Since Jesus was not mythical, then neither was Adam. Romans 5 and Romans 8 continue to relay the importance of death being brought into the world by a real person (Biologos rejects a literal Adam/Eve. Most theistic evolutionists reject literal Adam/Eve. ChristianityToday wrote their article, which prompted my TrojanHorse blog post, because they rejected a literal Adam/Eve. Evolution demands that a literal Adam/Eve were not the original human couple) Romans 5
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
If Adam is not literal (despite what Jesus said and Paul, Matthew, Luke, and Peter wrote), then why would Jesus have to be a literal person. In the passage above from Romans 5, Adam is contrasted directly to Jesus…If Adam is mythical, then following that logic, Jesus was mythical too according to Romans 5. We know that Jesus is not mythical, therefore, we can reject the mythical Adam view.
Romans 8 continues to confirm the Genesis account as true history when in verse 19-20, Paul says that creation was subjected to frustration and bondage to decay because of Adam’s sin. The New Living Translation says, “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.” All of creation was subjected to the curse of sin because of Adam (and all of his offspring).
I Corinthians 15:21-49 continues this contrasting of the real person, of Adam with the real person of Christ. Adam brought death into the world, but Jesus has brought abundant life and a restoration of relationship.
Romans 6:23 reminds us to that the payment/wages of sin is death. This is New Testament confirmation of the belief that God’s proclamation to Adam was that he would experience death if he was disobedient.
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