We pretty much believe that Adam was created one person and, after
"the fall," became like all those who would come after him. Oh my
little grasshoppers -- not so fast. I am not sure where I am going
with this but here goes:
jt: Don't you have it
in reverse John? Adam was made in the image of God. He was
first. After the fall Seth through whom the spiritual lineage came was
made in the image of Adam (Genesis 5:3 rather than God).
The
fact that the "Tree of Life" was in the garden indicates to me that Adam was
created a mortal being. The fact that the "Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil" was in the garden is an indication that he already had a nature
that was given to sinning -- it just hadn't happened
yet.
jt: What would make you
assume the above? Adam was made in the image of God, are you saying that
God has a nature that is given to sinning? Or that God is a physical being
rather than Spirit and that Adam was made physically looking like God
outwardly?
I would argue that he was selfish, conceited, lazy, etc before "the
fall." But where there is no law, there is no definition for
sin --- especially character flaws.
jt: Hmmmm! He named all
the animals which was no mean feat. Lazy? He was not required to work and eat
by the sweat of his brow before the fall, (this is part of the curse see
Genesis 3:19); in fact Adam's Bible had just one verse which was Genesis 2:17
which reads in the original "in the day you eat of it in dying
(spiritually) you shall die" (physically).
Ro 5:12 makes it clear that we share not only in Adam's death, but that
we own a share of personal responsibility ("......and death passed upon all
men because all have sinned.")
jt: We share Adam's
death mortally because of the fall; however our own personal responsibility as
per Romans 5:12 is because "all have sinned" Yes we are born with an
inheritance in the first Adam but are responsible for our own sin as Ezekiel
18 makes clear.
Perhaps the point of the Cross beginning with
Adam is this: humans were never going to be able to inherit the kingdom
of Heaven apart from the process of reconciliation.
jt: The first two
humans were living in it - they were in the Garden of God with access to the
Tree of Life. Why would they need to inherit it?
It is not that Adam "blew it" for the rest of us.
Rather (perhaps) it is that from the beginning, the created being
(mankind) was going to need provision from the creator in order to live again
in a dimension we call "eternity."
jt: Before Adam "blew
it" God had made provision; all of their needs were met and they were living
in the eternal dimension.
The scriptures do teach that flesh and
blood will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
jt: Fallen flesh and
blood will never inherit God's Kingdom; we need to read it in balance and
context.
So, the creation process always included the Cross.
jt: No, Jesus was a
lamb slain before the foundation of the world only because of God's
foreknowledge. He provided a way back, so we have Paradise lost, and Paradise
regained in Christ.
We - Adam included _ have always fallen short of the glory of God and
only in Christ is this solved -- no not "solved" but brought to
fulfillment. We -- Adam included -- were never the
full stature of Christ apart from His indwelling.
jt: Before the
fall Adam was not short of God's glory; he wasn't even deceived like
Eve. He chose the other way of his own volition.
And BTW the two trees
in the garden were not apples and oranges; they are two different kinds of
wisdom. The wisdom from above which is pure peaceable and full of good
fruit; and the other kind which is earthly, sensual, and demonic. Adam
was walking in the former until he chose the latter bu default. We are
also presented with the same choice daily.
judyt
