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