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NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Subject: Distiction in "will" not "rationality" |
Bible Note: Dear Bob, Thank you for your encouragement. Citing Genesis 1:26, you wrote, "That says that there was something _different_ that was going to happen, doesn't it? Or would you suggest that it is just differences of 'degree' rather than some difference of 'kind?'" You are correct in deeming the creation of man as distinct, unique, and unprecedented in respect to the rest of creation. You are also correct in demonstrating this fact from this particular passage in Scripture. I also agree that the question is important, blessing those who carefully deliberate it from the Word of God. Finally, I do not think that the answer lies entirely in kind or degree. God has created an exquisitely complex universe. Indeed, we are discovering that the complexity is mind-boggling at macroscopically, microscopically, and everything in between. Of course, this is only the natural universe. We know very little of the supernatural world, certainly very few of its details. Beyond these things, we know nothing. However, we do know that making galaxies and butterflies is peanuts compared to the redemption of fallen man! The inescapable conclusion is that God Himself it thoroughly complex. Indeed, we would barely know anything of Him had He not graciously revealed Himself through His Word. God has to approach us on a level we can understand. John Calvin described Scripture as an example of divine accommodation to weak and puny humans. He asserted that God uses baby-talk to us. :-) Humans have a penchant for simple answers. Some of the statements of Scripture are deceptively simple. However, the details or mechanics behind those statements are either entirely mysterious or, more likely, utterly inscrutable (Deuteronomy 29:29). Christ explains this sort of thing in John chapter 3 as He describes the second birth to Nicodemus. Humans spent quite a little time trying to fit the platonic solids into the orbits of the planets. Although they thought the explanation was straightforward and elegant, the truth ended up being a lot more complex. Now all that said, there are some "simple" distinctions between man and beast: no beast sins, no beast can repent, no beast can pray, no beast can be redeemed, no beast lives forever, no beast is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I guess what I'm saying is that unless the Scripture gives a clear, definitive answer, the answer is probably either beyond our ability to understand or God has chosen not to reveal it to us. Perhaps one day believers will ferret out the answers, but that seems unlikely to me. I love Jonathan Edwards, but he tended to push pretty hard for answers. John Calvin would often say something along the lines of "...beyond this the Scripture is silent, therefore I can say no more." I'm sorry I can't shed much more light on this question... and thanks for not going to sleep! :-) In Him, Doc |