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ADAM — REPRESENTATIVE MAN
AUTHOR: Fincher, Allen
PUBLISHED ON: May 6, 2003
DOC SOURCE: CCN
PUBLISHED IN: Bible Studies
TAGS: Adam | Jesus

                    ADAM — REPRESENTATIVE MAN

                    (FIRST ADAM, LAST ADAM)

  Adam was more than a normal man; he was a “representative
man.”  Adam was a progenitor, the federal head, the prototype,
the master copy, the “representative” of the first human race.
What he did stood for us all.

  In this study, all scriptures are from the New International
Version unless otherwise noted.

Romans 5:12  Therefore, just as sin entered the world through   
  one man, and death through sin, and in this way      death
  came to all men, because all sinned….

Amplified  Therefore as sin came into the world through one man
            and death as the result of sin, so death spread to 
            all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape
            its power] because all men sinned.

A. S. Way  The error of one individual man made the breach
            through which sin entered our world; and in the track
            of sin came death.  So it was that death passed
            through that door to assail all men….

KJV        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

  Because Adam was not a normal man, but a “representative”
man, we see that death ruled as king thru the law of sin and
death because of his original sin.

Romans 5:14  Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to
  the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin  by
  breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a        pattern of
  the one to come.

Amplified  Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the       
            Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves 
            transgress [a positive command] as Adam did.  Adam 
            was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come….

  We see here in verse 14 that as Adam was a representative man,
so too Christ is a representative man.  So herein is the basis
for the gospel.  Since, if one man (Adam) got us into sin and
death, so too, one man (Jesus) can get us out.

Romans 5:15-19:

v 15  But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many 
died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s 
grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, 
Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Amplified  But God’s free gift is not at all to be compared to
            the trespass–His grace is out of all proportion to
            the fall of man.  For if many died through one man’s
            falling away–his lapse, his offense–much more   
            profusely did God’s grace and the free gift [that 
            comes] through the undeserved favor of the one Man 
            Jesus Christ, abound and overflow to and for [the 
            benefit of] many.

v 16  Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one 
man’s sin:  The judgment followed one sin and brought 
condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and 
brought justification.

v 17  For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned 
through that one man, how much more will those who receive 
God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of 
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Amplified  For if, because of one man’s trespass (lapse,     
            offense) death reigned through that one, much more 
            surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing 
            grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of       
            righteousness (putting them into right standing with
            Himself) reign as kings in life through the One,
            Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One.

v 18  Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was 
condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of 
righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

Amplified  Well then, as one man’s trespass–one man’s false 
            step and falling away–[led] to condemnation for all
            men, so one Man’s act of righteousness [leads] to 
            acquittal and right standing with God, and life for
            all men.

v 19  For just as through the disobedience of the one man the 
many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the 
one man the many will be made righteous.

Amplified  For just as by one man’s disobedience (failing to 
            hear, heedlessness and carelessness) the many were 
            constituted sinners, so by one Man’s obedience the 
            many will be constituted righteous–made acceptable
            to God, brought into right standing with Him.

  We see this representative man idea laid out for us in…

1 Corinthians 15:21, 22:

v 21  For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the
dead comes also through a man.

v 22  For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made 
alive.

Amplified  For just as [because of union of nature] in Adam all
            people die, so also [by virtue of their union of   
            nature] shall all in Christ be made alive.

  In verse 45 Christ is called the “last Adam” making reference
to his role as “Representative Man.”

v 45  So it is written:  “The first man Adam became a living 
being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.

Amplified  Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a   
            living being–an individual personality; the last 
            Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit–restoring
            the dead to life.

  Jesus made reference to himself as the last Adam in many terms
we fail to recognize.  For example:

John 15:1  “I AM the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”

  (We see the contrast in Jeremiah 2:21:  …corrupt, wild
vine….)

  Also, we see in John 12:24 (a grain of life, planted in death,
to bring forth many).

v 24  I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the
ground and dies, it remains only a single seed.  But if it 
dies, it produces many seeds.

(Contrast to Matthew 3:10:  …ax laid to the root of the
“corrupt” tree.)

  So we see that the entire plan of redemption revolves around
two men.  The basis of the gospel is that through faith in what
one man–the God-man Jesus Christ–did, all men could be saved
(the second Adam–the second representative man.)

            ADAM                              CHRIST

                    Both Representative Men
                          Both Heads

Corrupt, wild vine–Jer 2:21      True vine–John 15:1

Bad tree, bad fruit–Mt 7:17      Good tree, good fruit–Mt 7:17

Law of sin and death–            Law of life in Christ–
  Romans 5:12                        Romans 8:2
  Romans 8:2                        Romans 5:17

            NATURE                            NATURE

Spiritual death, mortality        Spiritual life, immortality

Curse, sin, sickness              Removal of the curse–
  poverty, suffering,                Galatians 3:13, 14
  death–Dt 28:14-68                Dt 28:1-13

1.  Spiritual death                1.  Spiritual life
2.  Mortality                      2.  Immortality–2 Tim 1:10
3.  Curse                          3.  Removal of curse

                  Other Parallels Jesus Made

            Jesus                              Paul

From above–John 8:23              1 Corinthians 15:47
Resurrection–John 11:25          1 Corinthians 15:21, 22 Gate–
John 10:7                          Romans 5:1, 2
The way, truth, life              Romans 5:17-19

  Scripture taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL
VERSION.  Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society.
Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

  Scripture taken from THE AMPLIFIED NEW TESTAMENT, copyright
1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.

  The copyrights of the other translations have expired.

  If you have any questions or wish to make any comments I can
be reached c/o The Christian Resource Services BBS, Chesapeake,
VA, 804-543-0830 (300/1200/2400, 8-N-1).

                          Allen Fincher

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