“Kosta:“Did you have life before you were created?”
If life is God’s knowledge of us in particular (John 17:3) as our knowledge of Him is life, then one would have to say we have life before conception for God knew us and named us. This goes back to the oxymoron of the spirit being “created immortal”. It does not die but the unbelieving spirit is eternally separated from God, which is the definition of spiritual death.
God knew Isaac before he was conceived. Gen. 17:19, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” 10 years after the promise, Gen. 21:2-3, “For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.”
God knew Jeremiah before he was conceived. Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.”
God knew the elect before they were conceived. Eph. 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:”
Now if you are going to ask what I know about that existence, I have to be honest and say I can’t even remember where I left my keys this afternoon or what my first appointment is on Monday. What I can glean from the little description that is given in the scriptures is that the heavenly existence is such a supramundane life that the startling contrast of awakening on earth would so shock the system as to obliterate all remembrance of the heavenly bliss, of course with the exception of marriage.
Of course.
Sounds neat, b-d, but let's face it: the Bible distinguishes very clearly between God's (fore)knowledge and creation. For if Adam was alive when God knew him (before the foundations of the world) He would have no reason to make him.
Genesis tells us that at one point in time, God created Adam and breathed life into Him, and Adam became a living man. Before that time, Adam did not exist except as God's foreknowledge. God has foreknowledge of our life and death and our ultimate destiny, yet that foreknowlege is not played out yet. God devised the world in such a way that it must play itself out.
Perhaps your wife might conceptualize it better if you tell her it's like deciding to have a baby and actually having it.
Excellent post, BD. Combined with Dr. E.'s other scripture proofs, this couldn't be more rock solid.