God's definition of death
In Genesis, the Lord God commands Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die" (2:17b). The serpent was all over that warning, telling the woman, "You will not surely die" (3:4). And the woman saw that the fruit was delightful. She ate it, handed some to Adam, and they didn't "die"; but their eyes were opened, just like the serpent promised. He's batting 2 for 3, it appears: they didn't "die," their eyes were opened, but now what about them becoming like God, knowing good and evil? I spent an hour with my nine-year-old on Genesis 2 and 3 this morning, and it is dawning on me that God's definition of die was completely different than the one the serpent presented to the woman. The temptation he offered her was based on a cunning deception, and his understanding of her desire to be deceived. Just like my nine-year-old sometimes doesn't want to believe the...