NO ADAM, NO GOSPEL: ADAM AND THE HISTORY OF REDEMPTION, by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

by Steve West

 

Christians have traditionally believed that Adam was the genetic progenitor of the human race and that everyone fell with him in his sin. This has been denied by skeptics, but now it is also being denied by many who claim to be evangelical or even Reformed. The gospel, however, stands or falls with the historicity of Adam. If what the Bible teaches about Adam is untrue, then the entire story of the history of redemption unravels.

The historicity of Adam is denied on the basis of both scientific grounds and through various hermeneutical approaches. The doctrine of the clarity of Scripture prioritizes the clear teaching of Scripture over everything else, including alleged scientific facts. Scripture has a higher revelatory priority than nature: Scripture is clearer and is even necessary for us to understand nature correctly.

Those who suggest that science rules out the descent of every person from Adam are asking us to make the clear teaching of Scripture yield to science. Genesis 2-4 are also discussed in salvation historical terms in 1 Corinthians 15 and Romans 5, so focusing on the chapters in Genesis alone is insufficient. Redemptive history has a clear end with Christ, just as it has a clear beginning with Adam. They are both individuals, but they represent others who find solidarity in them. The historicity of Adam directly affects the gospel narrative in Scripture. . . .

[To continue reading this summary, please see below....]