To say that some portions of the Bible are fictional is not to say that some parts of the Bible are not true. The problem is some interpreters dismiss portions of Scripture as fictional when it is difficult for them to accept (stuff like miracles and the resurrection...and talking snakes). This is not what I am suggesting here. Jesus often used fictional stories (what we call parables) to make a point that was true. For example, the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35) is the story of a servant who owed a king an unimaginable amount of money (10,000 talents would be similar to you or I owing the Prime Minister a million billion dollars). It is the point of the story that is true, and not the story itself. God has forgiven us an unimaginable debt, so we ought to forgive others.
The prophet Nathan also used this technique when confronting David about his relationship with Bathsheba. He told a story about a shepherd with many sheep who stole from a shepherd who only had one. He did this in order to help David recognize the inappropriateness of his behavior (sleeping with Bathsheba and killing Uriah, her husband).
So how do we know that Adam and Eve are historical figures and not part of a fictional story that is being used to describe the fall of man? I want to offer three reasons to believe that Adam and Eve were real people.
1. Adam is part of geneologies throughout the Scriptures. It is only logical that fictional characters are not part of these geneologies. If Adam is a fictional character then how many other people in these geneologies are fictional? And what point do these geneologies shift from fictional characters to actual people?
2. The apostle Paul speaks of Adam as a historical figure (Romans 5; I Corinthians 15). If Paul, while writing Scripture, believed Adam was a real person, should we not also believe?
3. If there wasn't a literal first Adam, do we really need a literal second Adam (Jesus) to save us from the consequences we are suffering as a result of the first Adam?
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Also, although the book of Daniel is considered "Poetry" we take it literally - "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart". We should also take Genesis literally - the possibility of Jonah being in the belly of a whale IS humanly possible. We must believe this for the rest of the bible as well - We must be dangerous of our tendency to put God in a box.
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