That is a good question; and although the Bible does not give us a clear (yea or nay) answer on that matter, there are some things written therein that can help us to understand.
In Genesis chapter 3, we read that Adam and Eve sinned against God, and God pronounced these curses over them, and the serpent:
“And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Genesis 3:14-19
So, Adam, who had been made in the image of God (holy and pure) was no longer in the image of God; and as such he began to beget sons and daughters after his own image:
“And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth.”
Genesis 5:3
This is why the apostle wrote in the new testament:
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Romans 5:12
But we can see something else that happened after Adam begat Seth: men began to call upon the name of the LORD:
“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.”
Genesis 4:26
The scripture does not say why men began to call upon the name the LORD in those days; but it is reasonable to assume that Adam taught them to do so.
It is also reasonable to assume so because of the sacrifices of his first two sons, Cain and Abel:
“And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.”
Genesis 4:3-5
It seems evident that Cain and Abel knew what they ought to give in sacrifice unto the LORD; and Abel did as he was taught, and Cain did after the imagination of his own evil heart.
Who taught them, then, how to offer sacrifice unto God?
Adam did, of course.
He was their father, and he was also the only man living at that time who had walked with God, and known him.
Another thing to consider, is the fact that God clothed Adam and his wife after they knew that they were naked. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, but that didn’t work very well…so God clothed them with skins.
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
Genesis 3:21
It stands to reason that the only way that he could have provided coats of skins for them, was to have killed some animals for them (in their place, as a substitute, so that they could live out their days on the earth), which seems quite plainly (considering the whole of the scripture) to have been lambs.
And, it is written of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God:
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
1 John 2:2
Jesus Christ our Lord is that Lamb.
He is the Lamb that God provided for Abraham (Genesis 22:8) in the stead of his only son, Isaac.
(God provided a ram caught in a thicket that day, but he provided a Lamb in process of time!)
Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God; and by his blood are all men saved who obey him, from Adam to you and me.
Adam lived 930 years on the earth, and begat many sons and daughters. He taught his children to serve the LORD God. He was put out of the garden of Eden, lest he and his wife should eat of the tree of life, and live forever; and he began to teach his children that the only way back into paradise was to obey God, and trust in the sacrifice of blood.
We learn by the later scriptures that the sacrifice of blood was ordained by God in the law, given by Moses, and was all along a shadow of good things to come; for God would send his Son into the world to make man in the image of God, and thus undoing what Adam did in the garden.
And he did that through the sacrifice of himself, and the pouring out of his precious blood…the only innocent blood that had ever been upon the earth since before Adam sinned.
Glory to his name!
JESUS CHRIST THE LORD!
So, in conclusion, we can see that not only were Adam and his wife redeemed by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ (who was the Saviour before there was ever a need for salvation, God knowing all things before they began); but all we who believe on him and obey his gospel today are also redeemed by that same blood.
For as it is written,
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.”
Hebrews 10:4
…It is now, and has always been, the precious blood of Jesus Christ our Lord that takes away the sins of a man or woman.
And, when we obey the gospel that his holy apostles preached from the day that the new testament began, on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after his resurrection:
“Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Acts 2:38
…then we also are come under the power of that cleansing blood, and are redeemed.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so!
I’m redeemed!
I’m redeemed!
Praise the LORD!
Amen.
