Why do the Churches teach Adam was created perfect?

by acolytes 44 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  acolytes

  This is not a Bible teaching. The bible says the opposite.

  Adam was created physically imperfect or he wouldnt have needed to be put out the garden so as not to be able to eat from the tree of life-

  Adam was created morally imperfect or he wouldnt have failed his first test. The fact that he was created with free-will and he used it incorrectly means he wasnt perfect.

  Personally I dont belive Adam did anything wrong with eating the fruit. He was given a choise with consequences and made his decision. But the Churches say Adam was created perfect and somehow conclude that despite his miss-use of freewill he was still perfect.

  Actually the Genesis account is completly beyound my comprehension- Either Iam missing something or its just a good story.

  Acolytes
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  nugget

  Bearing in mind that 40+ years of WT teaching are hard to break. My understanding was that Adam was physically perfect he must have been perfect since he was not going to die. He became physically imperfect when he ate from the tree of knowledge and at that point he started to degenerate.

  However it says in Romans the wages sin pays is death. So it was not imperfection that caused degeneration and death but disobedience.

  You raise an interesting point about the tree of life. The implication being, that eating from the tree of life would have restored Adam to perfection. After all there was no earlier prohibition about eating from the tree of life so did Adam need the tree to maintain physical health?

  Will certainly give this some thought. Thanks.
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  wobble

  The Genesis story never was meant to be read in a literal way in my opinion. It is early Hebrew allegorical literature, and must be read bearing in mind the style, and the theology (primitive) of the author.

  Ask what lessons it teaches, not how accurate in detail it is.

  love

  Wobble
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  acolytes

  Thanks for the replys.

  To clarify I simply think it is wrong of churches to be dogmatic in their teaching when the Bible is not specific on the teaching.

  My question was why Churches cant be more flexible with their theology. I mean many churches are non-judgemental on many issues. So why not show the same acceptance on matters of theology that are not black and white.

  Acolytes
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  designs

  Wobble I like your style.

  Acolytes, the Churches are stuck with their Creeds and superstitions like most religions, asking them to consider change is very unnerving to them. Still a few are trying to be progressive, it takes time, its a journey.
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  Deputy Dog

  acolytes Not all churches do.

  This is not a Bible teaching. The bible says the opposite

  .

  I agree.

  Adam was created morally imperfect or he wouldnt have failed his first test.

  I agree with you and I believe Adam was created with the need for God. I believe the tree/fruit was put in the garden along with the command "do not eat of it" to expose this need. You might say God's law, caused or exposed sin/imperfection that was already there. The only purpose of the law is to expose sin, it's not meant to save.
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  Chalam

  Why do the Churches teach Adam was created perfect?

  Obviously everything was going well until sin entered the world.

  Personally I dont belive Adam did anything wrong with eating the fruit.

  Genesis 2:16-17 (New International Version)

  16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."

  So the Creator says do what you like save eat from one tree because it isn't good for you. Sounds like Adam messed up.

  He was given a choise with consequences and made his decision.

  Indeed, I agree. Unfortunately, we are part of the consequence. That said, we each have our own choice to make. A way out of this mess or not.

  Blessings,

  Stephen
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  acolytes

  Hi Stephen

  Without the mathmatical gymnastics of "A day for a year"Adam did not die on the day he ate the forbidden fruit.

  According to my understanding of the account Adam did nothing wrong.Mans inhumanity to man and the senceless tragity in the world are fully accountable to God- Blamming a serpent Adam or Eve makes no rational sence-

  Now the reasons for a loving God being accountable for such injustice is beyound my comprehension.

  If it is possible and you can clarify my thinking and offer a viewpoint I have overlooked I would appreciate it.

  I have concluded the story is nothing more than good fiction.

  Acolytes.
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  PSacramento

  Was Adam perfect?

  No, he made a mistake, his choice but a mistake.

  A being created perfect does not make mistakes, either that or his creator made a mistake.

  Jesus was the only "perfect" man and only in the regards that he was in perfect union with God, his Father.

  We know that Jesus was not perfect in the behaviour sense since he lost his cool and put the kaibosh on the money lenders and even lost his patience with his disciples every so often.
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  EverAStudent

  acolytes wrote:

  To clarify I simply think it is wrong of churches to be dogmatic in their teaching when the Bible is not specific on the teaching.

  My question was why Churches cant be more flexible with their theology. I mean many churches are non-judgemental on many issues. So why not show the same acceptance on matters of theology that are not black and white.

  Having chosen to become a born again Christian when I was 14 years old, my perspective is from decades of experience in evangelical Christian churches.

  Many churches use the word "perfect" in imperfect ways. It is usually used as a catch-all term that means that as a flesh-and-blood guy with finite knowledge and finite abilities, he could have lived in the Garden environment forever if he had chosen not to rebel against God.

  Although he "apparently" did not have a sin nature, he still sinned. That means his innate nature was not one of perfect holiness; only God has a perfectly holy nature.

  So, you are right, Adam was not perfect in many ways. Most Christian churches would acknowledge that while also acknowledging that before he sinned he was sinless (their usual but skewed definition for "perfection").