1Co 15:45-49 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
And so it is written in Genesis 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” The first Adam was formed by God out of the dust of the ground. Even though he was animated by the breath of God, he was not heavenly. He was made subject to vanity (Rom 8:20). This should never be read that he was made (caused to be) vain, but rather that he had the capability to become vain.
We tend to think of the first Adam as being perfect because he was sinless for a while. David said that “every man at his best state is altogether vanity (Psa 39:5).” If every man at his best state is altogether vanity, it would appear that this statement in the scripture would apply to the first man Adam and all of whom he can be said to be the head (which is all mankind except for Jesus Christ).
While the man Jesus did indeed have a body of flesh, His father was not the first man Adam. Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and Jesus was conceived as the only begotten Son of God. Although He had a body of flesh, that flesh was not tainted with the blood of the first man Adam. The first man Adam brought death to all his offspring, while the second Adam brings life to all that are His.
Since the earthy man is first, we first bear the image of the earthy. This speaks not only to our physical form but to our propensity toward sin. Our sinful, earthy nature is manifest in that as we age these bodies become diseased, suffer decay, grow weary, and eventually return to the dust from which they were made. Thank God, this is not our final end!
Though we bear the image of the earthy first, we have the promise of finally bearing the image of the second Adam; the Lord from heaven. Just as the earthy Adam passed on his traits to all his children, even so the heavenly Adam passes on all His traits to His children. We have His imputed righteousness and therefore stand sinless and blameless before God our Father. That we shall bear the image of the heavenly is just as sure as the evidence that we bear the image of the earthy.
May we always give God glory that as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1Co 15:22)!
