At first sight the question appears to be very divisive. It appears to set people who believe the Bible to be the true Word of God against people who believe the evidence of their own eyes in terms of the fossil record and DNA research.
But Christians are taught to love their fellow human beings, so how can a Christian despise someone simply because they are a scientist who thinks in a logical, scientific way? Similarly, scientists are taught to "think outside the box", not to have closed minds to the ideas of people who have a different viewpoint. How can a self-respecting scientist say they would refuse to even think about ideas that are supposedly outside the scope of early 21st century science?
More and more fossils are being discovered of creatures which are part way between apes and humans. Generally the more ape-like the fossil, the older its date. This doesn’t prove evolution, but it is rather suggestive.
In Genesis God describes the creation of the universe, of our world and of the arrival of different forms of life in terms that Moses, the writer of Genesis, could understand. He didn’t go into scientific detail about His methods, even though He was the power behind it all. God knows infinitely more about the laws of science than the cleverest scientist because He made them - in the beginning!!
In the beginning, God created the universe. Genesis 1,1
Human beings can be defined in biological, cultural, or spiritual terms. Genetically, humans are slightly different from apes. Humans and chimpanzees share about 98% of their DNA. Presumably the difference between us, Homo sapiens and our possible predecessors, Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis, would have been even less.
Alternatively, humans can be defined in terms of cultural achievement, such as the first creatures to control fire, to wear clothes, or to develop speech.
Being a spiritual book, I think the Bible defines man not in terms of biology, or culture, but rather in spiritual terms. There came a point in the prehistory of man when he began to differ from other creatures by showing spiritual awareness. Who am I? Where have I come from? Is there a meaning to life? Is there a creator? Do things happen in my life for a reason? Do I have a deeper purpose? Is death the end? Why is life unfair? and so on.
When God decided that humans were spiritually mature enough He introduced Himself to Adam. God wanted to make a relationship with humans. Adam was the first and Eve was the second. Spiritual Man had arrived, Man in God’s own image.
So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female. Genesis 1,27
Life in the so-called Garden Of Eden was idyllic until Satan, like a venomous snake, spoke to Eve in her heart and persuaded her and Adam to rebel against God and to lie to Him. They knew they were doing wrong because, unlike animals, Spiritual Man had a God-given conscience. From then on, actions have had consequences. Since then babies are born with consciences which develop during childhood unless deliberately suppressed. The knowledge of right and wrong, which animals don’t instinctively know, implies the existence of sin in the human world. If an animal hurts you it is acting out of instinct, but if you hurt an animal, you are sinning and youknowit. Your conscience tells you.
In answer to the question, Did Adam and Eve really exist? I believe the answer is yes, they were the first.
