When Paul explains the gospel in his letters, he uses Adam several times as a type of Christ. Through Adam, sin and death entered the human world. Christ is the last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) and through Him those who have become sinners and mortals in Adam will receive imperishable life.
Adam is also an example of Christ in what we know as “the Fall”. And about this Paul says: “Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived” (1 Tim.2:14). Adam was apparently not tempted: not by the serpent, but also not by Eve. Why then did he eat and how is he a type of the last Adam?
Adam
The word Adam appears many times in the Hebrew Bible (552 times). It is not only the translation of the name, but also the most common word for man, because that is what Adam means.
In the Greek of “the New Testament” the name Adam occurs nine times. One time it concerns a mention in a genealogy (Luke 3:38), one time that “Enoch is the seventh from Adam” (Jude: 14) and all other times we find in the letters of Paul, where it is explained that Adam is a type of Christ, who is therefore called the last Adam, that is: the definitive Adam (1 Cor.15:45).
Adam was supposed to rule and subdue creation (Gen. 1:28), but he fell short. These words in Genesis will be fulfilled by the last Adam, who will subdue and rule over all creation (1 Cor. 15:27-28).
Genesis 3
In the description of the events in Genesis, we find a fairly detailed description of Eve being tempted by the serpent (Gen. 3:1-6), but when it comes to Adam’s eating, the description is very brief.
Genesis 3
6 …And she takes of its fruit and eats. And she also gives to her husband who is with her, and he eats.
From these words we cannot conclude that Adam was not deceived, as Paul says in 1 Tim.2:14. But if we look at it in the light of Paul’s teaching, that Adam is a type of Christ, then it becomes clear to us why he did eat.
1 Corinthians 15
22 For just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
type
In Paul’s teaching, Adam is a type of Christ. Just as Adam is a model for humanity, so too is Christ. Dying here is a grammatical form of an unfinished action. All are dying, or: mortal. No man can escape this, for through one man sin entered the world and death through sin, whereupon all sinned and became mortals (Rom.5:12).
And as Adam is the head and model for all humanity, so too is Christ, says the comparison, for so also in Christ all will be made alive. That is also a fact that no one can escape.
Romans 5
18 So then, just as one trespass is the condemnation of all men, so it is also through one righteous act for all men for the justification of life.
comparison
Paul also makes such a sharp comparison in this verse. Here too, Adam and Christ are heads of humanity. As one misdeed leads to condemnation for all men, so one righteous act leads to justification of life for all men. The transgression, of course, concerns Adam’s eating of the fruit, and the righteous act is the faith of Jesus Christ. The scope of both concerns all people.
1 Timothy 2
14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was transgressed by deception.
Adam not tempted
Adam was not tempted, Paul says. However, God did hold him responsible and it is Adam who is the first to be addressed by God (Gen.3:9). In the passage where Paul brings this up, he speaks about the position of man and woman and the position of woman in relation to man (1 Tim.2:9-15). Why these things are like this is a topic for another time, but it must be clear that this is about order, which exists because of the order of creation (1 Tim.2:13). The significance of this lies in the fact that Adam and Eve are types of higher things. Adam came first, then Eve (1 Tim.2:13).
mother of all living
Adam is a picture of Christ, but what is Eve a picture of? Adam names his wife Eve, because she is the mother of all living (Gen.3:20). She is a type of creation. Adam was not tempted, not by the serpent, nor by Eve. He consciously sacrificed himself for Eve and consciously ate the fruit. As Christ sacrificed Himself for His creation.
Romans 4
25 who was delivered up for our transgressions and was raised again for our justification.
expelled from the garden
Imagine what would have happened if Adam had not eaten. As a consequence of their transgression, Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden, so that they would no longer eat from the tree of life (Gen.3:24). But if Adam had not eaten, only Eve would have been sent away from the garden and he would have lost his wife. So God also gave up His Son for His creation, to save it. Otherwise He would have lost His creation.
made to sin
Adam consciously sinned out of love for his wife. Thus Christ came in the likeness of sinful flesh and was made sin for us. He did this out of love for His creation, just as Adam acted out of love for Eve.
Romans 8
3 (…) God, who sends his own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and for sin, condemns sin in the flesh.
2 Corinthians 5
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
humiliated
The Lord Jesus laid claim to the high descent He had as Son of God. He did not usurp that status, but on the contrary, He emptied Himself by taking the form of a slave and becoming like men. And being found in the form of a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient even to death, even the death of the cross (Phil.2:7-8).
The Lord became like men in all things, but without sin. He did not sin, that is of course the difference with Adam, who did become a sinner.
Hebrews 4
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who has been approved, in every way like us but without sin.
Adam surrendered himself for Eve, as Christ surrendered himself for creation. As Adam sinned, so Christ gave himself up to be made sin. Adam is a wonderful type of the last Adam: Christ Jesus.
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