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The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? - Religion (6) - Nairaland

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Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by brownnyj(m): 12:51pm On Jun 28, 2015
The Bible actually indicates that Adam and Eve did, in fact, have daughters. This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. Genesis 5:1-5 We also know that Seth was born after Cain had killed Abel: And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, "God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." Genesis 4:25 So, when Adam was 130 years old after Cain killed Abel, Eve became pregnant and gave birth to Seth. So, did Adam and Eve have other children in between the time that Cain and Abel were born and Seth was born? We can't say absolutely, but we can't say absolutely not either. It certainly seems reasonable that other children would have been born during that time. Genesis 5 does indicate that Adam and Eve had daughters as well (plural), though we are not told how many. The very minimum would be three sons and two daughters. Apparently Jewish tradition holds that Adam and Eve actually had 33 sons and 23 daughters. This is not biblical, of course, but it aligns with the idea that Adam and Eve were probably extremely fruitful and multiplied greatly, as God had commanded them. The genetics were quite pure as well as the environment at that time. They lived a long time (Adam was 930 years old when he died according to Genesis 5), so they had a lot of time to have children.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by swingtheking(m): 12:51pm On Jun 28, 2015
believe me you.
All believe is fervent hope. A cover up for doubt and uncertainty.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Bome01(m): 12:54pm On Jun 28, 2015
adjoviomole:
Just simply read the whole of genesis u will find in order the other children adam n eve gave birth to.......theory of evolution will forever remain false because several things av been discovered now that keeps prooving the thoery of evolution as false
Several things like what?
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Jilo83(m): 12:54pm On Jun 28, 2015
1. Image of God (Gen 1:27)
2. Genesis 5:1-end also chapter 6:1-4. Cain and Abel were not d only Adam's children also there r some being called d daughters of men(Gen 6:2-4)
3. Genesis 11 (Tower of Babel). Pray 4 Spirit of God for understanding
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by fyneboi79(m): 12:55pm On Jun 28, 2015
Sunofgod:
Its just a story . . .Only God knows the truth (Christianity, Judaism, Islam - All man made BullShittt!)
Exactly!!
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by salykely(m): 12:56pm On Jun 28, 2015
“O Mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam) and from Him (Adam) He created his wife (Eve), and from them both He created many men and women.” (Quran 4:1)

The realisation that all mtDNA lineages (Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas) can be traced back to a single origin is popularly called the “mitochondrial Eve” theory. According to top scientists and cutting-edge research, everyone on the planet today can trace a specific part of his or her genetic heritage back to one woman through a unique part of our genetic makeup, the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The mtDNA of “mitochondrial Eve” has been passed down through the centuries from mother to daughter (men are carriers, but don’t pass it on) and exists within all people living today. It is popularly known as the Eve theory because, as can be deduced from the above, it is passed down through the X chromosome. Scientists are also studying DNA from the Y chromosome (perhaps to be dubbed the “Adam theory”), which is passed only from father to son and is not recombined with the mother’s genes.

These are but three of the many wonders of creation God suggests we contemplate through his verses in the Quran. The entire universe, which was created by God, follows and obeys His laws. Therefore Muslims are encouraged to seek knowledge, explore the universe, and find the “Signs of God” in His creation.
http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/1198/story-of-adam-part-5/

1 Like

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Nobody: 12:57pm On Jun 28, 2015
khachee:


Are u trying to say these other people are his brothers and sisters from Adam and Eve?

So why didnt he just say my ''brothers'' instead of ''other people''
of course they are.....it wouldnt have been pleasing to still refer to someone u called your wife...or immediate family's wife as your sister.....brothers....fathers
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Oye50(m): 12:57pm On Jun 28, 2015
The first man

“Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam was “the first man.” God did not start by making a whole group of men.

The Bible makes it clear that only the descendants of Adam can be saved. Romans 5 teaches that we sin because Adam sinned. The death penalty, which Adam received as judgment for his sin of rebellion, also passed on to all his descendants.

Since Adam was the head of the human race when he “fell,” we who were in the loins of Adam “fell,” also. Thus, we are all separated from God. The final consequence of sin would be separation from God in our sinful state forever. However, the good news is that there is a way for us to return to God!

Because a man brought sin and death into the world, all the descendants of Adam need a sinless Man to pay the penalty for sin and the resulting judgment of death. However, the Bible teaches that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). What is the solution?

The Last Adam

God provided the solution—a way to deliver man from his wretched state. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15 that God provided another Adam! The Son of God took on a human nature in addition to His full divinity, becoming a perfect God-man—Jesus Christ. In His humanity, He was a descendant of Adam (through Noah, Abraham and David)—He thus became our relation! He is called “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), because he took the place of the first Adam. He became the new head, and, because he was sinless, He was able to pay the penalty for sin:

“For since by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Christ suffered death (the penalty for sin) on the cross, shedding his blood (“without shedding of blood is no remission” Hebrews 9:22) so that those who repent of their sin of rebellion and put their trust in His work on the cross can be reconciled to God.

Since the Bible describes all human beings as sinners, except the God-Man Jesus, and we are all related (“And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth” Acts 17:26), the gospel makes sense only on the basis that all humans alive and all who have ever lived are descendants of the first man Adam. If this were not so, then the gospel could not be explained or defended.

The Book of Hebrews amplifies how Jesus took upon himself the nature of a man to save mankind (Hebrews 2:11-18).

Thus, only descendants of the first man Adam can be saved.

All related

Thus, there was only one man at the beginning—made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).

This also means that Cain's wife was a descendant of Adam. She could not have come from another “race” of people and must be one of Adam's descendants.

The first woman

In Genesis 3:20 we read, “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” In other words, all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—she was the first woman.

Eve was made from Adam's rib (or side) (Genesis 2:21-24)—this was a unique event. Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) use this historical and one-time event as the doctrinal foundation for the marriage of one man to one woman.

Also, in Genesis 2:20, we are told that when Adam looked at the animals, he could not find a mate—there was no one of his kind.

All this makes it obvious that there was only one woman, Adam's wife, at the beginning. There were never any other women around who were not Eve's descendants.

If Christians cannot defend that all humans (including Cain's wife) can trace their ancestry ultimately to Adam and Eve, then how can they understand and explain the gospel? How can they justify sending missionaries to every tribe and nation? Therefore, one needs to be able to answer the question about Cain's wife, to illustrate that Christians can defend the gospel and all that it teaches.

Cain's brothers and sisters

Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve recorded in Scripture (Genesis 4:1). His brothers, Abel (Genesis 4:2) and Seth (Genesis 4:25), were part of the first generation of children ever born on this earth.

Even though only these three males are mentioned by name, Adam and Eve had other children. In Genesis 5:4 a statement sums up the life of Adam and Eve—“And the days of Adam after he had fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters.” This does not say when they were born. Many could have been born in the 130 years (Genesis 5:3) before Seth was born.

During their lives, Adam and Eve had a number of male and female children. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that, “The number of Adam's children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.”

The Bible does not tell us how many children were born to Adam and Eve. However, considering their long life spans (Adam lived for 930 years—Genesis 5:5), it would seem reasonable to suggest there were many! Remember, They were commanded to “Be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

The wife

If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extra-biblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to have married sisters or there would be no more generations!

We are not told when Cain married or any of the details of other marriages and children, but we can say for certain that some brothers had to marry their sisters at the beginning of human history.

But what about God's Laws?

Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Adam and Eve's sons and daughters married each other by appealing to the law against brother-sister intermarriage. Some say that you cannot marry your relation. Actually, if you don't marry your relation, you don't marry a human! A wife is related to her husband even before they marry because all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—all are of “one blood.” The law forbidding marriage between close relatives was not given until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18-20). Provided marriage was one man to one woman for life (based on Genesis 1 and 2), there was no disobedience to God's law originally when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other.

Remember that Abraham married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). God blessed this union to produce the Hebrew people through Isaac and Jacob. It was not until some 400 years later that God gave Moses laws that forbade such marriages.

Biological deformities

Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not permitted by law to marry because their children have an unacceptably high risk of being deformed. The more closely the parents are related, the more likely it is that any offspring will be deformed.

There is a very sound genetic reason for such laws that is easy to understand. Every person has two sets of genes, there being some 130,000 pairs that specify how a person is put together and functions. Each person inherits one gene of each pair from each parent. Unfortunately, genes today contain many mistakes (because of sin and the Curse), and these mistakes show up in a variety of ways. For instance, some people let their hair grow over their ears to hide the fact that one ear is lower than the other—or perhaps someone's nose is not quite in the middle of his or her face, or someone's jaw is a little out of shape—and so on. Let's face it, the main reason we call each other normal is because of our common agreement to do so!

The more distantly related parents are, the more likely it is that they will have different mistakes in their genes. Children, inheriting one set of genes from each parent, are likely to end up with pairs of genes containing a maximum of one bad gene in each pair. The good gene tends to override the bad so that a deformity (a serious one, anyway) does not occur. Instead of having totally deformed ears, for instance, a person may only have crooked ones! (Overall, though, the human race is slowly degenerating as mistakes accumulate, generation after generation.)

However, the more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that they will have similar mistakes in their genes, since these have been inherited from the same parents. Therefore, a brother and a sister are more likely to have similar mistakes in their genes. A child of a union between such siblings could inherit the same bad gene on the same gene pair from both, resulting in two bad copies of the gene and serious defects.

Adam and Eve did not have accumulated genetic mistakes. When the first two people were created, they were physically perfect. Everything God made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), so their genes were perfect—no mistakes! But, when sin entered the world (because of Adam—Genesis 3:6, Romans 5:12), God cursed the world so that the perfect creation then began to degenerate, that is, suffer death and decay (Romans 8:22). Over thousands of years, this degeneration has produced all sorts of genetic mistakes in living things.

Cain was in the first generation of children ever born. He (as well as his brothers and sisters) would have have received virtually no imperfect genes from Adam or Eve, since the effects of sin and the Curse would have been minimal to start with (it takes time for these copying errors to accumulate). In that situation, brother and sister could have married with God's approval, without any potential to produce deformed offspring.

By the time of Moses (a few thousand years later), degenerative mistakes would have built up in the human race to such an extent that it was necessary for God to forbid brother-sister (and close relative) marriage (Leviticus 18-20). (Also, there were plenty of people on the earth by then, and there was no reason for close relations to marry.)

Cain and the Land of Nod

Some claim that the passage in Genesis 4:16-17 means that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. Thus, they can conclude there must have been another race of people on the earth, who were not descendants of Adam, who produced Cain's wife.

“And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch: and he built a city, and he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”

From what has been stated previously, it is clear that all humans, Cain's wife included, are descendants of Adam. However, this passage does not say that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. John Calvin, commenting on these verses, states:

“From the context we may gather that Cain, before he slew his brother, had married a wife; otherwise Moses would now have related something respecting his marriage.”

Cain was married before he went to the land of Nod. He didn't find a wife there, but “knew” (had sexual relations with) his wife.

Others have argued that because Cain built a “city” in the land of Nod, there must have been a lot of people there. However, the Hebrew word translated as “city” need not mean what we might imagine from the connotations of “city” today. The word meant a “walled town” or a protected encampment. Even a hundred people would be plenty for such a “city.” Nevertheless, there could have been many descendants of Adam on the earth by the time of Abel's death (see below).

Who was Cain fearful of? (Genesis 4:14)

Cain kills Abel. Click here for the story. (Illustration copyrighted).
Some claim that there had to be lots of people on earth other than Adam and Eve's descendants, otherwise Cain would not have been fearful of people wanting to slay him for killing Abel.

First of all, in the days before civil government was instituted to punish murderers (Genesis 9:6), someone would want to harm Cain for killing Abel only if they were closely related to Abel! Strangers could hardly have cared. So the people Cain was afraid of could not have been another race of people.

Second, Cain and Abel were born quite some time before Abel's death. Genesis 4:3 states:

“And in the course of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord.”

Note the phrase “in the course of time.” We know that Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old (Genesis 5:3), and Eve saw him as a “replacement” for Abel (Genesis 4:25). Therefore, the period from Cain's birth to Abel's death may have been 100 years or more—allowing plenty of time for other children of Adam and Eve to marry and have children and grandchildren. By the time Abel was killed, there could well have been a considerable number of descendants of Adam and Eve, involving several generations.

Where did the technology come from?

Some claim that for Cain to go to the land of Nod and build a city he would have required a lot of technology that must have already been in that land, presumably developed by other “races.”

However, Adam and Eve's descendants were very intelligent people. Jubal made musical instruments such as the harp and organ (Genesis 4:21), and Tubal-Cain worked with brass and iron (Genesis 4:22).

Because of intense evolutionary indoctrination, many people today think that our generation is the most intelligent that has ever lived on this planet. But just because we have jet airplanes and computers, it does not mean that we are the most intelligent. Modern technology results from the accumulation of knowledge. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

Our brains have suffered from 6,000 years of the Curse (since Adam). We are greatly degenerated compared with people many generations ago. We may now be nowhere near as intelligent or inventive as Adam and Eve's children. Scripture gives us a glimpse of what appears to be great inventiveness from the beginning.

Conclusion

Many Christians cannot answer the question about Cain's wife because they focus on today's world (and the problems associated with close relations marrying), and do not understand the clear historical record God has given to us.

They try to interpret Genesis from our present situation, rather than understand the true biblical history of the world and the changes that have occurred because of sin. Because they are not building their world view on Scripture, but taking a secular way of thinking to the Bible, they are blinded to the simple answers.

Genesis is the record of the God who was there as history happened. It is the word of One who knows everything, and who is a reliable witness from the past. Thus, when we use Genesis as a basis for understanding history, we can make sense of questions that would otherwise be a mystery.

1 Like

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Solo8(m): 1:00pm On Jun 28, 2015
adjoviomole:
Just simply read the whole of genesis u will find in order the other children adam n eve gave birth to.......theory of evolution will forever remain false because several things av been discovered now that keeps prooving the thoery of evolution as false

Yes, someone that literally butchered 2 sentences is here to prove Darwin and the whole scientific community wrong.

Go pick up a book.

1 Like

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by davien(m): 1:01pm On Jun 28, 2015
It's apparent that the creation story of Christianity isn't true in the slightest sense...how?...this thread has 100+ "interpretations" of the same story...all ending with different conclusions.....does the truth need "interpretations" or someones "take" on it? undecided

3 Likes 2 Shares

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Moonland100(m): 1:01pm On Jun 28, 2015
What really happened was that Adams sons and daughter marry each oda.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Desmog21(m): 1:12pm On Jun 28, 2015
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Omotakins(m): 1:12pm On Jun 28, 2015
Emeskhalifa:
wherr re thepastors na?? pls Imams can chip in too ;Dwherr re thepastors na?? pls Imams can chip in too cheesy
I wonder what else u want or need as the case may be after the explanations and expositions given with references from the bible by some people who av shown God's inspirations. I don't know what it is u crave after.......debate or wat?
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by adjoviomole(m): 1:13pm On Jun 28, 2015
Solo8:


Yes, someone that literally butchered 2 sentences is here to prove Darwin and the whole scientific community wrong.

Go pick up a book.

We all make mistakes.....-t doesn't change the fact still that evolution is a terrible lie embarassed quote me again...I rather liv my life like der is a God than to live like der is none and die to find out that der is!
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by BobUg28(m): 1:13pm On Jun 28, 2015
ikes9:
Yhu people should Google Lilith...

Its said that Lilith was the first wife of Adam..buhh due to Lilith wanting to be on top. while they were banging...they had an argument...and Lilith left Adam...

there's more to the story shaaa. so just Google bout Lilith


Hmmmm,I 'm getting more confused! Initially, I thought the bible stated it clear to us that Eve was the only wife Adam had.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by omenka(m): 1:13pm On Jun 28, 2015
Horlufemi:


A typical couple can produce 2^23 different combinations of offspring.

I still tell you that there is a single human race. Natural selection doesn't change species to another specie rather it sheds off some genes. Adam possesed all genes human kind can ever have. Haven't you heard that mutation doesn't help survival? Mutations are generally dangerous. About 0.5% of mutations have no adverse effect.

I still believe natural Selection shed of dark skinned genes from humans in Europe to help absorb vit d, shed off light skin genes in Africa due to the intense sunlight, etc. Resulting in gene pools that we have made racial pools.
First I didn't say natural selection changes the genes, if you understood me, I only said it modifies physiology.

And as for your last paragraph, it is dangerously flawed and runs afoul of science. cheesy

Look at this: we know black bodies generally absorb more sunlight. We also know there is more sunlight in Africa than say Europe and America. Natural selection works in such a manner as to ensure the survival of a species. Having black skin under conditions of greater sunlight negates the principles of natural selection because such combination imperils the survival of the species by way of driving the body temperature beyond equilibrium levels.

Therefore if we were to credit our skin colour to the mechanism of natural selection and not some other factor which supersedes natural selection, then Africans, compared to Europeans, should have brighter/white skin colours ensuring sunlight is absorbed to a lesser degree in order to keep the body temperature cooler.

Therefore the forces at play when it comes to the colours of our skin is beyond natural selection. smiley
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Humblebloke(m): 1:15pm On Jun 28, 2015
omenka:
Some people would disagree. I don't know if you've heard or read about the Law of Attraction. According to that law, we are the "supernatural" beings in charge of the universe. cheesy



True.....We are supernatural beings,we have got power and authority over so many things but still we cannot explain a lots of phenomena;

Why do we yawn

Why most people are right handed

I could go on and on.....

The first phrase in my post was actually a question.....not an affirmationundecided



I'm not a christian...... I'm a realist, A muslim who cherish nature.... I think there is nothing wrong with religion,


Like I said earlier..... I'm here to learn, perhaps a knowledgeable christian could throw more light on the ''Jesus is God'' theory.......

The story of God being the creator of the universe was believable.... But when a man this same God created is reffered to as his equal......then something is wrong somewhere

1 Like

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Nobody: 1:16pm On Jun 28, 2015
tjkadzyanju:
of course they are.....it wouldnt have been pleasing to still refer to someone u called your wife...or immediate family's wife as your sister.....brothers....fathers
where did all these sisters and brothers come from?? The bible only made mention of cain, abel and ham. It didnt make mention of any other brothers or at least use the word ''brothers'' since they were all begotten from Adam as in the case of Jesus where it did made mention of brothers even though their names were not mentioned
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Horlufemi(m): 1:16pm On Jun 28, 2015
omenka:
First I didn't say natural selection changes the genes, if you understood me, I only said it modifies physiology.

And as for your last paragraph, it is dangerously flawed and runs afoul of science. cheesy

Look at this: we know black bodies generally absorb more sunlight. We also know there is more sunlight in Africa than say Europe and America. Natural selection works in such a manner as to ensure the survival of a species. Having black skin under conditions of greater sunlight negates the principles of natural selection because such combination imperils the survival of the species by way of driving the body temperature beyond equilibrium levels.

Therefore if we were to credit our skin colour to the mechanism of natural selection and not some other factor which supersedes natural selection, then Africans, compared to Europeans, should have brighter/white skin colours ensuring sunlight is absorbed to a lesser degree in order to keep the body temperature cooler.

Therefore the forces at play when it comes to the colours of our skin is beyond natural selection. smiley

If it doesn't modify the genes how does evolution now work? E.g. from amoeba to man? According to your evolution it has to start from single celled organism.

Evolution na lie. There is a creator.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by adjoviomole(m): 1:17pm On Jun 28, 2015
Bome01:
Several things like what?
Several things like the decrease in the earths magnectic field and the slowing down of the earths rotation....
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by micmond: 1:19pm On Jun 28, 2015
The secret things belong unto the Lord our God,but the things revealed belong to us and our children forever that we may follow all the words of this law. Deut:29:29.


But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes 2 timothy 2:23
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by herald9: 1:21pm On Jun 28, 2015
Rilwayne001:
Our atheist brothers will soon storm this thread. undecided

I have nothing to contribute though. We are here to learn.

3D things cool


:X https://www.nairaland.com/2172133/question-did-jesus-read-bible/15
Shea you've the liberty to comment on our threads any day and any time you like... But they'll be asking us to swear the Koran and convert to Islam before we can do same on your thread...



Is that fair? undecided
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Volksfuhrer(m): 1:22pm On Jun 28, 2015
damariox:
Well be rest assured. . No need to panic. The Genesis account is a pure childish mythology

Bible, childish Myth? Far from it. You see, the creation account is symbolic as are many accounts of the Bible. When you look at these stories literally, they may look out of sorts. And there's a reason for this, that the mystery of the Bible would not be accessible to the wrong set who could use its treasures unwisely. However if your heart was pure and you diligently sought the true meanings of Bible passages, the Holy Spirit that authored the Bible would align you with the truth behind them.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Nobody: 1:23pm On Jun 28, 2015
khachee:
where did all these sisters and brothers come from?? The bible only made mention of cain, abel and ham. It didnt make mention of any other brothers or at least use the word ''brothers'' since they were all begotten from Adam as in the case of Jesus where it did made mention of brothers even though their names were not mentioned
in the latter pqrt of genesis.....abraham referred to his wife as sister cos of fear which was in the actual sense correct....
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by BobUg28(m): 1:24pm On Jun 28, 2015
Oye50:

The first man

“Therefore, even as through one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed on all men inasmuch as all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

We read in 1 Corinthians 15:45 that Adam was “the first man.” God did not start by making a whole group of men.

The Bible makes it clear that only the descendants of Adam can be saved. Romans 5 teaches that we sin because Adam sinned. The death penalty, which Adam received as judgment for his sin of rebellion, also passed on to all his descendants.

Since Adam was the head of the human race when he “fell,” we who were in the loins of Adam “fell,” also. Thus, we are all separated from God. The final consequence of sin would be separation from God in our sinful state forever. However, the good news is that there is a way for us to return to God!

Because a man brought sin and death into the world, all the descendants of Adam need a sinless Man to pay the penalty for sin and the resulting judgment of death. However, the Bible teaches that “all have sinned” (Romans 3:23). What is the solution?

The Last Adam

God provided the solution—a way to deliver man from his wretched state. Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 15 that God provided another Adam! The Son of God took on a human nature in addition to His full divinity, becoming a perfect God-man—Jesus Christ. In His humanity, He was a descendant of Adam (through Noah, Abraham and David)—He thus became our relation! He is called “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45), because he took the place of the first Adam. He became the new head, and, because he was sinless, He was able to pay the penalty for sin:

“For since by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Christ suffered death (the penalty for sin) on the cross, shedding his blood (“without shedding of blood is no remission” Hebrews 9:22) so that those who repent of their sin of rebellion and put their trust in His work on the cross can be reconciled to God.

Since the Bible describes all human beings as sinners, except the God-Man Jesus, and we are all related (“And He has made all nations of men of one blood to dwell on all the face of the earth” Acts 17:26), the gospel makes sense only on the basis that all humans alive and all who have ever lived are descendants of the first man Adam. If this were not so, then the gospel could not be explained or defended.

The Book of Hebrews amplifies how Jesus took upon himself the nature of a man to save mankind (Hebrews 2:11-18).

Thus, only descendants of the first man Adam can be saved.

All related

Thus, there was only one man at the beginning—made from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).

This also means that Cain's wife was a descendant of Adam. She could not have come from another “race” of people and must be one of Adam's descendants.

The first woman

In Genesis 3:20 we read, “And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.” In other words, all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—she was the first woman.

Eve was made from Adam's rib (or side) (Genesis 2:21-24)—this was a unique event. Jesus (Matthew 19:4-6) and Paul (Ephesians 5:31) use this historical and one-time event as the doctrinal foundation for the marriage of one man to one woman.

Also, in Genesis 2:20, we are told that when Adam looked at the animals, he could not find a mate—there was no one of his kind.

All this makes it obvious that there was only one woman, Adam's wife, at the beginning. There were never any other women around who were not Eve's descendants.

If Christians cannot defend that all humans (including Cain's wife) can trace their ancestry ultimately to Adam and Eve, then how can they understand and explain the gospel? How can they justify sending missionaries to every tribe and nation? Therefore, one needs to be able to answer the question about Cain's wife, to illustrate that Christians can defend the gospel and all that it teaches.

Cain's brothers and sisters

Cain was the first child of Adam and Eve recorded in Scripture (Genesis 4:1). His brothers, Abel (Genesis 4:2) and Seth (Genesis 4:25), were part of the first generation of children ever born on this earth.

Even though only these three males are mentioned by name, Adam and Eve had other children. In Genesis 5:4 a statement sums up the life of Adam and Eve—“And the days of Adam after he had fathered Seth were eight hundred years. And he fathered sons and daughters.” This does not say when they were born. Many could have been born in the 130 years (Genesis 5:3) before Seth was born.

During their lives, Adam and Eve had a number of male and female children. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote that, “The number of Adam's children, as says the old tradition, was thirty-three sons and twenty-three daughters.”

The Bible does not tell us how many children were born to Adam and Eve. However, considering their long life spans (Adam lived for 930 years—Genesis 5:5), it would seem reasonable to suggest there were many! Remember, They were commanded to “Be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:28).

The wife

If we now work totally from Scripture, without any personal prejudices or other extra-biblical ideas, then back at the beginning, when there was only the first generation, brothers would have had to have married sisters or there would be no more generations!

We are not told when Cain married or any of the details of other marriages and children, but we can say for certain that some brothers had to marry their sisters at the beginning of human history.

But what about God's Laws?

Many people immediately reject the conclusion that Adam and Eve's sons and daughters married each other by appealing to the law against brother-sister intermarriage. Some say that you cannot marry your relation. Actually, if you don't marry your relation, you don't marry a human! A wife is related to her husband even before they marry because all people are descendants of Adam and Eve—all are of “one blood.” The law forbidding marriage between close relatives was not given until the time of Moses (Leviticus 18-20). Provided marriage was one man to one woman for life (based on Genesis 1 and 2), there was no disobedience to God's law originally when close relatives (even brothers and sisters) married each other.

Remember that Abraham married his half-sister (Genesis 20:12). God blessed this union to produce the Hebrew people through Isaac and Jacob. It was not until some 400 years later that God gave Moses laws that forbade such marriages.

Biological deformities

Today, brothers and sisters (and half-brothers and half-sisters, etc.) are not permitted by law to marry because their children have an unacceptably high risk of being deformed. The more closely the parents are related, the more likely it is that any offspring will be deformed.

There is a very sound genetic reason for such laws that is easy to understand. Every person has two sets of genes, there being some 130,000 pairs that specify how a person is put together and functions. Each person inherits one gene of each pair from each parent. Unfortunately, genes today contain many mistakes (because of sin and the Curse), and these mistakes show up in a variety of ways. For instance, some people let their hair grow over their ears to hide the fact that one ear is lower than the other—or perhaps someone's nose is not quite in the middle of his or her face, or someone's jaw is a little out of shape—and so on. Let's face it, the main reason we call each other normal is because of our common agreement to do so!

The more distantly related parents are, the more likely it is that they will have different mistakes in their genes. Children, inheriting one set of genes from each parent, are likely to end up with pairs of genes containing a maximum of one bad gene in each pair. The good gene tends to override the bad so that a deformity (a serious one, anyway) does not occur. Instead of having totally deformed ears, for instance, a person may only have crooked ones! (Overall, though, the human race is slowly degenerating as mistakes accumulate, generation after generation.)

However, the more closely related two people are, the more likely it is that they will have similar mistakes in their genes, since these have been inherited from the same parents. Therefore, a brother and a sister are more likely to have similar mistakes in their genes. A child of a union between such siblings could inherit the same bad gene on the same gene pair from both, resulting in two bad copies of the gene and serious defects.

Adam and Eve did not have accumulated genetic mistakes. When the first two people were created, they were physically perfect. Everything God made was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), so their genes were perfect—no mistakes! But, when sin entered the world (because of Adam—Genesis 3:6, Romans 5:12), God cursed the world so that the perfect creation then began to degenerate, that is, suffer death and decay (Romans 8:22). Over thousands of years, this degeneration has produced all sorts of genetic mistakes in living things.

Cain was in the first generation of children ever born. He (as well as his brothers and sisters) would have have received virtually no imperfect genes from Adam or Eve, since the effects of sin and the Curse would have been minimal to start with (it takes time for these copying errors to accumulate). In that situation, brother and sister could have married with God's approval, without any potential to produce deformed offspring.

By the time of Moses (a few thousand years later), degenerative mistakes would have built up in the human race to such an extent that it was necessary for God to forbid brother-sister (and close relative) marriage (Leviticus 18-20). (Also, there were plenty of people on the earth by then, and there was no reason for close relations to marry.)

Cain and the Land of Nod

Some claim that the passage in Genesis 4:16-17 means that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. Thus, they can conclude there must have been another race of people on the earth, who were not descendants of Adam, who produced Cain's wife.

“And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bore Enoch: and he built a city, and he called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.”

From what has been stated previously, it is clear that all humans, Cain's wife included, are descendants of Adam. However, this passage does not say that Cain went to the land of Nod and found a wife. John Calvin, commenting on these verses, states:

“From the context we may gather that Cain, before he slew his brother, had married a wife; otherwise Moses would now have related something respecting his marriage.”

Cain was married before he went to the land of Nod. He didn't find a wife there, but “knew” (had sexual relations with) his wife.

Others have argued that because Cain built a “city” in the land of Nod, there must have been a lot of people there. However, the Hebrew word translated as “city” need not mean what we might imagine from the connotations of “city” today. The word meant a “walled town” or a protected encampment. Even a hundred people would be plenty for such a “city.” Nevertheless, there could have been many descendants of Adam on the earth by the time of Abel's death (see below).

Who was Cain fearful of? (Genesis 4:14)

Cain kills Abel. Click here for the story. (Illustration copyrighted).
Some claim that there had to be lots of people on earth other than Adam and Eve's descendants, otherwise Cain would not have been fearful of people wanting to slay him for killing Abel.

First of all, in the days before civil government was instituted to punish murderers (Genesis 9:6), someone would want to harm Cain for killing Abel only if they were closely related to Abel! Strangers could hardly have cared. So the people Cain was afraid of could not have been another race of people.

Second, Cain and Abel were born quite some time before Abel's death. Genesis 4:3 states:

“And in the course of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord.”

Note the phrase “in the course of time.” We know that Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old (Genesis 5:3), and Eve saw him as a “replacement” for Abel (Genesis 4:25). Therefore, the period from Cain's birth to Abel's death may have been 100 years or more—allowing plenty of time for other children of Adam and Eve to marry and have children and grandchildren. By the time Abel was killed, there could well have been a considerable number of descendants of Adam and Eve, involving several generations.

Where did the technology come from?

Some claim that for Cain to go to the land of Nod and build a city he would have required a lot of technology that must have already been in that land, presumably developed by other “races.”

However, Adam and Eve's descendants were very intelligent people. Jubal made musical instruments such as the harp and organ (Genesis 4:21), and Tubal-Cain worked with brass and iron (Genesis 4:22).

Because of intense evolutionary indoctrination, many people today think that our generation is the most intelligent that has ever lived on this planet. But just because we have jet airplanes and computers, it does not mean that we are the most intelligent. Modern technology results from the accumulation of knowledge. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

Our brains have suffered from 6,000 years of the Curse (since Adam). We are greatly degenerated compared with people many generations ago. We may now be nowhere near as intelligent or inventive as Adam and Eve's children. Scripture gives us a glimpse of what appears to be great inventiveness from the beginning.

Conclusion

Many Christians cannot answer the question about Cain's wife because they focus on today's world (and the problems associated with close relations marrying), and do not understand the clear historical record God has given to us.

They try to interpret Genesis from our present situation, rather than understand the true biblical history of the world and the changes that have occurred because of sin. Because they are not building their world view on Scripture, but taking a secular way of thinking to the Bible, they are blinded to the simple answers.

Genesis is the record of the God who was there as history happened. It is the word of One who knows everything, and who is a reliable witness from the past. Thus, when we use Genesis as a basis for understanding history, we can make sense of questions that would otherwise be a mystery.

Please sir,can you educate us more on the case of Lilith ;Adams' first wife.Patiently waiting for your response..
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by nkpommpko(m): 1:25pm On Jun 28, 2015
Use what you have to get what you want, all has been given to you by God, use it, stop looking for God you will nevet see him, it her, them etc . Try natural gemstones, for better buisness relationships love protections etc. Whatsapp for gem combo, 07031994508.

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Nobody: 1:27pm On Jun 28, 2015
tjkadzyanju:
in the latter pqrt of genesis.....abraham referred to his wife as sister cos of fear which was in the actual sense correct....
lolz...thank God there was a stated reason for that.

So what are you trying to portray??
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Rilwayne001: 1:28pm On Jun 28, 2015
herald9:

Shea you've the liberty to comment on our threads any day and any time you like... But they'll be asking us to swear the Koran and convert to Islam before we can do same on your thread...
Is that fair? undecided

Lol.

That's because we don't come here to rain insult on Jesus and other refered figure in christianity. But your brethrens would invade our section to rain insult and curse on the Prophet (SAW). Some even took it to the extent of blasphemy, by raining insult on GOD/Allah thinking its a normal thing. This led to response and dissatisfaction from us towards the admin, hence the introduction of that measure.

I thinks its fair.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by KingEbukasBlog(m): 1:32pm On Jun 28, 2015
davien:
I used to have this line of thinking...until questions such as why actively improve designs rather than make the design a perfect one...because each imperfection creates more imperfections and this leads to more harm, death and suffering...imagine if our immune system could fight off HIV/AIDS..wouldn't that be nice? undecided

funny guy

read your post again and check if you make any sense . God's existence and ways are beyond human comprehension . Faulting His actions just confirmed that His ways are indeed beyond human comprehension . Disagreeing with this post , doesn't change anything.

Christians are irrational for believing in a higher power/supreme being but atheists are rational because there's "proof" something came from nothing ... lol

"God" is actually that point where there is something that nothing predates - makes total and complete sense to me

Cheers
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by charlsecy(m): 1:33pm On Jun 28, 2015
omenka:
For some of us not so ardent in the "ways of Christ", there are certain questions that have been tugging at our minds for years and I hope bringing it here, someone knowledgeable could help put things into clearer perspective.

From my own personal understanding, I think humans were created by GOD. However, humans don't know how they were created, so they come up with many theories and stories to explain their origin. That is why each culture or civilization seems to have its own creation story, where it is usually the centre of the creation.

No one is certain of the validity of any of the theories. It now boils down to faith and/or belief.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by Solo8(m): 1:33pm On Jun 28, 2015
adjoviomole:

We all make mistakes.....-t doesn't change the fact still that evolution is a terrible lie embarassed quote me again...I rather liv my life like der is a God than to live like der is none and die to find out that der is!

The point is not that you made a mistake, the point is that you are an idiot that knows nothing about the theory of evolution but comes on the net to claim you've read about it. Look at your response with earth magnetic field, did you even take grade school science. Get off the net and go study, you need it.
Re: The Creation- How Compelling Is The Christian Narative? by herald9: 1:40pm On Jun 28, 2015
mizvee:
Being a Christian is to have strong faith and believe in things you have not seen.... thing is if you start asking such questions, it gets to the point where you stop believing and you begin to have less faith. I'll advice you study ur bible well enough to educate ya self bro. Don't have answers for u sha.... so God help us!
All I could decipher from your post is 'I have to be foolish in order to worship god'

But remember God doesn't love foolish things.


Get wisdom, in all thy getting get understanding...

If your God is real, this wisdom and understanding will lead you closer to him....not otherwise.
undecided

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