-Woman, who brings forth the many SONS that will deliver all creation! Rev. 12 Therefore Paul gives her the promise that she would be saved in THE CHILDBEARING. 1 Tim. 2:15 CCV. (If this is speaking of natural child-birth, then poor old maids without children have no chance at all). Not only will Eve be delivered from the old Adamic nature of death in which she became involved, but she will be used to bring forth that glorious Manchild Company, that shall deliver the whole creation from the pangs of sin and death. These sons are the complement of Christ: "His Body, the completness of him who everywhere fills the universe with Himself." Eph. 1:23. CCV and Weymouth.
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