John MacArthur and the Master’s College Faculty. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications. 304 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0825442094
This is a useful book that focuses on a crucial issue for all Christians: Is the biblical story of creation and fall describing real, historical events, or not? Did humanity actually begin with a single couple who were created perfect, but sinned, with the result that death became part of the human experience? Did Jesus really die to save us from the results of Adam’s sin? Or is death a natural part of God’s chosen method of creating through evolution?
The thirteen authors of the book are all present or former members of the faculty of The Master’s Seminary, located near Los Angeles, California. They write as evangelical Christians who take the Bible as the word of God. They unanimously affirm that there was a real Eden, with a real Adam and Eve, who are the parents of all humans. The original pair disobeyed God by eating fruit from a real tree, resulting in their deaths, and the deaths of us all. In response, God took on humanity and came to earth, where He lived a sinless life and suffered death so that we might have eternal life. This gospel story is the foundation of Christianity. To deny the historicity of the Fall of Adam and Eve is to deny the means by which God has offered salvation to those created in His image.
Although the book focuses on Genesis 2 and 3, it has important implications for the historicity of Genesis 1. Arguments for the historicity of Genesis 2 and 3 indirectly support the historicity of Genesis 1, as the two complementary sources are endorsed together by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6.
I found much to agree with in this book: the emphasis on the authority and reliability of Scripture; the foundational role of creation and Fall for the gospel; the devastating effects of the Fall on humans and their environment; and the total triumph of Jesus over sin and death.
In summary, I found the book highly interesting, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the effects of Adam’s fall as seen in the present state of our society. Brief summaries of the chapters are given below.
The first chapter was written by theologian Abner Chou. Chou responds to those critics who claim the first chapters of Genesis are theological rather than historical. He points out that theology is grounded in history throughout the Scriptures. To place theology against history is to make a false dichotomy. He also notes that the logic of Scripture is grounded on the assumption that the events recorded in Genesis are real events in the history of our world.
Bible writers consistently show they regard the Genesis story of creation and Fall as historical. Moses includes Adam as a real person in a genealogy, with real descendants. Paul, on Mars Hill, refers to all nations coming from a single male ancestor. Paul also considers Christ to be the second Adam, which would lose meaning if there were no first Adam. Chou’s conclusion is that history as grounds for theology is the way the Bible works. History shows that the theology of the Bible is real.
In the second and third chapters, biologists Todd Wood and Joseph Francis address arguments from fossils and from genetics that have been used to challenge the reality of an ancestral human pair. Fossil hominins (those with upright posture) can be divided into two groups: the human-like fossils and the ape-like fossils. Human-like fossils include modern humans, Neandertals, and Homo erectus. Ape-like fossils include Australopithecus and similar groups. Evidence is often fragmentary, making conclusions tentative. The high variation among skulls from Dmanisi, Georgia raises questions about variability within ancient humans, and invites further research.
Humans and chimpanzees have genomes that are notably similar, but there are also some important differences. Creationists have not developed a complete theory of similarities, although they may be interpreted as evidence of a common designer.
The human genome has some features that have been interpreted by evolutionists as showing there never was a time when there was only a single pair of humans such as Adam and Eve. The authors describe Mitochondrial Eve and Y-chromosome Adam, and point out that these concepts are based on less than 2% of the human genome. It would be interesting to see what the other 98% of the genome might reveal. Although the genetic evidence can be interpreted as against an ancestral pair, it can also be satisfactorily interpreted from a creationist viewpoint.
I would have liked to have seen a discussion of so-called “orphan genes,” which are unique to a particular species. For example, humans reportedly have several hundred genes that have no known corresponding gene in chimpanzees. Is it reasonable to suppose that so many new genes can be constructed, without recognizable ancestors, in the time available – even from a long-age perspective?
Chapter 4 is written by English professor Grant Horner. Horner argues that the logic of the gospel depends on the historicity of Creation and Fall. Furthermore, the common skepticism of the story of the Fall can be explained as due to our fallen nature. As he writes (p 103) “Genesis 3 is the story that tells you how you came to be so unable to read the story being told.” None of us saw any of the events relating to the gospel – “we have only the text that tells you they did.” [117, italics original). Thus, Horner agrees with Chou that the logic of the gospel demands a historical creation and Fall.
Chapter 5 considers the doctrine of original sin, and was written by former theology professor Paul R. Thorsell. According to Thorsell, original sin is transmitted sin from Adam to each of his natural offspring. One result is that we all inherit a sinful nature. This sinful nature produces moral corruption and physical death. The will itself is disabled. Scripture is clear that we are sinners by nature, and death came to all because of sin (Romans 5).
According to Thorsell, a second result of Adam’s sin is that Adam’s guilt is also inherited. However, as Thorsell himself admits (p 130) the idea of guilt is not in the text: “Although the text does not mention guilt or moral corruption, its assumption of human solidarity in Adam – axiomatic for the doctrine of original sin – is present.”
Chapter 6, by William Varner, deals with questions over the Messianic interpretation of Genesis 3:15. The promise was that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent’s head and the serpent would bruise his heel. Against those who deny the historicity of the Fall, Varner points out that the promise of the Seed was given in the context of the sin of Adam and Eve in the garden.
Varner identifies four points in the Messianic promise of Genesis 3:15. These are: the Messiah will be a male human; the Messiah will also be supernatural; the Messiah will suffer while accomplishing his Messianic role; and the Messiah will defeat Satan completely. If the context is not historical, are we justified in interpreting the prophecy as literal? To this reviewer, the logic is compelling.
Chapter 7 deals with the effects of the fall on human enterprise, written by business professor R. W. Mackey. Mackey uses three examples to show that our present reality is the expected result if the Fall is historical.
The need for a massive legal industry is, according to Mackey, due to the problems in communication. Cooperative effort and effective communication have become a struggle. Economic scarcity is a second effect of the Fall. Abundance and cooperation were features of the original creation, but the curse on the ground, meant Adam had to work for his food, and competition arose among humans with a fallen nature. The third effect of the Fall is the need for managerial control, which boils down to determining whether goals are being met.
Mackey includes an optimistic point, which is important in the discussion. He notes that human enterprise is not completely thwarted by problems because “image-bearers” live in the fallen world. Although things often go wrong, humans were created with the ability to accomplish much that is good and useful.
Thermodynamics and the Fall is the topic of Chapter 8, by the late Taylor B. Jones. As Jones rightly observed (p 190): “Attempts to harmonize science and the Bible must be treated carefully, since even widely accepted scientific theories have been later proven false.” (Italics original). The first law of thermodynamics states that the total energy of the universe is constant. Jones points out that this law was not in effect during creation week, as God was creating new energy in the form of matter. He seems to have created new matter also when Jesus fed the multitudes, and perhaps when he turned water to wine.
The second law states that changes in the entropy (“disorder”) of an isolated system can never be negative. I was pleased to see the author argue that the second law applied even before the Fall, as such tasks as eating and digesting foods depend on the second law being in place. However, Jones does see a difference in the extent of the second law as a result of the Fall and the curses. He notes that some speculation is involved in exactly how this would work, but we can see that the Fall brought changes in the operations of nature.
Chapter 9, by George A. Crawford, explores the question of how our legal system reflects the experience of the Fall. The Fall brought death, which requires laws to govern how assets are distributed after death. The Fall brought scarcity, which brings the need for community in providing the necessities of life and protection of property. Criminal law became necessary when Cain killed Abel. Specialized skills developed before the flood, and are now recognized by copyright and patent laws. National and international laws arose because people formed states, which tended to compete for land and resources.
Our legal system follows the pattern God used at the Fall. First, is allegation, then investigation, then hearing, then judgment. God followed due process, and so should we. Thus, participation in law and government are legitimate areas for Christian service.
Chapter 10 deals with the significance of sin for the psychologies. The author is Ernie Baker, professor of Christian counseling. If we are going to properly diagnose personal problems, we must include a biblical view of what is wrong. Much of what our society practices is inadequate because it does not acknowledge that the problem started in the Garden.
According to Baker, the cause of problems is a worship disorder. As a result of the Fall, we have desire problems, we experience pain and suffering, we struggle with food issues, social pressure, relationship issues, hiding and deception, sexual temptation, ungodly communication, materialism, disordered emotions, self-centeredness. The solution to these problems is true worship, which will reorder the heart. We are missing a key lens for interpreting the data – the doctrine of sin.
Chapter 11 is written by Jo Suzuki, and deals with gender issues. According to Suzuki, there are two major camps dealing with the issues of gender: complementarians and egalitarians. Complementarians believe men and women are equal but different in their roles in marriage and in the church. Egalitarians stress the equality of essence, and deny the role differences.
The proper course of action is to examine what the Bible says about gender. Suzuki believes the Bible clearly teaches male headship, but not from the perspective that the sexes differ in their essences.
Chapter 12, by Alexander Granados, advocates the benefits of keeping the historical Adam in our educational curriculum. Protestants were leaders in the establishment of higher education in America. Their goals were to prepare leaders and citizens who were morally and spiritually grounded with Protestant Christian values. Over time, the academy has been taken over by secular forces with the goal of promoting a humanistic education of the masses. Education was no longer seen as being about the mind and character, but about a job. One of the major factors in this shift was the rejection of the biblical creation story and the historicity of Adam with the story of evolution.
Christian education should include the whole person, and begins with understanding there is an infinite, personal God, who has revealed Himself in Scripture and in nature.
Chapter 13 reviews the story of Adam’s fall and its effects on his offspring. The author is theologian John MacArthur. Adam’s sin, understood as real history, explains why humans are in a downward spiral morally and spiritually, and why human history is so full of violence and suffering. Adam’s sin was so impactful because he was given the responsibility to be the head of the creation. When he fell, all creation was affected.
The only solution to the sin problem is through Jesus Christ. As we all fell through Adam, so we can all be saved through Christ. If evolution is true, we would need to re-think how we deal with scarcity in business, the nature of law and government, and many other things. If evolution cannot explain the origin of evil, how could it provide a solution to the problem? Why would we need the gospel? Our confidence in God leads us to accept the truth of His word.
I agree with the authors of this book that Adam and Christ are indeed closely paired in Scripture and both are historical persons. To deny the historicity of Adam clearly undermines the historicity and role of Christ as our redeemer. Doing so is to compromise important aspects that the Bible says about sin, redemption and human nature.
Reviewed by
Jim Gibson, PhD
