[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

I agree with you Bro Humble that one of the effects of the Fall is spiritual death which is separation from God. God told Adam that the day he ate of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die (Gen. 2:7). Adam who was made in the image of God knew the consequences of his actions yet he willingly transferred his authority, and dominion to the devil, committed high treason against God and the whole human race died spiritually as a result. Suffering, pain, and all the other consequences are effects of man being cut off from his Source of life. Death reigned on the earth (Rom. 5:14).
A man fellowshipping and communing with God ran, hid from God’s presence, and made clothes from leaves. His righteous covering was gone. The effects of the Fall are enormous.

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

Introduction
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the Fall as the event in the Bible when Adam and Eve are forced to leave the Garden of Eden because they have sinned against God.
In Christianity, the Fall of Man refers to the incident in Genesis 3 where God commanded Adam not to eat the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). Still, Adam committed high treason, rebelled against God, and ate of the fruit (Gen. 3:6-7), this act of disobedience did not only affect Adam and his immediate generation, but it plunged the whole human race into sin (Rom. 5:12, Ps. 51:5) and grave consequences.
Some consequences of this fall include:
1. Death
There are three kinds of death: spiritual, physical, and eternal. Spiritual death is also known as separation from God. This was the immediate effect of the Fall. God told Adam that he would surely die the day he ate of the Tree (Gen. 2:7). Although Adam lived physically for another 900 years afterward, he died spiritually immediately (Rom. 6:23). Man became separated from God. All the descendants of Adam inherited this nature and were born spiritually dead, alienated from God.
After the fall, God told Adam that he would return to the ground he was taken from (Gen. 3:19). This is physical death. This became the resultant effect of spiritual death. Today, man, plants, and animals die due to the Fall.
Eternal or second death is the ultimate price for sin (2 Thess. 1:9).

2. Loss of Righteousness
Before the fall, Both Adam and Eve were described as naked and unashamed (Gen. 2:25). But immediately they sinned, they knew they were naked and made leaves to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7), Adam told God the reason he hid was because he was naked (Gen. 3:10). Man had lost his covering of righteousness; he was now ashamed. He could no longer stand the presence of God he once communed and fellowshipped with in the cool of the day so he hid (Gen. 3:8), he lost his innocence and therefore his right standing with God.

3. Toil
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines toil as a long strenuous fatiguing labor (n), to work hard and long (v). Toil came as a result of the fall (Gen. 3:17-19). Work is a blessing made to release potential; toil is a curse.
When God created Adam, He gave him work. Adam’s job description was to tend the garden and keep it (Gen. 2:15). Even when Adam named the beast of the field and birds of the air, God brought them one by one to him (Gen. 2:19-20). But sin came and struggle, hard, and long work came with it.
In conclusion, the effects of Adam’s disobedience are enormous and have far-reaching consequences. Guilt, shame, sickness, disease, death, toil, and pain are some of the consequences of the Fall. As the representative of man, Adam sinned for all mankind thereby making all sinners.

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

God is immutable. He does not change, neither does He change His mind (Num. 23:19). However, several Old Testament passages show scenarios where God either changed His mind concerning something He had said He would do or decided to do. An example is seen in Jeremiah 18:8 where the immutable God is suggesting that He could change His mind concerning the disaster He thought to bring on the Israelites if they turned away from their evil ways. “If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.’’ The word “If” at the beginning of this passage is conditional therefore the verse signifies a divine conditional warning. The response to be gotten was solely dependent on the recipient, it had nothing to do with the nature of God.
From the verse above, God did not change, the people did. God kept His Word. The seeming “changing of God’s mind’’ can be seen as anthropomorphism (a description of God using human characteristics). The change was part of the grand plan and due to mankind’s repentance. The same is true about the case of Jonah and the children of Nineveh (Jonah 3:10) and Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 32:14). God is not schizophrenic. One aspect of His nature is not overemphasized above the other. For example, His justice is not overemphasized above His mercy. Even though God hates sin and has promised to punish sin, He is not consumed by the need to punish sin such that He neglects to show mercy when He sees genuine repentance from sin. God clearly described His nature to Moses at Mount Sinai as merciful and gracious, longsuffering, abounding in goodness and truth, etc. (Exodus 34:6-7). Jonah was so aware of the nature of God that he fled to Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh to preach because he knew that God would respond in His mercy to the people of Nineveh and not bring judgment on them like He had promised if they repented of their sins and turned to Him (Jonah 4:1-3), and God did exactly what Jonah feared He would do.
All the instances that appeared God changed His mind were cases of God relenting regarding bringing punishment upon the people and not a case of God failing to bring about a good or blessing He promised. This is actually in man’s favor. God keeps His promises because He does not change. For every promise God made to man, they are Yes and Amen (2 Cor. 1:20) and He does not change His mind concerning His gifts (Rom. 8:29). Instead of one of God’s promises not to come to pass, scripture says heaven and earth will pass away (Matt. 24:35). This is how committed God is to His Word and how unchangeable God is.
In conclusion, God is Spirit John 4:24 tells us. Therefore, His nature is constant and does not change (James 1:17). For every seeming change of God’s mind, it was from man’s perspective or point of view and not God’s, it was in response to the change of man, it was a change to favor man, it was a change in withholding punishment to the people and it was never a case of God failing to keep His Word concerning a promised He made.

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

I agree with you Ma’am.

No human being that ever lived has ever claimed to have power over death. All the religious leaders that ever lived, died and decayed in their graves none had power over death because of their humanity, but Jesus demonstrated by His defeat of death both for others for example Lazarus (John 11:43-44) and Himself (John 2:19, 10:18) this shows that He is God.

Also, Thomas referring to Jesus as “My Lord and My God”, without getting a rebuke from Jesus, is a witness to the Deity of Jesus.

[Miriam IfeanyiChukwu]

There are several verses from the book of John that support the assertion that Jesus is deity.
1. John 10:30 NKJV “I and My Father are one.”
“I and My Father”, clearly spoke of two different people joined together by a conjunction “and”. The word one according to Strong’s Concordance is the Greek word Heis and it is of the neuter form meaning oneness in essence, substance, purpose and will. Jesus in this statement told the Jews that though He and His Father are distinct in their individuality, they are united in essence, nature and power.

2. John 3:13 NKJV No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
Jesus told Nicodemus that no one had before that time ascended to heaven but Him who came down from heaven and He is in heaven. Although Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) had ascended to heaven because the bible says they did not die because God took them, they did not descend from heaven. No human being can boast to have both descended from and ascended to heaven. Also, no human can be at two different places or realms (heaven and earth) at the same time. The word “is” in this verse, according to Strong’s Concordance is the present participle of ‘being’ meaning that it was an ongoing event. That means that while Jesus was on earth having this discussion with Nicodemus, He was in heaven at the same time as God.

3. John 14:16 NKJV And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
Jesus in His farewell discussion with His disciples said “He will pray to the Father to send the Holy Spirit” and then in the next chapter John 15:26, He said “I will send the Holy Spirit”. If both the Father and Jesus can send the Holy Spirit, then both are One.

4. John 11:25 NKJV
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
Jesus demonstrated He had power over death which is the last enemy that will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26) both for others (He raised Lazarus) and Himself (John 2:19, 10:18) and He is the source of eternal life.

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