Theologians and ministers throughout history wanted to believe that God saved all and all they need to do is to go and preach the good news to convert as many as possible. Slowly their focus became people not God. Many made up stories to please many.

For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. (John 12:43)

And their errors are rooted deeply in theology. They encourage people to believe in the errors saying that people are made in the image of God. Their errors can be found in the understanding of Adam in the garden. These are the commonly spoken ideas on Adam:

• Adam was a son of God
• Adam had the Holy Spirit
• Adam was a friend of God and knew God
• Adam was righteous

These ideas need to be examined carefully. Paul explained the differences between Adam and Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:47-49:

The first man [Adam] is from the earth, earthy [made of dust]; the second Man [Christ, the Lord] is from heaven. As is the earthly man [the man of dust], so are those who are of earth; and as is the heavenly [Man], so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the earthly [the man of dust], we will also bear the image of the heavenly [the Man of heaven].

One may ask, “What about Luke 3:38? It says Adam was the son of God!” Firstly, the Greek word used here is not son (υιός). And secondly, Luke did not write the genealogy to claim that Adam was the son of God, but Christ was a man just like any of us and was also Messiah (Christ). As the second Adam, He came to redeem His elect people (See Romans 5:11-21).

Regarding the question if Adam had the Holy Spirit, many people quote Genesis 2:7 and say that God breathed His Spirit into Adam. The word used here is neshamah (breath, Strong 5397), which was also used in Genesis 7:22:

All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.

Thus, the word used here does not indicate the presence of the Holy Spirit. If Adam received the Holy Spirit, why did he rebel? Why couldn’t he overcome the temptation? His rebellion is contrasted to Christ overcoming the temptations. Before the mission, Christ was anointed publicly with the Holy Spirit. And God announced that He was the Son of God.

Next, whether Adam was a friend of God or not, there is no verse that we can find the answer from. But our Lord defined the meaning of being a friend with God in John 15:15:

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Many theologians and ministers want to believe that Adam talked to God in the garden of Eden as a friend. They put much emphasis on Genesis 3:8. Some claim Adam used to walk with God in the garden. Others say Adam was united with God. Calvin also mentioned that Adam was united with God, but he did not go on making up stories. It is true that Adam had a relationship with God. However, the relationship was a relationship between a master and a servant/slave. If Adam knew God’s plans but still rebelled, then it means he was just like the devil. But Adam was made upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Therefore, it is more accurate to say that he was a servant/slave of God who did not know God’s plans. Absolute and unconditional obedience was required of him to stay in the garden of Eden. But Adam rebelled.

God made man upright and uncorrupted, but they [both men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil] (Ecc 7:29)

Because of Ecc 7:29, there are many Adam-worshipers in churches. The word used here is Yashar (Strong 3477), which was also used to describe Job in Job 1:1:

In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless (Tam, Strong 8535) and upright (Yashar, Strong 3477); he feared God and shunned evil.

It is amazing how God put the Book of Job in His Bible to explain His relationship with Adam. There is much to talk about Job.

In a nutshell, Job’s pride lies in his upright/righteous life. He believed that his life would be peaceful and prosperous as long as he followed God’s commands. Thus, when the disasters came, he could not understand. He says he is a mere man but thinks his work-based uprightness is better than God’s righteousness. At the end, he claims that he is better than Adam (or any other men) (Job 31:33). Three friends were given the task to rebuke Job, but their understanding of God was poor, so they failed. In all this, God taught Job a lesson. And Job finally confesses (Job 42:2):

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

Augustine and Calvin mentioned that the root of Adam’s rebellion was his pride. God considered Job as upright, but it was not the righteousness of God. Job’s work-based righteousness was leading to pride, which God saw and revealed. In contrast, saints rely on God’s righteousness:

And You have fulfilled Your promise, For You are righteous (ṣaddiq, Strong 6662) (Nehemiah 9:8)

In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will live securely; And this is His name by which He will be called, ‘The LORD Our Righteousness (sidqenu, Strong 6664) (Jeremiah 23:6)

I do not recommend people to study Hebrews or Greek, but it is sometimes useful to look up references to avoid confusion. More study is needed regarding the use of the word Yashar to describe Adam (and Eve) and Job and not saddiq.

Surely there is not a righteous (ṣaddiq, Strong 6662) man on earth who does good and never sins. (Ecc 7:20)

Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as rigorousness (Sedaqah, Strong 6666). (Genesis 15:6)

The words in Hebrews from Strong’s 6662 to 6667 appear to have the same origin.

My conclusion is that Adam was made innocent and upright, but his righteousness was depended on works. When he rebelled against God by eating the fruit, his righteousness was removed and became unrighteous. Saints do not clothe with such righteousness which can be removed. We are not merely returning to Adam’s state before the fall.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Peter 1: 3-4)

What I have written here brings the next topic, which is the nature of righteousness of Christ imputed to saints.