Our next Boice Center lecture will feature Dr. Richard B. Gaffin and the issue of biblical inerrancy in relationship to what scripture teaches about Adam in the early chapters of Genesis.
Was Adam an historical figure or a literary convention? Was Adam the first human being? To some, these questions are laughable and beyond dispute. However, for people who believe the Bible is God’s Word written, they are unavoidable. In fact, the question of whether or not Adam was an historical figure—a real man, living within the same history as you and me—is of paramount importance for understanding the gospel of Jesus Christ.
While biblical scholars, scientists, and others have approached these questions very differently, there appears to be a growing number who believe Adam was not a real person. Or, if he was real, he wasn’t the first human being.
Dr. Gaffin will show us from scripture why these questions are essential for understanding the story of scripture as a whole, and in particular, their connection with the “second Adam,” Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:45,47). He will show us how the story of Adam is not a sidebar in human history, nor is it insignificant for robust Christian faith. Rather, it is integral to understanding what has gone so very wrong with us and our world and the lengths to which God was willing to go to rescue sinners and make all things new.
Come hear his lecture on March 21 at 7 PM in the Sanctuary. There will also be time for questions after the talk.
Dr. Richard Gaffin is retired from the faculty at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia where he earned his BD, ThM and ThD. During his teaching tenure, Dr. Gaffin trained future pastors and theologians the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God in both Biblical and Systematic Theology courses. He also contributed to these fields by authoring books such as Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul’s Soteriology, By Faith Not by Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation, and articles like “The Usefulness of the Cross.”