Jesus as the Last Adam
One of the marks of a good book is its inclusion of a strong cast of interesting, well-rounded characters. People are complex. They develop over time. They change moment to moment depending on things ranging from their circumstances to their hormones.
The Bible is a good book. It is full of people just like us. They are sometimes strong, sometimes weak. They are sometimes wise, sometimes foolish. They are sometimes held up as good examples to follow, or bad examples to shun. One of the most sympathetic characters in all of the Bible is Adam. He has the honour of being the first human God created. He has the dishonour of being forever identified as the first human who knowingly decided to sin.
When we look at his life as a whole, there is something that invites us to compare him with and contrast him to Jesus. The apostle Paul does that in his first letter to the Corinthians where he reminds us the Old Testament records that “The first man Adam became a living being.” He then adds that Jesus, whom he calls “the last Adam” was “a life-giving spirit.” (See 1 Corinthians 15:45)
Both Adam and Jesus some things in common. They were both human. Neither of them had a biological father. They were the only men who ever lived on earth who knew what it was to be sinless. They had “life” in common. The difference was that Adam became a living being. He received the gift of life. Jesus was the source of life. He was, and is, the giver of life.
Adam is the head of the great human family. Jesus is the head of the great spiritual family we know as the church. Adam’s life From Adam, we inherit our biological aspect. Jesus offers us a spiritual inheritance. With Adam, we share the prospect of physical death. Jesus offers us eternal life.
Because of the similarities, it makes sense for Paul to link Jesus with Adam, but notice that he calls Him “the last Adam” not “the second Adam.” In doing this Paul indicates that there will never be another one who will affect the destiny of humanity to the degree that these two did.
When I think about Jesus as the “last Adam,” I think about my family tree. When I trace my physical connections back to Adam, I find a negative impact. Through his disobedience, he unleashed the power of death on his physical offspring. When I trace my spiritual connections back to Jesus, I find His impact is positive. Through His obedience to the Father, He released the power of resurrection and eternal life to all who believe - His spiritual children. I’m grateful for that.
Let me leave you with these words from the Bible itself. “Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
Ron Hughes
© November 2007
