The First Adam and the Last Adam
Excerpt
The true nature of the sin and the true glory of Christ's Work
Paul writes in Romans 5:12"who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam" (Romans 5:14). We are connected to Adam in such a way that his sin became our sin, his condemnation became our condemnation. This is not unjust, because Adam truly was our representative head and our ancestor - the father of all human beings.
"a type of Him who was to come" (Romans 5:14). Just as we were condemned through our connection to Adam, so we can be justified through our connection to Christ.
The parallel is striking:
Adam's sin→ humanity condemned in him → eternal death
Christ's righteousness→ new humanity justified in him → eternal life
"much more" statements. The free gift is not like the trespass. If death reigned through Adam's sin, "much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17).
Why "much more"? Because God's ultimate purpose is not judgment but the display of the glory of his grace. Judgment is real and necessary, but it serves as the backdrop against which God's abounding grace shines most brilliantly. The glory of God's grace is the glory of Christ applied to all who are in him.
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The true nature of the sin and the true glory of Christ's Work
Adam
Adam stands as the first representative head of humanity. Through his disobedience, sin entered the world, and through sin came death - not just physical death, but spiritual separation from God.Paul writes in Romans 5:12
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned."
This presents a mystery that we must understand: we are affected by Adam's sin {bad heritage} even though we did not personally commit it. Death reigned even over those The parallel is striking:
Adam's sin→ humanity condemned in him → eternal death
Christ's righteousness→ new humanity justified in him → eternal life
The Superiority of Christ's Work
While Adam is a type of Christ, Paul stresses that the comparison reveals Christ's superiority through severalWhy "much more"? Because God's ultimate purpose is not judgment but the display of the glory of his grace. Judgment is real and necessary, but it serves as the backdrop against which God's abounding grace shines most brilliantly. The glory of God's grace is the glory of Christ applied to all who are in him.
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