The path of the Last Adam
The path of the last Adam was a path that took Him from Heaven to earth, from the earth to the grave and from the grave to resurrection power on display as our Lord, Savior and King. But a study in contrast with the first Adam shows us the stark contrast to the faithfulness that the last Adam offers us in the place of the failure that we have experienced with our first earthly father.
1. Sinner vs Sinless
The LAST Adam was born sinless and there was found no sin in Him.
1 John 3:5 (NASB) You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
The first Adam was created without sin but he didn’t stay this way. The first Adam brought sin into the world through his disobedience.
Romans 5:12 (NASB) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin…
While Jesus as the LAST Adam freely chose to come to earth from Heaven and to live a sinless life by shunning evil and obeying the Father, the first Adam sinned of his own free will, choosing to disobey his Father as an act of his own free will.
2. A witness to the truth vs silence
Jesus as the LAST Adam came to earth to testify to the truth.
John 18:37 (NASB) Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.”
It was the failure of the first Adam to testify to the truth that started the process towards death and decay. Although Adam knew the truth and he was not deceived at all, he would not testify to that truth when his wife was being deceived by the serpent.
1 Timothy 2:14 (NASB) And it was not Adam who was deceived…
3. Exposing the lie vs silence
Jesus as the LAST Adam was faithful in exposing the lies because He wanted the truth to stand. He said that if what his disciples believed was a lie, He would tell them.
John 14:2 (NASB) “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you;…
But the first Adam had no care to expose the lie. The serpent told lies to his wife and it certainly “was not so”, but the first Adam did not take responsibility to correct the error. He remained silent and in silence he allowed the lie to stand without opposition.
4. Losing nothing vs losing one’s wife
The LAST Adam was a faithful shepherd of the flock, keeping watch and losing none of them. He never failed and He never walked away.
John 6:39 (NASB) “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
1 Peter 5:8 (NASB) Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
5. Bringing the curse vs bearing the curse
The first Adam brought the curse into the world…
Genesis 3:17-18 (NASB) Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you…Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; …”
But the LAST Adam willingly wore a crown of thorns bearing on His own body the curse that was placed on the first Adam’s behalf.
6. Patiently bearing vs patience with evil
Jesus as the LAST Adam patiently bore our sin on the cross while the first Adam was patient with evil.
7. Courage vs weakness during the trial
When the LAST Adam knew that it was time for Him to die, he approached the enemy with full knowledge of the future and He made request for the safety of his flock.
John 18:4–9 (NASB)
4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?”
5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them.
6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Therefore He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
9 to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”
The first Adam was not bold in the face of the enemy and he did not protect the innocent. He was not a strong tower or a source of protection. He was weak when he should have been strong.
While the first Adam failed us, the last Adam is our refuge and our strength in time of trouble.
Psalm 37:39 (NASB9) But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble.
Jesus as the LAST Adam gave His back to those who whipped Him…
Isaiah 50:6 (NASB) I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting.
…in contrast the first Adam protected his own skin.
Genesis 3:12 (NASB) The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”
8. Death vs life
Jesus as the LAST Adam died so that in Him we could live.
John 6:40 (NASB) “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
The first Adam lived in such a way that all of us died.
1 Corinthians 15:22 (NASB) For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
9. Selflessness vs selfish existence
The LAST Adam died with no thought for His own welfare. He willingly gave up His life and His death brought mercy from God to all who would believe.
Luke 22:42 (NASB) saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
John 4:34 (NASB) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
The first Adam was kicked out of the garden because his sin nature couldn’t be trusted to stay away from the now prohibited tree of life. The Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon says this about the “stretching out”:
“he might stretch out”
(2) it stands at the beginning of a sentence, where—(a), it implies prohibition and dissuasion …(b) it implies fear, dread. Gen. 3:22,
Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures (pg 678)
While it was feared that Adam might reach out for what no longer belonged to him, Jesus as the LAST Adam never reached out to hold onto His life in Heaven nor did he reach out to hold onto His earthly life. He offered His life on our behalf. Because of the LAST Adam’s sacrifice, we can be set free from everything that the first Adam brought into this world through his sin.
2 Timothy 1:10 (NASB) but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
15 thoughts on “The path of the Last Adam”
Very interesting and enlightening study! Thank you for this. There is a lot here to chew on!
Cheryl thanks for the post.
I almost got the sniff though of a comp theology in there, especially when you contrast Jesus faithfulness to stand up to Satan verses Adam’s failure to. It almost sounded like the comp argument that Adam did not fulfill his role in protecting and guarding the garden and his wife. For example you said…
“But the first Adam had no care to expose the lie. The serpent told lies to his wife and it certainly “was not so”, but the first Adam did not take responsibility to correct the error. He remained silent and in silence he allowed the lie to stand without opposition.”
Surely Eve knew the lie aswell if God had given her the direct prohibition as you claim. Why couldn’t she ‘correct the error’? And what exactly is Adam’s ‘responsibility’, i thought there was no headship in the garden?
Just food for you to think about in your descriptions. The rest of your article i found helpful though, thankyou.
I guess I’m a bit confused by the comment about Eve.
The bible states she was deceived, hook winked, conned, whatever you want to call it. She admitted the error or deception afterwards when addressed. Adam did not, but blameshifted over to Eve.
I guess his responsibility would have been to say something at the time when he was handed the apple, or when he knew she was being deceived. That to me would be the thing to do, but it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with headship.
I guess that comment lost me. How is that hinting at head?
Karen,
Thanks for the good words!
Mark,
You said:
Adam was not given the directive to “guard” his wife. But he was given the directive to “guard” the garden. When he let evil in unopposed it was treason just as God considered it treason when a watchman on the wall failed to warn the citizens of the enemy’s approach.
Eve knew the truth because she was able to speak the truth to the serpent but she did not recognize the lie otherwise she would not have been deceived.
She couldn’t correct the error, because she didn’t recognize it. The serpent was speaking of things that she did not have experience with as Adam did. She had not seen the Creator in action as the unique Creator and so she believed that lie that she could become like God. She also believed the lie that God’s prohibition was given out of jealousy to stop them from becoming like Him.
There was no ruler of one human over another in the garden. Adam’s responsibility as a watchman on the wall is consistent with the responsibility that God gives to all who know the truth and recognize the lie. He was responsible to defend the truth and expose the lie. Since he alone recognized the lie, he was responsible for exposing the lie so that the serpent could not kill, steal and destroy.
You are welcome!
Hannah,
Sorry that your comment did not appear earlier. For some reason it went into my blog’s spam box.
You said:
Yes, you are right. Adam was not deceived but put the blame on the back of a deceived woman. Eve was deceived and she admitted that she had been deceived and rightfully blamed the serpent.
I see it as the watchman allowing the enemy into the camp and watching as the enemy went about his work to kill, steal and destroy. Adam was to keep the garden safe from intruders and since he had been there with God watching the final part of creation, he was in a position to recognize what was from God and what was a threat. He didn’t stop the serpent from entering the garden, he didn’t stop the serpent from lying to his wife and he didn’t lift one finger to educate his wife on the lies that he recognized. I also think that if he had said something after his wife had already eaten and was giving to him, it would have been too late. But the one who had the knowledge of the lie let his wife be deceived, he took the fruit from her hand and he willingly ate in full rebellion and in full knowledge to God’s command without being deceived. No wonder God calls this an act of treachery.
Mark was hinting that “headship” was instituted at creation as Adam’s authority over his wife. He has no such evidence of such a thing, but he is saying that Adam’s responsibility to protect the garden is a “hint” that Adam was also responsible to take authority over his wife.
The facts do not show that Mark is right. Rather the Bible is consistent in showing that to the one who has been given much, much is required. Adam had a privilege to see the Creator at work that Eve had not seen since she was the one created last. Adam’s knowledge of the unique Creator was a responsibility that must be used for the glory of God and for the protection of the innocent. Adam’s failure to use that knowledge to protect his wife from being deceived was appalling and worthy of condemnation.
CHeryl,
Here is the problem. You want me to believe that both had equal authority in the garden, yet you admit that Adam had a reponsibility that Eve did not in protecting the garden. So it is hardly a ‘equal’ authority in the garden at all in your view.
Adam in your view also more authority than Eve in protecting the garden, you defined this by his ‘responsibility’. You can’t have it both ways. If Adam had a responsibility to his wife to stop the serpent decieving her then he had authority over her in that respect. Otherwise you could not say that Adam failed in his responsibility.
It seems you want to say Adam did indeed have a role or responsibility above that of Eve in protecting the garden, yet want to try and hold onto equality. THis looks like an oxymoron from my end…just saying! Are you agreeing with comps that one person in a marriage can have more responsibility or authority than another?
Mark,
You said:
Adam had more knowledge than Eve did as she was not yet created when God created the garden and the animals. If Eve had been around to see what Adam saw, and if God would have disallowed her as a watchman, then she would have been unequal since they would have had the same knowledge but only one would have been responsible for that knowledge. But that is not the case.
God’s way has always been to make us accountable for the individual revelation that He has given us. When God gave Adam revelation of who He is as Creator, Adam was responsible for that revelation and he was held accountable.
God made both Adam and Eve rulers of the world. There was no distinction. Knowledge given to one when the other one did not yet exist is a responsibility to use that knowledge that has nothing to do with an inequality between the two.
Today God gives individual knowledge of His word in a special way that helps to protect the flock. Those who have knowledge are not unequal with the flock that they are protecting.
God has given me wisdom in working with the cults and many pastors have used that wisdom to become informed and to informed the Christians in their church. Does that make me better than the pastor who was not taught this information in seminary? Not at all. But I am still responsible for doing something with what God gives me. Individual knowledge never makes one person as better than another nor does it allow the person who has the knowledge to “rule over” others. Knowledge like this that has been given by God is meant to benefit the flock and all those who have been gifted are accountable in the way that they benefit others. If we hold back our gifts for our own use and refuse to give what we have to serve others, we will one day stand before God to give an account of ourselves and for our lack of faithfulness.
So, no, I do not believe that Adam had more authority. Adam had more knowledge of the nature of God and this knowledge gave him a responsibility that was very grave. Adam failed. We must not.
It was not a responsibility “above” that of Eve. It was a responsibility in line with the direct knowledge and experience of God that He had. For them to be unequal would entail a restriction on Eve in the equal knowledge or a responsibility of Adam over Eve. Neither of these are in the text, so we need to stick with what God wrote and He made them both rulers in the same way. Eve ruled in the garden in the same way that Adam ruled. Adam was just responsible for knowing evil because of the knowledge that he had.
I hope that helps!
”’If Adam had a responsibility to his wife to stop the serpent decieving her then he had authority over her in that respect. Otherwise you could not say that Adam failed in his responsibility.”’
This makes no sense at all. In life when see a person being deceived by another God would wish us to point that out. We fail in our responsibility as a Christian if we sit back knowingly watching someone being deceived, and not say anything..and watch it happen. To me that is common sense, and has nothing to do with authority whatsoever.
If a women saw a man being deceived, and she sat back and went along with it she would be in sin. If she points the deception to him is she taking authority over him?
That is like saying anytime we point out wrong doing in this fashion we are taking authority over another. So if a friend was planning on doing business with an organization that you know has fraud in mine pointing that out is taking authority over them.
Pointing out the fact someone is being deceived would be a Christian responsibility, and something God would instruct us to do wouldn’t he? Its the principal of the thing, and I never did grasp how that is interrupted as authority. Its called doing what is right and proper to me.
Hannah,
What we are all expected to read into this is that this applies to men only. Anything a woman does, does not imply authority. Anything a man does implies authority. It is the classic reading into the text what you expect to find. I am almost certain that if the text said that Adam scratched her ear and the text didn’t say that Eve also scratched his ear, his scratching would be taken as a sign of his authority over her!
Hannah and Cheryl,
THe scenario you gave Hannah is quite true because both a man or woman have an equal responsibility in that sense.
The problem is Cheryl is saying that Adam has something Eve does not- that is the difference.
Cheryl quite true that we have a responsibility with the knowledge God gives us. However i reject that a pastor, elder, seminary lecturer do not therefore have authority over those they are ministering too. This is clear in the Bible that we are to submit to those who lead us because of that extra responsibility.
They are still equal in their salvation (Gal 3:28)- we are all one in Christ, but some are still in authority because of the position God has put them in.
I can’t understand this “Adam was just responsible for knowing evil because of the knowledge that he had.”
Where is that in the text if we are only going off the text? You are reading that into the text! I can’t see how you can say they had equal rulership in the garden, but include an extra subclause for Adam. Either they have equal rulership or they don’t. Equal is equal, anything else is not equal.
Now if you want to say they are equal in essence yet distinct in role then i agree, since this is what we see in Genesis. It just seems to me that you are admitting that Adam had a different role, but are trying to divert around the fact therefore, that they had different roles/authority in the garden.
I don’t see diverting at all in what she said. I think you are missing the connection!
He knew the deception was going on, and choose to go along with the program. He didn’t step up to his responsibility – that all of us would be expected by God to take if we were in his shoes. No need for mention of ‘roles’ regarding that aspect. He knew it wasn’t right, and did it anyway. That was sin when he ignored NOT doing what he knew God would expect of ANYONE – not just the role of ‘men’. The bible states Eve was deceived, and didn’t get the same clear picture.
It was his responsibility to step up – just as anyone else in his shoes would have been expected to – and he stayed silent instead. There is no reading ‘roles’ into it at all. It’s something God would have expected in anyone placed in the same position.
I’m personally confused as to why you aren’t grasping this. His knowledge was the deception going on – why would he NOT be responsible for not stepping up to mention it or speak out against it? All mankind got dinged for it! He wasn’t removed from the garden because he didn’t do some ‘man role’ – he was removed due to sin. He saw sin and didn’t take responsibility to do something about it. Gender, roles, authority, etc don’t have anything to do with this. Its just what happened – plain and simple. Nothing else to read into on that aspect it would seem to me.
Mark,
I ran out of time tonight. I’ll try to catch up on your questions/comments tomorrow. Thanks for your patience. 🙂
Hannah,
You are still missing my point.
The issue is whether Adam had a responsibility that Eve did not. According the Cheryl (which i agree) the answer is yes.
Now what you have said is quite true but ONLY if everyone has the same responsibility to stop deception. Adam did indeed fail to step in and stop the serpent- i agree with that. The question is would Eve have had the same responsibility if the situation was reversed. From what Cheryl has stated the answer has to be no, simply becasue as Cheryl defined it- Adam saw God create and Eve did not. Adam had the mandate to protect the garden, Eve did not.
This therefore is the problem. Cheryl is asserting that Adam had a responsibility that was impossible for Eve to have, but yet Cheryl holds onto an equality of roles and rulership. They seem mutually exclusive to me. Like i said, they were either completely equal in role/function or they were not. You cannot blame Adam for a lack of ‘resposibility’ if in fact you believe that Adam did not have more responsibility than Eve.
Now clearly the Bible teaches that Adam did have more responsibility, and clearly only he was given the mandate to guard the garden. This is clearly a differentiation of roles or functions between the man and the woman is it not?
Mark,
Sorry about being so slow in answering. I am really stretched thin right now so I can’t be as prompt as I would like.
You have misunderstood me. Adam and Eve and all of us have a responsibility to use the knowledge that we have been given. Eve used her knowledge to answer the serpent’s question and to defend God when the serpent originally suggested that God had not given them permission to eat from the fruit of the trees. Adam kept silent and did not share that knowledge.
And when Adam had knowledge that Eve did not, he was also required to give of what he had. He again was silent.
Was Adam alone the protector of the garden? While God doesn’t say that Eve was not given that task, we do know that she was the ruler of the garden just as He was. It is a part of the rule that one protects. But one can only protect with the knowledge that one has. Eve did what she could until she was deceived. Adam did nothing with his knowledge and so he allowed evil into the garden when he recognized that evil.
Everyone has the same responsibility to stop deception if one is aware of the deception. It isn’t the responsibility that was different. It was the knowledge that was different. Adam was the one who was not deceived.
No, that is not right. Eve was a ruler just like Adam. Now if she had been created before Adam and it was Eve who had uniquely seen God’s work as Creator, then she would have had more responsibility for what she knew. But both were rulers and neither was the sole ruler of the garden.
You are defining this as a “role” instead of its proper definition of knowledge. If one has more knowledge of something, it is their responsibility to share. But having more knowledge doesn’t mean that there are unequal “roles” or unequal “rulers”. God said in the beginning that they were both rulers and His Word is what we measure ideas of “roles” that would cause us to create false ideas about unequal rulership.
They were completely equal in rulership. Yet they were not the Bobbsey twins. They were individuals who had differences of knowledge because one was created before the other. It didn’t mean that Eve lacked a “role” because if we were going to say this, then you would have to say that Adam was the only one given the prohibition therefore she was exempt from this law. Rather, the laws applied to both and she was just as much a ruler as Adam was. If Eve had as much knowledge as Adam did, she would have been just as culpable as he was. Again – knowledge is not the same thing as a “role” nor does it make unequal “rulers”.
Guarding the garden is part of the rule. If you think this is not true, please show me your case from the Scriptures where Eve was exempt from being ruler of the garden.
Mark, you also said:
The Bible never says that a pastor, elder or seminary lecturer has “authority over” others in the body of Christ. While those who take the lead have a responsibility to protect us, this doesn’t mean that they have authority over us.