Advent Brought Us The Second Adam

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only one week away. By now you have already made plans for your family to get together on Christmas Day while the night before you might be able to attend a Christmas Eve service. Many churches since the beginning of the month has been spending time singing and preaching about the birth of Christ.

Many of these sermons are heartfelt reminders of why the Savior came but a lot of times they forget one important part of the Christmas story. The story of Christmas is not just about our Savior being born of a virgin or being born in a manager so a song about Jesus in the manager can be written centuries later.

Christmas is about the Second Adam coming to do what the first Adam could not do. Romans 5 refers to Christ being the Second Adam. The Apostle Paul reminds us that "just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come" (Romans 5:12-14).

The first Adam brought death into the world because of his disobedience to the Father by eating the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. Ever since that time, God has promised a Messiah to come to undo what the First Adam did. Paul continues, "But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:15-17).

Adam's disobedience brought condemnation. Jesus' perfect obedience brought justification for all who believe. Paul once again, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, says, "Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 5:18-21).

Advent is a reminder that God send us a Second Adam to be our representative to take our place for our sins and die in our place. Praise be to God for His grace and mercy towards us in Christ.