ADAM AND THE HUMAN RACE

1 CORINTHIANS 15:21–25

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

(1 Corinthians 15:22).

One question that surfaces in connection with the subject of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility is this: How can God hold us responsible for being sinners when we are born with a sinful nature? There have been three answers given to that question.

Some have suggested that each human being is born sinless, and that each of us undergoes his or her own self-conscious fall into sin. If that were really true, of course, we could expect that at least some people, probably 50 percent, would not undergo such falls into sin. Obviously, that’s not what we see. Moreover, this viewpoint argues that the biblical story of Adam’s fall is simply a myth. As Christians, we cannot accept this view. Others within the church have suggested that the only way God could count us guilty for Adam’s sin is if we were really present in Adam. This position, called “realism,” requires us to hold to some idea of the pre-existence of the soul, and there is simply no biblical evidence for such an idea.

Adam Appointed to Represent Us

The Bible tells us that Adam acted on behalf of all humanity while he was on trial in the garden. We were not there personally, but we were represented by a man appointed to the task by God. This representational view, called “federalism,” holds that Adam was the federal representative of the whole human race.

The problem is this: We did not choose Adam to be our representative. Why do we want the right to choose our own representative? So that he will represent us properly, by doing what we would do. But even when we choose our own representative, are we sure that he will represent us accurately? No. There was one time, however, when you and I had a perfect representative, chosen by a holy, omniscient, righteous God. Adam was appointed by a perfect God, and he represented us perfectly.

CORAM DEO

Do you trust God? Do you believe that God is all-wise, perfectly holy, and sovereignly able to do whatever He wants to do? If so, then you have to believe that when God appointed Adam to represent you and me, He made no mistake. Adam did exactly what we would have done. Praise God that in Jesus Christ we have another Representative, the Second Adam.

For further study: Isaiah 42:1–9; Romans 5:12–21

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september