Should/Could Adam have killed the Serpent?

[he beholds]

In Sunday School this morning, the teacher asked, "And what should Adam have done?" Someone answered, "Kill the serpent."

I think the teacher accepted this answer, but it could have all been tongue-in-cheek and I just missed the joke.

What do you think? Did Adam even meet the Serpent? Could he have killed him? Should he have? Would that have ended Satan?

 

[au5t1n]

In Sunday School this morning, the teacher asked, "And what should Adam have done?" Someone answered, "Kill the serpent."

I think the teacher accepted this answer, but it could have all been tongue-in-cheek and I just missed the joke.

What do you think? Did Adam even meet the Serpent? Could he have killed him? Should he have? Would that have ended Satan?

He should have spun it out of the garden in a circular motion by its tail. I don't think he could have killed it before the curse brought death.

 

[he beholds]

Some people believe that the curse only brought death to man, and it would have been possible for animals or plants or bacteria to die pre-fall. But I *think* I agree with you.

 

[au5t1n]

Some people believe that the curse only brought death to man, and it would have been possible for animals or plants or bacteria to die pre-fall. But I *think* I agree with you.

I think I agree with regards to plants (they do not have nephesh (soul) or lifeblood); but I disagree with that position when it comes to animals. Either way, Adam should have done *something*. Gen. 2:6 does say he was there with her. I still think flinging the serpent by the tail would have taught him a lesson about messing with his woman!

 

[PointingToChrist]

In Sunday School this morning, the teacher asked, "And what should Adam have done?" Someone answered, "Kill the serpent."

I think the teacher accepted this answer, but it could have all been tongue-in-cheek and I just missed the joke.

What do you think? Did Adam even meet the Serpent? Could he have killed him? Should he have? Would that have ended Satan?

They should have called out to God.

 

[he beholds]

They should have called out to God.

Yeah, if I were answering the question, I would have simply said, "He should have resisted temptation/obeyed God." But your answer is better yet! I guess I never thought of what the options were, practically speaking. I just think of James 4 where we're told to resist and he will flee, but calling out to God is a practical way to resist.

When someone answered "Kill the serpent," and this seemed to be taken as a genuine answer, it got me thinking. I still don't know if that would have been possible, but I do wish that Adam would have done that! (Though calling out to God would have solved the problem more effectively and would have shown more faith.) Killing him would have ended it all for us all. As a child, I had always been told that we shouldn't really blame Adam, because even if he succeeded, then someone else would have probably sinned. Killing Satan would have prevented this. (I see the error in not really blaming Adam now, but until class yesterday, I hadn't realized that I still sort of believed that.)

I guess I have Lewis's Space Trilogy in mind, too, when Ransom faces Satan. I won't say what happens in case you haven't read it.

 

[BobVigneault]

I'm going to say "yes" and here is my thinking:

Adam was passive and the consequence for his passivity was that Eve's granddaughters would want to rule over Adam's grandsons so Adam should have DONE something. The question is what should he have done.

In the Lord's curse toward the serpent He says, "He (Christ) will crush your head and you will strike his heel." Christ was the second Adam who was sent to remedy and fulfill the things that the first Adam didn't. In that Christ crushed the head of the serpent, it's not out of line to conclude that Adam SHOULD have crushed the serpent's head in the garden. In my humble opinion.

 

[ewenlin]

I agree with brother Vigneault.

Yes.