Chizuk Emunah Under the Microscope: Chapter 11

Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

Troki notes the standard Christian prooftexing of this verse. Christian authorities argue that Adam's sin damned Adam to eternity in hell, and also damned all of Adam's descendants. Troki responds that in this verse, God only meant that Adam would die physically. However, Adam did not die physically on that day. Troki brings up 1 Kings 2:37 "For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head." Shimei was not punished with death on that exact day. Hence, Genesis 2:17 means that Adam would only be subject to death, not that he would be damned. Death, therefore, refers to the state of the body, not of the soul.

Troki also objects to the idea that Jesus, through his own death, saved the souls of others from damnation in hell. Troki quotes Leviticus 18:5 "You shall therefore keep my statutes and my rules; if a person does them, he shall live by them: I am the Lord." He then argues that this verse shows that by keeping God's commandments, people can earn everlasting life. Troki then quotes Luke 16:19 to argue that the beggar Lazarus was at Abraham's side after his death. Lazarus was not in hell.

Troki says that the commandments are a tree of life for those who take hold of it, implying that life means salvation. On the other hand, Sheol often means grave and not damnation.

 Troki's assertion that the people who died before Jesus must have gone to hell is refuted by Romans 3.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
(Romans 3:23-26 ESV)

God had withheld judgment from his followers during the times before Jesus. Their faith was counted to them as righteousness, and their faith in the God of Israel and in the sacrifices was counted to them as faith in Jesus. This withholding of judgment does not apply to Jews today, who, unlike their ancestors, explicitly reject Jesus.

 Troki also forgets that an act which is a sin for those who commit it can also be a glorious act of self-sacrifice and redemption for the sufferer. Otherwise, there would be no merit attached to the suffering of the Jews, or the suffering of the Rebbes. The sin of executing Jesus cannot remove the nobility of his death.

 The claim that the Torah is a tree of life is from Proverbs. The full context is as follows.

    Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
        and the one who gets understanding,
    for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
        and her profit better than gold.
    She is more precious than jewels,
        and nothing you desire can compare with her.
    Long life is in her right hand;
        in her left hand are riches and honor.
    Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
        and all her paths are peace.
    She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
        those who hold her fast are called blessed.
(Proverbs 3:13-18 ESV)

It is more than a stretch to think that the Torah is God's means of salvation from this passage. It addresses wisdom, giving a poetic account of the benefits of this personified wisdom.

Troki needs to make up his mind as to whether "life" means spiritual life or not. If so, then one can make a case that Adam's sin brought spiritual death. If not, then the appeal to Leviticus 18:5 is fallacious. I agree that the traditional Christian doctrine of original sin is unbiblical and false. We do not inherit Adam's guilt, nor do we inherit a sin nature. Instead, we all sin, and are damned for it. 

God is so perfect that he can have no sin in his presence. One sin, and you are damned. The sin has to be removed somehow, and it is through the offer of Jesus to take our place that we can repent and believe. As King David said:

     Enter not into judgment with your servant,
        for no one living is righteous before you.
(Psalm 143:2 ESV)

And Paul responds in his letter to the Romans.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
(Romans 10:9-13 ESV)