Adam vs. Christ

As I was studying through Romans 5 this morning, something began to strike me.  In this chapter, Paul spends a good portion comparing Adam and Christ.

Through the chapter, Paul points out the distinctions between Adam and Jesus, with the ultimate point being that through Adam we experience death and sin, but the Jesus we receive grace, redemption, and life.  I’ve recently started a program through Downline ministries, and at our last class the speaker, John Bryson, made the statement that boys take, but men give.  Men contribute to a situation, seek the benefit of others, encourage, and pour life in to the situations they are placed in.  Boys take; they do not add benefit, they don’t offer solutions but instead add to the problem.  They seek their own needs above the needs of those around them.  The combination of these two studies led to an interesting comparison as I read through Romans and my commentary this morning.

If you compare the life of Adam and Christ, we can see a wonderful picture of masculinity.  Unfortunately for Adam, we can also see a picture of a man-child, a boy who is masquerading as a man.  Romans explains that we find our racial head in Adam; his sins condemned us all (but let’s be real- even if we were individually responsible for sin nature, we would all still sin.  The verdict is completely fair. We are all guilty.).  However, this works to our advantage!  Because our sin nature was found in Adam, our racial head, we were able to be justified by one man, Jesus Christ.  We don’t have to live a perfectly righteous life in order to receive grace.  We fell in to sin as one unit, and Christ died for us so that His righteousness may be imparted to us in one unit, for those who believe. 

Essentially, Adam brought death; Christ brought life.  In Genesis, as it lists the “generations of Adam,” one phrase is painfully repetitive: “and he died.”  Through the sin of Adam (and our own sin), we are condemned to death!  But glory to God for Jesus Christ-He has made us alive in Him and imparted His righteousness to us so that we do not have to stand condemned.  Essentially, Adam takes, but Christ came to give life, and give it abundantly.  Definitely one of the countless ways Christ points men to greater authentic, Biblical manhood.

Another way is that stands out is through Christ’s boldness.  Larry Crabbe points out in “The Silence of Adam” that men are called to speak truth in to a situation.  Adam was given the law first and then it was passed on to Eve.  He was designed and created to lead his household, to wash his wife with the power of the Word.  In the garden, the instructions that God gave to Adam were the Word!  It was the only Word they had, yet we see our legalistic nature already begin to creep out in the first couple chapters of Genesis.  Adam and Eve add to the command. God instructs them that they are not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Yet by Genesis 3, they’ve also said that they can’t touch the fruit at all!  We don’t know if Adam added the command as he was telling Eve, or if they both added it after hearing the true command, but one thing still remains true- they had added to the Word of God. Not their ultimate downfall, but still worth noting.

Additionally, Adam failed to remind himself and his wife of the true command!  Then, after deceiving themselves into additional legalism, they also gave the enemy a foothold in their lives.  They engaged the very enemy of God in a conversation!  I am guilty of this more frequently than I care to think about.  We must not even engage the enemy and give him an opportunity for deception!  Adam failed to speak truth in to the situation, Eve failed to remember the Scripture and trust the Lord to love well, and humanity fell in to sin. 

Yet let’s look at Christ- He spoke truth in to every situation He was placed in.  He WAS Truth.  He trusted in His Father even to the point of death on a Cross. He is the ultimate picture of masculinity (and femininity in a cool way….but more on that later).  Men, model yourselves after Christ, not after Adam.  We have far too many Adams. Man up. Take the lead. Point to Christ and Truth in every area of your life, to the best of your ability.  Lead toward justification, righteousness, and give life in a uniquely masculine way.  Then teach and invite other men to do the same. Imitate Christ.5