Quote:
Originally Posted by rameumptom
Adam and Eve would be viewed as having transgressed the law, but not necessarily sinned, as they were innocent in the Garden and like little children would not have fully understood right from wrong. Small children, mentally retarded, and others would also be capable of transgression, but not necessarily sin.
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While I understand where this is coming from, I don't believe Adam and Eve were unaware of right and wrong. I believe they were innocent of the consequences of sin, but were aware of God's command, and that disobeying Him would be contrary to His law.
In a broader sense: to me, it should be enough to know that God has commanded to do, or not to do, something. We don't have to know the consequences of what will happen to us if we sin; all we need to know is what God wants, and then to do it.
I'm thinking of people who make a choice, and then when the consequences roll around say "If I had known I'd be punished like this I never would've disobeyed!" To me, this is a cop out. We should obey, because it's God. End of story. God commands, we obey. He doesn't have to reveal to us what He will do if we disobey Him; we should obey Him anyway.
However, in the case of Adam and Eve, it is clear that God told them if they ate of the forbidden tree, then they'd die. They knew there would be a consequence to their disobedience. So they weren't exactly completely innocent of right and wrong.