Chapter 7: Some Spiritual Lessons
CHAPTER SEVEN SOME SPIRITUAL LESSONS Adam & Eve's Original Sin
"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." 1 Timothy 2:14 When Eve sinned, death set in. She would die physically and spiritually. Genesis 2:17. Now, Eve had a physical body that was going to die. Adam did not, for he had not yet sinned. At this point in time, the human race could not have continued, for what nature would their children inherit? Would they have inherited Eve's fallen nature and ultimately died; or Adam's nature, and live on forever? Since the Bible says Adam was not deceived, he purposely sinned by partaking of the fruit "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Genesis 2:17 a. Now they both possessed a sinful nature, which would be passed on to all humanity.
Notice in 1 Timothy 2:15 the phrase "in childbearing". "IN" is the Greek "dia" meaning "through". In other words, God will allow the human race to continue based on a condition, "through" Eve's bearing children.
Looking back to Genesis 3:21 we find, "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them."
They discarded their fig leaves of self-righteousness and accepted God's righteousness of the blood sacrifice, pictured in the animal skins. Had Adam and Eve refused God's gracious offer, the human race would not have continued as their offspring would have filled the earth with nothing but God-denying heathen.
Returning to our text in 1 Timothy 2:15, Eve will be saved (alive) to continue the human race through bearing of children, since she and Adam had both accepted God's blood sacrifice. They were no longer innocent, they had fallen; but, through their acceptance of the sacrifice, they had the new nature of the Christian. They understood that their God-given righteousness was bought by the death of an innocent victim and would pass this information on to their offspring. This helps to explain the statement "if they continue in faith and charity (love) and holiness with sobriety", which they did. That is why Abel brought a blood sacrifice, which God accepted. He was instructed by the first parents. Not only was Mother Eve to be saved through childbearing, all mankind would be redeemed by the birth of the child, Jesus Christ, who grew up to be the only sacrifice God accepts today for our sin.
He was the only perfect person who could sacrifice Himself for the sin of the world, because He had none himself. That Eve also understood the blood sacrifice of animals was a temporary thing; and that a permanent sacrifice would one day be offered by Christ on Calvary is proven by her comment at the birth of her first son. "...I have gotten a man from the Lord" (Genesis 4:1), better translated, "I have gotten a man, even the Lord".
No, her firstborn was not the promised Messiah, but in the proper time he would appear.
"In whom we have redemption through his (Christ's) blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7.) When Were Adam and Eve Created?
Many people have a problem reconciling Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6 with the premise that earth could be billions of years old. According to the genealogies and historical facts given in the Bible, Adam and Eve were created approximately 6,000 years ago.
They were created on Day Six of the remodeling of the earth to make it fit for man's habitation. This begins in the last half of Genesis 1:2, "...And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters." We do not know how long the earth lay in the judgment of the first half of Genesis 1:2, "And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep." (Looking at the sentence structure of the Hebrew, a better translation is "Now the earth had become without form and void...")
These verses are part of a context in which our Lord is being tested by the Pharisees on the subject of divorce. It is found both in Matthew and Mark. We will quote the verses:
"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female." (Mark 10:6).
"...Have ye not read, that he that made them at the beginning made them male and female." (Matthew 19:4).
What does the Scripture mean by the "beginning of the creation"? Does it mean from Genesis 1:1 or does it mean from the creation of Adam and Eve, i.e the human race? The word "creation" is "ktisis" in the Greek, and means "the act of founding, establishing, building, etc." What God is talking about here is the foundation, or establishing of the human race, "male and female". The word "beginning" in both verses comes from the Greek word "arche" or "the beginning, origin, the first person that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader..." In other words, the first people in the human race, Adam and Eve.
Christ is simply saying that from the beginning of the human race, God did not intend for men and women, once married, to divorce. Then he quotes Genesis 2:24 in Matthew 19:5, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." This is not a proof that the earth is only 6,000 years old. The Bible is an inspired record of God's dealings with man. It begins with man and ends with man, concerning Matthew 19:4 and Mark 10:6. Does Exodus 20:11 a Prove A Young Earth?
"For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is..." (Exodus 20:11 a.)
Many feel this verse proves a "Young Earth." You will notice that the word used in this verse is "made" from the Hebrew "asah" meaning a use of pre-existing materials; and not "created", or "bara" in the Hebrew meaning "creating from nothing". In Genesis 1:16 the word "made" or "asah" is used of the sun, moon, and stars. Here it has the meaning of "ordering or appointing" the sun, moon, and stars, already in existence, to a specific function. God appointed them as signs, or markers of time, of day and night, and the seasons. (Genesis 1:14; Genesis 1:17-18). The sun, moon, and stars were already in existence as in Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created ("bara" - from nothing) the heaven(s) (plural in the original) and the earth." In Genesis 1:1 the "heavens" (or shamayim), included Planet Earth and all the solar systems of the universe. Because of the judgment rendered when the earth "became" without form and void," they were hidden in the "darkness" of Genesis 1:2 and had to be brought into use again. Looking at the sentence structure in the original Hebrew, Genesis 1:2 a should be rendered, "Now the earth had become without form and void."
Only two creative acts are recorded in the six days of recreation (Genesis 1:2 b-31): aquatic creatures and fowl (Genesis 1:21), and man (Genesis 1:27). Aquatic creatures and fowl are said to be "created," never having existed before (Genesis 1:21). Animals were "made," or "appointed" to reproduce after their kind, not evolve (Genesis 1:25); and were present on the Original Creation (Genesis 1:1).
Man was "made" or "appointed" to be in the image of God (body, soul, and spirit, a triune being) and exhibit God's righteousness. Man was "made" or "appointed" to have dominion over animal life and the earth. Genesis 1:26). God "created" man and woman as no human life had existed before.
Man was not an animal, he did not evolve. Adam was fully human, walking, talking, speaking with intelligence and having the ability to make decisions. He was able to understand the consequences of obedience or disobedience to God. God gave him everything he needed. Adam and Eve were totally capable of being responsible for their decisions.
Genesis 2:7 gives the specifics. God "formed" man of the dust of the ground (just as a sculptor makes a statue) and "breathed into him the breath of life and he became a living soul." The specifics of the creation of woman are given in Genesis 2:21-22.
"And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; (21) And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." (22). In Genesis 1:31 the Bible says,
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day."
God saw everything He had "asah", "appointed or re- ordered" in the six days of remodeling, including things created and things reused from Original Creation. Then He rested on the seventh day. This is the basis for Exodus 20:11.
Exodus 20:11 does not mean the earth is only 6,000 years old as the "young earth" theory is proclaimed!