Genesis 3:4-5, Thou Shalt Surely Die, part II of II

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

//Two days ago, I speculated about whether God told a little white lie to Adam and Eve. Today, we hear the serpent’s opinion on the matter. God is bluffing, he promises; not only will the fruit of the tree of knowledge be delicious, it’ll open your eyes.

But did the serpent misunderstand? Perhaps God did mean a spiritual death, and the serpent was misrepresenting the spiritual promise of God, confusing the issue by speaking in terms of base, physical facts. You shall not surely die.

I grew up in a form of Christianity which encouraged abstinence from any form of religious reading other than the Bible. Such books were the work of men, not God; only the Bible is holy. But I stumbled; I ate from the tree of knowledge, and found myself outside Eden. Outside the protective fence of a belief system which shielded me from seeing the real world around me, and having to think for myself.

Did I die in that day? Yes.

But did I die in that day? No, of course not. It may be that I was born again.