12 reasons that affirm that Adam was a real historic individual

Here.

WHAT DOES "THE iMAGE OF GOD" MEAN?

I've heard scores of answers to this. We have moral sensitivity. We have relational capacities. We have communicative abilities. We have a will and the ability to reason.

I agree with all of these. However, I think the primary thing that God's image means in Gn 1.26-28 is that humanity was created to have dominion [1.26, 1.28]. Go read it. It's clear. And dominion is not for mere citizens or peasants. Dominion is for royalty. We were made, in some sense, to be "kings." This says something about our Creator and not necessarily our innate worth.

All of this is not mere conjecture or attempted exegetical insight. It's clearly what God's image means. Here's why:

If we read the end of the book, to what are we restored? In what way are we "co-heirs" with Christ [Rom 8.17]? Revelation 19-22 says that we will be raised to reign with Him, world without end. That is our lot in Christ - the full restoration of God's image and all that that entails. This is also why our Lord, who flawlessly bore the Father's image on earth, preached that "the kingdom is here" [Mt 4.17, Mk 1.15].

God's plan to fix the marred image could not have been accomplished by any other means except by the full image-bearer [Col 1.15, 1.19], the Second Adam [Rom 5.12-21].

DABAQ [hebrew word of the day]

But you who HELD FAST to YHWH your God are alive today, every one of you [Dt 4.4].

You shall fear YHWH your God; you shall serve Him and CLING to Him, and you shall swear by His name [Dt 10.20].

For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love YHWH your God, to walk in all His ways and HOLD FAST to Him, then YHWH will drive out these nations from before you [Dt 11.22-23].

You shall follow YHWH your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and CLING to Him [Dt 13.4].

[also see Dt 30.19-20]

Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of YHWH commanded you, to love YHWH your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and HOLD FAST to Him with all your heart and soul [Jsh 22.5].

My soul CLINGS to You; Your right hand upholds me [Ps 63.8].

But the first usage of this word in the Bible sets the stage and the imagery for these others. Keep in mind, the first employment of "dabaq" is before sin/curse/deception ever entered the picture:

For this reason, man shall leave his father and mother, and be JOINED to his wife; and they shall become one flesh [Gn 2.24].

well hello 2009

It's been a while.

Christmas was lovely. I got to see my bro. He got a Wii for Xmas and that yielded much excitement, especially watching my mom play. I love spending time with my family.

The wife and I then went to Florida for a week to be with her family. That was also super fun. You really can't complain about 79 degrees and a constant, simple breeze in December. And because Sara and I are wild and crazy, we decided to sleep through the New Year and the mind-blowing fireworks show 100 yards down the street at a little place called the Intracoastal Waterway. We can't help that we're party animals.

I would have loved to post some Xmas thoughts on here. But owell. I'll just make one and make it short because it's belated.

Isaac Watts wrote "JOY TO THE WORLD" with Genesis 3 in mind just as much as the gospels' accounts. And actually, it's not a Christmas song. When Adam and Eve sinned, part of the curse was that the earth was now "subjected to futility" [Rom 8.20] and it would breed thorns, thistles, toil, and sweat for Adam [Gn 3.17-19].

With the Second Adam, however, "No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow as far as the curse as found." He has come and is coming to make a people to reflect Him, to be with Him, and to have dominion in the new heavens and the new earth alongside of Him.

So, here's my rock-star, beautiful little cousin with a reminder that joy is when the whole EARTH receives her King.

GENESiS 22.6

This verse simply says that Isaac carried the wood on the way to Mount Moriah. However, I just purchased a Jewish study Bible at Barnes & Noble. These are modern, liberal Jewish commentators who have no concern for the claims of Jesus. The study note in this Bible on Gen 22.6 reads as follows:

The image of Isaac's carrying the wood on which on which he is to be burned adds enormous power to the story. A midrash relates this to a Roman method of execution that was sometimes used on Jewish martyrs: "It is like a person who carries his cross on his own shoulder" [Gen Rab 56.3].

[more here on the binding of Isaac]

THE BiNDiNG OF ISAAC

Genesis 22 is one of the most glorious texts in all of Scripture. I was reading some Jewish liberal commentaries on it the other day and even they have to bow the knee to its beauty. Here are some things to note.

• 22.1 - This is God testing Abe. Abe couldn't have a kid, but God promised him one. Then God gives him one and tells him to go kill it. That is testing. We think testing is a few bucks short on one month's mortgage.
  
• 22.5 - Abe told his servants that both he and Isaac would worship and then return. This is either faithful boldness or ignorance. The NT prefers the former.
  
• 22.6-7 - Isaac carried his wood up the mountain to the place where he was to be sacrificed by his father. That sounds strangely familiar? 
  
• 22.8 - I love this. It says that YHWH will provide a lamb for Himself. Yes, Abe is being tested. But this is about God's plan and His covenant that will be carried out for His sake [cf. Ps 23, Ezk 36, Is 43.7, etc].
  

We went over this as I taught my 10th grade Redemptive History class the other day. When we finished, I had the kids write a poem from the point of view of either Abe or Isaac. Some were, of course, 10th grade-ish and done just to be done. Other students put forth great effort. One young lady was quite frustrated and scratched out huge sections of her paper several times. Everyone near her could tell she was flustered. When she handed it in, she even told me that it was dumb and she wasn't satisfied. It was actually really good. One line she wrote perfectly captures the breadth of emotions that were likely rushing through Abraham:

"With hand out-stretched in praise and fear..."

Isn't that beautiful?! The question is: Why do we never find ourselves in places where that spectrum of emotions is on display? Is it because of our lack of faith? Is it because God doesn't do crazy stuff like that anymore [at least that's what we'll say to pat our weak faith on the back]? Those feelings - praise and fear - both say something about God, something great about God. If our faith is merely conditioned to our good or bad circumstances, then the world will only see a circumstantially-conditioned God and King [which is no God or King at all, but only a good idea].

So, maybe we should pray to find ourselves in places like Abe did. I don't know. But I do know that the God of the Bible will provide for Himself and that He alone is worthy of both praise and fear - and both at the same time.