Who Is Adam?  Part 2 The First and Last of a Chosen Bloodline

May 20, 2008

In Part 1, we looked at what the Bible tells us about who Adam is and his importance to the human race, here we place Adam and Jesus side-by-side to take a closer look at how Adam and Jesus are similar.

We will be looking at 3 areas…

1. Chosen Bloodline

2. Reflect the Image of God

3. Miraculous Beginning

My basis for bringing Adam and Jesus together is not to elevate Adam to a status that is not his. In no way am I suggesting that Adam is a type of god or that he was going to become a god. In the same way, I am not attempting to lower, devalue or tarnish the deity of Jesus. His place as the Son of God and His position as the second person of the Trinity is firmly established and clearly understood by His Word and by His works as shown in the Bible.

However, I am attempting to bring these two men together, because there is something to be learned from their connection. The apostle Paul demonstrated this connection with strength and clarity in 1 Corinthians 15 and in Romans 5. Let us consider Paul’s words much as we would consider any man worthy of respect and accolade because of his study of God’s Word, his famous meeting of Jesus on the road to Demascus and because of the divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit obvious in Paul’s writing. He is connecting Adam and Jesus because there is a picture we need to see of God’s mighthy hand at work throughout the history of mankind.

The First and the Last of a Chosen Bloodline

In the third chapter of the book of Luke, Jesus has been baptized and God has recognized Jesus as the one in whom He has found favor, then Luke transitions to the genealogy of Jesus. In the Greek, genealogy means “a book of one’s lineage, i.e. in which his ancestry or progeny are enumerated.” Because genealogies are simply a list of names we may often skip over these parts of the Bible and move on to something of seemingly greater importance or interest. Let me encourage you to take a little more time and interest here, for it is in this specific genealogy (and others in scripture) we see the hand of God move through history. Shaping a people for a purpose (the Israelites), satisfying the promise of a covenant (Abraham’s covenant) and fulfilling the destiny of great prophecies (Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, etc.), all in the person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” comes from the line of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was later to be renamed by God to, Israel. Jesus also came from a line of kings. The head of this kingly line was David as promised in Jeremiah 33:14-16,

“cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.”

The most important connection we can identify in the genealogy of Jesus is the one made with Adam, the head of the human race and the first of the chosen bloodline.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul opens with an apologetic on the authority and validity of the resurrection of Jesus, then he turns to the order of the resurrection and how sin came to be and why Jesus’ death and resurrection were even necessary.

“But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12

In a broad stroke over these three verses, Paul is telling us that this risen Savior, Jesus Christ, died so that fallen humanity could be made alive. We know that death entered the world as a direct result of Adam’s sin (Genesis 3), but even beyond that, death is in this world because of your sin and mine.

We must remember that sin and death are firmly locked with one another. Death is the penalty for sin. Because we are descendants of Adam, we are born with a sin nature “as in Adam all die.” The Good News is Jesus paid a price we could not pay, He gave His life freely on the cross, defeated death and if we will confess our sin, repent (turn away) and make Jesus Christ, Lord over our lives then we will be made righteous and dwell with the assurance of eternal life in heaven with God.

Paul goes on in this chapter…

“The first MAN, Adam, BECAME A LIVING SOUL. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.” 1 Corinthians 15:45-49

What Adam destroyed, Jesus made new again; Adam gave life to humanity, Jesus gives life to the redeemed of humanity; Adam is of the earth, Jesus is sent from heaven above (Philippians 2); in the end, we have born the image of being born of humanity and one day, those who are in Christ, will bear the image of redemption.

Our next “Who Is Adam?’ will look at the Image of God.

Grace Be With You,

Tommy

1 Peter 3:15