Genesis 3:22-24 and living forever?

[Josh]

Genesis 3:22-24

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.



Elsewhere Moritz wrote:

By the way: if God says we are not supposed to live forever (that's why he kicks us out of the garden), why does he do the Jesus sacrifice just to make sure we actually do live forever?? Oh boy, this is just painful. And I know the answer is going to be bizarre.

Read more: aletheia.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=morality&thread=3164&page=1#ixzz15z6hO4fo

[Josh]

Well, the short answer would be that God wanted us to live forever without sin. That's what he was providing to Adam and Eve in the garden- access to the "tree of life"* was only forbidden after they became sinners.

Jesus died so that we could not only live forever, but be redeemed and perfected so that we can live forever with God without sin.

*metaphoric or literal, it doesn't matter for the sake of the argument.