Adam, the first man, was created by God at the end of the sixth creative day, or period. He was created perfect, in the image and likeness of his Creator (Genesis 1: 26), and was declared to be “very good” (Genesis 1: 31). By God’s image, is meant Adam’s perfection physically, mentally, artistically, morally and religiously; and by God’s likeness, is meant Adam’s dominion over all the animals and over the earth itself, just as God has dominion over the universe and all of His creatures.
The second chapter of Genesis goes into detail regarding Adam’s creation, stating that “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2: 7). Here we see that God first formed Adam’s body from the elements of the earth, and then blew the breath of life into his nostrils, which made Adam a living soul, capable of sensation, perception and thought.
Adam was placed in the Garden of Eden, “to dress it and to keep it” (Genesis 2: 15), and God commanded Adam that he could eat of every tree of the garden, except for “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” warning him that the consequences of disobedience would be death (Genesis 2: 16, 17).
Adam given a Companion
God then caused all the cattle, fowl of the air and every beast of the field to come before Adam so he could name them, but Adam noted that none of them could be a suitable companion for him (Genesis 2: 19, 20). God then created Eve from the rib of Adam, brought her to him and Adam recognized in her the perfect companion, of his own nature, so he called her Woman (Genesis 2: 21-23).
The third chapter of Genesis records Adam’s disobedience in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3: 6). Although Eve’s disobedience was partially due to the serpent’s (Satan’s) deception, Adam’s disobedience was willful, and resulted in: (1) loss of innocence (Genesis 3: 7); (2) hard labor of childbirth and the tyranny of man over woman (Genesis 3: 16); (3) cursing of the ground, resulting in hard labor for man (Genesis 3: 17-19); and (4) banishment from the garden, causing the death penalty to take effect (Genesis 3: 23, 24).
Yet God showed kindness to Adam and Eve, by giving them a glimmer of hope that in some way He would ultimately recover mankind from their fallen condition (Genesis 3: 15). God also provided them with coats of skin (Genesis 3: 21). The clothing undoubtedly provided them with comfort in facing the harsh elements of the imperfect earth outside the garden; but it also suggested a future covering provided by the death of some unknown Redeemer – the seed of the woman (Genesis 3: 15).
Second Adam and Second Eve
Our text above refers to the Adam of the Garden of Eden as the first Adam, a natural man of the earth; and our Lord Jesus as the Second or Last Adam, a spirit being from heaven. Just as the first Adam, the father of the human race, forfeited his life by disobedience, resulting in all of his descendants being born under the Divine sentence of death; so, Jesus, the Second Adam, will be the Second or Last Father of the race, its Life-giver. In the Millennial Age, our Lord will give life to the obedient of the world – His human right to life and its life-rights that He sacrificed for them.
The Church, the Lamb’s wife, is the Second Eve, and therefore the Second or Last Mother of the race (Ephesians 5: 31, 32) (Revelation 21: 9). She will receive this life from the Second Adam and will nourish into fitness for everlasting life all who obey (Revelation (22: 17).
Whereas the first Adam lacked sufficient faith in, and love for God, and thereby proved disobedient; the Second Adam was filled with faith in, and love for God, and thus proved fully obedient. Let us seek to emulate the Second Adam!