The Adams Families
It may be news to some, but the Bible talks about two Adams; the first Adam and the last Adam.
What I would like to do is compare the two men.
In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we read, “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
The last Adam, of course, is Jesus Christ.
The first way we can compare the two men is in their temptations. With the first Adam, he failed miserably. Adam plunged the entire human race into sin, suffering and death. As a result of his act of disobedience, he became a sinner. Along with his act of sin along with our mother Eve, we were born sinners, unrighteous and rebellious in our own right. The sin nature the first Adam acquired has been transferred to us. All of the human race is guilty by association and guilty by our own sinful acts of rebellion toward God.
Adam was created perfectly by God, but with peccability – the ability to sin. We know this because he did in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6).
Contrast the life of Christ we find that he endured every temptation perfectly with no sin. Jesus has what is called impeccability – the inability to sin. Although we are comparing two men, one was of an earthly origin, the other from everlasting with a heavenly-earthly origin in his flesh (I Corinthians 15:47).
The marked difference between the two men was Adam hearkened unto his wife who was deceived by Satan’s lies and ate the forbidden fruit. The first Adam’s mistake was that he did not use the word of God to rebuke the devil, and send him out of the garden. The last Adam on the other hand, when confronted with temptation, recited God’s word and sent the devil away (Matthew 4:10-11).
Both men had ultimate authority. The first Adam forfeited his authority and was defeated by the enemy. The second Adam used his authority to gain victory over the enemy.
The last Adam regained with the first Adam lost – the authority in the earth. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The second way we can compare the two Adams is in their offspring. All those born in the first Adam will die because of sin. Since the first Adam was made the federal head of this world, all those born in him take on his DNA which is a certificate of death; we are born into sin.
The Bible says it like this, “Wherefore, as by one man (i.e. Adam), sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death upon all men for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
In Romans 5:17a we read, “For by one man’s offense death reigned by one…”
In Romans 5:19a we read, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…”
All of the first Adams’ children which are the entire human race are sinners. We were born with no hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12).
The chasm between sinful man and a Holy God is an unbridgeable gap. We can never cross that gap on our own. Why? Because in our natural sinful flesh we are unable to because we are unwilling. Our sinfulness is so systemic that it would take a miracle from God for us to be able to get to Him.
Unregenerate man is indeed a child of the devil (John 8:44). Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth is spiritually blind and dead.
So, how does one go from being in the first Adam’s family to the Last Adam’s family? The sinner HAS to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the justification of his soul by faith in order to cross over the bridge to get to God. The last Adam is that bridge we must go on to cross over and become a part of the family of the righteous. The first Adam ruined our relationship with the Father, the Last Adam restored it forever (Romans 5:19b).
Truly all die in the first Adam, and truly all live in the Last Adam (Romans 5:18).
The third and final comparison I want to make between the two men is rulership
In Genesis 1:26 we read God giving Adam authority over all the earth. Scholars have referred to the first Adam having Federal Headship over the earth. Why? Because God gave him complete dominion. Adam was the king of the earth prior to his epic fall from grace. The earth has always belonged to the Lord, but he centuries ago gave authority to man to take care of it. We see how this has turned out to this very hour – it’s a disaster! Fortunately not a disaster that God is not aware of and in control over. He knew this would happen for he allowed it for his own divine purposes.
Because of sin man’s authority is totally corrupt, and out of control. Man no longer rules with righteousness and submission to God’s will. Rather man is an evil egotistical, despot who abuses his power that leaves countless souls ruined in his collateral damage.
The word of God in Proverbs says this, “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase” (Proverbs 28:28).
Because of the failure of the first Adam’s rule as Federal Head, we are now seeing the fruits of his descendants’ rulership.
Contrast this with the last Adam’s rule; we read that Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
His rule will be an everlasting rule which will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44).
The last Adam’s rule will usher in everlasting peace. We read in Isaiah 11:9 these words, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.”
Being full of the knowledge of the Lord is an amazing reality! We have no capacity to realize that now in the world that is wholesale ignorant of God’s true knowledge. The reason why I know we are deficient of God’s knowledge is because of all the false religions, and false teaching that exists regarding the true God; as a result, man manufactures his own gods with his own code of “ethics”, and worships his false deities.
This is idolatry.
Man is ignorant of the knowledge of the Lord willfully because he is sinful, and he is ignorant because he is spiritually dead to God (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13).
These two men represent two natures. The Adamic nature represents the fall – the man of sin. The last Adam is God in the flesh; He represents all those forgiven of sin, born of his Spirit, adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters.
Two men, two families. To which one do you belong?
What I would like to do is compare the two men.
In 1 Corinthians 15:45 we read, “The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
The last Adam, of course, is Jesus Christ.
The first way we can compare the two men is in their temptations. With the first Adam, he failed miserably. Adam plunged the entire human race into sin, suffering and death. As a result of his act of disobedience, he became a sinner. Along with his act of sin along with our mother Eve, we were born sinners, unrighteous and rebellious in our own right. The sin nature the first Adam acquired has been transferred to us. All of the human race is guilty by association and guilty by our own sinful acts of rebellion toward God.
Adam was created perfectly by God, but with peccability – the ability to sin. We know this because he did in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:6).
Contrast the life of Christ we find that he endured every temptation perfectly with no sin. Jesus has what is called impeccability – the inability to sin. Although we are comparing two men, one was of an earthly origin, the other from everlasting with a heavenly-earthly origin in his flesh (I Corinthians 15:47).
The marked difference between the two men was Adam hearkened unto his wife who was deceived by Satan’s lies and ate the forbidden fruit. The first Adam’s mistake was that he did not use the word of God to rebuke the devil, and send him out of the garden. The last Adam on the other hand, when confronted with temptation, recited God’s word and sent the devil away (Matthew 4:10-11).
Both men had ultimate authority. The first Adam forfeited his authority and was defeated by the enemy. The second Adam used his authority to gain victory over the enemy.
The last Adam regained with the first Adam lost – the authority in the earth. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The second way we can compare the two Adams is in their offspring. All those born in the first Adam will die because of sin. Since the first Adam was made the federal head of this world, all those born in him take on his DNA which is a certificate of death; we are born into sin.
The Bible says it like this, “Wherefore, as by one man (i.e. Adam), sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death upon all men for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
In Romans 5:17a we read, “For by one man’s offense death reigned by one…”
In Romans 5:19a we read, “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners…”
All of the first Adams’ children which are the entire human race are sinners. We were born with no hope and without God (Ephesians 2:12).
The chasm between sinful man and a Holy God is an unbridgeable gap. We can never cross that gap on our own. Why? Because in our natural sinful flesh we are unable to because we are unwilling. Our sinfulness is so systemic that it would take a miracle from God for us to be able to get to Him.
Unregenerate man is indeed a child of the devil (John 8:44). Anyone who does not acknowledge this truth is spiritually blind and dead.
So, how does one go from being in the first Adam’s family to the Last Adam’s family? The sinner HAS to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and the justification of his soul by faith in order to cross over the bridge to get to God. The last Adam is that bridge we must go on to cross over and become a part of the family of the righteous. The first Adam ruined our relationship with the Father, the Last Adam restored it forever (Romans 5:19b).
Truly all die in the first Adam, and truly all live in the Last Adam (Romans 5:18).
The third and final comparison I want to make between the two men is rulership
In Genesis 1:26 we read God giving Adam authority over all the earth. Scholars have referred to the first Adam having Federal Headship over the earth. Why? Because God gave him complete dominion. Adam was the king of the earth prior to his epic fall from grace. The earth has always belonged to the Lord, but he centuries ago gave authority to man to take care of it. We see how this has turned out to this very hour – it’s a disaster! Fortunately not a disaster that God is not aware of and in control over. He knew this would happen for he allowed it for his own divine purposes.
Because of sin man’s authority is totally corrupt, and out of control. Man no longer rules with righteousness and submission to God’s will. Rather man is an evil egotistical, despot who abuses his power that leaves countless souls ruined in his collateral damage.
The word of God in Proverbs says this, “When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase” (Proverbs 28:28).
Because of the failure of the first Adam’s rule as Federal Head, we are now seeing the fruits of his descendants’ rulership.
Contrast this with the last Adam’s rule; we read that Jesus will rule the nations with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
His rule will be an everlasting rule which will never be destroyed (Daniel 2:44).
The last Adam’s rule will usher in everlasting peace. We read in Isaiah 11:9 these words, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.”
Being full of the knowledge of the Lord is an amazing reality! We have no capacity to realize that now in the world that is wholesale ignorant of God’s true knowledge. The reason why I know we are deficient of God’s knowledge is because of all the false religions, and false teaching that exists regarding the true God; as a result, man manufactures his own gods with his own code of “ethics”, and worships his false deities.
This is idolatry.
Man is ignorant of the knowledge of the Lord willfully because he is sinful, and he is ignorant because he is spiritually dead to God (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13).
These two men represent two natures. The Adamic nature represents the fall – the man of sin. The last Adam is God in the flesh; He represents all those forgiven of sin, born of his Spirit, adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters.
Two men, two families. To which one do you belong?
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