I would argue that angels are probably made in His image as well,. However, that story or statement being preached wont cause anyone to fall into sin. Answer (1 of 21): The context once again gives the answer. It is possible that the Lord taught them how to do certain things, as you say, but it certainly wasnt necessary. Not all of the time of course, how else would they have rebelled against Him. After creating Adam, God "put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it" (Genesis 2:15). However, were here to serve everyone without cost, so please dont feel obligated to give unless the Lord leads. You read that correctly, the Bible never states that Adam and Eve walked with God in the Garden. Where is the specific support for this argument found anywhere in the scriptures? Adam replies saying that he hid because he heard the sound of God. To add to the post above, another theological consideration is the temple. Is it so hard to see that broke the fall in a righteous or right standing with God, the first family would run hard to God. It says that he went to the land of Nod and then she conceived a son (Enoch). Hi Ian, God communicated many things to Adam. God has, in certain instances, revealed Himself in bodily form. Hi Tim you stated; How many pastors and other teachers have taught that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God in the garden? Here is a portion of what I wrote on page 72 of my book, Fallen. The natural reading of arithmetic is that according to arithmetic. (NASB) Gen. 3:8. This is stated in the incident where Moses disobeyed by striking the rock instead of speaking to it (Numbers 20:1011). It says, "they heard the sound of God walking in the garden", and, " they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. I believe whenever we read the words The Word of the Lord came to such and such prophet, that means Jesus (who is the Word of God)literally came to that individual as Jesus appeared to John on the Island of Patmos. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. We did not know, nor trained ourselves to do that and now see our own child in the consequences. Tim- Thank you, as I came searching for information on this before placing and they walked with God in my book I am writing! Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, surrounded by fruit trees and beautiful things. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. What does it mean for God to walk with them? You can see from the above that God decreed several things for Adam to honour and obey. So there is no need to appeal to some sort of walk in the garden for them to know Gods voice. when they heard God walking in the garden, they hid from God. Ed, Genesis 3:2-5. My main point throughout has been to direct people back to Scripture to see what it really says. Thank you for your thoughts I do understand the whirlwind , but Gen says God made them clothes from an animal to replace mans attempt of covering his nakedness. It was a choice that they both made in full knowledge of what was right and wrong. My post is not arguing against the idea that Adam and Eve had some sort of relationship with the Lord prior to the Fall. If used in this sense, Adam and Eve did walk with God prior to sin because there was no fracture in their relationship with God. We cant know because the Bible doesnt speak to this at all. Adam fell because he freely chose to disobey God, but second because he listened to his wife who had also freely chosen to disobey. They are not taking a leisurely stroll with God, they are hiding from Him as He comes to announce His judgment. Third, Adams response at seeing Eve confirms the point: This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (Genesis 2:23). 00:00. I dont think its a matter of God wanting or not wanting to spend time with His creation, but more of a matter of how much time passed before they rebelled. I guess its just hard to let go of certain ideas, but we must always allow our thinking to be challenged by what Scripture actually says rather than what we want it to say. Your entire post is irrelevant to the discussion because you are trying to show what it means when it says that someone walked with God. But again, that doesnt change my point. Seasoned or mature believers should know the text, the text is the milk, living the text is the meat. If how we are not that naive to believe that this is a new thing with Him, no we can reasonably infer that God spent time with Adam and Eve. I believe the context of the above verse was a time when ADAM was NOT at enmity with God and they conferred with each other. It means closeness, intimacy, communion. Hi Bob, I appreciate the encouraging words. Im not sure where you got the idea that Im hellbent on trying to make a point of saying that Adam and Eve did not walk with God. I have no problem with the idea that Adam and Eve may have walked with God, which is what I stated in the conclusion of the post and in several follow-up comments. http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1349, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Schnorr_von_Carolsfeld_Bibel_in_Bildern_1860_009.png, https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/incarnation/theophanies-in-the-old-testament/, https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/cain/cains-wife-who-was-she/, http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1747. The Man came alivea living soul! However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Adam and Eve as well as other people born during the no-sin era. In a similar way, we are told in the New Testament to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Because they nearly always cite the verse about Adam and Eve hearing the sound of the Lord walking in the garden. If so, that means Cain and Abel could have been over 120 years old when Cain killed Abel. Would that seem that they must have heard His voice at some other time. To the second point in your conclusion, I think it is quite speculative. No the bible didnt directly say they walked with God. Yet now the man and the woman are hiding from God in fear. To be clearagain. The Bible doesnt say that, and that is the point of the article. Here is the verse in its entirety. But the most beautiful thing of all was that they walked with GOD. Adam and Eve were ashamed of what they had done and afraid to face God, so they hid in the trees. 14Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.. He created a vast array of angels prior to the creation of man, so theres no guarantee that God spent a bunch of time with Adam and Eve. As you know, I couldnt find it. I agree with you that we cannot say with certainty that God walked with them, I am just here to point out that the language suggests a repetitive habit of God. Some people have inferred from this statement that they must have known what it sounded like to hear God walk in the Garden so they must have walked with Him before. It bothered me for the day into right now where I went on the internet to find something credible and I landed here. Thanks for this article, it was an interesting read. If so, then it seems to follow that there would be ongoing communion and communication between God, Adam, and Eve. In fact, earlier this week during a Q&A session, one of the guests asked about Adam walking with God in the garden. In the plain reading of Genesis 1-3, we learn that God created the first two people: Adam and Eve. I am searching for ideas about the absence of God in the Garden. So again, lets not be naive to think that God didnt spend time with them! Is it that they are referred to as sons of God? holy ones? Thats not exactly a clear cut and dry case, beyond dispute, based on those sparse details. Genesis 3:8-9 . Did you notice something else about the way people typically define the image of God? Im not really sure how your comment addresses Eds point at all or anything in the article. The book of Genesis tells us that the Lord appeared and fellow-shipped with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (ch. who knows perhaps it was. It does not say that God drove Adam and Eve, or the man and the woman, out of the Garden of Eden. Considering that each year subtracted from Cain and Abels ages at the time of Abels murder could be added to Adam and Eves time in the Garden, its quite possible that Adam and Eve spent many years in the Garden, which would make their sin all that more sorrowful. Genesis 3:8. Why would anyone ask such a silly question? However, I dont see how your final statement about the garden has any relevance. I was scanning Gen 2&3 to use the text where God walked with Adam in the garden. The phrase "walked with God" first appears in the Bible in Genesis 5:22 and refers to Enoch after He was "raptured" but I understand what you're asking. Adam and Eve were happy and satisfied in the beautiful garden. So if this is accurate, then what Adam heard was the sound of the Lord moving in the garden, as indicated in the same translations mentioned above. The Bible even indicates that God may have taken on a physical form in order to walk with Adam and Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:8). I believe one of the biggest weapons used against it is when secular opponents are more aware of the accuracy of the passages like this than we Christians who misuse and misquote them. WHY? Before He came to earth two thousand years ago, Jesus appeared at various times in the Old Testament in a physical form. With this particular issue, the reason I addressed it is because I hear it so frequently. Adam and Eve surely knew that the punishment for rebellion was deathand even if they didnt understand the fullness of that word, they knew it wasnt good. I have no doubt that they heard an audible voice when God asked, Where are you? or when He asked who told them that they were naked. 9 GOD made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. Its not hard at all to see that Adams and Eves sins broke the right standing they had with God. I had always taken it for granted too that God walked with Adam in the cool of the day which He very well might haveand Id like to use my imagination and believe that He did but the Bible definitely doesnt say that He did. God appointed angels to guard the way back (Genesis 3:23-24). Why dont Adam and Eve know that God is with them at all times? Furthermore, nothing in John 1 states that Jesus walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. I have been following the comments on this article for several years, and I want to say how much I appreciate your kind and faithful answers. We do see examples of theophanies in the Old Testament where God does appear to people in human form, as He did to Abraham. I think your criticism of my article misses the mark. Genesis 3:8 KJV. You may be reaching for your Bible right now to prove me wrong. I just dont get your argument. It is not an issue of molester in the same room with a kid. Im not opposed to this idea. From this view, Adam and Eve were with God in the Garden for a whileand they had the privilege of regularly hanging out with Him. Here is just one example about working the land 26:1 make no idols. He put the Man he had just made in it. The parts of the claim that are not in quotes are my reasonable inferences of your intent, given what you do *say verbatim*. It doesn't say they viewed God with their eyes. 9 And JEHO. It is like asserting that, since NO text in the Bible OUTRIGHT affirms that Adam ever saw the stars, then It is unwarranted to assume that he ever did see the stars.. Genesis 3:8. In fact it comes to mind that the statement can be transcended as a statement of faith, that the Lord God was loving and personal as he claims himself to be and did walk with them, who knows. Theologians have long wrestled with the very concept of being made in Gods image. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Please do look it up, and if you find it, let me know, so I can apologize and correct this post. First, we are told that God made man from the dust of the ground, and he didnt become a living being until God breathed the breath of life into him (Genesis 2:7). But that isnt the point of what I wrote. 16 The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and . And how many times is this a supporting argument for a main point or the main point itself? The goal of this post is to encourage people to take a closer look at the Bible instead of repeating what theyve heard. There are warnings in Scripture about adding to it. Jesus is Lord God, He is the Son of God. So what if he didnt say the words in genesis one would think you would be wise enough to figure it out its not hard. Im not saying this is true, Im just pointing out that scripture does not say skins of animals or that God killed animals to clothe them. Im not sure what this has to do with whether they walked with God in the garden. they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the gardenThe divine Being appeared in the same manner as formerlyuttering the well-known tones of kindness, walking in some visible form (not running hastily, as one impelled by the influence of angry feelings). Genesis 3:8 Context. Like I mentioned before, I dont have a problem with the idea that they may have walked with God in the garden. Like a child jumping in his fathers arm as he comes home from work. Tim> However, that fact has very little to do with whether He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. Of course, since God is capable of making physical appearances. Job 38:1 states, The YHWH answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:. For the record, I strongly reject such a notion. Hi Tim, 3. Its not like Genesis 5:24 (Enoch walked with God) or Genesis 6:9 (Noah walked with God). I believe when the Bible states they heard the Lord in the cool of the day I think its a spiritual voice. I would assume that they drank goats milk during this time as well. (Posted on October 30, 2014, http://midwestapologetics.org/blog/?p=1349). Thanks for the kind response. Thank you for your post and your diligence to pursuing Biblical accuracy! As I mentioned in the conclusion of the article, it is certainly possible that the Lord walked with Adam and Eve, and if He did, then it may well have been the preincarnate Christ who walked with them. The activity of God in 2:18-22 give the impression of prior occasions of God walking in the garden. But at least enough time passed to provide people who lived in Nod and a wife for Cain. This saddens me. But it would be nice for you or someone else to show me where the Bible ever makes that claim. Hebrews 13:8 God is the same yesterday, and to day and forever more. Although Exodus established that God was present everywhere through the judgement on Egypt, it also taught that God would be present in a special way in the tabernacle (later to be replaced by the temple). It seems so trivial. We "Walk With God" in Meditating upon His Word. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. But I dont think we need to have them walking with God in the garden to show how bad sin is. For more on the issue of Cains wife, see this article: https://answersingenesis.org/bible-characters/cain/cains-wife-who-was-she/. I can see that cool of the day can be also be breath, spirit, or wind. I appreciate your effort Tim, thank you. If you must doubt something, I think you would have to doubt that. . 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden. He could have done it audibly from the heavens, or He could have spent time with Adam in the garden. In that claim, I put your OWN verbatim in single quotes. But I am very clear in the post that I have no problem with the notion that they might have walked with Him. Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixtybooks and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries. They were created pre-programmed by God. Contemporary English Version Late in the afternoon, when the breeze began to blow, the man and woman heard the LORD God walking in the garden. There is no need to attribute the work to me. 21 AND IF YOU WALK CONTRARY TO ME AND NOT LISTEN TO ME THEN I WILL ring 7 times more plagues upon you 22 I will also send wild beasts among you 23 and if you will not be reformed by me by these things BUT WILL WALK CONTRARY TO ME 24 THEN I WILL WALK CONTRARY TO YOU and punish you 7 times more for your sins When God gave commandments to Adam and Eve, he also granted them the ability to intelligently decide whether to keep that covenant from God, or choose to disobey God. Genesis 3:21 comes after Genesis 3:7, in which Adam and Eve ate from the Tree and realized they were naked. God then created Eve, "a helper comparable to him" (verse 18). Thats right, you are right there with them from birth, not that they were made a baby first of course, as that would take other humans to raise them as we know it! And a good place to start is The Garden of Eden. I think your comments are valid additional arguments that could be used by those who favor that view, but as you seem to recognize (it seems to follow), the arguments are not watertight. In my searching I found your website and I am so glad I did. The Bible likens our righteousness to filthy rags. The Genesis account contains provocative clues as to what Adam and Eve lost by withdrawing from God. I completely agree that Adam and Eve had the freedom to obey or disobey regarding the forbidden fruit, but that doesnt really have anything to do with my point in this post. But even that would not prove that He took strolls with Adam. Apparently, you have missed the point of this entire post. When Eve gave birth to Seth (at age 130) she viewed him as a replacement for Abel. In terms of the theological questions of how God could do this, one answer could be that it is an embodied pre-incarnate Christ, the Angel of the Lord, who is himself the Lord and who appears many times in the Old Testament. This is a different subject. What if the coats of skin were actually human skin as we have now. Who was Cain afraid of? I think you misunderstand what was meant by the possibility of God coming in the wind. Surely, He wouldve given them the ability to do that right from the start. In spite of being familiar with scripture, I never noticed that it doesnt exactly say this. We do see God speaking to both of them in Genesis 1:2830 when He blessed them and told them to be fruitful and multiply and told them to eat vegetation. Hi Nucc, For more information on the subject of Heaven, see Randy Alcorns book Heaven. In other words, he wasn't Jesus of Nazareth walking . God told them, "You may eat fruit from any tree, except one. Now there is no way to prove that God actually walked with them or actually spent anytime with them, it is just implied from His habitual coming to the garden in the cool of the day. Just like when we will be fully glorified in the new age, we shall see God, because we shall be sinless then; Adam couldnt have hid himself from wind alone, there must be an accompanied physical presence that he knew about; When you follow the account of Genesis at that material time, its hard to think that God was just coming through the medium of wind, then why did he create man in the first place, if at all he didnt want the man to see him? As I stated in the post and many times in the comments, I have no trouble believing that they walked with God; I have a problem with people claiming that the Bible says Adam and Eve walked with God, because it doesnt say this. But what does it really matter, what appears to have happened here (according to some of the responses) is that golden calves have been kicked over and religion has taken a bump on the shins. When they heard the sound of the Lord God walking about in the garden at the breezy time of the day, the man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden (Gen. 3:8). Gen 3:8 - Adam walking with the Lord God in Eden. It was perfectalmost. He may have seen the trees and the garden as God spoke those words, but he probably hadnt eaten yet. 16 I also will do this unto you I will appoint unto you terror consumption burning ague that shall consume the eyes and cause sorrow of heart and you shall sow your seed in vain your enemies shall eat it17 and I will set my face against you 18 and if you still dont listen to Mei will punish you 7 times more for your sins please not that it is sin that seperates man from god. 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