How did Adam understand the word "death"?

[tonychanyt]

Jesus healed a man (B1) born blind in John 9:

7 “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing.

After we were born, we went through a process of learning to recognize what a human being looked like, what a table looked like, etc. We learned to recognize categories; that is the process of classification. Jesus' miracle was not only fixing the physical eye-sight hardware in B1's optical system but also his neutral network software for object recognition. He did not spend any time learning to recognize objects.

Similarly, when God created Adam and Eve, they did not spend time acquiring a language. It was built-in in general. In particular, how did Adam understand the concept of death after he was created?

Genesis 2:

19 Now out of the ground the LORD God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.

Adam understood the concepts of life and living. To him, the concept of death is the opposite (or the negation) of the concept of life, the cessation of life.

9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

I.e., the tree of life and the tree of death. Adam knew what life meant. He saw it, and he was living it. Adam learned of the contrast between life and death. Death was the opposite of life.

15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

If Adam had not worked it, the plant might have died. He might have seen some dead plants.

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

How did Adam understand the concept of death?

Adam understood death as the opposite of life.

See also When you eat from it you will CERTAINLY DIE.

 

[Ace777]

In particular, how did Adam understand the concept of death after he was created?

Who invented the arrowhead and the spear?

 

[Derf]

Jesus healed a man (B1) born blind in John 9:


After we were born, we went through a process of learning to recognize what a human being looked like, what a table looked like, etc. We learned to recognize categories; that is the process of classification. Jesus' miracle was not only fixing the physical eye-sight hardware in B1's optical system but also his neutral network software for object recognition. He did not spend any time learning to recognize objects.

Similarly, when God created Adam and Eve, they did not spend time acquiring a language. It was built-in in general. In particular, how did Adam understand the concept of death after he was created?

Genesis 2:


Adam understood the concepts of life and living. To him, the concept of death is the opposite (or the negation) of the concept of life, the cessation of life.


I.e., the tree of life and the tree of death. Adam knew what life meant. He saw it, and he was living it. Adam learned of the contrast between life and death. Death was the opposite of life.


If Adam had not worked it, the plant might have died. He might have seen some dead plants.


See also When you eat from it you will CERTAINLY DIE.

(Your link died.)

What is your point? What does this change in every-day Christian theology? I have some ideas, but what are yours?

 

[tonychanyt]

What is your point?

Adam understood death as the opposite of life.

 

[Ace777]

Adam understood death as the opposite of life.

Life is death and death is life. He died when he sinned. That is why we have to be born again. It was through Eve that sin entered in. It was through Mary that Jesus was birthed into the world to pay the price for sin.

 

[Derf]

Adam understood death as the opposite of life.

Right, I agree with you. But how does that impact us? How is it relevant to the gospel?

 

[tonychanyt]

But how does that impact us?

I don't know.

How is it relevant to the gospel?

I don't know whether it should have any relevance. Perhaps you can enlighten me

 

[Derf]

I don't know.

I don't know whether it should have any relevance. Perhaps you can enlighten me

My thought is that if death is man returning to dust, then Jesus defeated death by NOT returning to dust, but instead began to live again. And if returning to dust is the primary issue, it does away with the idea that everyone went to a holding place for spirits after death, remaining alive in some sense.

 

[tonychanyt]

My thought is that if death is man returning to dust, then Jesus defeated death by NOT returning to dust, but instead began to live again. And if returning to dust is the primary issue, it does away with the idea that everyone went to a holding place for spirits after death, remaining alive in some sense.

Interesting. Check out Do believers go to heaven immediately after death? and follow up there

 

[Ace777]

My thought is that if death is man returning to dust, then Jesus defeated death by NOT returning to dust, but instead began to live again. And if returning to dust is the primary issue, it does away with the idea that everyone went to a holding place for spirits after death, remaining alive in some sense.

Yes that is what happened when Jesus died at Calvary. I would love to know what happened to these "many" people. We are not told. Jesus was resurrected and had a physical body and he was taken up to Heaven. Most people leave their body behind when they go to Heaven.

Matthew 27 50When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53 After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.

 

[Derf]

Yes that is what happened when Jesus died at Calvary. I would love to know what happened to these "many" people. We are not told. Jesus was resurrected and had a physical body and he was taken up to Heaven. Most people leave their body behind when they go to Heaven.

Can you point to a place in scripture where it talks about people going to heaven without bodies?

 

[Ace777]

Can you point to a place in scripture where it talks about people going to heaven without bodies?

Have you ever been to a funeral. Clearly there is a dead body there. The rapture and the resurrection are two different things. That is what rapture means is to be taken or snatched up out of our body.

1 Corinthians 15:48
As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

 

[Derf]

Have you ever been to a funeral. Clearly there is a dead body there. The rapture and the resurrection are two different things. That is what rapture means is to be taken or snatched up out of our body.

1 Corinthians 15:48
As was the earthly man, so also are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven.

You're assuming that person is in heaven. Why assume that?

The descriptions of the rapture in scripture say nothing of leaving our bodies behind.

1 Cor 15 is talking about the resurrection of the body, not about some bodiless state

 

[Ace777]

You're assuming that person is in heaven. Why assume that?

Because that is what the Bible says.

 

[Grafted In]

Jesus healed a man (B1) born blind in John 9:


After we were born, we went through a process of learning to recognize what a human being looked like, what a table looked like, etc. We learned to recognize categories; that is the process of classification. Jesus' miracle was not only fixing the physical eye-sight hardware in B1's optical system but also his neutral network software for object recognition. He did not spend any time learning to recognize objects.

Similarly, when God created Adam and Eve, they did not spend time acquiring a language. It was built-in in general. In particular, how did Adam understand the concept of death after he was created?

Genesis 2:


Adam understood the concepts of life and living. To him, the concept of death is the opposite (or the negation) of the concept of life, the cessation of life.


I.e., the tree of life and the tree of death. Adam knew what life meant. He saw it, and he was living it. Adam learned of the contrast between life and death. Death was the opposite of life.


If Adam had not worked it, the plant might have died. He might have seen some dead plants.


How did Adam understand the concept of death?

Adam understood death as the opposite of life.

See also When you eat from it you will CERTAINLY DIE.

I think Adam and his wife were caused to watch as God killed a beast (I think it was a lamb. Perhaps one dear to Adam.)
It is my belief that prior to that moment when God slew the beast to clothe Adam and his wife in His rightiousness ( a type or shadow of the cross) they had never witnessed death.

God slew that beast to make clothes for them to cover their shame, just as God Killed His only Begotten Son on the cross as Jesus bore our sin and He clothes us in His rightiousness.

Did my responce address your question?
I wasn't certain it did, but I wanted to share that point that I hold dear to myself.

 

[Sabertooth]

Because of God's warning, Adam could surmise that death was a bad thing...

 

[tonychanyt]

Did my responce address your question?

When God commanded Adam in Ge 2:16, how did Adam understand the word "death"?

 

[Ace777]

When God commanded Adam in Ge 2:16, how did Adam understand the word "death"?

Absolutely and the evidence for that is his son who all to much understood death.

Genesis 4 14

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

No one has EVER told me what EVERYONE means in Genesis 4 14. Of course science and TE explains everything a LOT better then the other creation theories. Even though they all have their place and they all have their limitations as to what they explain.

 

[Grafted In]

When God commanded Adam in Ge 2:16, how did Adam understand the word "death"?

He was one with God before the fall and I think God provided him with His understanding.
After the fall, He no longer shared His thoughts with man.
Close?

 

[tonychanyt]

He was one with God before the fall and I think God provided him with His understanding.
After the fall, He no longer shared His thoughts with man.

I would soften the bolded terms