literal: 1.a) according with the letter of the scriptures (Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literal

I liken God’s sentiment to that of a brand new parent. When children are first born into this world they are cute and adorable. And I’m sure there are parents who wish they could stay that way forever, for they know that they will no longer be able to hold onto them after they mature and begin to think for themselves. Which is precisely why God tells them NOT to “partake of the fruit” (mature) for He knows that there will along with the maturation process be growing pains. But at the same time God knows that this process (painful as it will be) must occur:

Heb 12:11 “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

We begin by quoting the Apostle Paul in his comment about the problem of creation in Romans 8:19-22,

19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope [expectation] 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

Paul makes it clear that the creation had no choice in being subjected to “futility” and to “slavery to corruption.” It was done by the sovereign will of God alone. Futility, vanity, or emptiness describe a path that appears to go nowhere and has no purpose. When Adam sinned, his sin was imputed to all mankind. We all became liable for Adam’s sin, and thus we are all mortal, paying for a sin which we did not commit. And not only mankind, but ALL OF CREATION was subjected to this “corruption.”

It is contrary to the divine law for anyone to impute a father’s sin upon the children. Deuteronomy 24:16 says:

16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.

This Law is repeated in Ezekiel 18:20, which says:

20 The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father’s iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son’s iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.

Children were not to be punished for the sins of their father. And yet this is precisely what God did with us. The fact that all of Adam’s children are born mortal proves that we are paying for a sin committed by our father (Romans 5:12). Adam’s children were put to death for the sin of their father Adam. Did God not know that this was unjust? Of course He did! After all, He had prohibited such injustice by His own law, revealed to Moses and confirmed by Ezekiel.

This raises the most basic question about the justice of God. Death was imposed upon us outside our will, and this is the root cause of all personal sins committed after Adam’s original sin. We are being held liable for a sin of our father, Adam. We cannot hide this issue and hope it goes unnoticed by God’s critics. Nor can we theologize it away after God clearly takes the credit for holding us liable.

In dealing with this problem, we must first know that He is just, and have faith that He knows what He is doing. We must align ourselves with His plan, rather than attempt to alter His plan to fit what we think He should have done.

In looking at the way God imputed Adam’s sin to his descendants, and the divine law which prohibits such behavior, we do not hesitate to call God’s action a “temporary injustice,” which is the direct cause of the Tension in the history of creation. Tension is the result of injustice or disharmony while it is yet unresolved. It has many applications. When a nation wrongs another, tension is set up, often leading to war. When an individual wrongs another, tension is in the air until restitution is made. Tension always demands a resolution.

In music there are certain chords which contain conflicting or discordant notes. These chords set up an emotional tension until the chord is resolved. This is a very common musical technique, used to play upon the emotions of the listener and draw him into the music by forcing him psychologically to demand harmony. Discord torments the mind of the musician, in order to maximize the feeling of relief when the harmonious chord is struck and the tension resolved.

It is much like the cliffhangers in books or television programs. All are temporary tensions designed to make the listeners demand a resolution.

God, too, has employed this technique in the music of the spheres and in the book of history. Imputing death and corruption to mankind and to creation in general has produced a judicial tension that demands resolution. Paul says that God certainly will not leave creation hanging. The disharmony and injustice is only temporary. In fact, Paul says that the injustice that caused the tension will be MORE THAN COMPENSATED when the final chord of history is struck. And so Paul reminds us in Romans 8:18,

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

And again, he says in 2 Corinthians 4:17,

17 For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

Paul is reminding us that the injustices of life are not only temporary, but will be more than righted at the last day when He restores all things.

Justice and Liability for Evil

The justice of God has been a matter of philosophical debate for thousands of years. In fact, all religions must deal with this question sooner or later. What is the origin of evil? What is its purpose? How will it end? Is there really justice with God? Some even question the existence of God on the grounds that “if there were really a God, why would He allow all these wars and other terrible things to happen?”

Each religion’s solution to these age-old problems gives character to its own particular god. We have already raised questions about the justice of God of the Bible in view of the things He does by His own sovereign will, or plan. Recall that Paul, too, questioned God’s righteousness in dealing with Pharaoh (Rom. 9:14). Every time we talk about Esau, Pharaoh, or others who seem to have been treated unjustly, we raise the level of tension that must be resolved. And that is the purpose of this final section of our study.

The real underlying question that we must deal with is the liability for sin. How liable is man for his sin? How liable is God for His actions in subjecting the creation to the bondage of corruption? God always assumes full responsibility for all of His actions, and, of course, man must follow His example.” End Quote

Why did God bound all sin in ADAM? Especially when He later goes on in His LAW to say that we shouldn’t be punished for other people’s sin? And when, in all probability, it’s not really necessary–all would have sinned anyway, right? Isn’t that a fundamental church teaching on why it was okay for God to bind us up in Adam? We would have sinned the same as Adam if we were in his place? So why does God go out of his way to make it seem hereditary ? And then to go and put in His law that it’s wrong to impute sin from father to son? Because He’s putting Himself in violation of His own law, thereby obligating Himself to fix it. The injustice was done not to some, but to all; therefore God has bound Himself to save ALL.

I think many of the Old and New Testament authors recorded things without fully understanding them. For instance, are we supposed to believe that John understood every vision he was shown while writing The Revelation of Jesus Christ? I seriously doubt it. So I don’t see why it would be any different when it comes to the fabled fall of man story either. The words they wrote down were definitely inspired (2 Pet 1:21), but that doesn’t necessarily mean they were fully understood. Even with the latter day increase in knowledge (Dan 12:4) we still are only able to see as through a glass dimly (1 Cor 13:12). Delving into God’s word is like peeling back the layers of an onion. As soon as we work our way through one layer another one presents itself. That’s the beauty of His word. It’s infinite, just as He is infinite.

Unless of course (I have a habit of answering my own questions) God is treating the parabolic version of Adam as historical fact, applying it consistently throughout the bible. In other words, He’s not clarifying the fact that it was a parable when the opportunity presents itself, but rather keeping the parable up, even re-using it to make other points. Or to put it another way, this is His story and He’s sticking to it, treating it as fact–even if it’s just a parable. In other words, when a discussion of different types of sin arise, God uses Adam as an example of a different kind of sin–consistent with the parable–even though in reality his sin was the same as ours.

Wow! What a brainbuster. That must be why it is so difficult–almost impossible–for people to understand it as a parable. You should do a post on this. I’ll probably have more questions on this issue–this is very difficult stuff.

It’s also very important, though. That’s because the Universalist vs. Traditiionalist debate usually comes down to a bible boxing match which ends in a relative stalemate. Your approach–to destroy the myth of a perfect Adam and indeed even of original sin itself–undercuts the very foundation of eternal torment, namely the idea that man is–or was–somehow equal to God and infinitely accountable as opposed to being a fleshly creature that God created–is creating–to perfect over time and through suffering. In other words, you are trying to make sense out of nonsense. Peace.

H120
‘âdâm
aw-dawm’
From H119; ruddy, that is, a human being
(an individual or the species, mankind, etc.)
http://studybible.info/strongs/H120

1) I believe the phrase “one man” used in Rom 5:12 is symbolic of the entire species of man. So sin entered the world via man-KIND, not just the first man named “Adam.”

2) In this case, Adam represents those who know God’s law and violate it. But even those who know NOT God’s law are still going to die. So in their case, ignorance is NOT bliss..

3) Being “in Adam” simply means that we are all mortal and will one day die.