-- He (Christ) alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen. --- 1 Timothy 6:15-16.
-- "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself" -- John 5:26
-- "I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hades and of death." -- Revelation 1:17-18.
"The Word was in the beginning with God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:2 & 4).
John 1:4 states that life is in the Word of God. It follows that eternal life | immortality is in Christ alone.
John 1:14 states that the Word became a human being and lived among us. This is Christ.
Both Genesis 2:7 and John 3:8 speak of the Spirit of God breathing His (eternal) life into man, but God alone has life in Himself.
Therefore to say that Christians will be "given immortality" with the resurrection of the body from the dead is a statement that expresses only half the truth. The other (most important) half is what you see underlined in the quote below:
"And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." -- 1 John 5:11-12.
Only in the Word is life. (John 1:4).
Our immortality is in Christ, the Creator, who alone possesses immortality according to the scriptures, and who alone has life in Himself, according to the scriptures. (1 Timothy 6:16; John 5:26).
God said to Adam:
"Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof dying you will die." (Genesis 2:17, literal translation from the Hebrew).
It implies that Adam (the creature) did not have immortality in himself, and this therefore gives us the knowledge that we do not have - and can never have - immortality | eternal life in ourselves.
It teaches us that if we do not abide in the Word of God, then we will die.
"You will not surely die" is a lie from the beginning:
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you." -- John 15:6-7.
"And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." -- 1 John 5:11-12.
Our immortality is not, and never will be in ourselves, any more than Adam's was when he believed the words "You shall not surely die." The immortality that we put on, which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, is Christ's immortality that we share in through His Spirit (the breath of God).
So let's consider what Adam knew before he believed the lie:
Adam knew the Word of God. God spoke it Adam directly. So Adam knew perfectly well that the words "You will not surely die" was a direct contradiction to what God had said, and the assertion of the serpent implied that God's words ".. you will surely die", were a lie.
ADAM'S MOTIVE
What was Adam's motive for rejecting the Word of God?
".. For God ['ĕlôhîym] does know that in the day all of you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and all of you shall be as gods ['ĕlôhîym], knowing good and evil." -- Genesis 3:5.
It has to do with wanting to make oneself like the Most High, as in Isaiah 14:14's reference to the king of Babylon:
"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Only God has everlasting life in Himself. Satan's first lie was that Adam & Eve would not die.
"Once saved always saved" / eternal security is in Christ. Eternal life is in the Word.
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you." -- John 15:6-7.
It does not depend on those who believe in Christ, because we cannot earn it - but it's found in the Word, that is, in Christ.
Being alive in our resurrected bodies is not going to change this. Adam was immortal, yet he died.
-- "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself" -- John 5:26
-- "I am the First and the Last, and the Living One, and I became dead, and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen. And I have the keys of hades and of death." -- Revelation 1:17-18.
"The Word was in the beginning with God. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:2 & 4).
John 1:4 states that life is in the Word of God. It follows that eternal life | immortality is in Christ alone.
John 1:14 states that the Word became a human being and lived among us. This is Christ.
Both Genesis 2:7 and John 3:8 speak of the Spirit of God breathing His (eternal) life into man, but God alone has life in Himself.
Therefore to say that Christians will be "given immortality" with the resurrection of the body from the dead is a statement that expresses only half the truth. The other (most important) half is what you see underlined in the quote below:
"And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." -- 1 John 5:11-12.
Only in the Word is life. (John 1:4).
Our immortality is in Christ, the Creator, who alone possesses immortality according to the scriptures, and who alone has life in Himself, according to the scriptures. (1 Timothy 6:16; John 5:26).
God said to Adam:
"Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof dying you will die." (Genesis 2:17, literal translation from the Hebrew).
It implies that Adam (the creature) did not have immortality in himself, and this therefore gives us the knowledge that we do not have - and can never have - immortality | eternal life in ourselves.
It teaches us that if we do not abide in the Word of God, then we will die.
"You will not surely die" is a lie from the beginning:
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you." -- John 15:6-7.
"And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." -- 1 John 5:11-12.
Our immortality is not, and never will be in ourselves, any more than Adam's was when he believed the words "You shall not surely die." The immortality that we put on, which is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:53-54, is Christ's immortality that we share in through His Spirit (the breath of God).
So let's consider what Adam knew before he believed the lie:
Adam knew the Word of God. God spoke it Adam directly. So Adam knew perfectly well that the words "You will not surely die" was a direct contradiction to what God had said, and the assertion of the serpent implied that God's words ".. you will surely die", were a lie.
ADAM'S MOTIVE
What was Adam's motive for rejecting the Word of God?
".. For God ['ĕlôhîym] does know that in the day all of you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and all of you shall be as gods ['ĕlôhîym], knowing good and evil." -- Genesis 3:5.
It has to do with wanting to make oneself like the Most High, as in Isaiah 14:14's reference to the king of Babylon:
"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
Only God has everlasting life in Himself. Satan's first lie was that Adam & Eve would not die.
"Once saved always saved" / eternal security is in Christ. Eternal life is in the Word.
"If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done to you." -- John 15:6-7.
It does not depend on those who believe in Christ, because we cannot earn it - but it's found in the Word, that is, in Christ.
Being alive in our resurrected bodies is not going to change this. Adam was immortal, yet he died.
So what could possibly be a motive for someone who knows the truth choosing to follow a lie? We only need to consider three things:
1. Adam's motive.
2. The fact that Satan is cunning, subtle and crafty.
3. The fact that God permitted Satan to test immortal humans who had eternal life.
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