The Last Adam Part 2

The Last Adam Part 2
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Jesus Christ is one hundred percent God and one hundred percent man. Isaiah 9:6 says, "For unto us a child is born (Jesus), unto us a son is given (Christ)..." Only in His humanity could Jesus be born. As deity, He could not be born. As Christ He could only be given because He existed eternally. What I am pointing out is this: there are titles in the Word of God for the humanity of Jesus and there are titles for His deity. The title, "Jesus," speaks of His humanity. The title, "Christ," speaks of His deity. If the "Son of Man" is a title for His humanity, then the title for His deity is "Son of God." Both terms together speak of the God-man; deity and humanity together—Jesus Christ.

Throughout the four Gospels, it is never stated the "Son of God" would be crucified; it always says the "Son of Man" would be crucified. It says the "Son of Man" would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The "Son of Man" would be put to death. The "Son of Man" would be betrayed. After Jesus' resurrection, the angel appeared to the two Mary’s and said, "I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified." "Jesus" is a title for His humanity. His humanity was crucified and His humanity died. His humanity was resurrected from the dead. Deity did not die when humanity died on the cross anymore than deity died when Adam died. Therefore, on the cross and as humanity, Jesus became our substitute in death.

Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ..." The Word of God tells us we were buried with Him, we have risen with Him, and we are seated with Him in heavenly places. But were we really crucified with Christ? In our human physical bodies, were we actually put on the cross and crucified with Jesus? No! So what does all of this mean, "I am crucified with Him," "I have been buried with Him," "I have been raised with Him"? It is one word: identification. Identification put me on the cross with Jesus. He took my place. When He went to the cross, I was identified with that. When He was buried, I was identified with that. Follow me: When the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ went to the cross, not only was mankind identified with it, God was identified with it. When Jesus died, the Godhead was identified with it. You were crucified with Him, although you really were not in your physical body. The moment you accepted Jesus Christ you became identified with His death, burial, and resurrection.

Romans 5:12 tells us "by one man (Adam) sin (the sin nature) entered into the world..." Romans 5 also tells us by one man (Jesus), righteousness entered in. Where the first Adam failed, the last Adam succeeded.

Romans 5:13-14: For until the law sin was in the world (speaking of the acts of sin); but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses...

Moses introduced the law, yet during that time death reigned. Why? Death does not reign because you commit sins. Death reigns because of the sin nature existing in the world. Before the time of Moses, God did not hold personal sins against people because there was no law. But when the law was given it referred to the acts and deeds of sin, not the sin nature.

The purpose of the law was not only to reveal personal sins, it was also to expose a deeper problem. The law said, "You have all these problems. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false witness." The law revealed all the symptoms of the sin nature, but it did not tell man he had a sin nature. Until the law was introduced, personal sins existed but were never held against man. "That is wrong. This is wrong. This is wrong. That is wrong."

There came a day when the law fulfilled its purpose. The law said, "Thou shalt not covet." Man said, "Okay. I will not covet. Oops! Wait a minute. How come I still covet?" Suddenly, the law did its job. By revealing the symptoms to man, it made him aware there must be a root cause. One day man began to question, "Where are all of these sins coming from?"

The root of all sins is the sin nature, but the law could not eliminate the sin nature. Neither does the new birth eliminate the sin nature. It only removes you from the dominion of the sin nature. Galatians chapter four illustrates this.

Abraham had two women. He had his wife and he had a handmaid. The handmaid (Hagar) was a type of the flesh. His wife (Sarah) was a type of the spirit. Hagar, who was the handmaid in the house, was fine while she was a slave. However, the moment Abraham acted through her, she produced something. The same is true of the sin nature. When you are removed from its dominion you have a new wife in the house (Sarah.) She represents the spirit. The body is alright as long as it is left a slave. However, the body has something within it that has the ability to produce. If you stay away from the sin nature and it's temptation, you will not produce sins.

Romans 5:13-14:

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.

This verse is not speaking of the sin nature. It is referring to the actual transgressions or "sins."

Verse 15 begins to contrast the Lord Jesus Christ with Adam. Jesus and Adam both had this in common: they could both sin in the same way. Both were unique in this world because they could only sin one way: producing personal sin that would bring on the sin nature.

Romans 5:15-16:

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.

The beginning of verse 15 would be better translated this way: "But the free gift is not like the transgression." Again, both Jesus and Adam could sin, but that is the only area they had in common. From this point on, Jesus is different from Adam. Where Adam missed it, Jesus never missed it. Where Adam fell, Jesus never fell. Where Adam was tempted, Jesus was tempted too, but where one succumbed, one did not.

The sin nature was put on us without our consent. It was forced on us: What Adam did, we could not prevent. However, what Jesus did He offers in grace and it is an act of our will to receive it. We don't get much choice with the devil. When we serve him, we get many things that we do not want; they are forced on us. But, when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ, everything is offered in grace. You can receive it. It is a free gift.

Romans 5:17:

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.

The Greek for "reign in life" actually says, "reign as kings in life."

Again, verse 14 says, "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses..." The same word for "reign" is used in both verse 14 and verse 17. Death once reigned as king, but when we receive the Lord Jesus Christ, we reign as kings. Do you know what we reign over? Everything including the sin nature and Satan. If you are not reigning as king today it is because you are unaware of your rights and privileges as a king. Can you imagine a king on the throne who does not know any of his rights and privileges? Anyone could push him around. The Word says,"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." (Hosea 4:6) How do you learn your rights and privileges as a reigning king? Through the knowledge of the Word of God.

Verse 19 of Romans 5 describes the wills of two men. One man used his free will negatively and one used His free will positively.

Romans 5:19-20:

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...

The word "entered" in this verse is a Greek acting term. The Greeks were famous for their acting. The word "entered" means a minor actor walked on stage until the major actor arrived. When the major actor came, the minor actor exited. Follow me: the law was a minor actor on the stage of God. The law only entered until the major actor came on stage. Jesus Christ was the major actor and when He arrived, the law exited. Galatians 3:19 tells us the law was added until the seed (Jesus) should come.

The sin nature was in the world, but man was ignorant of it. One day the law came in as a minor actor to expose the sin nature, but the way it exposed the sin nature was by exposing its production—its sins, its transgressions. When man learned about the transgression, he discovered who the guilty culprit was. Once the villain was exposed, the hero entered: the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus entered and took the consequences of the sin nature putting it away once and forevermore.

Verse 20 says, "...the law entered (as a minor actor), that the offence might abound." The offense is speaking of sins and the sin nature. Verse 20 continues, "But where sin (sin nature) abounded, grace did much more abound." After the sin nature was exposed, in came the Lord Jesus Christ. The law was our schoolmaster to instruct us about Christ, but when Christ came we no longer needed the schoolmaster.

Romans 5:21:

That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

Adam was in perfection, but he committed a personal sin. The sin nature entered. The sin nature was the doorway through which death entered. However, when we accept Jesus as Savior, righteousness enters in. Righteousness is the doorway through which grace enters and when grace enters in, it produces life.

Bob Yandian

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