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I am preaching on forgivness next week on the parable of the unforgiving servant and how Jesus is saying we should'nt take account of how many times we forgive someone.

It got me thinking about the garden of Edan; where was the forgivness towards Adam and Eve? as God cast them out of the garden.

Would appreciate peoples views on this subject.

i believe they were Forgiven -- Gen. 3:21 reveals God Slayed 1 or more animals to acquire the skins to "cover" their sin & Instruct them (Heb. 9:22)

I cannot find verse that they repent to be forgiven when they rebelled against God and they were drove out of the Garden and their immortality was lost when their privilege to eat the fruit of the tree of life was forfeited.

However God still care and loves them when they were dressed with skin cloth.

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52:7

Thanks for your posts but I still find it difficult to see that God had forgiven them as He said that he will inflict trouble on them for example; by Eve having trouble with child birth and that He will curse the ground they will work on. If God had forgiven them why did He not wipe the slate clean so to speak instead instead of making them `pay` for what they had done. Like I said if we take this parable from Jesus about not counting the amount of times you forgive someone then surly Adam and Eve should have been given another chance. And if not then how can we interpret this parable from Mathews Gospel (18:21-35) in the light of the God of the OT?

Claire:

Perhaps you could draw a comparison between God's dealings with Adam and Eve and parents disciplining children. When you children disobey you, you continue to love them, and you forgive them, but you don't just let them get away with their bad behavior. The discipline is itself an expression of love.

i agree w/ what Obadiah wrote

had they "paid" for their sin, they'd of been Killed right then & there -- they were Forgiven via the innocent blood

did they not live a long life, being Honored by God to create mankind?

does this not build a reliance on God & limit a person's pride?

God's Forgiveness has both an eternal & a temporal effect...: the person is allowed to fellowship w/ God for eternity & the internal peace of mind that comes from being "ok" w/ God, respectively -- what you appear to be missing is God's Forgiveness does not (usually) remove the earthly penalty of sin -- you steal, kill, etc, expect bad things (e.g., jail, revenge, fines)

It also remains that the just penalty for Adam and Eve's sin was death, and until his Son came to pay the penalty for their sin, God could not disregard their transgression and remain just. Yet instead of extracting the penalty for their sin in the garden, God at that time promised them an offspring who would crush the serpent's head -- Jesus, who at the right time came into world as the Lamb of God, the atoning sacrifice for their sin. And when Jesus gave himself up for the sin of the world, he made it possible for God to remain just while justifying sinners. God himself, in the person of his Son, met the righteous demands of justice at Calvary so that his mercy might prevail for those who trust in him. So God's forgiveness for Adam and Eve began in the garden, but because of God's righteousness it could not be complete until Christ bore their sin on the cross.

Romans 3:25-26 25 God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. 26 This was also to demonstrate his righteousness in the present time, so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who lives because of Jesus’ faithfulness. Context (NET)

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Myself, I think they were forgiven, but the consequences of what they did still remained...and still remain. Same thing happens today with a girl who gets pregnant outside of marriage. Can she (and her boyfriend) be forgiven? Of course! Does that mean she stops being pregnant and has an easy life ahead of her? No - There will be challenges and problems that she'll encounter that are part of the consequences of her actions.

Forgiveness is one thing; removal of all consequences is something else.



Jim

They were left alive and not destroyed completely. Better to lose something than everything. In this case the very soul that was given them out of love is alive and not so well, I suppose. Of course the same is true for all of humanity

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Kola,

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Thanks for all your responses it has made me think about forgiveness not only how we forgive others but God forgiveness towards us. I have say still need to look more into I am also an ordinant, so may ask some of the OT lecturers when I start back in few weeks.
So far I think i see it somewhat from the perspective as a parent, I love my daughter so much but as a five year old she does many things she should'nt and I have to tell her off and punish her but I don't love her any less. And that is the same for God He does love us un-conditionaly but He has to punish, unless how would we learn from our mistakes (do think it was a little harsh towards Adam and Eve however) And looking at from the point of the Parable of the unforgiving servant in which I started its about forgiving others but leaving it with God to judge and to agree with Jim being forgiven does not always remove the consequences of the sin.

If you can entertain the notion that Adam and Eve is a story that is more about describing our broken relationships with God and one another then you don't have to be concerned over their forgiveness (or lack of it).

What would be concerning for me would be a God that says I have to suffer because of what some distant ancestor did. You would probably not think it just if your grandmother punished you for something your mother did.

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John

My soul looks back in wonder at how I got over

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes

& yet God Says this very thing numerous times -- there's also God's Mercy due to ancestoral actions

to me, Original Sin (if that's what you're actually zeroing in on) is completely logical & spiritually sound -- others disagree <shrug>

& yet future generations are punished for their parent's & grandparent's actions all the time -- the cycle of abuse &/or addiction, family debt, bearing an unworthy name (e.g., Benedict Arnold) -- the ripple effects of sin stretch far & wide...

We have the contrast of

Jeremiah 31:29-30 29 “When that time comes, people will no longer say, ‘The parents have eaten sour grapes, but the children’s teeth have grown numb.’ 30 Rather, each person will die for his own sins. The teeth of the person who eats the sour grapes will themselves grow numb. Context (NET)

with

Exodus 20:5 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, Context (NET)

.

It is true that the effects of human caused climate change will last for generations. Whether that is punishment for our ignorance or just a consequence depends on your perspective.
Certainly a Christian trying to break cycles of abuse in families believes they are acting with God's love, and do not think that the abuse is a just punishment of God.
A Christian should work for justice to prevent these ripple effects as far as possible.

Micah 6:8 8 He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the Lord really wants from you: He wants you to promote justice, to be faithful, and to live obediently before your God. Context (NET)

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John

My soul looks back in wonder at how I got over

We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes