Adam & Eve
[Read Genesis 1:28; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22]
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” You may have heard of Jesus being called the “Second Adam,” but have you really stopped to think what that means for our justification for our sin? In Romans 5, Paul talks about the work and saving grace of Jesus Christ and the contrast of the representation of Adam’s disobedience and Jesus’ obedience. Adam comes into a sin-free and perfect world and Jesus, who is perfect, comes into a sinful world to rescue us from our sins.
It is vital for Christians to remember that God knew the work of a sinful man (beginning with first Adam) could only be redeemed by a perfect man (Jesus, the “Second Adam”). God’s original intention for mankind was to dwell with Him in the garden, but the sin of man destroyed this possibility. God could have just given up on mankind and destroyed humanity in that instant. Instead, He intervened to save us from an eternity away from Him. Sin could have kept us from living in paradise with God, so to reconcile sinful people to Himself, God came to live with us. God became man (John 1:15) and dwelt amongst us so that we could be forgiven and dwell with Him in eternity.
I challenge you as you journey through this Advent devotional and encounter Jesus through the stories of these historical characters in the Old Testament to remember that God isn’t just a God who is distant, absent, and unavailable. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens your heart to see how God has been showing His unconditional, steady, unmatched love and how His sovereign plan of salvation was completed in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” You may have heard of Jesus being called the “Second Adam,” but have you really stopped to think what that means for our justification for our sin? In Romans 5, Paul talks about the work and saving grace of Jesus Christ and the contrast of the representation of Adam’s disobedience and Jesus’ obedience. Adam comes into a sin-free and perfect world and Jesus, who is perfect, comes into a sinful world to rescue us from our sins.
It is vital for Christians to remember that God knew the work of a sinful man (beginning with first Adam) could only be redeemed by a perfect man (Jesus, the “Second Adam”). God’s original intention for mankind was to dwell with Him in the garden, but the sin of man destroyed this possibility. God could have just given up on mankind and destroyed humanity in that instant. Instead, He intervened to save us from an eternity away from Him. Sin could have kept us from living in paradise with God, so to reconcile sinful people to Himself, God came to live with us. God became man (John 1:15) and dwelt amongst us so that we could be forgiven and dwell with Him in eternity.
I challenge you as you journey through this Advent devotional and encounter Jesus through the stories of these historical characters in the Old Testament to remember that God isn’t just a God who is distant, absent, and unavailable. Pray that the Holy Spirit opens your heart to see how God has been showing His unconditional, steady, unmatched love and how His sovereign plan of salvation was completed in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Associate Pastor Matt Coyne
Sturgeon Bay Community
Sturgeon Bay Community
Comments
Post a Comment