iouae
Well-known member
When Christ tells a parable, He makes sure that the parable is simple, and makes one point and one point only. Folks generally go wrong when they try to see multiple points in Christ's parables. And even with only one point, folks had to ask Christ to interpret the parable.
With Paul's parables, Paul makes multiple comparisons. And here, folks do not realise that Paul sometimes has to stretch things a bit to get his multiple points to fit the parable.
Take for instance the comparison (com-parable) of Christ with Adam.
This is entirely a Pauline comparison. Christ never compared himself with Adam.
And Paul is within his rights to make up parables as he sees fit.
And sometimes things don't quite fit so Paul shoehorns the facts a bit to make them fit his parable.
In the Christ=Adam parable here are some less than perfect fits...
Sin did not enter the world by one man - it entered by one woman.
If sin entered the world by Adam, then sin did not enter the world by ONE but by two, viz. Adan AND Eve.
Paul blames the death of all future humans on Adam. Yet Adam played no part in the first human death, which was the death of Abel.
The first man to sin was not the first man to die. Abel, a fairly righteous man, was the first to die. There is no indication that Abel died for his sins.
Paul writes in Rom 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Paul is saying basically that as Adam brought death, Christ brings life.
But where Paul is stretching it is in saying "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners". We all became sinners without any help from Adam. This has led many to falsely claim that somehow sin got passed down from Adam to us in some almost genetic way.
God created dying as the default condition without access to the Tree of Life.
It did not matter if one sinned or not, outside of Eden, all were destined to die. The one thing we can blame Adam and Eve for, is that they got mankind cut off from the Tree of Life.
There cannot be sin without the law (Rom 5:13)
And there cannot be death without sin according to Paul.
So here Paul has a problem, since folks were dying even before the law was given at Sinai.
Paul acknowledges he has a problem in Rom 5:14.
I never have a problem with Paul because I recognise that Paul is prepared to bend the facts a little to fit his analogies. Unfortunately, folks get super-literal when they quote Paul. Especially when Paul seems to be criticising the law. Which Paul does not do. Paul puts the law in its place saying that the law tells us what sin is.
Then Paul tells us what the answer to the problem of sin is - belief in Christ.
Many thought the answer to sin was to try a little harder to keep the law, as if the law could ever give one life.
Since being cut off from the Tree of Life, it does not matter how good you are or how well you keep the law, that will not be a substitute for the Tree of Life.
Which may sound like I am saying one does not have to keep the law. Like Paul, I am NOT saying that. I am saying the alternative is to go cap in hand to God and ask Him for eternal life.
With Paul's parables, Paul makes multiple comparisons. And here, folks do not realise that Paul sometimes has to stretch things a bit to get his multiple points to fit the parable.
Take for instance the comparison (com-parable) of Christ with Adam.
This is entirely a Pauline comparison. Christ never compared himself with Adam.
And Paul is within his rights to make up parables as he sees fit.
And sometimes things don't quite fit so Paul shoehorns the facts a bit to make them fit his parable.
In the Christ=Adam parable here are some less than perfect fits...
Sin did not enter the world by one man - it entered by one woman.
If sin entered the world by Adam, then sin did not enter the world by ONE but by two, viz. Adan AND Eve.
Paul blames the death of all future humans on Adam. Yet Adam played no part in the first human death, which was the death of Abel.
The first man to sin was not the first man to die. Abel, a fairly righteous man, was the first to die. There is no indication that Abel died for his sins.
Paul writes in Rom 5:19
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Paul is saying basically that as Adam brought death, Christ brings life.
But where Paul is stretching it is in saying "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners". We all became sinners without any help from Adam. This has led many to falsely claim that somehow sin got passed down from Adam to us in some almost genetic way.
God created dying as the default condition without access to the Tree of Life.
It did not matter if one sinned or not, outside of Eden, all were destined to die. The one thing we can blame Adam and Eve for, is that they got mankind cut off from the Tree of Life.
There cannot be sin without the law (Rom 5:13)
And there cannot be death without sin according to Paul.
So here Paul has a problem, since folks were dying even before the law was given at Sinai.
Paul acknowledges he has a problem in Rom 5:14.
I never have a problem with Paul because I recognise that Paul is prepared to bend the facts a little to fit his analogies. Unfortunately, folks get super-literal when they quote Paul. Especially when Paul seems to be criticising the law. Which Paul does not do. Paul puts the law in its place saying that the law tells us what sin is.
Then Paul tells us what the answer to the problem of sin is - belief in Christ.
Many thought the answer to sin was to try a little harder to keep the law, as if the law could ever give one life.
Since being cut off from the Tree of Life, it does not matter how good you are or how well you keep the law, that will not be a substitute for the Tree of Life.
Which may sound like I am saying one does not have to keep the law. Like Paul, I am NOT saying that. I am saying the alternative is to go cap in hand to God and ask Him for eternal life.