Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 58
58. Another question that arises is: How was the sin of. Adam forgiven? If it was forgiven on repentance, in a similar manner the sin of his generation could be written off and there is thus hardly any room for vicarious atonement to serve any purpose. . In short, the entire foundation on which the edifice of vicarious atonement has been raised, and on the basis of which Christianity claims that since man cannot save himself, on his own, from sin, a belief in vicarious atonement is essential, is found to be unreal on the evidence both of the Old and of the. New Testaments. . ALLEGORIC NARRATIVE. Again, it appears from the Bible that the whole of this incident relating to Adam takes the form of allegory and there is evidently no sense in basing a religious belief on its foundation. For, the Bible says that when Eve ate of the fruit and gave it to Adam: "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked" (Genesis, Ch. 3:7). . Becoming nude after partaking of the fruit of the forbidden tree is clear evidence of the fact that the incident is narrated in the form of an allegory. It is again averred: "And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day" (Genesis, Ch. 3:7-8). . The above words further lend strength to the fact that the whole affair is treated in allegoric form. God is the. Creator of cold and of heat and stands in no need of these. . He has not to go out in cool weather to save Himself from heat as some men move to Quetta and Murree during summer. . The Bible, however, says that seeing that the hour was cool and the sun had not yet risen, God took to strolling in the