Mankind was created to live on the created earth, in a created body. We were not created to "go to heaven when we die". That's not God's purpose, but Adam did not possess eternal life in himself.
SIN OWNED
-- "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." -- Romans 3:23
-- "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
-- "For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." -- 2 Corinthians 5:21
-- "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes all of you were healed." -- 1 Peter 2:24
-- "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." -- Isaiah 53:6
We can either pay the penalty for our sin ourselves, relying on our own self-produced 'righteousness' which is mixed with our sin (which will result in everlasting damnation), OR change our minds, doing a complete turn-around (repenting) and turning to, and placing our faith in Jesus the Messiah, our only Messiah:
EVERLASTING LIFE OWNED
-- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.
In him was life [zōḗ], and the life was the light of mankind." -- John 1:1-4
-- "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has given to the Son to have life within Himself" -- John 5:26
EVERLASTING LIFE GIVEN
-- "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.
RIGHTEOUSNESS OWNED
-- "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous One. -- 1 John 2:1
RIGHTEOUSNESS GIVEN
-- "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. -- Philippians 3:9-10
RESURRECTION OWNED
-- "I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:" -- John 11:25
-- "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." -- John 14:6
RESURRECTION GIVEN
-- "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming." -- 1 Corinthians 15:20-23
IMMORTALITY OWNED
-- "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
IMMORTALITY GIVEN
-- "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." -- 1 Corinthians 15:52-54.
CORRUPTION / DECAY
-- "The creation itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God." -- Romans 8:21.
Both Genesis 2:7 and John 3:8 speak of the Spirit of God breathing His (eternal) life into man, and God alone has life in Himself. It follows that eternal zōḗ (eternal life), as well as immortality is in Christ alone, 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).
- We are justified because of Christ's blood shed for our sins.
- We receive eternal life in Christ because Christ has life in Himself.
- We will be resurrected at the last day because we are resurrected by the power of Christ's resurrection.
- We will be immortal because of Christ's immortality, who alone possesses immortality, our dead bodies being quickened by the Spirit of Christ.
Christ is the last Adam. There will be no immortality 'created' for billions of created humans. The only immortality is the immortality of the last Adam, which He EARNED (just as is the case with the resurrection of the dead).
-- "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in gehenna." -- Matthew 10:28.
-- "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." -- Revelation 20:14-15.
Those who will experience the second death written about in the Revelation will experience it because they did not inherit eternal life in Christ through faith in Him, so the immortality that they find themselves with after the resurrection of the just and of the unjust (Acts 24:15), will not be what they got through faith in Christ. Therefore they will experience the second death, because their names will not be found written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
So what could possibly be a motive for someone who knows the truth choosing to follow a lie, like Adam did? We only need to consider three things to find the answer:
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 were immortal.
Adam knew the truth. He knew Word of God. God spoke it to 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.
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." -- Isaiah 14:14.
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. Immortality belongs to the last Adam. He EARNED it, just as is the case with the resurrection of the dead.
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.
It's always been about the Word we abide in:
".. you will surely die." vs.
"You will not surely die."
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