Dick Fischer wrote: Apparently you believe in somebody (nameless) who was
created in God's image from whom we all descend. Along came Adam 6,000 -
7,000 years ago who was also created in the image of God.
Makes sense to me.
Dick wrote: Although you could make a case that Adam was such an important
biblical figure that even his name ('adam) became generic for "man," it would
be harder to establish a rationale for why men were called 'adam before there
even was an Adam. Especially when there is another name for man that could
have been used - 'ish. Had it been the intent of the writer of Genesis to
refer to those who he thought were prior to Adam, I am certain the word for
"man" would not have been 'adam.
I think it would have been. Why? Because I believe God purposely derived the
name "Adam" from the race of spirit beings He had earlier created and earlier
called 'adam. Why would He do that? Because I believe He intended for the
story of Adam and Eve in Eden to mirror His creation of the race of man
('adam) He had previously created. I believe Adam and Eve were created by God
for the purpose of serving as a small scale picture of the human race He had
previously created.
God created Adam from preexisting life, the dust of the ground, which when
viewed under a microscope is seen to be filled with life, just as He had
previously created the human race from preexisting life. God gave Adam a wife
who came from his own gene pool, small as it was, just as the wives had He
had given to the men He had earlier created had come from their husbands'
gene pools. God had a special relationship with Adam and Eve, as His
relationship with the previously created human race was special in much the
same way. God gave Adam and Eve a garden home in the middle of a barren land,
just as the home He previously gave to the human race was the only "garden
spot" in our barren solar system, and possibly the only "garden spot" in our
entire barren universe. God made all the animals in Eden subject to Adam and
Eve, just as He had earlier subjected all animals on earth to the human race
He had previously created. God arranged things so that Adam and Eve would
acquire an intimate "knowledge of good AND evil," in order for them to gain a
personal knowledge of why God's ways are best, a knowledge that would serve
them well for all eternity. He had earlier done the same thing for the entire
human race.
God offered to give eternal life to Adam and Eve if they could manage to live
truly righteous lives, which meant obeying God even in what some might
consider to be a very "trivial" matter. He had made essentially the same
offer to all members of the human race He had previously created, though it
was an unspoken offer and the "trivial" commands they had to obey to receive
eternal life were all those which came from their God-given consciences.
Because Adam and Eve showed themselves to be less than perfectly righteous
God judged them to be unworthy of eternal life. God had, for the same reason,
also judged all members of the human race He had previously created to be
unworthy of eternal life. Because Adam and Eve proved themselves to be
unworthy of eternal life God expelled them from their garden home and
condemned Adam ('adam) to return to the dust from which he came. God had, in
effect, earlier done the same thing to the race of man ('adam) He had
previously created. God covered Adam and Eve's shameful condition, their
nakedness, with coverings (animal skins) He Himself had made, coverings which
required the shedding of blood. Just as God Himself had earlier made
provision for covering over the shameful (sinful) condition of the entire
race of man ('adam) He had previously made. A provision He made by means of a
"Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev. 13:8)
I could elaborate further on this same theme. But I think you now understand
how I understand the story of Adam and Eve, and why I think God's choice of
the name "Adam" for the man He created and placed in Eden was a very
appropriate one.
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