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The
Manhood of the First and the Last Adam A Contrast between Adamic and Christo-centric Masculinity By Jay Wegter The success
of Adam’s stewardship was tied to God’s revelation. From a peach
tree no wider than a broom handle, my dad harvested over one hundred pounds of
delicious fruit in one season. He took
great pride in the fact that his careful pruning, cultivating, and fertilizing
resulted in a bumper crop. Every man feels something of his original cultural calling
in Adam. From the smallest cultivated
fig tree to the hanging gardens of Babylon, there is a divinely intended
satisfaction in fulfilling the mandate, “Subdue the earth” (Genesis 1:28). In
addition to working the ground, Adam was also commanded to rule over the creatures of the earth. Folks who live in the city may keep an
aquarium of tropical fish or travel to Sea World to watch Shamu do flips for
his squid dinner – both are related to man’s cultural calling to rule as
stewards of God’s creation, including creatures (Psalm 8). Adam’s rule was
intended to bring about order unto fruitfulness for God’s glory. Adam’s kingship rule was on behalf
of Another. Adam was to function as
vice-regent and steward; God alone is eternal King and owner of
all. Adam’s “covenant consciousness”
meant that all he did in his working and ruling was to be dedicated to
God. Adam as divine image-bearer, had the awareness that God
had crowned him with incomparable dignity.
Thus, Adam’s identity as divine image-bearer was inseparable from
greatness of his task to reflect God’s attributes in all of life. The increase in
the state of order that Adam brought to the creation was to include the raising
up of families and communities in which God was loved, honored, worshipped and
obeyed. (Adam was to bring moral order through the knowledge of God
and through the faithful proclamation of His revelation.) This would only take place if the truth of
God’s revelation governed all of Adam’s interpreting
of his world. Adam’s covenant
consciousness focused upon his design as vice-regent. He was made in God’s image, endowed with capacities, and
appointed over the works of God’s hands; all for the purpose of showing forth
the glory of his Maker (Isaiah 43:7). (For a
discussion of Adam’s role as prophet,
priest and king, see the book by G.I. Williamson, The Westminster Confession of Faith for Study Classes, P & R
Publishing, 1978, pp. 44, 45.) The adequacy
of Adam’s unfallen manhood. The first
exercise of masculine strength on the planet was by Adam, our first
father. Adam in paradise was strong,
brilliant, tireless, creative and holy.
He tended the garden in an un-cursed world without exhaustion,
perspiration or resistance. His work
was not opposed by fire, flood, hail, thistle or canker worm. Before the fall, he did not know
failure. Frustration and suffering
only came later with the entrance of sin. In unfallen Adam
we see man’s unblemished capacity to exercise lordship over the earth as God’s
image-bearer. Adam’s dominion and
cultural calling was both physical and spiritual. As a “king,” Adam stood as a representative of all of his
descendants. As God’s appointed governor of creation, Adam’s obedience
or disobedience would affect the moral
direction of his descendants. Adam’s
conduct under the probationary arrangement in the garden would also affect the
direction of the physical creation. With the
entrance of sin came the forfeiture of Adam’s effortless kingship. The Fall shattered, but did not destroy
man’s capacity as divine image-bearer. As men, our masculinity is related to Adam’s manhood, but
our masculinity differs radically from Adam’s pre-fall experience of
dominion. Adam’s descendants have a
diminished masculinity---their strength has been weakened by the curse. Since the
Fall, man’s subduing of the earth is not carried out with the glory of God in
view. Fallen man faces
toil, sweat and resistance in his labors (Gen 3:17-19). Man’s work motives have also been
altered. The fall changed man’s heart
-- he lost the motivation and sentiment to live for God’s glory. His power to carry out the physical aspect
of the original Genesis mandate has been reduced, but not cancelled (Ps 8). Man’s handiwork
covers vast areas of the planet. With
hands no larger than a saucer, men with the aid of their machines have built
the sprawling metropolis, the supersonic rocket, the harbor filled with ships,
and the burgeoning plantation. Fallen man
gladly embraces the physical aspects of the creation mandate – “be fruitful,
rule, subdue.” Men have that desire to
leave their mark, to make a difference, to carve out an empire however
small. It is a masculine trait to seek
to build something that will be a monument to one’s created kingship. The desire to
subdue the earth remains strong since the fall, but that desire has been
sinfully distorted. Men subdue as a
function of their independence from God.
They do not dedicate their subduing to the Almighty. They use their subduing to feed their pride
of life. Man’s successes
are contaminated by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the
boastful pride of life (1 John 2:16).
This triad of lusts constitutes the love of the world. In the
post-flood era, the residents of ancient Shinar resisted God’s command---they
refused to move out of the Fertile Crescent in order to fill the earth. Their population center was experiencing the
benefits of city life. The division of
labor meant that food, clothing and shelter were readily available. Due to the
conveniences of city life, the pursuit of the basic needs took up less and less
of their time. With goods and services
readily available, discretionary time increased. The need to survive was eclipsed by the craving to build the tower
of Babel. As Scripture
indicates, the intent of the builders was, “Let us make for ourselves a name;
lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis
11:4b). Their plan was to make a
towering work of their hands the source of their unity and identity. God “cancelled” the building project through
the confusion of languages. The
unfinished tower stood as a monument to their sinful pride of life. Today, that same
spirit of pride manifests itself in a plethora of versions of, “let us make for
ourselves a name.” Subduing, building
and ruling are not dedicated to God.
The Adamic mandate (evidenced in man’s subduing, ruling and building)
has been appropriated for self. Man’s conquest
of the earth is evident in places other than the jetliner, the skyscraper and
the farm. The sports and entertainment
industries also provide an insight into man’s nature as a subduer. Man as “subduer” has a penchant for contests. The pastimes of
fallen men have evolved into contests that showcase strength, skill and
agility. The sports industry features,
the Athlete of the Year, the Cy Young
Award, hockey’s Stanley Cup, but it doesn’t stop there---the penchant for
being the best runs the gamete from pie eating to bass tournaments. When
civilizations no longer had to face the threats of starvation and the Mongol
hoards, pastimes took up ever larger chunks of time. In America, when the last cavalry outpost came down, the first
baseball stadium went up. Men no longer
brought home a four point buck for the next month’s venison – meat was
shrink-wrapped in the store. Instead of
stalking his prey in the woods, the husband put on a tie and took the subway to
the office. Physical
pastimes and contests provided an exciting diversion from the mundane
activities of industrialism. (Agrarian
cultures are tied closely to the land, while industrialism tends to push man
toward ever greater urbanization.
Athletic activities utilize many of the same skills demonstrated by
hunters and warriors: speed, cunning, strength etc.) Sports turned
out to be an invention to showcase the abilities of the athlete. Spectators so closely identified with their
favorite teams that at times umpires were pummeled senseless because they made
a questionable call. Why do the
turnstiles of the stadiums and arenas generate so many billion of dollars per year? Why are these rituals, games and contests
such a driving force among men? Why are
we so driven to measure ourselves, compete with ourselves, prove ourselves, and
rate ourselves? Why can’t men relate
without some form of score-keeping? Why
are we so ready to heap adulation on the latest athlete to make the front of
the Wheaties cereal box? For the answer
we must look again at the first man. In
a single day, Adam went from planetary king to dying, struggling steward. Adam’s weakened kingship is felt by every
man. We carry Adam’s failure in our own
persons. We have inherited his sin and
weakness. From our first
father a legacy of fallen strength has been passed down to us; a scourge of
weakness hangs over us. When we consider our desire to subdue, rule and be
fruitful, we are secretly haunted concerning our fitness and adequacy for the
task. Our universal neurosis as men is,
“Shall we be weighed in the scales and found wanting?” There is a
connection between our wondering if we
measure up and our penchant for measuring
ourselves (2 Corinthians 10:12).
When we see athletes of our gender who by discipline, training, courage,
guts, teamwork, and skill, excelling in their sport, it shores up our deepest
fears about male adequacy. We take great
vicarious satisfaction in the victories of our city’s team. When they have a winning record, we claim
them vocally as our own. When they are
in the cellar, we disown them and cast aspersion on them. We take great
hope in the prospect that by discipline and exertion we also may conquer
weakness and succeed. Everybody loves a
winner – we are filled with admiration for them. They have overcome the obstacles that stood in the way of
victory. We want to touch them, shake
their hand, boast in them, burn incense before them. We revel in the glory of an Adamic representative who excels in
his sport. The Olympiad who wears the Stars
and Stripes and takes home a gold medal gives us an inner glow of pride. “Politically
correct” football will never sell tickets.
There will never be a stadium built where teams take turns watching the
other side score. In this fallen world,
obstacles and opposition are necessary in order to reveal excellence. Without a contest, excellence can’t be
seen. When watching a great performance
on the athletic field, there is something inside us that wants to scream,
“That’s my guy making that play!” Not only was
man created to subdue and rule over, he was also created to be an enthusiastic spectator of
excellence. Man was created
to be an enthusiastic spectator of excellence.
Sin has not removed the desire of man to applaud excellence. But sin has changed the object of
man’s focus in searching for excellence.
When man broke faith with God, his enthusiastic spectatorship went elsewhere. He no longer “cheered” the God who made the
heavens, he worshipped and served the creation and the creature. Man was created to worship, and worship he
must. He worships every day – if he is
not worshipping the One true God, of necessity, by default of sin, he will be
worshipping and serving the creation (Rom 1:25). Man ceased to
believe that the knowledge of God was the highest possible glory that he could
experience (Jer. 9:23, 24). Humans
chose to live for the glory of man instead of the glory of God (John 5:44;
12:43). (It is abundantly clear in
Scripture that the works, wonders, and ways of God are more than sufficient to
eternally captivate the heart of man.
But, it is only salvation in Christ that can restore man’s capacity to
glory in God’s excellence. The believer
tastes only a fraction of what he will in glory. In this life, when the Christian experiences times where he is
lost in wonder, love and praise, it is but a foretaste of what is to come.) The
philosophies of this world promote the denial of Adam’s brokenness (Col 2:8). The whole
concept that man may recover his kingship by athleticism, wealth and influence
is not new. It followed closely on the
heels of Adam’s fall. From the
beginning, sinful man has looked for a “mirror” to reflect back some rays of
that unbroken Adamic virility. Deep
within us is a veritable lust for the perfect adequacy and masculinity of our
ancient first father. (After immense portions of the earth were subdued, man
had to look elsewhere for venues to showcase his powers.) Adam’s
remarkable potential and capacity for planetary kingship is the “golden fleece”
that eludes us. We’ve inherited a
mandate for kingship, but by reason of the fall, a broken scepter as well. The natural man
searches for reassurances that his case is not terminal. False religion is the great “theater” for
his self-deception. He entertains the
optimism that his Adamic wound is not fatal.
He comforts himself with the thought that he is not beyond the reach of
self-improvement. (In effect, he is
embracing a theology that says, “Adam’s wound is not my wound, Adam’s
dereliction is not my dereliction, my deficits can be repaired. I will prove my
adequacy.”) Like the males
of the Noah’s time, we are still drawn to the “men of renown” (Genesis 4:23,24;
6:4; 10:9 ). The defiant
speech given by Lamech in Genesis 4:23,24 could be taken from a comic book hero
or a Hollywood movie. The principle
behind it is timeless – “by an arm of flesh, I shall vindicate myself, vanquish
my foes, and be the master of my fate.”
Like Lamech of ancient times, modern men choose earthy, demonic ambition
and bravado to deal with their dereliction.
This is the “wisdom from below” spoken of by James (James 3:13-18). We have our own
Nimrods today who receive our esteem.
Instead of a bow and a spear with a room full of hunting trophies, they
drive red Ferraris. Their deeds of strength are witnessed by hosts of viewers
by way of televised instant replays.
The hunger of the spectator to applaud excellence generates their 30
million dollar sports contracts. The principle is
the same. We thrive upon the glory of
our heroes, we feed upon the notion of men
of renown. They give us the
optimism that we may patch up Adam’s broken kingship. We can bask in the glory of heroes and believe (falsely) that the
race is not in a state of ruin. History gives
many versions of this theme. The Greeks
had their ideal man; orators, philosopher kings, and Olympic athletes with near
perfect bodies. The Romans had their
military heroes, their gladiatorial victors, and their statues of gods who
looked human. The world’s
method of “proving and recovering” Adamic strength is diametrically opposed to
God’s plan in the cross of Christ. The subduing
that has been done since the fall of man is distorted and perverted by
sin. Men build with a view to
constructing monuments to their own strength, wealth, and cleverness. It’s the hard work done by the arm of flesh
that receives the glory. Men want to see
Adam’s kingship restored by way of a hero---a philosopher king, an Olympiad, or
a mighty warrior. We want a hero who
reaches down inside, draws upon his power, and overcomes his owns weakness. Here is one of
the key reasons why the cross of Jesus is such a scandal to men. The cross is an offense because of its
abject weakness. For in the spectacle
of the cross, we see a victim perishing in weakness, shame, ignominy, and
dereliction. In the cross is
the apparent triumph of evil over
good – pacifism in the face of injustice and wickedness. Such ignominy scandalizes the human
intellect (1 Cor. 1:18-25). The cross
is not merely unappealing to human wisdom, it is repulsive to carnal
reason. The Apostle Paul
reminded his Corinthian readers that the power of the message of the cross is
stipulated upon a proclamation unadorned by human wisdom. Faithfulness in our preaching means that the
offense of the cross must be retained
in our message (1 Cor. 1:18, 23; 2:4, 5). The natural man
cannot bear the message that Adam’s race is slated for demolition. The cross of
Christ is both the judgment upon Adamic ruin and the means of rescue from ruin.
The news is far
too humbling that Adam’s progeny is beyond repair and renovation. So comprehensive is man’s ruin by sin, that
an entire “re-creation,” or new creation is the only remedy that can avail (2
Cor 5:17). The theology of
the cross is repulsive to natural wisdom for the very reason that it cancels
out the possibility of improvement of the Adamic nature. The cross condemns the Adamic nature, judges
it, calls for its legal prosecution, and slays it at Calvary (Rom 6:1-11). The descendants
of Adam are yet looking for dynamic leaders who will “lift” the race to new
heights. But in their looking, they passed by the Son of God;
they crucified the Lord of Glory (1 Cor 2:8).
He was the “stone” examined by the builders and found unfit to build
upon. The builders “stumbled over” the
very One appointed by God to recover Adam’s race from ruin (1 Pet 2:6-8). In the
incarnation, Christ assumed a weakened human nature. When the Son of
God began His public ministry, there was little about Him that made Him
desirable by appearance (Is 53:2, 3).
He did not exhibit the stately and mighty physical attributes of a Saul
or a Nimrod. In essence, He
possessed no more of the Adamic exponents of strength than the average
man. Though He was
God very God, He was born under the curse with a weakened human nature capable
of exhaustion, suffering, and death.
This is part of the paradox of the cross; that the Creator of the
universe should come to earth as a human being physically weaker than unfallen
Adam (2 Cor 13:4). But here is
God’s wisdom towering over the natural man’s intellect. Christ’s act of submission to Father, His
voluntary obedience unto death, His willingness to undergo radical weakness and
helplessness on Calvary, was the appointed means to deliver Adam’s race. The thinking of
the world is antagonistic to God’s way of recovering the descendants of
Adam. Sovereign grace is too mortifying
to Adamic pride. For in God’s gracious
covenant, Christ assumes the sinner’s liabilities and meets the conditions
necessary for reconciliation and divine favor.
The unbeliever
is not ready to be brought so low. For
the natural man, the world is a “playing field” to demonstrate the remnants of
Adamic strength. At that very juncture,
the theology of the cross collides head on with the world’s carnal wisdom. The work of Christ makes it clear that trust
in human strength and striving cannot raise man out of his present state of
ruin. The N.T. proclamation that “power
is perfected in weakness” is anathema to the Adamic nature (2 Cor 12:9). The cross of
Christ stands as a monument to God’s justice.
It declares that Adam’s race deserves to die. The cross admonishes all who dare to deny that Adam’s case is
terminal. All that God
is now doing is through the Last Adam (Col 1:15-20). No natural
descendant of Adam shall reclaim his kingship by the use of the world. God in Christ has closed up and condemned
that avenue. God has installed His Son
as eternal King (Ps 2). Christ is the
King of all creation (Col 1:16-18; Phil 2:9-11). His pathway to the throne was by way of obedience and submission
to the Father. This is the only path to
kingship that God recognizes. All that
Adam lost, and more, is being restored through Christ’s obedience. But the world is
blinded to the truth of the gospel of Christ and to the cosmic implications of
Christ’s reign as King (2 Cor 4:1-6).
In their blinded state, the subduing done by sinners is contaminated by
demonic ambition (James 3:14-16).
Therefore, it cannot glorify God or advance His kingdom. All of the mighty accomplishments of men
will be set ablaze in an instant (2 Pet 3:10).
The subduing that is done under Adam’s headship is temporal and
combustible. Its motive is too closely
tied to the worship of the creature. Only those who
own Christ as their King have a restored kingship. Natural men are yet accountable stewards of the earth, but they
are not kings in heaven’s sight. Only
the redeemed comprise a nation of royal priests (Rev 1:6; 1 Pet 2:9). Christ, as
the Last Adam, is making a new order of men and women after His own likeness. Though we labor
under the curse and feel our weakness intensely, we who know the Savior are
priests and kings before God (Rev 1:6).
The elect constitute a new race with a new Head. Christ, our “Head,” is the Champion who has
vanquished Satan and overcome the world.
We as His people participate in the benefits of His mighty
conquests. Our chief work
now is kingdom work. As those called of God, we have a higher
priority than clearing brush and taming beasts. We are seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness
(Matt 6:33). We are tearing down
bastions and fortresses of error and lies.
By means of His weapons, we, as His co-laborers, are advancing His
kingdom (2 Cor 10:3-6). We are building
upon the foundation of the Last Adam.
He has appointed us to bear fruit and have that fruit remain. Only these works which are done under the
command of the Last Adam remain unto eternity (1 Cor 3:6-15). Overcoming has
replaced subduing as the first priority of the people of God (1 Jn 5:4,
5). The first Adam kept
the garden and ruled over the works of God’s hands. Through the input of order and nurture, Adam encouraged the
earth’s fruitfulness. Now the people
who are the seed of the Last Adam are bringing about spiritual order unto
fruitfulness. By taking the light of
the gospel into a darkened and sinful world, obedience to God is displacing the
spiritual disorder of ignorance and
rebellion. In such a way, the kingdom
of God is advanced (Col 1:12-14). Everything done
by man that is temporary is done in the strength of the first Adam. Everything that is permanent is done in the
strength of the Last Adam. For the redeemed
man, both present identity and future destiny are completely wrapped up in the
Last Adam. The Christian looks at
Christ to see what his own identity is. He looks at Christ in order to see what he is becoming. And he looks at Christ to see what he will be (see Heb 2:9, 10; Rom
8:29). Jesus Christ is
the “Architect” of the new man. He is
the Author of the new man. God cannot
possibly bless us any more than by making us like His Son in holiness and in
incorruptibility. It is the height of
grace to be made like Christ. It is to be eternally blissful. It is to gain the capacity to enjoy God
perfectly. It is to be mighty in love
and power. On the side of
our experience, tearing loose from the remnants of Adamic strength and passions
is traumatic. C. S. Lewis likened the
process to little soldiers of tin being slowly turned into living breathing
entities of flesh and bone. “With every
change that comes, that works true life in them, the little soldiers whine and
whimper at the pain and discomfort.”
The elect of God are predestined unto conformity to the Son of God (Eph
1:4). Though God has initiated the work
of making us like the Son of God in holiness (Phil 1:6), we are not passive in
the process. God commands us to put on
the behaviors of the new man (Col
3:8ff.; Eph 4:22ff.). The Last Adam is
the source of the new man. Christ is
the template, the contractor, the goal, and the fashioner of the new man (Col
3:10). He is the Author and finisher of
our faith, but He is also the Forerunner.
He paved the way for us so that someday we might be where He is
now---dwelling in the very presence of God.
In His glorified humanity, He is the model of what we will be in
resurrection holiness and power (Heb 6:20; 1 Jn 3:2; Phil
3:21). When we were
spiritually dead in the first Adam, we blindly boasted of an adequacy and a
completeness that flowed from ourselves.
All of this has changed for those who are in the Last Adam. God’s work, the work that remains, God’s
kingdom work cannot be done with the strength inherent in an arm of flesh. It cannot be accomplished by means of the
wisdom with which we were born. The new race
created anew after the Last Adam is to understand that apart from Christ, they
can “do nothing” (Jn 15:5). From the
context in John 15 it may be asserted that the believer is utterly dependent
upon Christ for the power necessary to bear spiritual fruit. We can do “nothing” by way of a spiritual
work apart from organic union with Christ. In Christ
there is an entirely new source of personal adequacy. Those who are of
the first Adam live to prove their personal adequacy. For the
new man in Christ, there is a looking away from self as the source of
adequacy. Paul affirms God as the only
source of adequacy for kingdom work, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves
to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant…” (2 Cor 3:5, 6a). Utter dependency
upon Christ, the Last Adam, is a principle that is in direct conflict with
Adamic pride. The principle of the
death to the Adamic man is the principle of the cross applied. It is a dynamic that is present in all true
Christian ministry. Paul declares, “But
we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the surpassing greatness of the
power may be of God and not from ourselves…” (2 Cor 4:7). The Apostle
recognized that the pride of man is quick to glory in a person. God, in His wisdom, is able to emphasize the
“earthen” nature of human flesh in order that all the glory might go to
God and not to the messenger. The “treasure”
(the spiritual life and truth contained in the earthen vessel, God’s messenger)
is solely from God. The problem is that
men worship and serve the creature and the creation. In so doing they discount the unseen God of all power and instead
esteem a sinful man who stands in front of them. The cross
judges all that we were in Adam in order that Christ may be all in all. In order that
God may receive all of the credit, says Paul, “[we are] always carrying
about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be
constantly manifested in our body” (2 Cor 4:10). Paul equated the value of his own suffering with the necessity of
having “the life of Jesus manifested in his mortal flesh” (4:11). What a radical contrast this is from the
Adamic tendency to glory in a super-hero. The cross is
continually applied to the saved descendant of Adam until death. The cross puts to death what we were in
Adam. Paul looked to his
“co-crucifixion” with Christ for the power to subdue sin (Gal 2:20; 5:24; Rom
6:6). The cross is the
source of the believer’s victory. It
severs him from any legal attachment to Adam and it attaches him to Christ in
an eternal, living, and fruitful union (Rom 6:5-9; 7;4). (Paul also attributed his severance from, or
“crucifixion to the world,” to the power of the cross – Gal 6:14). In Adam, we were
always searching for completeness. Like
a man running to and fro with a puzzle piece, we ransacked the world in an
effort to find some combination of things that would complete us. Before we were “crucified
to the world,” we saw the world as our workshop. We exercised a misinformed optimism that the world could provide
the source of our completeness. We
typified the “earthy man” described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:47,
48. The “earthy man”
materialized all of his soul’s needs and took them to the offerings of “Vanity Fair” (“Vanity Fair” was Bunyan’s
allegorical title in Pilgrim’s Progress for the lusts of this world.) The new man
has completeness by reason of his union with Christ. The Christian
has been crucified to the world as a source of completeness. The believer’s completeness is in Christ
(Col 2:10). In Christ the saint is
given a restored stewardship that is spiritual now, and someday, in the
Messianic age, physical as well (Rev 2:26; 3:21). Because of completeness in Christ, the believer will someday
participate in the liberation of all of creation from the bondage of corruption
(Rom 8:18-25). The new man is
“constructed” around Christ. He does
not have, nor will he ever have, a completeness that is autonomous from
Christ. Adamic man makes a futile
attempt to find that completeness by looking to himself and to the world. The new man will never lack
completeness. Paul’s logic in 1
Corinthians 15 is flawless: The empty
tomb proves that our “Man in heaven” will share His heavenly image with
those who are in union with Him. “And
just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly [man]” (1 Cor 15:49).
(See Paul’s argument in 15:35-46.
In establishing proof that there is a resurrection body for believers,
Paul appeals to Christ’s glorified existence.
Christ’s resurrection glory followed His mortal existence on earth. The same glorious change awaits believers.) In this very
context, Christ is referred to as the “last Adam.” Christ is the “second man.” As the last Adam, He is the “second” founder of a race of
men -- spiritual men (1 Cor 15:47, 48).
These “spiritual” men, by virtue of their completeness in Christ, will
most assuredly bear the image of the Man who came from heaven (15:49, 50). If the cross
contains God’s verdict concerning the Adamic man, then the empty tomb speaks of
God’s promise of glory for the new man.
The cross puts the destinies of Adamic man and the new man into sharp
contrast and bold relief. The man who
exercises faith in God’s Word apprehends this contrast with ever-increasing
clarity. The godly man
understands the times. He sees that we
live in a culture that is dead set on making us forget the contrast. Our culture is enamored with what remains of
Adam’s glory. Youthfulness, strength
and beauty are worshipped in our land.
The media woos the next generation of youth by selling the promise of
Adamic prowess. From Barbies to Masters
of the Universe, it is the gilding of Adamic exponents. Muscle-bound
action figures fill the shelves of toy stores.
These plastic Nimrods give our youngsters what they crave; the fantasy
of possessing perfect adequacy. King Saul of
ancient Israel was head and shoulders above his countrymen. He was a courageous warrior and a handsome
leader. But God brought the people’s
choice (Saul) into bold contrast with His choice in a king. David was God’s
choice. He did not possess the Adamic
exponents of Saul, but David was a man after God’s own heart. Like David, the new man has a passion for
God’s glory. As Christian
men, can we follow Christ as His disciples and be captivated by Adamic exploits
at the same time? If we attempt to do
both, we will cast a cloud over the hope of glory that is to animate our
affections. We will fall
short of Paul’s single focus to answer the upward call (Phil 3:14). Let us pursue a united heart and follow the
Apostle’s example. Paul saw the destiny
of the new man so clearly that he did not resent the “tarnishing” of what
remained of the Adamic man in him, “Therefore we do not lose heart, though
our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2
Cor 4:16; Rom 8:10). This present age
assaults us with the Adamic value system – a system that espouses personal
adequacy by the use of world. With that
corrupt value system comes the concealment of the fact that the first Adam’s
act of disobedience inaugurated the reign of sin and death (Rom 5:17-21). Let us remember
that because of Christ’s act of obedience, we have been made righteous, we have
been brought into the sphere of abounding grace (Rom 5:18-20). Our pride
centers around the Adamic man and his capacity. Let us hold fast enough to Christ that we might release that
pride and make Paul’s formula our own.
“When I am weak [in myself], then I am strong [in
Christ].” Because of the
last Adam’s act of obedience, we are presently priests and kings “in
training.” The consummation will come
about after our brief journey. Christ’s
resurrection is the warranty of the new man’s future existence. As we strive to
remain upon the narrow path for one more week, let us look up by faith at our
Man in glory and contemplate the destiny of the new man (Heb 2:5-9ff.). |
