tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694749190352504306.post139775978126672335..comments2024-03-27T02:22:55.403-07:00Comments on The Biblical Naturist: Longing for EdenMatthew Nealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13422612844080337155noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694749190352504306.post-25091569548951124872013-06-26T22:36:42.251-07:002013-06-26T22:36:42.251-07:00Though the theological and exegetical arguments ar...Though the theological and exegetical arguments are most relevant to my conclusions, this beautiful call back to Eden is my favorite blog post so far! I feel so blessed that God brought me to the understanding of this wonderful truth, and I feel privileged to bear the responsibility of spreading the word even if it brings me persecution and mistreatment.Aaron Frosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17792520969398489380noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694749190352504306.post-66861349913611902392010-01-26T18:21:10.632-08:002010-01-26T18:21:10.632-08:00Steven,
Thanks for your kind words.
To answer th...Steven,<br /><br />Thanks for your kind words.<br /><br />To answer the points you raised, I would just say that I was not emphasizing the "expectation" of obedience, I was emphasizing the uniqueness of the human creation in comparison to all the other animals. They <i>alone</i> had a relationship with God that involved volitional response to Him. None of the others were asked to do anything having to do with a responsibility, but they were. This set them apart. <br /><br />The fact is that God made them for relationship with Him, and so it is not a "requirement" that they are "expected" to fulfill, but a reality of their God-given nature they could not avoid expressing. It was literally impossible for them to be relationally neutral. <br /><br />You also talked about the intimacy they must have known with God before the Fall. Undoubtedly, you are correct, but I am trying to be very careful not to move beyond what the Bible actually says. So when I described their relationship with God, I tried to limit myself to the words that are found in the text or words that have the same essential meaning.<br /><br />The reason for this is that the entire blog is about fidelity to exactly what the Bible does and does not say. <br /><br />Thanks for catching that typo... although now that it's fixed, it's still forever documented by your comments!!!<br /><br />Have a great day... <i>in Eden!</i><br /><br />MattMatthew Nealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13422612844080337155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3694749190352504306.post-1681755862134520322010-01-25T20:57:49.552-08:002010-01-25T20:57:49.552-08:00Good words, Matt. most excellent, dude!
A couple...Good words, Matt. most excellent, dude!<br /><br />A couple of things:<br /><br />I am uncertain about your first bullet point, about their relationship with God, where you say "...they obeyed Him as their Lord...", and also "...they were expected to live...". I do not have a strong point to make, but I am uncomfortable with the way I think about "obeying Him as Lord" feels - it seems to me that their relationship with God was infinitely more intimate, and that obeying was more of a privilege extended to one that was loved. God and man were friends! I wonder what the completeness of their perspective was on their relationship with the Father. Like the children of a nation's president, I suspect the relationship was one of love and honor, rather than much attention to His titles and position of authority in the universe. Just a thought. And, "expected" is a strange word, the way we commonly use it, with respect to God. In one use, God was not surprised by their disobedience, and as such did not "expect" something that did not come to be. In another use, "expected" implies a pressure in relationship toward a particular end. And, I am not sure that accurately characterizes God. Humans have expectations, and apply that pressure on one another. It seems to me that Father pretty much just lays out what the rules are, and gives us freedom to choose. No expectation, although there are promised results to either choice. But, truly free will.<br /><br />The other is a point with humor, as I know it is merely a grammatical "oops" - under "The Longing Remains", concerning the man and wife, I am fairly certain that you meant "wives" to be in the singular, when you refer to a man and his wives. :-)<br /><br />I appreciate your writing and thoughts so much!<br /><br />Steven<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Also,Stevenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02108061249785430173noreply@blogger.com