Christ the second Adam
This is the second in a series of studies about shadows in scripture
And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1 Corinthians 15:49 (NKJV)
A continuous strand is threaded through the Old Testament scriptures and it is Jesus Christ. He is repeatedly pictured in the people and the events holding these 39 books together – books that the Apostle Paul and his contemporaries were so familiar with.
Because of these books, Israel was waiting for the promised Messiah to free them from Roman rule. In 1 Corinthians and in Romans Paul goes back to Genesis and the creation account to outline what Christ has done and why he was and is the Messiah. He draws powerful parallels between the first man and Jesus Christ, referring to the first man, Adam, ‘…a living being’ (Genesis 2:7), and the ‘…last Adam…a life-giving spirit.’ Paul continues, ‘The first man was of the earth, made of dust’, and in contrast, ‘the second Man…is the heavenly Man’ (1 Corinthians 15:45,47,48).
In perfect ‘upside-down-ness’, for the one who is God, Christ was born into this world through his own ‘dusty’ creation. As he formed man in his own image he knew he would be immersing himself in what he had formed. He entered into our world in every sense: able to be hurt, to be hungry, to face death.
Paul takes us back to the big picture – how the problem created by Adam, and his descendants, is resolved by Jesus Christ. Adam’s story is the story of how sin entered into the world, ‘through one man’, something which led to death, which affects ‘all men’ (Romans 5:12). This fulfils God’s warning to the first man, in the Garden of Eden, that he would die if he ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The legacy of Adam’s decision is that we live fragile and limited lives, often in pain and unhappiness, and then cut short by death. Paul compares this legacy to the one we receive from Jesus – the second Adam: ‘For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.’ And just in case we didn’t get it the first time, he follows up with: ‘For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.’ (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).
Around us we see Adam’s world and the results of the human race living apart from God. Power is in the hands of those who often use the fear of death as their source of that power. But we live in a different world, with a different source of power. There is no need to fear death because it has been overcome – the resurrection happened, and Christ is alive. We are accounted righteous because of Christ’s sacrifice, and power is in the hands of a loving and compassionate God.
We are of Adam in that we are human and we still struggle with ‘the sin which so easily ensnares us’ (Hebrews 12:1). But we are also now of Christ, and as we have borne the image of the earthly, so we will bear the image of the heavenly.
Prayer
“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist…’ (Revelation 4:11). We long for your return to this, your creation. In your holy name, Amen.
Study by Maggie Mitchell
Maggie Mitchell attends the Market Harborough congregation of Grace Communion International
Local congregation:
GCI Market Harborough
9 The Point
Rockingham Road
Market Harborough
LE16 7QU
Meeting time:
Sunday 11.00 am
Local congregational contact:
Sinead Henderson
Email: sinead.henderson@gracecom.church
Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church