LDS Freedom Forum

In Alma 42, Alma the Younger is speaking to his son about the justice of God in punishing the sinner and makes this statement:

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

My questions are these: What does "lived forever" refer to: resurrection, transfiguration, other? And how would this have denied Adam the chance to repent?

It is obvious that mortality is the prime time to change our ways and become more like God, but what is it about partaking of the tree of life that seems to so completely end that ability?

laronius wrote:In Alma 42, Alma the Younger is speaking to his son about the justice of God in punishing the sinner and makes this statement:

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

My questions are these: What does "lived forever" refer to: resurrection, transfiguration, other? And how would this have denied Adam the chance to repent?

It is obvious that mortality is the prime time to change our ways and become more like God, but what is it about partaking of the tree of life that seems to so completely end that ability?

It would have been like him being immediately resurrected. But he would have remained unclean with no glory at all.

But if Christ is the first fruits of them that slept, how could Adam have been resurrected?

laronius wrote:But if Christ is the first fruits of them that slept, how could Adam have been resurrected?

He would not have been resurrected, as you cannot be ressurected without having a seperation between Body and spirit. For some reason the tree of Life possesed the ability to make the partaker immortal, how it is done is beyond me. Perhaps the same way John and the Three nephites are immortal?

laronius wrote:In Alma 42, Alma the Younger is speaking to his son about the justice of God in punishing the sinner and makes this statement:

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

My questions are these: What does "lived forever" refer to: resurrection, transfiguration, other? And how would this have denied Adam the chance to repent?

It is obvious that mortality is the prime time to change our ways and become more like God, but what is it about partaking of the tree of life that seems to so completely end that ability?

God is God because One, he knows good from evil, Two, He knows truth (All truth), and three because he is immortal. As Adam ate of the fruit he became "as God", Knowing good from evil, But he was still missing something... Immortality. If he had partaken of the Tree of Life he would have become immortal as well, and would have become a lesser god of some sort. And unable to repent as he was all ready immortal, and therefore unable to repent.

This is all my personal thoughts and observations, it seems logical to me, but I haven't found anything to back it up, take it or leave it. If anyone finds any scriptures on this topic I would be very interested.

laronius wrote:In Alma 42, Alma the Younger is speaking to his son about the justice of God in punishing the sinner and makes this statement:

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated.

My questions are these: What does "lived forever" refer to: resurrection, transfiguration, other? And how would this have denied Adam the chance to repent?

It is obvious that mortality is the prime time to change our ways and become more like God, but what is it about partaking of the tree of life that seems to so completely end that ability?

Adam would not have "fallen" to mortality. He would have remained immortal but corrupted. He had not died, therefore would not have needed to resurrect and would not have needed to be redeemed from the "fall" by the merit of Christ's resurrection.