Question: The following question came up in a recent Bible study class. Did Adam and Eve ever receive God’s forgiveness or were their souls lost for eternity?

Wayne

Answer: Dear Wayne,

This is an oft-asked question, and the short answer is "we don’t know." The longer answer is that we can speculate, based upon God’s revelation to us in the rest of the Bible.

Short version of the longer answer: The Lamb of God was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). The foundation of the world would pre-date Adam and Eve, i.e. God’s plan of salvation included them. If God’s grace is available to sinners like us, then why wouldn’t it also be available to the first man and woman, our first father and mother?

Another way of saying this: Was this one mistake/sin/wrong decision beyond repentance? If so, then how does that square with the rest of the Bible?

This is one of those questions that can be argued and discussed from many perspectives, and in the end, we all must accept the fact that no dogmatic and concrete answer is available. I believe that the totality of Scripture, the whole counsel of the Bible does give us an indication that Adam and Eve were forgiven for the original sin.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht