Gods Sabbath

32

E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

Connection with the

Disobedience to the divine laws

Obedience to the divine laws

infinite Source

gives life

preserves life

destroys life

“Had man after his fall been allowed free access to the tree of life, he would have lived forever, and thus sin would have been immortalized. But cherubim and a flaming sword kept ‘the way of the tree of life,’ (Genesis 3:24), and not one of the family of Ad am has been permitted to pass that barrier and partake of the life-giving fruit. Therefore there is not an immortal sinner.” The Great Controversy , 533.3.

The Renewal of Life

How could Adam and Eve break the law and yet live forever, when the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23)? It is true that breaking God’s laws destroys the sinner, but if our first parents had continued partaking of the tree of life, their sinful lives would have been immortalized. Regardless of how closely Adam was connected with the Life Giver, every sin he committed would exact its toll on his vital forces. But if he still had access to the tree of life, those losses could be replaced. As long as Adam made sure he came to the tree of life soon enough, his life forces would be replen ished before his sins destroyed him completely. In this way it would have been possible for him to live forever as an immor tal sinner. Similarly today, there are pills and potions which promise full freedom to eat and drink as much as desired with no adverse aft