Only the wisdom of God could appoint death as the way to life (Gal 2:20), the ultimate irony of curse transformed into blessing (Gal 3:13-14). It was by the death of the last Adam that the serpent of old encountered death and the first Adam found life. The nails that pierced the feet of Christ would bruise the heel, but they would crush the head of the serpent (1 Cor 2:8). The last Adam wore the thorns of the first Adam, but by these wounds he was healing his people (Isa 53:5). Christ knew the nakedness of Adam, but by this shame he was clothing his people in righteousness (Gal 3:27). For the first Adam the tree of knowledge brought death. But the last Adam knew death upon the tree bringing life (1 Pet 2:24). Adam had made a grave of a garden, but Christ would make a garden of a grave (Luke 24:5).--Warren A. Gage, The Gospel of Genesis: Studies in Protology and Eschatology (Eisenbrauns, 1984), 46-47
06 September 2011
The Two Adams
From a fascinating and illuminating little book by Knox Seminary professor Warren Gage--
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3 comments:
Thanks for sharing that quote. I have a question; would you limit the number of "Adams" to two (or is that just a title)? Many will make the argument that there are a line of Adams between the first and the Last?
Hi Ryan.
In some sense there are multiple recapitulations (heightening recastings) of Adam (Noah is a second Adam; Israel is a corporate Adam; etc). But in Rom 5 and 1 Cor 15 Paul seems to put Adam and Christ on a unique representative plane that only the two of them occupy. Blessings.
Thanks for replying; that is a helpful disctinction. After today's post, I went back to make sure I put a name on my comment.
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