Adam and Eve, Part 2

Last week I wrote about the academic and theological attack on the first three chapters of Genesis, especially on the persons of Adam and Eve.  As I said this isn’t new and it won’t end until the end. But it is incredibly important.

Suppose you went to see a movie, but you came late and missed the beginning of the film. Cut off from the beginning of the plot or plots you would lack vital information to help you understand the rest of the movie. This is what occurs when we do not understand the purpose for the first three chapters of the Bible. We are missing important information about life: the purpose and meaning of life and why our world is in the condition it is in right now.

Genesis 1-3 gives us an account of the beginning. Everything we see is from the creative work of God. And His crowning achievement is the creation of man. When God saw everything He made, He observed that “indeed it was very good (Gen. 1:31). The first man and woman were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). They were not brutish or ignorant beasts. They had understanding and reason and were given dominion over the whole earth. Most importantly they had an understanding of and a relationship with God.

In their dominion over the earth Adam and Eve were free, free to become all that God intended them to be. They were free to enjoy the Garden in which they were placed, free to enjoy one another and free to delight themselves in the Lord. There was only one prohibition. They were not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Scripture says, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen. 2:15-17).”

This prohibition placed before man a choice: would the first two people be faithful to God and obey His Word? Would they leave to God alone the right to decide what is good and what is evil? Or would they take for themselves the right to arbitrarily decide what is good and what is evil? The bottom line question was and still is this: does theonomy or autonomy lead to happiness? Put more simply, does obeying God’s will or our own will lead to true happiness in life?

History and the tragic condition of the human race forces us to ask, “Why is the world in the condition it is in? Why is there so much suffering? Why are there natural disasters? Why is there death?” The Bible alone gives us a satisfactory answer: the fall of mankind into sin. But there is hope. Right after Adam and Eve’s fall into sin God promised a redeemer (Genesis 3:15). He has come. The Scriptures call him the “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). He is Jesus Christ. And full salvation is granted from sin’s power and sins penalty to everyone who confesses him as Lord believing that God has raised him up from the dead (Romans 10:9, 10).

One final thought. Someone wrote to me that scientists believe that “mitochondrial Eve” and “Y chromosomal Adam” date back 200,000 years. The dating was based upon assumed mutation rates in the genes. This dating then would disprove the biblical account of the creation of Adam and Eve, because that is estimated to have occurred about 6,000 years ago.

But a team of scientists from Canada and the US did a study (1997, 98 – Science Magazine) to determine the number of measurable mutations from one generation to the next. The study was made possible by the major advances in the study of the human genome. It was discovered that about sixty mutations per generation are passed on from one generation to the next. This would then set the dates for “mtDNA Eve” and “y Adam” much closer to the biblical age of about 6,000 years.* Other more recent research has confirmed this finding.

Additionally, since evolution is based upon mutational changes one would expect some kind of significant changes to be taking place in humans. Yet, one leading evolutionary scientist, Stephen Jay Gould (died 2002) stated, “We’re just not evolving slowly. For all practical purposes we’re not evolving. There’s no reason to think we’re going to get bigger brains or smaller toes or whatever—we are what we are.”

We are what we are, but there is hope that we can change. Scripture declares “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).”

* Gibbons A., Calibrating the mitochondrial clock, Science 279:28-29 (2 January 1998)

The War on Adam and Eve

It’s an age old cold war that has recently become hot again. I’m speaking about the controversy concerning whether or not Adam and Eve were real people. The Bible says they were. And I’ll get back to that in a moment, but here is some information about the current controversy.

Barbara Bradley Hagerty of National Public Radio produced a program about this topic recently. Her report was a clear sign that even the secular world now recognizes that the historical veracity of Adam and Eve is central to Christianity’s integrity. Hagerty spoke with theologians, biology professors and church leaders.

Dennis Venema, a professor of biology at Trinity Western University, was asked if all humans descended from Adam and Eve. He responded, “That would be against all genomics evidence that we’ve assembled over the last 20 years, so not likely at all.” Venema went on to say that there is simply too much genetic diversity among human beings than would be possible with an original reproducing pair. Professor Venema preached the standard evolutionary creed and explained that, in Hagerty’s words, “modern humans emerged from other primates as a large population long before the Genesis time frame of a few thousand years ago.”

Hagerty also profiled John Schneider, who taught theology at Calvin College for many years. Hagerty reported: “Schneider, who taught theology at Calvin College in Michigan until recently, says it’s time to face the facts: there was no Adam and Eve, no serpent, no apple, no fall that toppled man from a state of innocence.” Schneider then took the battle flag further down the field saying, “Evolution makes it pretty clear that in nature, and in the moral experience of human beings, there never was any such paradise lost. So Christians, I think, have a challenge; have a job on their hands to reformulate some of their tradition about human beginnings.”

OK, I agree (surprised?), let’s face facts…there was no apple. The Bible never says anything about an apple (really, go look it up). But Schneider is dead wrong on everything else. What we are dealing with is a rejection of the Bible’s account of the beginning. Schneider’s comments are a Molotov cocktail thrown not only on the subject of Adam and Eve, but also on Eden and man’s fall into sin. Read again the professor’s words, “There never was any such paradise to be lost.” Without the information we are given at the beginning of the Bible, about paradise and man’s fall into sin, there is no reason for the redemption prophesied in the rest of the Old Testament and realized in the New Testament. This is the reason for the new attacks on the first couple.

The startling thing about this new skirmish is not that secularists deny Adam and Eve; it’s that the new Storm Troopers are Christian theologians! And their numbers are growing. From the time of Darwin’s first shot, people have argued that Genesis chapters 1-3 should not be taken literally. Hagerty asked Albert Mohler, President of the Southern Baptist denomination about this. He made the following comment, “While no honest reader of the Bible would deny the literary character of Genesis 1-3, the fact remains that significant truth claims are being presented in those chapters. Furthermore, it is clear that the historical character of these chapters is crucial to understanding the Bible’s central message—the Gospel of Jesus Christ.” Indeed, Mohler is right.

So what does biology really say about this subject and what does the Bible say? First, biology. A group of scientists working with Alan Wilson from the University of California at Berkeley found that by analyzing DNA from mitochondria, which is passed from each woman to her female child, they had traced the maternal lineage of all humans back to a single woman. MtDNA is passed down nearly unchanged from generation to generation. So we share the same mtDNA-type as our mother, our maternal grandmother, our maternal great-grandmother and on and on. Can anyone say, “Eve”? Yes! It’s funny, but science calls this original mother “Mitochondrial Eve”.

Also, because the Y chromosome is passed down exclusively from father to son, all human Y chromosomes today trace back to a single father called

“Y chromosomal Adam.” Most scientists have little trouble believing that one woman and one man were the progenitors of all of humanity. Those who say otherwise do so from an a priori position—they’ve dug themselves into a foxhole and they don’t want out.

What about the Bible? The Bible’s account of the creation of Adam and Eve and their descendants reads as if one is reading real history, not fiction. Adam and Eve have sons and daughters (Genesis 5:4 – yep, many of them not just Cain and Abel). And the genealogy moves on through Seth, Enosh, Cainan and on and on all the way to Noah and then on to Abraham. All were real people. No one denies that Abraham was real. So do real people descend from fictional characters?

The Word of God presents the results of the mtDNA study this way: “He [God] has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth (Acts 17:11).” Also, the New Testament presents Adam as a real person. Luke, presenting the genealogy of Jesus Christ works backwards from Jesus (Luke 3: 23) to Adam (verse 38). Jesus Christ mentioned our first parents when dealing with a question about marriage (Mark 10: 5-7). Was he wrong?

The apostle Paul understood Adam to be an historical person who was the genetic father of the entire human race and the reason for our fall into sin. He wrote that, “through one man [Adam] sin entered the world, and death through sin (Romans 5:12).” He went on to write, “For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many…For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:15, 17).” See also 1 Corinthians 15: 20-23.

Adam was a real person and his fall into sin is the reason why we need to be saved from the power and penalty of sin. God’s first created man had a choice: obey God and live or disobey and forfeit life. But God so loved the world that by another act of direct creation (Luke 1: 26-33) Jesus Christ came into existence. He had a choice too and he humbly obeyed even to the point of death, a death that fully paid for our sins.

The real controversy over Adam and Eve is not a scientific one. There are people at war with God (Romans 8:7). They hate the fact that there is a God, that we are not, and that we are sinners in need of redemption. The Bible reveals that there are people, “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).” But we suppress biblical truth and reject it to our own peril. The penalty for sin is death—permanent annihilation and the only remedy is Jesus Christ. Scripture says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16).” Adam and Eve were real. Sin and death is real. So is Jesus Christ: trust him with your life.

London Riots: Could It Happen Here?

Last week London, England was engulfed in riots. Stores were smashed into, goods were looted and buildings were burned. The riots then spread from London to other English cities like Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham and Bristol. What was the reason for the riots?

Originally the protest centered on the alleged unjust police shooting of a man.  But then as the riots escalated new reasons emerged. One was anger at rich capitalists. Some of the rioters interviewed by the news media spoke of “showing the rich what [we] can do.” But the local businesses that were burned and looted were hardly the bastions of those wicked, heartless international capitalists.

Other reasons included anger at the cut backs in the welfare system, college tuition hikes and other government austerity measures. But many of the rioters were not motivated by ideology or a righteous anger against an unjust government. The rioters were simply having fun taking what they wanted from others. One rioter said the day after the riot was “like Christmas” because he now had a new plasma television. The chaos in England was not a righteous protest against injustice, it was a manifestation of a godless society.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said, “There are pockets of our society that are not only broken, but frankly sick. When we see children as young as 13 looting and laughing, when we see the disgusting sight of an injured young man with people pretending to help him while they are robbing him, it is clear that there are things that are badly wrong in our society…It is a moral problem…”

He is right. When a society is without godly moral values trouble lies ahead. James Madison, our fourth president and the “Father” of our U.S. Constitution said, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of the government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon our capacity…to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” As a country we have moved very far away from Madison’s ideals - and there is trouble ahead.

England’s biggest problem and our own country’s biggest problem is not an economic or political one; we have a spiritual problem. Yes, we must improve our education system. Yes, we must have just laws and equal opportunities for everyone. But these things are truly accomplished by godly people, not by just passing laws or throwing money at the problem.

We must stop undermining biblical values in our society. And we must teach the truth boldly and with love. It is written in Psalm 127:1 “Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” Without God we labor in vain and we watch in vain! Our only hope is to seek God’s saving grace in Jesus Christ.

Proverbs for the Workplace

The Bible’s Book of proverbs is a divine guide to a wise, fruitful and godly life. The principles in this ancient book have inspired people for thousands of years. And its precepts are just as effective today as they have ever been. Here are several nuggets of wisdom to take with you to work.

1. Proverbs 10:4 – “He who has a slack hand becomes poor, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”

Diligent workers are blessed workers. The diligent person applies constant effort to accomplish his or her goal and then that diligence produces a reward. The term “diligent” comes from a Hebrew verb that means to sharpen. In other words it means to be decisive, sharp, disciplined, to have a dogged persistence. Be steadfast in your work, especially in these current times of trial and economic hardship.

A “slack hand” means lazy, but it also includes the idea of being deceitful. The fate of the lazy person is poverty. There is a similar idea in Proverbs 6:6-11:

“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, ⁷ Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,  ⁸ Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.  ⁹ How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep? ¹⁰ A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep— ¹¹ So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.”

2. Proverbs 11:24, 25 – “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. ²⁵ The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”

Generosity brings a reward. Some people in the work place make the mistake of not helping others. They think the less they serve others the more time they have for themselves. Be wise, but share your time, your talents and skills with your co-workers. Be free of smallness and you will be blessed.

3. Proverbs 14:23 – “In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty.”

Work is hard and talk is easy. Don’t just talk the walk, rather walk the talk. Get in their and get the job done—just do it! God blesses our serious and noble efforts in whatever area of work we are in.

4. Proverbs 16:3 – “Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”

The verb “Commit” is from a word that means to roll. The idea is that we are to roll our cares and needs concerning our work onto God. Whatever your concerns are in your work you have to roll them over to the Lord because they are too heavy for you to carry on your own. No matter the circumstances you are facing do your work trusting in God’s goodness and righteousness to see you through.

5. Proverbs 20:23 – “Diverse weights are an abomination to the LORD,  And dishonest scales are not good.”

Sin always looks like it will work in our favor or we wouldn’t do it. Yet, it always exacts a price. Proverbs 28:22 says, “A man with an evil eye hastens after riches, And does not consider that poverty will come upon him.” Do your work with honesty and integrity. Being dishonest isn’t worth the price; it’s a career killer.

6. Proverbs 22:29 – “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.”

Strive to be an expert in your work, be a professional an artisan. You will gain a wide reputation and be respected in the eyes of management and your co-workers.

Our world desperately needs Christians who will do an honest, diligent, skilled days work. This was once called the Puritan work ethic and it made our economy great. More accurately it is a Biblical work ethic and it will work today to bless you and meet the needs of others just as it always has. It will also be a witness that biblical truths work in the real world. Jesus Christ said, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16).”

When we work with skill, efficiency, diligence, thoughtfulness and godliness it will bring glory to God, good to others and benefit to us. The work place surely needs this kind of person.

Four Biblical Truths About Work

God is the Great Worker. He created the heavens and the earth and all His works shall praise Him (Psalm 145:10). And God calls us to work too. He calls us to build and develop things out of His creation. As Christians in the work place we can glorify God through our daily labor whatever it may be.

The Bible is our best source for wisdom and insight into the whys and hows of working. The principles it puts forth are timeless, tested and reliable. Here are four Bible based truths concerning work.

1. Work is a divine calling.

Did you know that God’s first spoken words to mankind were about work? Sure! Here’s what He said, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Genesis 1:26).” Raising families and working are divine callings instituted by God from the very beginning. To “subdue” the earth and have “dominion” over it means to exercise control through human effort. It means to create, to build, to produce.

In Genesis 2:15 we read, “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” We are created in the image of God to work, just as God works. Sin has made work more difficult (Genesis 3:19), but as Christians our work can be redeemed and bring glory to the Lord and good to others. Colossians 3:23, 24 says, “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.”

The reformer, Martin Luther wrote that Christian ministers, “are neither different from other Christians or superior to them, except that they are charged with the administration of the Word of God…but tailors, cobblers, stonemasons, carpenters, innkeepers, farmers…have all been consecrated to their work and office…everyone must benefit and serve others by means of his work…so that in this way many kinds of work may be done for the bodily and spiritual welfare of the community.” Your work matters to God.

2. On the job trials are opportunities to mature in your faith.

As I mentioned above, since the first sin of Adam and Eve, there are trials and troubles in work. The frustrations you may face at work are the modern manifestations of the “Cursed…ground…toil” and “sweat” of Genesis 3. Sin is why jobs are stressful, things don’t work well, relationships are strained and organizations have problems. But these are opportunities for us to work “as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward (Colossians 3:24).” In the face of trials we can be faithful, diligent, kind and supportive. God will reward this behavior. The promise of Romans 8:28 is “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

Look at your work trials as training sessions to trust God. Let Him make you more and more like His Son Jesus Christ. Cast all your cares upon God for He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

3. Make time to rest.

Our work must not consume all of our time. We are told that God rested in Genesis 2:3 – “God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.” Make time to rest and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Take the time to be with family and friends. Make certain that you have time to worship God with likeminded believers (Hebrews 10:25).

4. The work place is your mission field.

The work place is one of Christianity’s front lines. It is where we can show that Christianity works where the rubber meets the road, that it brings hope and good results wherever it is practiced. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said, “you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The end of the earth includes where you work!  The Bible says that “we are ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).” You represent Christ to the people with whom you work. Be God’s salt and light (Matthew 5:13) on the job. Befriend people and share the good news with those who are ready to hear. Your work at the office, store, factory or home is an important part of God’s reaching out to the world.

More about work next week.