Part 2 of 3 – Then Came the Second and Final ‘Adam’

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called Man Made in God’s Image.

As we’ve seen the first man Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in His OWN [Adam’s] Likeness, after His [Adam’s] Image…” (Genesis 5:3 (KJV)

Thus, all men are born lost in sin due to the Serpentine Sin-nature of Adam, who passed his ‘fallen sin-laden likeness’ to all humans born of Adam’s lineage. 

But A Second Adam Has Appeared,

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam [Jesus Christ] was made [became] a quickening [life-giving] SPIRIT [upon His resurrection].” (1 Cor. 15:45 (KJV)

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through [due to] the flesh [of Sin], God sending his own Son in the Likeness Of [Adam’s] Sinful Flesh [outwardly], and for sin, Condemned [judged and damned] Sin In the Flesh [of all men, by the Cross]:” (Romans 8:3 (KJV)

The Bible refers to Jesus of Nazareth as the second and last Adam,” but with an important difference. Instead of describing Jesus as being made in the image of God’ as Adam was, Paul says that Jesus IS the image of the invisible God.

[Jesus Christ] Who IS the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every [new creation] creature:” (Colossians 1:15 (KJV)

“In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who IS the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4 (KJV)

This verse in Hebrews seems also to confirm the Jesus bore the glorious “brightness” and “express Image” of the invisible God.

[Jesus] Who Being The Brightness of His [God’s] Glory, and the Express Image Of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;” (Hebrews 1:3 (KJV)

The phrase express image of his person,” here above is the Greek ‘charakter,’ meaning an exact copy.’ Paul wrote of Jesus of Nazareth sayingin him [Jesus] dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Jesus is the invisible God God manifest in the flesh(1Tim. 3:16). Thus, Jesus said this about Himself:

“…he that hath seen me [Jesus] hath seen the Father…” (John 14:9 (KJV)

Jesus Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. The Son of God” is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Only Jesus could say this. No other man could ever say he “is the image of God.”

To Be “In Christ” is to be “In God’s Image”:

We were all born physically in fallen Adam’s image and likeness. Therefore, all men in this ‘image of Adam are destined to ultimately suffer “everlasting death” (2Thes. 1:9). BUT we can have a ‘new likeness.’

Only God can perform this transformation for us.

God is able to take us out of Adam’s race and put us into His image, which IS Christthrough placing or setting us Into Christ who “IS the image of God.”

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized [placed or set] into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4 (KJV)

NOTE: The ‘baptism (KJV)’ of Romans 6:3 (above) is not into water, but rather into Christ’s DEATH, thus ending our union with fallen Adam’s race. Only death ends our attachment to Adam’s race. Then notice verse 4 where we have newness of life,” by the very Life of Christ In Us as the new us of a new race, a new creation.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

This transformation takes place on the basis of God’s grace through faith in “the gospel of the grace of God” as seen by the Cross that paid for our sins. This is accomplished by the ‘power of the dispensing of His Spirit.’

“For by one Spirit are we all baptized [set] into one body [of Christ], whether we be Jews or Gentiles [all races are equal in this age of God’s grace], whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 (KJV)

  • God first ‘made man [Adam] in His image’ (Genesis 1: 27).
  • But then soon after, Adam, became remade by his sinning through believing the Serpent’s lies which will end in ‘death’ for all mankind born of Adam’s lineage.
  • But… Jesus of Nazareth came to manifest ‘the very image of Godand dying for us and save us by paying our sin-debt and … to give us His eternal Life and His Nature in our “spirit of man.”

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us [the] eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1 John 5:11-12 (KJV)

“Whereby are given unto us [Israel] exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter 1:4 (KJV)

Salvation occurs when we trust Godin Christ…  to have totally paid for our sins. His resurrection life is simultaneously imparted to us, making us “a new creature in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

It is the power of Christ’s death for us as the sinless Son of God and His resurrection as “the life-giving Spirit that is able to ‘remake’ each of us in “His own image.”

“For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be Conformed To The Image of His Son [Jesus],” (Romans 8:29 (KJV)

  • So. all men can be remade in “the image of God,” but only if we in trust Christ alone who alone paid for our sins through His shed blood and death for us.
  • Then He will remake you to be in ‘His likeness’ by His resurrection life which you will receive Into You the very moment you first believe.

The Bible calls this regeneration” which is the Greek ‘palingenesia,’ meaning,after having a first life, we then have a new spiritual-life beginning’ … as a believer.

We all were born in Adam but we should none of us should stay that way. Now we can have a transfer of race out from Adam into “the last Adam [Christ]” if we will “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,” who is the very “image of God.”

You will then be cleansed of your sins by Christ’s shed blood, and you will be regenerated” with Christ’s resurrection life to be a “new creature.”

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost [Spirit];” (Titus 3:5 (KJV)