In this study, we
will seek to understand the biblical
teaching on the two Adams. As in previous
studies, we will look at definitions,
scriptures, commentary evidence for the
glorifying of God in how we live. Most
people are familiar with the first man
Adam. Not everyone is familiar with the fact
the Jesus is called the second or
last Adam. In this study, we will look at
differences and similarities between
the two Adams of Scripture. We will start
with a definition of the second or
last Adam.
The Last Adam
A designation for
Jesus found in the writings of the Apostle
Paul. In bringing redemption, as the
last (or second) Adam, Jesus represents
those united to him, and thus becomes
the inaugurator of the new humanity. In
contrast, the first Adam represented
all of humanity in the first sin and thus
became the inaugurator of sinful
humanity. *
The Last Adam
Question: What does
it mean that Jesus is the second Adam?
Answer: The Apostle
Paul tells us in his first letter to the
church in Corinth, “The first man Adam
became a living being; the last Adam, a
life-giving spirit. The spiritual did
not come first, but the natural, and after
that the spiritual. The first man
was of the dust of the earth, the second man
from heaven. As was the earthly
man, so are those who are of the earth; and
as is the man from heaven, so also
are those who are of heaven. And just as we
have borne the likeness of the earthly
man, so shall we bear the likeness of the
man from heaven” (1Corinthians
15:45-49). **
Scripture Teaching:
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: (For until
the law sin was in the world: but sin
is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to
Moses, even over them that had not sinned
after the similitude of Adam's
transgression, who is the figure of him that
was to come. But not as the
offence, so also is the free gift. For if
through the offence of one many be
dead, much more the grace of God, and the
gift by grace, which is by one man,
Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And
not as it was by one that sinned, so
is the gift: for the judgment was by one to
condemnation, but the free gift is
of many offences unto justification. For if
by one man's offence death reigned
by one; much more they, which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness shall reign in life by one,
Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as by the
offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the
righteousness of one the free gift came upon
all men unto justification of
life. For as by one man's disobedience many
were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made
righteous. Moreover, the law entered, that
the offence might abound. But where sin
abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath
reigned unto death, even so might grace
reign through righteousness unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Romans 5:12-21)
The next entry is a
comprehensive
exposition of Romans 5:12-21 and a
contrast between the two Adams. Other than
the scriptural commentary, we will forgo a
discussion of “original sin” in this
study.
Adam—Christ
Correspondence
and Contrast by William Hendriksen:
“But where sin
increased, grace increased all the more”
5:12–21
12 Wherefore, just as
through one man sin entered the world, and
death through sin, and so death
spread to all mankind, since all sinned— 13
for before the law (was given) sin
was in the world. But sin is not taken into
account when there is no law. 14
Nevertheless,
death reigned from (the time of) Adam to
(that of) Moses, even over those who
did not sin by transgressing an express
command, as did Adam, who is a type of
him who was to come.
15 But the free gift
is not like the trespass. For if, by reason
of the trespass of the one the many
died, much more did God’s grace and the gift
that came by the grace of this one
man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16
Again, the gift (of God) is not
like (the result of) one man’s sin. For the
judgment followed one sin and
brought condemnation, but the free gift
followed many trespasses and brought
justification. 17 For if by the trespass of
the one, death reigned through that
one, much more will those who receive the
overflowing fullness of grace and of
the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently, as
one trespass resulted in condemnation for
all men, so also one act of
righteousness resulted for all men in
justification issuing in life. 19 For
just as through the disobedience of the one
the many were made sinners, so also
through the obedience of the One will the
many be made righteous.
20 Moreover, the law
came in besides, in order that the trespass
might increase. But where sin
increased, grace increased all the more, 21
in order that, as sin reigned in
death, so also grace might reign through
righteousness to bring everlasting
life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That there is a close
connection between 5:1–11 and 5:12–21 is
clear. In both of these sections the
thought that is stressed is that salvation
for time and eternity is through
Jesus Christ. According to 5:1–11 it is
through him that believers have been
justified and have found peace,
reconciliation with God. To this idea of
certainty of salvation through Christ, Paul
now, in verses 12–21, adds the
thought that grace more than offsets sin. It
not only nullifies the effects of
sin, it also bestows everlasting life.
Paul’s reasoning may
at first seem somewhat difficult to follow.
He starts a sentence but does not
complete it. He begins by saying, 12.
Wherefore, just as through one man sin
entered the world, and death through sin,
and so death spread to all mankind,
since all sinned, and then, instead of
completing this statement, he first of
all enlarges on one of its elements, namely
the universality of sin. Not until
he reaches verse 18 does he return to the
sentence he started to write. He
reproduces its thought in a modified form:
“Consequently, as one trespass
resulted in condemnation for all,” and then
he finally, in substance, completes
the sentence as follows, “… so also one act
of righteousness resulted for all
men in justification issuing in life.”
Now it should be
admitted that such a break in grammatical
structure is in line with Paul’s
style and personality. See on Luke, p. 6.
Yet it is not today, nor has it been
in the past, an unusual style phenomenon.
For example, a
minister, making an announcement to his
congregation, regarding a picnic, might
start out as follows:
“Since tomorrow we’ll
all be attending the church picnic.…”
He wishes to continue
with, “We urge all to come early and to
bring along food enough for your own
family and, if possible, even something
extra for poor people who may wish to
join us.”
But before he can
even say this he notices that his words
about a church picnic tomorrow are
being greeted with skepticism. So, instead,
he continues as follows:
“I notice that some
of you are shaking your heads, thinking that
there can be no picnic tomorrow.
Let me therefore assure you that the early
morning prediction about a storm
heading our way has been canceled. A new
forecast was conveyed to me just
minutes before I ascended the pulpit.
According to it, the storm has changed
its course and beautiful weather is expected
for tomorrow. So we urge all to
come early, etc.”
With all this in
mind, the various elements of verse 12, and
also the verse viewed as a unit,
may be interpreted as follows:
a. “Wherefore,” that
is, in view of the fact that, through his
sacrificial death and resurrection
life, Jesus Christ has brought
righteousness, reconciliation (peace), and
life,
etc. See 5:1–11.
b. “just as through
one man sin entered the world …”
The one man is
obviously Adam. See verse 14. Cf. Gen. 2:16,
17; 3:1–6. In what sense is it to
be understood that through Adam’s fall sin
entered the world? Only in this
sense that gradually, over the course of the
years and centuries, those who
were born inherited their sinful nature from
Adam, and therefore committed
sins? Without denying that this indeed
happened, we must nevertheless affirm
that there was a far more direct way in
which “through one man sin entered the
world.” On this same third missionary
journey, not very long before Paul
composed Romans, he wrote letters to the
Corinthians. In one of them (1Cor.
15:22) he says, “As in Adam all die, so in
Christ shall all be made alive.” In
Rom. 5:15, he writes, “By reason of the
trespass of the one the many died.” He
obviously means that the entire human race
was included in Adam, so that when
Adam sinned, all sinned; when the process of
death began to ruin him, it
immediately affected the entire race.
Scripture, in other
words, in speaking about these matters, does
not view people atomistically, as
if each person were comparable to a grain of
sand on the seashore. Especially
in this present day and age, with its
emphasis on the individual, it is well to
be reminded of the truth expressed in the
words, which in a former generation,
were impressed even upon the minds of
children:
In Adam’s Fall
We Sinned All
Moreover, when we
bear in mind that this very chapter (5)
teaches not only the inclusion of all
those who belong to Adam—that is, of the
entire human race—in Adam’s guilt, but
also the inclusion of all who belong to
Christ, in the salvation purchased by
his blood (verses 18, 19; cf. 2 Cor. 5:19;
Eph. 1:3–7; Phil. 3:9; Col. 3:1, 3),
and that this salvation is God’s free gift
to all who by faith are willing to
accept it, we shall have nothing to complain
about.
c. “and death through
sin, and so death spread to all mankind …”
Solidarity in guilt
implies solidarity in death, here, as in
1Cor. 15:22, with emphasis on physical
death. Sin and death cannot be separated, as
is clear from Gen. 2:17; 3:17–19;
Rom. 1:32; 1Cor. 15:22. In Adam all sinned;
in Adam all died. The process of
dying, and this not only for Adam but for
the race, began the moment Adam
sinned.
d. “since all
sinned.”
In all probability
this refers to sins all people have
themselves committed after they were born.
Such personal sinning has been going on
throughout the centuries. Paul is, as
it were, saying, “I know that one man, and
in him all men, sinned, for if this
were not true how can we account for all the
sinning that has been going on
afterward?”
This interpretation
gives to the word sinned the meaning it has
everywhere else in Paul’s epistles.
Why should “all sinned” mean one thing
(actual, personal sins) in Rom. 3:23,
but something else in 5:12? Besides if here
in 5:12 we explain the words all
sinned to refer to the fact that all sinned
in Adam, would we not be making the
apostle guilty of needless repetition, for
the sinning of all “in Adam” is
already implied in this same verse; note
“through one man sin entered the
world.”
To these two reasons
for believing that this interpretation of
the words “since all sinned” is the
right one, a third can be added: it now
becomes clear why Paul did not, at this
point, complete the sentence beginning with
“Wherefore,” but went off on a
tangent. The statement “since all sinned”
could easily arouse disbelief,
especially in the minds of those who
attached great importance to the
proclamation
of the law at Sinai. The question might be
asked, “If to sin means to
transgress the law, how can Paul say that
since the time of Adam all sinned?
Until the giving of the law at Sinai there
was no law, and therefore no
transgression of the law, no sin.” The
apostle considers this possible
objection to be of sufficient importance to
justify the break in grammatical
structure to which reference was made in the
beginning of the explanation of
verse 12 (see p. 176). Paul answers as
follows:
13, 14. … for before
the law (was given) sin was in the world.
But sin is not taken into account
when there is no law. Nevertheless, death
reigned from (the time of) Adam to
(that of) Moses, even over those who did not
sin by transgressing an express
command, as did Adam, who is a type of him
who was to come.
In confirmation of
the statement “all sinned,” including even
those people who lived on earth
during the period Adam to Moses, Paul
reasons as follows:
Sin was indeed in the
world even before Sinai’s law was given, as
is shown by the fact that death,
sin’s punishment, ruled supreme during the
period Adam to Moses. The apostle
may have been thinking, among other things,
about the deluge, which destroyed
almost the entire population of the world.
Yes, death reigned even over those
who did not sin by transgressing an
expressed command, as did Adam. See Gen.
2:16, 17. So, it is clear that even during
the period Adam to Moses sin was
indeed taken into account. Though Sinai’s
law, with its expressed commands, did
not as yet exist, there was law. Here the
apostle was undoubtedly thinking
about what he had written earlier in this
very epistle (2:14, 15). And this
law, with death as punishment for wanton
transgressors, was indeed applied (see
Rom. 1:18–32). That there was law follows
from the fact that there was sin. If
there had been no law there would have been
no sin.
In introducing Adam,
the transgressor of an expressed command,
the apostle states, “who is a type of
him who was to come.”
Having said this, is
Paul able now at last, to finish the
sentence he began in verse 12? Not yet,
for calling Adam a type of the One who was
to come, that is, of Christ, could
easily lead to misunderstanding. Adam, whose
fall resulted in incalculable
misery for the human race, and Christ, the
world’s Savior (John 4:42; 1 John
4:14; cf. 1 Tim. 4:10), how is it possible
to mention these two in one breath?
How can Adam be a type of Christ? This Paul
must first explain.
How can there be any
resemblance between Adam and Christ?
Nevertheless, there is resemblance, for
just as it is true that Adam imparted to
those who were his that which belonged
to him, so also Christ bestows on his
beloved ones that which is his. It is in
this respect that Adam foreshadows Christ.
For the rest, however, the parallel
is one of contrast, a fact which the apostle
sets forth as follows:
15–17. But the free
gift is not like the trespass. For if, by
reason of the trespass of the one the
many died, much more did God’s grace and the
gift that came by the grace of
this one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the
many! Again, the gift (of God) is
not like (the result of) one man’s sin. For
the judgment followed one sin and
brought condemnation, but the free gift
followed many trespasses and brought
justification. For if by the trespass of the
one, death reigned through that
one, much more will those who receive the
overflowing fullness of grace and of
the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the One, Jesus Christ.
In these verses Paul
shows that the parallel Adam-Christ is
mainly one of contrast, in the sense
that Christ’s influence for good far
outweighs Adam’s effectiveness for evil:
the free gift is “not like the trespass,”
that is, is far more effective than
the trespass.
By way of
introduction to the further interpretation a
few matters should be kept in
mind:
a. The apostle uses
the word many in a twofold sense. In its
first use (“the many died”), it
indicates all of Adam’s physical
descendants. At the close of that same verse
(“overflow to the many”), it indicates all
those who belong to Christ. This
reminds one of Isa. 53:11, 12; Matt. 20:28;
Mark 10:45.
b. Verse 12 has shown
that Adam was responsible for bringing into
the world two evils: sin and death.
The apostle deals with both of these in
turn: with Adam’s sin or trespass
(verses 15, 16), with death (verse 17). He
conceives of them as being
intimately related, and therefore at times
mentions both in one breath.
It is understandable
that Paul can say that by reason of Adam’s
trespass the many died. These many
are those designated in 5:12 as “all
mankind” (literally all human beings,
everybody). Cf. 1Cor. 15:22. But, in
connection with the work of God in Christ,
for God’s children this evil has been more
than canceled out. For them God’s
grace and his gift of salvation changed
death into its very opposite. Death
became a gain (Phil. 1:21)! Moreover, as to
sin, when grace entered, it more
than merely returned man to his former state
of innocence. It bestowed on him
righteousness (verse 17), and life (verse
18), that is, everlasting life (verse
21). For the glorious content of this term
see above, on 2:7.
Again, in Adam’s case
a single sin was involved, a sin that
resulted in condemnation. But Christ, by
his work of redemption, made provision for
the forgiveness not only of that one
sin but also of all those that followed from
it. His sacrifice sufficed for
them all, and in fact was efficacious for
all the sins committed by those who,
by sovereign grace, were to place their
trust in him. For them condemnation was
replaced by justification. See on 1:17;
3:24; 5:1.
Paul now turns more
especially to the subject of death. This
time, after repeating that death
resulted from the trespass of the one, Adam,
he mentions the reign of death,
the powerful and destructive sway it
exercises over the affairs of human
beings. In harmony with his thoughts on the
supremacy of grace (the “much more”
doctrine), the apostle now points out that
in the case of believers the reign
of death is not merely replaced by the reign
of life but by a reign so
inexpressibly glorious that those who
participate in it will themselves be
kings and queens. All this is the result of
“the overflowing fullness of grace
and of a righteousness that is God’s gift to
them through the One, Jesus
Christ,” that is, through his person and
work.
When the apostle has
thus taken care of the difficulties that had
to be cleared up before he was
able to complete the thought begun in verse
12, he now, by means of somewhat
varying phraseology, in verse 18a gives the
gist of the earlier verse—so that
essentially verse 18a amounts to verse 12,
and then, in verse 18b brings this
thought to a conclusion. In somewhat
different wording the entire thought is
repeated in verse 19.
18,
19. Consequently, as one trespass resulted
in condemnation for all men, so also one act
of righteousness resulted for all
men in justification issuing in life. For
just as through the disobedience of
the one the many were made sinners, so also
through the obedience of the One
will the many be made righteous.
As the word
“consequently” indicates, not only is Paul
now returning to the thought
expressed in verse 12; he is summing up the
argument of the entire paragraph
(verses 12–17). The present passage places
over against each other one
trespass, namely, that of Adam (Gen. 3:6,
9–12, 17), a trespass here called
“the disobedience of the one,” and one act
or deed of righteousness, called
“the obedience of the One,” that One being
Jesus Christ. Cf. Phil. 2:8. Since
in the preceding context Paul has no less
than three times mentioned Christ’s
death for his people (verses 6, 8, 10; cf.
verses 7 and 9), it is certain that
also here in verses 18, 19 the reference is
to that supreme sacrifice. However,
we should not interpret this concept too
narrowly: Christ’s voluntary death
represents his entire sacrificial earthly
ministry of which that death was the
climax.
We can understand
that one trespass resulted for all men in
condemnation, but what does the
apostle mean when he states that also for
all men one act of righteousness
resulted in life-imparting justification? If
in the first case “all men” means
absolutely everybody, does not logic demand
that in the second instance of its
use it has the same meaning? The answer is:
a. The apostle has
made very clear in previous passages that
salvation is for believers, for them
alone (1:16, 17; 3:21–25, etc.).
b. He has emphasized
this also in this very context: those alone
who “receive the overflowing fullness
of grace and of the gift of righteousness”
will reign in life (verse 17).
c. In a passage which
is similar to 5:18, and to which reference
has been made earlier, the apostle
himself explains what he means by “all” or
“all men” who are going to be saved
and participate in a glorious resurrection.
That passage is:
“For as in Adam all
die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
But each in his own turn: Christ, the
first fruits; afterward those who are
Christ’s, at his coming” (1Cor. 15:22,
23). Here it is clearly stated that the
“all” who will be made alive are “those
who are Christ’s,” that is, those who belong
to him.
But though this
answer proves that when Paul here uses the
expression “all” or “all men” in
connection with those who are or will be
saved, this “all” or “all men” must
not be interpreted in the absolute or
unlimited sense, this still leaves
another question unanswered, namely, “Why
does Paul use this strong expression?”
To answer this question one should carefully
read the entire epistle. It will
then become clear that, among other things,
Paul is combating the ever-present
tendency of Jews to regard themselves as
being better than Gentiles. Over
against that erroneous and sinful attitude
he emphasizes that, as far as
salvation is concerned, there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile. The
reader should carefully study the following
passages in order to see this for
himself: 1:16, 17; 2:7–11; 3:21–24, 28–30;
4:3–16; 9:8, 22–33; 10:11–13; 11:32;
15:7–12; 16:25–27. As concerns salvation,
says Paul, “There is no distinction.
God shows no partiality.” All men are
sinners before God. All are in need of
salvation. For all the way to be saved is
the same.
In a day and age in
which, even in certain evangelical circles,
the unbiblical distinction between
Jew and Gentile is still being maintained
and even emphasized, it is necessary
that what God’s Word says about this,
particularly also in Paul’s epistle to
the Romans, be pointed out.
Note that in verse 18
we are told that the one trespass resulted
in condemnation for all, but that
the one act of righteousness resulted in
justification issuing in life. This
shows that justification not merely
overturns the verdict of “guilty,” setting
aside the sentence of doom, but also opens
the gate to life. For this concept
of life—cf. verses 17 and 21—see above on
2:7.
Also in verse 19 Paul
does not say, “Just as through the
disobedience of the one the many were made
sinners, so also through the obedience of
the One will the many be made
innocent or sinless,” but “… will the many
be made righteous.” To be sure, this
basically means “to be declared righteous.”
However, when God declares someone
righteous, does that action ever stand all
by itself? See the explanation of
5:5.
20. Moreover, the law
came in besides. In order that the trespass
might increase. But where sin
increased, grace increased all the more …
Paul has been
speaking about Adam and Christ, type and
antitype. Adam transgressed a specific
command, as has been shown. That happened
long before the pomulgation of
Sinai’s law. Now even before this there was
law, as the explanation of 5:13 has
shown. But at Sinai the Mosaic law came in
besides “in order that the trespass
might increase.” That was the divine
intention in giving this law.
This cannot mean that
God became the cause of sin’s increase. It
means that it was God’s will and
purpose that in light of his demand of
perfect love (cf. Matt. 22:37–40; Mark
12:29–31; Luke 10:27) man’s consciousness of
sin might become sharpened. A
vague awareness of the fact that all is not
well with him will not drive man to
the Savior. So the law acts as a magnifying
glass. Such an instrument does not
actually increase the number of dirty spots
on a garment. It makes them stand
out more clearly and reveals many more of
them than one can see with the naked
eye. Similarly, the law causes sin to stand
out in all its heinousness and
ramifications. In connection with this see
also Rom. 3:20; 7:7, 13; Gal. 3:19.
Moreover, this
increase in the knowledge of sin is very
necessary. It will prevent a person
from imagining that in his own power he can
overcome sin. The more he, in light
of God’s law, begins to see his own
sinfulness and weakness, the more also will
he thank God for the manifestation of his
grace in Jesus Christ. Result: where
sin increases, grace increases also. Not as
if these two forces, sin and grace,
were equal. On the contrary, grace not only
pardons; as verse 21 shows, it does
far more: it brings “everlasting life
through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Truly,
where sin increases, grace increases all the
more!
Among the many hymns
that bring out this glorious truth there are
these two: (a) Charles Wesley’s “O
For a Thousand Tongues,” containing the
line, “He breaks the power of canceled
sin”; what an incisive combination of two
mighty products of God’s grace,
namely, justification and sanctification;
and (b) Julia H. Johnston’s “Grace
Greater Than Our Sin.”
Since the apostle
often makes mention of God’s law, as also in
the present passage, it may be
useful to give a brief summary of the
functions of this law, as indicated in
Paul’s epistles and elsewhere in Scripture.
Undoubtedly one or more references
can easily be added to each of the
following:
a. to serve as a
source of man’s knowledge of sin and to
sharpen his consciousness of sin (Rom.
3:20, etc., as has been indicated).
b. to fix the
sinner’s attention on the far greater power
of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, and
to lead him to the Savior (Rom. 5:20; Gal.
3:24).
c. to serve as a
guide for the expression of the believer’s
life of gratitude to God’s honor
(Ps. 19:7, 8; 119:105; Rom. 7:22).
d. to function as a
bridle, restraining sin (1 Tim. 1:9–11).
There is, of course,
a very close connection between these
various functions.
The purpose of “grace
abounding” is expressed in the following
unforgettable words: 21. … in order
that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace
might reign through righteousness
to bring everlasting life through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
What a strikingly
beautiful close to this chapter! There are
seven concepts, as follows:
a. sin
This is, first of
all, the sin of Adam, here viewed as our
representative, whose guilt, due to
the solidarity of the human race, is imputed
to us all, a fact to which all the
personal sins of human beings bear witness.
See especially verses 12, 15, 17.
b.
reigning
When
Adam fell, it seemed as if sin was about
to triumph completely. However, according to
God’s plan, grace intervened, and
in the case of all God’s children, triumphed
over sin. See verses 12–14 for the
reign of sin; verses 15–19 for the triumph
of grace.
c. death
Sin brought condemnation
and death; first of all physical death, but
also spiritual and eternal death.
Sin and Death are personified: Sin being, as
it were, the Sovereign; Death, his
Viceroy. For the moment (think of Adam’s
fall), it seemed as if Sin would be
able to claim the victory. See verses 12,
14. But note the next item:
d. grace
Grace meets sin
head-on and defeats it. See verses 15–17,
20.
e. righteousness
Not a righteousness
provided by man but a righteousness imputed
by God. It was through this righteousness
that grace triumphed over sin. See 1:17;
3:21–24; 5:17.
f. everlasting life
When the sinner is
clothed with the righteousness provided by
God, he is on his way to everlasting
life (verse 18), the glorious life in the
new heaven and earth; a life, which,
in principle, is given to him even here and
now. For this concept see on 2:7.
g. Jesus Christ our
Lord
See verses 14, 15,
17, 19. It must not be forgotten that apart
from the immeasurably marvelous
sacrifice of “Jesus Christ our Lord,” a
sacrifice revealing a love, which, in
all its dimensions, surpasses all human
understanding, grace would never have
been able to conquer sin and death.
The unifying thought,
as it were tying together all these seven
concepts, is this, “Where sin increased,
grace increased all the more,” namely, the
grace embodied in the supreme
sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, and
revealed to us through him. (1)
Additional Scriptures
relevant to the
two Adams:
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. (1Corinthians
15:21-22)
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
on 1Corinthians 15:21-22 is excellent:
“For since by man
came death,.... The first man, by sin, was
the cause of death; of its coming
into the world, and upon all men, by which
corporeal death is here meant;
though the first man also by sin brought a
moral death, or a death in sin on
all his posterity; and rendered them liable
to an eternal death, which is the just
wages of sin; but since the apostle is
treating of the resurrection of the
body, a bodily death seems only intended:
By man came also the
resurrection of the dead; so God, in his
great goodness and infinite wisdom has
thought fit, and he has so ordered it, that
it should be, that as the first man
was the cause of, and brought death into the
world, the second man should be
the cause of the resurrection of life.
Christ is the meritorious and procuring
cause of the resurrection of his people; he
by dying has abolished death; and
by rising from the dead has opened the
graves of the saints, and procured their
resurrection for them, obtained for them a
right unto it, and made way for it:
and he is the pattern and exemplar,
according to which they will be raised;
their vile bodies will be fashioned, and
made like to his glorious body; and
whereas both in life and in death they bear
the image of the first and earthly
man, in the resurrection they will bear the
image of the second and heavenly
one: he also will be the efficient cause of
the resurrection; all the dead will
be raised by his power, and at the hearing
of his voice; though the saints only
will be raised by him, in virtue of their
union to him, and interest in him,
being members of his body, of his flesh, and
of his bones.
For as in Adam all
die,.... The apostle here shows who he meant
in the former verse, by the one
man the cause of death, and by the other the
author of the resurrection of the
dead, and that he intended Adam and Christ;
all men were in Adam seminally, as
the common parent of human nature, in such
sense as Levi was in the loins of
Abraham when Melchizedek met him, and in him
paid tithes unto him; and they
were all in him representatively, he being
the federal head of all his
posterity, and so a type and figure of
Christ that was to come; and being in
him, they all sinned in him, and so died in
him, the sentence of death passed
on them in him; they became subject to a
corporeal death, which has ever since
reigned over mankind, even over infants,
such who have not sinned after the
similitude of his transgression; this was
the doctrine of the Jewish church;
See Gill on Romans 5:12, to which may be
added one testimony more; says (g) one
of their writers,
“By the means of the
first Adam, “death was inflicted by way of
punishment on all’”:
even so in Christ
shall all be made alive: not made
spiritually alive, for Christ quickens whom
he will; not all in this sense, some die in
their sins; nor are all entitled to
an eternal life; for though Christ has a
power to give it, yet only to those
whom the Father has given to him; it is true
indeed, that all that are in
Christ, chosen in him and united to him, are
made alive by him, and have the
gift of eternal life through him; but the
apostle is not speaking of such a
life, but of a corporeal one: to be
quickened or made alive, is with the Jews,
and other eastern nations, a phrase of the
same signification with being raised
from the dead, and as the context here
shows; and not to be understood of the
resurrection of all men, for though there
will be a resurrection of the just
and unjust, yet the one will be the
resurrection of life, and the other the
resurrection of damnation; now it is of the
former the apostle here speaks, and
expresses by being made alive: and the sense
is, that as all that were in Adam,
all that belonged to him, all his natural
seed and posterity, all to whom he
was a federal head, died in him, became
mortal, and subject to death through
him; so all that are in Christ, that belong
to him, who are his spiritual seed
and offspring, to whom he is a covenant
head, and representative, shall be
raised to an immortal life by him; or as all
the elect of God died in Adam, so
shall they all be quickened, or raised to
life in and by Christ.” (2)
The next passage also deals
with the
comparisons of the two Adams:
And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is
spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is
spiritual. The first man is of the earth,
earthy; the second man is the Lord from
heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy: and as is the
heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly. And as we have borne the image of
the earthy, we shall also bear the
image of the heavenly. (1Corinthians
15:45-49)
The First and the
Last Adam by S. Cox, D.D. on
1Corinthians 15:45-50 explains this
passage perfectly:
1Corinthians 15:45-50
And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul;
the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit.…
1. St. Paul bases his
assertion that “if there is a psychical
body, there is also a spiritual,”
first, on the analogies of Nature; second,
on the nature of Man as revealed in
Holy Writ (see ver. 44), third, on the
historical facts that Adam had the one
and Christ the other.
2. Note, however,
some interesting preliminaries. The opening
clause of the text is almost an
exact quotation from Genesis 2:7; that the
second refers to Christ is proved by
these two facts: that with the rabbis, at
whose feet Paul sat, “the last Adam”
was a common name for “the Messiah”; and
that St. Paul never uses the
designations the second Man, or “the last
Adam,” of any one but Christ. Again
the rabbis bid us note that Moses says, not
“man was made, but became a living
soul.” They hold that when God breathed the
breath of life into Adam, He
conferred on him the higher spiritual nature
of man; but that, when Adam
sinned, he fell, and became a man in whom
the soul ruled rather than the
spirit. And the rabbis have the Scriptures
on their side. What was “the fall”
but a fall from the higher life of the
spirit into the lower life of the soul,
into a life of mere intelligence and passion
as distinguished from a life of
righteousness, faith, love, joy, peace? Why
was he debarred from “the tree of
life” but because that it was no longer meet
that his body should put on
incorruption and immortality?
I. THE FIRST MAN ADAM
BECAME A LIVING SOUL.
1. The psychical or
soulish man is a man in whom the soul is
supreme. Conscience, righteousness,
faith, God, etc., do not stand first with
him; but man, time, earth, the
gratifications of sense and intellect. Was
not Adam a man of this type? When
the spiritual crisis came his faith failed
him. God was not first with him, nor
God's will.
2. A soulish man he
came to have a soulish body. Indications of
this are seen in —
(1)Adam's
newborn shame of his nakedness.
(2)The
passion, which made Cain a murderer.
(3)The
infirmities, the special forms of death
and corruption, to which Adam and his
children became liable. Nevertheless, as
our own experience proves, the body, even
when thus changed and depraved, was
nevertheless perfect in its adaptation to
the faculties, functions, cravings,
needs of the soul.
II. CHRIST, THE LAST
ADAM, WAS A LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT.
1. He was the true
spiritual Man; for in Him all faculties and
passions of the soul were in
subjection to the spirit. To Him, living and
walking in the spirit, all that is
of earth and time and soul was as nothing
when compared with the eternal
realities. And therefore He could refuse all
the kingdoms of this world, and
could hasten to help any man, however lowly,
however earthly, and seek to quicken
in him, by help to the body, the life of the
spirit. Of a charity so intense
that He loved every man, of a faith so clear
and strong that He looked through
all the shows of time to the eternal
substance, of a hope so lively that He
despaired of no man, of a righteousness so
pure that even the practiced eyes of
incarnate evil could find nothing in Him, of
a peace so perfect that even His
unparalleled labour and conflict could not
impair it; in heaven even while He
was on earth; making His Father's will His
daily food, He stands before us the
one true spiritual Man.
2. So also, the last
Adam teaches us what the spiritual body is.
(1) He had a body
like to ours, yet not altogether the same as
ours. Conceived of a Virgin by the
Holy Ghost, Christ took our flesh as Adam
took it, from the hands of God,
immaculate; receiving a physical body which
might change and rise into “a
spiritual body” without passing, as our
bodies must, through the purifications
of corruption. We die perforce. But He “laid
down” His life. He saw no
corruption. It was not possible that He
should be holden of death.
(a) And therefore, we
see signs of the spiritual body even in the
body of His humiliation. Virtue
went out of Him. He lived not by bread
alone. He walked on the storm-tossed waves.
On Mount Tabor He stood before the eyes of
His amazed and dazzled disciples a
spiritual man in a spiritual body.
(b) But all these
signs of the spiritual m the physical region
of His life were prompted by that
which is of the spirit, not by that which is
of the soul. It was at the touch
of faith, of spiritual need and desire and
trust that virtue went out of Him.
It was that He might feed the hungry,
succour the distressed, or deliver the
imperilled, that He exerted a supernatural
control over natural laws: and He
fed, succoured, delivered men that they
might come to know Him, and God in Him,
and thus possess themselves of eternal life.
When the weak physical frame was
transfigured with an immortal strength and
splendour, it was because His spirit
was rapt in the ecstasies of redeeming love
as He talked with Moses and Elias,
because He saw that the work of His
redemption would be triumphantly
accomplished.
(2) After His death
and resurrection, the signs that He inhabits
a spiritual body grow more apparent.
Though He can still eat and drink, etc., He
glides through closed doors, passes
as in an instant from place to place,
vanishes from their sight as the
disciples recognise Him. At His will, He is
visible or invisible: He is here.
He is there, the spiritual body being now as
perfect a servant of the spirit in
Him as the psychical body of the soul. He
can eat, but He does not need to eat.
His body is raised into higher conditions,
endowed with loftier powers. It is
heavenly, not earthly; it is spiritual
rather than physical or psychical.
Conclusion: Do any ask: “But what is all
this to us? Adam and Christ were both
exceptional men. If the first Adam was a
psychical man and the last Adam a
spiritual man, how does that bear on St.
Paul's argument?” It is much — nay, it
is everything — to us; and that precisely
because both Adam and Christ were
exceptional men, who stand in an exceptional
relation to the human race. For
(ver. 22) both the Adam and the Christ are
in us, and in all men; that they contend
together in us for the mastery; that it is
at our own option to side either
with the one or with the other; and that,
according as we espouse the first
Adam or the last, we become earthly or
heavenly, psychical or spiritual men. If
we permit the Christ to reign in us, in our
mortal members, our mortality will
put on immortality — as His did, and be
swallowed up of life — as His was. Like
His, our spiritual manhood will demand and
receive a spiritual body. And
therefore St. Paul may fairly exhort us
that, “as we bear the image of the
earthly (man), so also we should bear the
image of the heavenly.” (S. Cox,
D.D.) (3)
The following entry from the
Evangelical Dictionary is excellent.
Adam, the Second from Baker’s
Evangelical
Dictionary:
Christ is the “image
of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation” (Col 1:15). Like the
first Adam, he is the “ruler of creation”
(Rev 3:14). He is its author and
perfecter (Heb. 12:2). Anyone in Christ is a
“new creation” (2Cor. 5:17).
He existed in the
form of God, yet did not consider equality
with God something to be grasped (Phil.
2:6). He did not desire to be more than man
(2:7-8). He was “made like his
brothers in every way” so that “by his death
he might destroy him who holds the
power of death” and free those held in
slavery by fear of death (Hebrews 2:14
Hebrews 2:17).
Christ was crowned
with glory and honor over the world to come
(Heb. 2:5-7). The first Adam lost
his crown and gained death. The second Adam
was crowned because he tasted death
for every man (2:8-9). Sin and death upon
all men entered the world through one
man. By the obedience of the second Adam
life abounds too many (Ro 5:12-19).
He was tempted in
every way, as was Adam, yet was without sin
(Matt 4:1-11; Heb. 4:15). Like the
serpent he says, “Take and eat” (Matt
26:26), but this food brings life to the
world (John 6:33). Christ and Adam are both
sons of God (Matt 1:1; Luke 3:37).
Both have their sonship by his power (Gen
2:7; Luke 1:35; Rom 1:4). God
breathed into Adam the breath of life. Jesus
breathed on his disciples and
said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John
20:22).
As in Adam all die,
so in Christ all will be made alive (1Co
15:22). Adam was a pattern of the one
to come (Ro 5:14). One of the greatest
things to be said for the first Adam was
that he became “a living being.” Christ,
however, became “a life-giving spirit”
(1Co 15:45). This spiritual life force does
not make us slaves again to fear
but the spirit of the Son comes into our
hearts crying “Abba, Father” (Rom
8:15; Gal 4:6-7).
The first Adam came
from the dust. The second Adam came from
heaven (1Co 15:47). He came down from
heaven not to do his own will but the will
of him who sent him (John 6:38). God
called the first man by name out of hiding
(Gen 3:9). The second Adam calls his
own by name and they hear his voice (John
10:3). One day the dead will hear the
voice of the Son of God. Those who hear will
live (John 5:25).
We have borne the
likeness of the earthly man, the first Adam.
In the resurrection we will bear
the likeness of the man from heaven (1Co
15:49). By the power that enables him
to bring everything under his control, he
will transform our lowly bodies so
they will be like his glorious body. The
last enemy placed under the feet of
the second Adam is death (Psalm 110:1; 1Co
15:26). He will not reach out and
try to grasp more but will turn everything
over to God who will be all in all
(15:28). Paul Ferguson (4)
In closing, a
comparative summary of the two Adams:
THE
FIRST ADAM
·The first man Adam was
made a living soul
(1Corinthians 15:45)
·He was natural or
non-spiritual (1Corinthians
15:46)
·His origin was earthly
(1Corinthians 15:47)
·Fallen men reflect Adam’s
image (1Corinthians
15:49)
·All die in Adam
(1Corinthians 15:22)
Adam is the federal head of the old
creation
and fallen race:
·Adam was a representative
of all mankind
(Romans 5:12-21)
·Adam performed one act
for his race this
act was a sinful act (Romans 5:12, 15, 16,
17-18)
Adam’s
sinful act produced:
·Death (Romans 5:12, 14,
15)
·Judgment (Romans 5:16,
18)
·Condemnation (Romans
5:16, 18)
JESUS,
THE SECOND ADAM
·The last Adam
(1Corinthians 15:45)
·The second Adam was made
a quickening
spirit (1Corinthians 15:45)
·Christ gives life and
this life is spiritual
(1Corinthians 15:46)
·Christ’s origin is from
heaven (1Corinthians
15:47)
·Christ’s people bear His
image (1Corinthians15:49
·Christ’s people are alive
in Him (1Corinthians15:22)
Jesus is the federal
Head of the new creation
and redeemed race:
·Christ was a
representative for His people
and He acted on behalf of His people (Romans
5:12-21)
·Christ performed one act,
which had even
greater value than the first Adam (Romans
5:16)
·Christ‘s act was a
righteous act (Romans
5:18)
·Christ’s act was an act
of obedience, in
dying on the cross (Romans 5:19)
Christ’s
righteous act produced:
·Eternal Life (Romans
5:17, 18, 21)
·Justification (Romans
5:16, 18-19)
·No
Condemnation (Romans 8:8)
“Study to shew
thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly
dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy
2:15)
Notes:
1.William
Hendriksen, New
Testament Commentary,
Romans, (Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker
Book House, 1984), pp. 176-185.
2.John
Gill, Exposition
of the Old and New
Testaments, 1Corinthians, 9 Volumes,
(Grace Works, Multi-Media Labs), 2011,
p. 365-366.
4.Walter
A. Elwell, Editor, Baker’s
Evangelical
Dictionary of Biblical Theology,
(Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Book
House), p. 10-12.
“To God, only wise,
be glory through Jesus Christ forever.
Amen.” (Romans 16:27) and “heirs
according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:28,
29)
Mr. Kettler has
previously published articles in the Chalcedon
Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea attend
the Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. Mr.
Kettler is the author of the book defending
the Reformed Faith against attacks,
titled: The Religion That Started in
a Hat. Available at:
www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com