The Truth About Salvation — Page 21
21 about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread. ’ 6 Let us now turn to the question of whether these aforementioned punishments have come to an end through belief in atonement. If this were the case then belief in atonement would serve a purpose and benefit, otherwise there is no proof that it leads to salvation from inherited sin. Because of inherited sin, the serpent [which misled Adam as and Eve as ] was given the following punishment: Upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel. Since Christians cannot show that belief in atone- ment is current amongst serpents, serpents cannot be relieved of their punishment. 6 Genesis , New Revised Standard Version, 3:14-19 [Publishers]