Adam And Eve

Adam and Eve, PDF format

“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Gen.2:7).

  “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; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man” (Gen.2:21,22).

  “And…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons” (Gen.3:7).

Is the account of the creation and fall of Adam and Eve merely an allegory, not to be understood literally? Or is it literally true? And does it matter, either way?

Evolutionists and theological liberals readily say that, yes, it is merely allegorical, designed to provide a convenient story to ancient peoples who were not able to grasp the real, scientific truth: that mankind evolved, over a period of millions of years. To such people, the theory of evolution is not theory, it is fact; and the Bible account of the creation and fall is a fanciful fairy tale. Most of the Protestant denominations are riddled with these theological liberals. They deny not only the Genesis account, but many other precious and vital doctrines of the Word of God as well, such as the depravity of man, the virgin birth, the resurrection, and the various miracles of both the Old and New Testaments.

Evolution is not a fact; it is a theory, nothing more. There is not one shred of scientific evidence in favour of the supposed evolution of all things. There is abundant scientific evidence in favour of divine creation, as recorded in Genesis chapters one to three, and against the evolutionary hypothesis. This evidence is extremely valuable, for it reveals the totally unscientific nature of evolution. Evolution is a “science falsely so called” (1 Tim.6:20). It does not deserve to be called a scientific discipline, for it is not scientific. It requires an act of faith to believe this theory, for the scientific evidence is simply non-existent. Much time could be spent on this alone, to great profit.

In this article, however, we shall confine ourselves to the Word of God alone, to prove that Adam and Eve were two very real people, the parents of the entire human race; and that a firm belief in this truth is vitally important; it does matter! An improper view of the creation and fall of man leads to a terrible perversion of various other vital aspects of “the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude vs.3). Let us proceed.

Genesis 1:26,27 says: “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness….So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” Consider the implications, if this is not literally true. If man evolved; if, instead of having been created, by the Lord, as a being separate and distinct from the other creatures which the Lord created (as described in Genesis 1), he evolved gradually, over millions of years, from more primitive creatures; then God did not make man in his own image. In the first place, this means that either the Scriptures are not divinely inspired, or if they are, then God lied. If the Scriptures contain falsehoods at this point, then for all we know, they are full of other falsehoods as well. How, then, can they be trusted? How can God be trusted? And (the logical next step) – does God even exist?  Vital doctrines are at stake: the divine inspiration and trustworthiness of the Scriptures, the very character of God, even his very existence. The Christian will readily perceive the terrible danger here.

In the second place, if Gen.1:26,27 is not literally true, then various other texts of Scripture, and the truths they contain, are profoundly affected. Eccl.7:29 says: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.” When God made Adam, he made him upright; morally upright, that is. This perfectly harmonises with Gen.1:26,27. But if man evolved from a “lower primate”, then he is merely an animal, no different from the beasts; he is then certainly not morally upright, made in the image of God, after his likeness!

1 Cor.11:7 says: “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.” This verse is founded squarely on the doctrine contained in Gen.1:26,27. If the Genesis text is not literally true, then what Paul declares in 1 Cor.11:7 cannot be true either! It means either that the Word of God is not divinely inspired, or if it is, that God lied, in both the Old and the New Testaments, when he declared, through Moses and Paul, that he made man in his own image. The Christian will readily see that the Genesis text is absolutely essential, and that it must mean exactly what it says.

The same is true of Col.3:9,10: “Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him”. Again, this is a reference to Gen.1:26,27.

Another doctrine is affected as well: that of the head covering in public worship. For Paul writes in 1 Cor.11:7 that the man is not to cover his head in public worship, precisely because he is the image and glory of God — according to Gen.1:26,27. It is the reason for this divine instruction given through Paul. If the man was not the image and glory of God, it would not matter; but because he is, he must be bare-headed in public worship. Some would consider this to be a minor matter; but the Lord has spoken on it, and therefore it is not minor. It is his will, and this doctrine of uncovering the head is grounded in what took place in Genesis 1 and 2.

Let us consider, next, Gen.2:20-24. First, we are told that “for Adam there was not found an help meet for him,” in vs.20. Then, in vss.21 and 22, as given at the beginning of this article, the making of Eve from one of Adam’s ribs is described. Finally, vss. 23 and 24 say: “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” Again, consider the serious implications, if this passage of Scripture is not literally true. It profoundly affects various other Scriptures, and the doctrines they set forth.

For example, 1 Cor.11:7-9: “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.” This entire passage is grounded upon Gen.2:21-24. “The woman is the glory of the man” (vs.7) – for she was made from one of his ribs. “The man is not of the woman” (vs.8) – he was made first, from the dust of the ground; “but the woman of the man” (vs.8) – she was made from him. “Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man” (vs.9) – as an help meet for him. Thus we find that, if Gen.2:20-24 is not literally true, then neither is the doctrine of the woman’s subjection to the man, as an help meet for him; for it is rooted in the creation of the woman from the man, in Genesis 2. And, once again, it would mean either that the Word of God is not divinely inspired, or, if it is, that God lied. How terrible if either of these were true! Blessed be the Lord, neither one is. His Word is divinely inspired, and in it he has revealed nothing but the plain truth.

Another example of a Scripture passage that is grounded solidly on Gen.2:20-24 is 1 Tim.2:11-13: “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” Here Paul, in forbidding women to teach in the Christian assemblies, or even to speak in them (compare with 1 Cor.14:34,35), or to usurp authority over the men in them, gives as one of the two reasons for this, “For Adam was first formed, then Eve.” His prohibitions were rooted in the order of creation, as described in Gen.2:20-24. It is no coincidence that, in denominations where theological liberals, who deny the Genesis account of the creation of Adam and Eve, are in positions of power and influence, women are either being ordained as “ministers”, or there are strong moves in that direction. For if one mocks and rejects the words of Paul, “Adam was first formed, then Eve”, holding them to be nothing more than the words of a less scientifically enlightened soul, then one is mocking and rejecting Gen.2:20-24; and if one can reject these words, then it naturally follows that those other words of Paul, concerning the woman’s place in the public assembly, will be rejected as well; for Paul gave those instructions, by divine inspiration, in the light of the order of the creation of Adam and Eve, as set forth in Genesis.

The doctrine of the Christian woman’s place in the local church can thus be rejected, if Gen.2:20-24 is not literally true.

Another example is Matt.19:4-6: “And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” The Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, tells us that Adam and Eve were two very real people, made by God at the beginning; he refers distinctly to both Gen.1:27 and Gen.2:24, saying, “Have ye not read?” He fully confirmed the truthfulness of Gen. 2:20-24. Was Christ a liar? Was he deceiving us? It is blasphemous to answer in the affirmative! And yet those who reject the literal truthfulness of Gen.2:20-24 do precisely that. The Lord Jesus was the Creator of all (Jn.1:1-3); for he is God. No man was there, at the beginning, to witness the creation of the universe, or of Adam and Eve. For this reason all the theories of men about the creation are nothing but empty and futile speculation. No human being witnessed the creation of Adam, and although Adam was there when Eve was created, even he did not witness it; for he was in a deep sleep. Only the Lord himself can tell us what took place; and he has, in his Word. Not only do we have the inspired record of Genesis, but we also have the divine confirmation of the Lord Jesus Christ that it occurred exactly as described in Genesis.

Furthermore, Christ’s teaching on marriage – that it is to be between one man and one woman for life, and that divorce, except in a certain specific case (Matt.19:9, is very sinful – was grounded upon the truthfulness of Gen.2:20-24. If the Genesis account is allegorical, then there is no foundation to the scriptural doctrine of marriage. Again, it is no coincidence that divorce is easily justified in those denominations where Genesis-denying liberals are in positions of power. They have rejected the foundation, the first few chapters of the book of Genesis; it is a small matter, therefore, for them to reject the scriptural teaching on marriage and divorce as well, for there is an intimate connection between the two. And in rejecting what the Scriptures say about marriage and divorce, they in effect sanction the terrible destruction of the family which we see all around us today.

Yet another example is 1 Cor.6:16: “What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.” This too is a reference to Gen.2:24, and is employed here by Paul as a reason why fornication is such a terrible sin. All around us, we see the appalling immorality of men and women who have no regard for the Word of God; and what message do the liberal denominations have for them? They have nothing to say to them, for the foundation – Genesis – has been removed, and marriage is scoffed at even by supposed “ministers”, who readily give their blessing to homosexual “marriages”, and treat adultery and fornication lightly.

Then there is Eph.5:31, which is a repetition of Gen.2:24, and is an integral part of Paul’s teaching, in vss.22-33, concerning the subjection of wives to husbands, the love of husbands for wives, and the fact that marriage is a figure of the union of Christ and his Church. After quoting Gen.2:24, he writes, “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church” (vs.32). Marriage between one man and one woman is a figure of the mysterious union between Christ and the Church. The very marriage of Adam and Eve, in fact, typified the union of Christ and his Church, in a number of ways. Thus Gen.2:24 plays an important part, not only in setting forth the biblical doctrine of marriage, but also in typifying the spiritual union of Christ and his Church.

Let us move on to a consideration of Gen.3:1-6, and indeed the rest of the chapter. These verses describe the fall of Adam and Eve: how the serpent beguiled Eve, her eating of the forbidden fruit, and how she gave it to Adam, who ate it as well. They died spiritually the very moment they ate it (Gen.2:17; 3:7); and physical death followed in time (Gen.3:19; 5:5).

Now, if Genesis 3 is not literally true, once again a number of very important Scriptures, and the doctrines they set forth, are profoundly affected. Let the reader carefully consider the following.

In Rom.5:12-19, we read such statements as these: “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin”(vs.12); “through the offence of one many be dead” (vs.15); “the judgement was by one to condemnation” (vs.16); “by one man’s offence death reigned by one” (vs.17); etc. Paul, writing by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared that Adam was a true, historical figure, by whom sin entered the world, and death by sin. He even names him, in vs.14. There was no death in the world before Adam sinned, because there was no sin in the world before then. If Adam and Eve are merely allegorical figures, however, and if mankind evolved over millions of years, then for millions of years death was in the world. A vital doctrine of the faith is thus affected: the doctrine of the fall of Adam, and mankind’s fall in him; for the Scriptures reveal him to have been the federal head and representative of all men, and in him all died. Not only does Rom.5:12-19 make this clear, but 1 Cor.15:20-22 does so as well. Verse 21 says, “For as in Adam all die”. This essential doctrine is completely destroyed by evolutionary theory. It means that mankind is not sinful; and this means that Christ is not necessary! Only sinners need a Saviour. If we are the products of evolution, we are not sinners, Christ’s death was meaningless, and faith in Christ is futile. Such are the dreadful consequences of a rejection of Gen.3. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor.15:21). All men died in Adam; and only those who are “in Christ” shall live eternally. As Adam was “the first man”, so Christ is “the second man”, “the last Adam” (1 Cor.15:45,47). Christ is called Adam because he is a true man, and because he is the antitype of the first man (Rom.5:14); and he is “the last Adam”, because he is the last head and representative of any part of mankind – the elect, just as Adam was of mankind in general, in a  natural sense. Now, as certainly as our Lord Jesus Christ was a true man, Adam was too. Christ is the antitype, Adam was the type; as the former was a true man, so was the latter. This entire teaching is rendered utterly meaningless if Adam was not a true, historical figure, the natural father of the human race, in whom all men fell. Thus true doctrine concerning the human nature of Christ, and his being the head and representative of his people, is affected, in addition to the doctrine of man’s fall and total depravity.

Two final Scriptures must be considered. In 2 Cor.11:3, Paul writes, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” Paul was quite obviously referring to Gen.3:1-6; and he was confirming that Eve was a true historical figure, who was beguiled by the serpent to sin against the Lord. It was not allegorical, it was very literal! And 1 Tim.2:14 says, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Again, Paul confirms the absolute literal truth of Gen.3:1-6.

Evolutionists and theological liberals (who are nothing less else but deniers of the Word of God, and the Gospel of Christ, and no Christians) deny the literal truth of the first three chapters of Genesis. But it has been demonstrated, from Scripture alone, that those chapters are true; that in fact, they have to be true, if the Bible is not to contradict itself. It is the Word of the living God, and is in perfect harmony with itself.

A correct understanding of Gen.1-3 is absolutely essential to a correct understanding of all the other texts examined above, and thus of various doctrines of the faith, contained in them: namely, the doctrines of the truthfulness (and thus the very character) of God; the truthfulness (and thus the very character) of Christ; the divine inspiration and absolute trustworthiness of the Scriptures; the very existence of God; the creation of man in God’s image; the fall of Adam, and of all mankind in him; the total depravity of all men; the need for the Saviour; the human nature of Christ; faith in Christ; the mystical union of Christ and his Church; Christ’s being the head and representative of his people; the woman’s subjection to the man; marriage, divorce, and sexual purity; the woman’s place in the local church; and even the head covering in public worship.

The book of Genesis is absolutely foundational! It cannot be tampered with, without tampering with various other divinely-revealed and vital truths.

Now, in addition to all this Scriptural proof of the truthfulness of Gen.1-3, there is, as we would expect, much scientific proof as well, and of the total bankruptcy of the theory of evolution. How kind of our Lord, that he has given us, in the physical world, evidence that confirms the Scriptural record, and that refutes this devilish lie of evolution. May the faith of the Christian be strengthened as he contemplates the truths given above; and may the Lord be pleased to open the eyes of many blinded ones to the reliability of God’s holy Word, and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, is the prayer of the author.

Shaun Willcock is a minister, author and researcher.  He runs Bible Based Ministries.  This pamphlet was first published in 1994, and slightly revised in 2018.  For other pamphlets (which may be downloaded and printed), as well as details about his books, audio messages, articles, etc., please visit the Bible Based Ministries website; or write to the address below.  If you would like to be on Bible Based Ministries’ email list, please send your details.

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