-Romans 5:17
Recently my church's young adult group started a series titled "Shadows". In this series we are studying different characters in the Old Testament of the Bible, and seeing how they shadow Jesus. In other words, we are seeing how all these characters in the Bible point to the character of Jesus. Our hope for this series is that we would learn more about who Jesus is, and how everything in the Bible points to Him. We also want to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, to show that the Old Testament is not irrelevant. The first character we've studied is Adam.
Adam was the first person created by God. The Bible tells us that he was formed out of the dust of the ground. God placed Adam in charge of all creation, to work and care for the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam one command; "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die (Genesis 2:17)". God also created Eve, the first woman, who became Adam's wife and helper.
A serpent, who we know to be Satan, approaches Eve and tempts her. The serpent is able to convince Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, and to share it with Adam. Both Adam and Eve now sinned against God, because they disobeyed His one command. They hide themselves from God (as if you can do that), because they realize that they are naked. God asks Adam if he ate from the forbidden tree, and Adam passes the blame to Eve. Eve then passes the blame to the serpent, claiming that the serpent deceived her. God then casts them both from the Garden.
So how is Adam a shadow of Jesus? Adam was created in the image of God. Jesus was and is the image of God. While both bear the image of God, Jesus is the full representation of God, where Adam is only a shadow. Adam was created, Jesus is creator. Adam was put in charge of the Garden of Eden, to work it and rule over it. Jesus is placed in charge of all things, including people.
Adam was given a command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When he saw that the fruit from the tree was good and pleasing to the eye, he ate from it. Adam wanted to take the place of God, to know good and evil. His disobedience led to him being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, which I believe signifies God's presence. Adam's sin was passed down to all mankind, even up to us. The sin that Adam committed brought death into this world, and separation from God.
Jesus was given a mission to come on the Earth and to die on the cross. His spent His earthly life living in perfect obedience to all of God's commands. Jesus took the place of man, living as a servant and eventually dying in the place of man. Jesus' perfect obedience led to Him dying on the cross, and being separated from God for three days. However, Jesus rose again and is seated at the right hand of God, and His righteousness is passed down to all who believe, even up to us. The life that Jesus lived and died brought life into the world, and union with God.
Adam shadows Jesus in many ways, but he falls short of the person of Jesus. Adam could not live in perfect obedience as Jesus did. In fact, Adam's disobedience is the reason that Jesus came. Where Adam could not fulfill God's perfect standard, Jesus came and fulfilled it. Adam wanted to take the place of God, but Jesus took the place of man and restored man. Adam brought death and separation to the world, but Jesus brought life and union with God.
We didn't discuss all of these questions at our meeting, but I think they are good things to think about regarding Adam.
- How am I like Adam? In what ways do I disobey God's commands?
- Am I living according to the mission that God gave me? Am I trying to take the place of God in my life?
- Do I believe that through Jesus' perfect obedience I can be reconciled to God?
- Am I in Adam or in Jesus?
-Smart
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