Ed Stevens on the Death of Adam: Was Adam Forgiven- Are We? Part 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

Was Adam Forgiven– Are  We?- #1

One of Edward Stevens’ key arguments to support his Two Deaths of Adam doctrine is that Adam and Eve were forgiven of their sin, the very day they sinned. I categorically reject that as untrue, since we have no Biblical statement that supports it in any way. Be sure to read my article on the supposed Two Deaths of Adam, as claimed by Stevens.

Stevens claimed that A&E were forgiven in the Garden. He claims that Adam was forgiven because:
He claims that Adam and Eve repented.
Adam did not die the day he sinned.
God made the clothing of skins for A&E.
They were given the promise of the future savior.

If A & E were forgiven, why were they still kicked out of the Garden? That was a direct, penal punishment for their sin! If Adam was forgiven, HE WAS RECONCILED. But, Reconciliation = Restoration (e.g. when Israel was forgiven of her sin, she was restored to the land). A&E should have been RESTORED TO THE GARDEN. How do you receive the wages of sin (death) if you are forgiven- and have no sin?

If Adam was forgiven why did he die physically – AT ALL?

Consider Adam versus Ananias and Sapphira. Adam did not die the day he sinned because, per Stevens, Adam and Eve repented and God offered the substitutionary sacrifice. Well, why did God not even give Ananias the opportunity to repent, then? And once again, if Adam truly repented of his sin, and was actually forgiven, then why did God have to offer the animal sacrifice? Why were Adam and Eve still kicked out of the Garden? Their expulsion from the Garden proves that they were NOT FORGIVEN!

Did Adam sin AFTER being cast out of the Garden? If so, why did he not die “that day”? Stevens claims that the threat of dying the very day of sin was a one time only threat. However, he believes that the sinner dies spiritually the very day they sin, and, he knows that Ananias and Sapphira died the very day they sinned! Confusion reigns in Stevens’ view of Adamic Death.

Now, Stevens claims that the original animal sacrifice still benefits the Christian today– more on this later. I have challenged Stevens repeatedly to prove, from scripture– that the original ANIMAL SACRIFICE provides Christians today deliverance from instant death, giving “provisional forgiveness.” In Stevens paradigm, the “blood of bulls and goats” sure seems to have a LOT of efficacy! Ed, is our forgiveness today “provisional? Yes or No?

The Bible never says Adam was forgiven. Ed says he was, but was still cast out of the Garden, experiencing the wages of sin – physical death and spiritual death. He was patently not forgiven.

Adam was excluded from the role call of faith in Hebrews 11. Why? That role call of faith begins, not with “forgiven,” Adam, but with Abel- the first man– a man of faith – to die physical death.

Stevens gives NO SCRIPTURAL PROOF, that A&E were forgiven through the supposed substitutionary sacrifice of the animal.

Stevens has claimed that I don’t understand the difference between the penal death and the “natural” death of Adam. That is false. His claims are specious.

Consider the following on the PENAL JUDGMENTS Adam would experience the day he sinned:
– He would die.
– Come to know good and evil.
– Be cast out of the Garden.

Ed says Adam did die spiritually the very day he sinned. PENAL JUDGMENT #1.
They came to know good and evil that very day – PENAL JUDGMENT #2.
They were cast out of the Garden that day – PENAL JUDGMENT #3.
Then, Adam died 900 years later as a direct result of sin– PENAL JUDGMENT #4!

But, Stevens says they did not die physically that day due to the substitutionary animal sacrifice- more on this in another installment.

So, Ed excludes THREE OF THE FOUR PENAL JUDGMENTS OF SIN from the benefit of the substitutionary animal sacrifice, PROVING THAT ADAM WAS NOT FORGIVEN, or that he was forgiven “to some degree”– sorta, maybe, kinda.

Why did that substitutionary animal sacrifice save them from only one Penal Punishment, and not both? Stevens has refused to answer.

If A & E were forgiven, why were they still kicked out of the Garden? That was a direct, penal punishment for their sin! If Adam was forgiven, HE WAS RECONCILED. But, Reconciliation = Restoration (e.g. when Israel was forgiven of her sin, she was restored to the land). A&E should have been RESTORED TO THE GARDEN. How do you receive the wages of sin (death) if you are forgiven- and have no sin?

If Adam was forgiven why did he die physically – AT ALL?
Stevens admits that Adam died 900 years after the Garden, AS A DIRECT RESULT OF SIN. Thus, Adam’s ultimate physical death was a “penal punishment” for unforgiven sin. If the “substitutionary” animal sacrifice prevented physical death that day then the sacrifice postponed that penal death for 900 years. You can’t deny that Adam’s ultimate death was penal when IT WAS THE DIRECT RESULT OF SIN.

Stevens (2nd Neg) says that if Adam had not sinned that at the end of his “test,” he, “would have been taken to heaven without having to experience physical death.”

So, no sin means no death; (No death means no resurrection, and Stevens says resurrection does not apply today! Keep that in mind for later!) Thus, No death demands a rapture. That raises the question:

What About OUR Forgiveness?

Now, Ed claims to believe that Christians are forgiven– thus, NO SIN – So, why aren’t we raptured and why do we still die physically? Remember, he says that if Adam would not have sinned he would have been raptured. Thus, to repeat and emphasize, no sin demands a rapture! So, to repeat the question: Why aren’t Christians, supposedly forgiven of sin, raptured? And, why do Christians, ostensibly continually cleansed by the blood of Christ, still die?

Stevens says Christians still pay the wage of sin- spiritual and physical death- (meaning we are NOT forgiven). Sorry, folks, if Christians still pay the penalty of sin– physical death – we are NOT FORGIVEN! To suggest otherwise would be like receiving a notice from our bank that our house debt is forgiven. Yet, when the next month rolls around, we get a bill for the full debt! We call the bank and say, “Hey, you told me that our debt was forgiven!” They respond, “Well, yes, your debt is forgiven, BUT YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY THE FULL BILL!” This is Ed Stevens’ view of forgiveness and it violates very concept of forgiveness! And it is all based on his concept of Two Adamic Deaths!

But then, in Stevens view, although we pay the wages of sin- WITH SPIRITUAL DEATH CAUSING OUR PHYSICAL DEATH – we go to heaven! Sorry, but, if we experience and submit to the Two Adamic Deaths– the wages of sin– then the only thing that can await me is eternal death!

Stevens says that we today die “because we are all sinners.” Now, if we die physically because we are sinners, (we first die spiritually and then physically, per Stevens) that means that we are paying the penalty of sin– “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). I don’t care what kind of verbal gymnastics you try to play, this is unavoidable!

The wages of sin is (physical) death– Ed Stevens- and all futurists.

Every Christian dies physically.

Therefore, every Christian receives the wages of sin!

Now:

The wages of sin is physical death– Ed Stevens and all futurists.

The Christian is (ostensibly) forgiven of sin, that which alone imposes the “wages of sin” i.e. physical death.

Therefore, the Christian, (ostensibly) forgiven of sin, should not receive the “wages of sin.”

But, of course, Ed Stevens knows and teaches that every Christian still dies physically as a direct result of sin – we die physically “because we are all sinners.”! In fact, per Stevens, our physical death comes only because WE FIRST DIE SPIRITUALLY! So, we have to die spiritually, meaning that we are alienated from God, before we can die physically!

Now, spiritual death is caused by sin, and ONLY SIN– Ephesians 2:1f / Colossians 1:15-20 / 2:12-13).

So, we have a question for Edward Stevens: DO PEOPLE TODAY STILL DIE SPIRITUALLY AS A RESULT OF SIN?

Part One to here- Stay tuned!