THE FIRST AND THE SECOND ADAM
1 Corinthians 15:45-46 NET (45) So also it is written, "The first man,
Adam, became a living person"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (46)
However, the spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and then the
spiritual.
The sin of Adam was imputed to all individuals. This
resulted in the death penalty being imposed upon all individuals as if they had
committed the sin. This also means we
are mortal (destined to die) from the moment of conception before we are given
an opportunity to sin. Mortality is the
cause of sin. Our state of impending
death causes us to personally sin because it (death) is a weakness or disease
(since all die then all sin).
Romans 5:12 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:
Romans 5:12 LITV-TSP Because
of this, even as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin,
so also death passed to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.
Several theologians and Bible teachers disagree with Paul’s
statement. It is said they disagree with
Paul that an individual must pay the penalty for a sin (Adam’s sin) that was
not personally committed by that person.
However, it is a fact one’s mortality did not precede their first
committed sin. People are mortal from
birth, actually from conception, and we are paying for the sin of Adam.
Romans 5:15 YLT But, not as
the offence so also is the free gift; for if by the offence of the one the many
did die, much more did the grace of God, and the free gift in grace of the one
man Jesus Christ, abound to the many;
All will be
Given Eternal Life
All pay the penalty of death due to the sin of Adam and
death is the cause of a sinful nature.
It may be considered unfair that God made all people pay the penalty for
the sin of Adam but the Son of God, Jesus Christ, gave all people the free gift
of eternal life. It will be disagreed by
some but Adam caused everyone to die and the gift of Jesus Christ causes all to
live. Paul states there are two
Adams: the first brought death to all;
and the second brought life to all. All
individuals will be resurrected: some at
the return of Christ and the remainder at the Great White Throne judgment at
the end of the Millennium. 1 Corinthians
15:23 states, “Every man in his own
order”. Not “some people” but “every person”.
1 Corinthians 15:22-23 KJV (22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. (23) But
every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are
Christ's at his coming.
Not every person will receive immortality at the same
time. Although Jesus established the
fact of universal reconciliation, the timing is determined by our will and actions. The overcomers will receive aionian
(of the age) life in the first resurrection i.e. the Millennium and they will
reign with the Lord during the Millennium where there will be survivors. The rest of the believers will be given life
(immortality) when the thousand years is finished. This is the time of the
general resurrection, when ALL who yet remain in the tombs “shall hear His
voice and shall come forth” (John 5: 28, 29). This will include both
unbelievers and the rest of the believers who missed the first resurrection.
Those who refused Christ during their life time on earth, along with the great
majority of mankind who never had opportunity to hear of Him in their life
time, will confess Him as Lord at the Great White Throne.
All will be judged according to their works (Revelation
20: 13). Because all sin is reckoned as
a debt, the great Judge will reckon each man’s “debt” according to his sin and
according to his level of knowledge (Luke 12: 48) and then sentence him to be
“sold” according to the law in Exodus 22: 3. The purchaser will be an
overcomer, one with the character of Jesus Christ, who will be given authority
and responsibility to teach them righteousness by personal example and by force
if necessary. This judgment will endure until the Creation Jubilee.
Due to the seeming injustice of imputing the sin of Adam
to all individuals, God is justified by reversing the injustice and imputing
the righteousness of Jesus Christ to all people of all times. The inherent injustice of mortality to all
people prior to any sin is made right by sending the Son of God to ascribe
immortality to all people. This does not
expunge Divine judgment which is the premise of the Great White Throne judgment
and the Lake of Fire. God appears as
fire in the Old Testament; God is fire; the judgment of God is fire; the Lake
of Fire is the judgment of God.
No one will be tortured, for torture is not a judgment in
biblical law, nor is it one of the fruits of the Spirit, nor is it consistent
with the character of God as revealed in Christ. Some may receive 40 lashes
with a whip, according to the law mentioned in Jesus’ parable in Luke 12: 48,
but that, Jesus called a “fire” in verse 49.
Luke 12:48-49 KJV But he
that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with
few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (49) I
am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled?
The fire is the Word of God, including the “fiery law”
(Deut. 33: 2). It is the manifestation of the righteous character of God
Himself, for He manifested Himself to Israel only as fire. He is a “consuming
fire” (Deut. 4: 24). When He comes in a baptism of fire, its purpose is to
destroy “the flesh” and quicken our mortal bodies (Rom. 8: 11). The fire is the
glory of God as well, which will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
The waters cover 100 percent of the sea; so also His glory will cover 100
percent of the earth.
The Soul That Sins
In Ezekiel 18:4, God proclaims, “The soul that sins, will
die”. Of course, everyone dies, and the
sinner will face judgment. However, on a
deeper theological level it can be said that the guilt of sin is attributed to
the soul of a person rather than the spirit or body. In other words, it is the soul that
dies. Unlike the spirit the soul is not
immortal, it will die.
Ezekiel 18:4 LITV-TSP
Behold, they are all My souls. As the soul of the father, also the soul
of the son, they are Mine. The soul that
sins, it shall die.
The soul received its mortal state from Adam and that
mortal state has been inherited by every person since. Some theologians will conclude that the soul
in sinful by it very nature, but this is not what is said by Ezekiel. It is true that all souls commit sin but this
is because all souls are mortal and destined for death. All mortal souls commit sin.
Adam was created as a living soul and if he (and Eve) had
not sinned then all future children would inherit the same type of soul. After the sin of Adam, his soul was given
mortality according to the judgment of God and his children from that point
onward would inherit a mortal soul. It
can be scripturally seen that our mortality can be attributed to Adam and not
Eve. The mortal soul of every person
comes from the father and not the mother.
Jesus was/is the product of a mother (Mary) and the Holy
Spirit of God. As already stated, the
mother is not the progenitor of a mortal soul.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not from an earthly
father. Therefore, we can conclude that
Jesus did not have a mortal soul.
From Immortal
to Mortal
It has been said that Jesus exchanged His immortal soul
for a mortal one beginning at His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was necessary so that His blood (soul) would
become the ultimate sin offering as the Lamb of God.
Isaiah 53:12 says He (Jesus) will pour out His soul unto
death.
Isaiah 53:10-12 KJV
(10) Yet it pleased the LORD
to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an
offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
(11) He shall see of the
travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
(12) Therefore will I divide
him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto
death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Likewise, Luke 22:44 states: “And
being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly:
and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood
falling down to the ground.”
Sweat appears to be part of
Adam’s curse from God: Genesis: 3:19 By the sweat of your face You will eat
bread, Till you return to the ground”.
This is reinforced by Isaiah 53:12:
“He hath poured out His soul unto
death”.
Matthew 26:38-39 states: Then saith He unto them, My
soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me. (39)
And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O
my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I
will, but as Thou wilt. It has been
said the ground (or the earth itself) was cursed along with Adam. At this instance, Jesus may have imputed His
own righteousness to the earth while taking the curse of death from the earth
onto Himself.
The blood of Jesus had to be sinless and
spotless. He took upon Himself the curse
and sins of creation including all individuals and thereby reversing the curse
bestowed upon Adam and the earth and imputing His righteousness to all human
beings as well as all creation because He is the headship of all by the Law of
Headship.