"JESUS, THE SECOND ADAM"

“Jesus, The Second Adam” Genesis 2:15-17; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11

Brothers and sisters, People struggle for bread. We endure disappointment. We bury our dead. And somewhere in the quiet moments we ask, Who am I? What was I meant to be? Is this all there is? Scripture does not answer that question with a theory. It answers with a Person. Turn your eyes upon Jesus— and see.

Adam Was The Man Who Lost the Garden (Genesis 2:15–17): In the beginning, Adam stood in a garden planted by God. It was not an accident. It was not survival of the fittest. It was gift. Adam represents human beings. Our souls were in him.

God placed him there with purpose: to till it, to keep it, to live in fellowship with his Creator. Adam was not a slave; he was a steward. Not a machine; a son. God made him in God’s own image.

He was given freedom — real freedom — but not unlimited freedom. “From every tree you may eat… but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” Freedom under obedience.

And at the crossroads of trust and autonomy, Adam chose autonomy. The temptation was simple: “You shall be like God.” Take. Grasp. Decide for yourself what is good. And in that moment, humanity fractured.

The garden was lost. Shame replaced innocence. Blame replaced communion. Struggle replaced harmony. Death entered the story. The trumpets that once called humanity upward toward glory grew faint.

The Long Shadow of Adam (Romans 5:12–19): The apostle Paul tells us in Romans that through one man sin entered the world — and death through sin. Adam’s choice was not private. It became humanity’s inheritance.

We feel it every day. We desire what is good — and do the opposite. We hunger for meaning — but settle for survival. We sense we were made for glory — yet live in frustration. We are strangers in a foreign land.

Paul says Adam was a “type” — a pattern — of the one who was to come. If Adam represents fallen humanity, then someone must come to represent restored humanity. And that Someone is Jesus. Jesus is the second Adam .

Jesus Is The Man Who Faced the Wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11): Notice the contrast. Adam stood in a garden full of abundance — and fell. Jesus stands in a wilderness of hunger — and stands firm. In Matthew 4, Jesus is tempted three times.

“Turn these stones to bread.” — Satisfy yourself. “Throw yourself down.” — Test God.
“Bow to me.” — Seize power without obedience. Do you hear the echo of Eden? Take. Prove yourself. Be like God.

Christ’s Humanity Fulfilled Humanity: Jesus is fully divine and fully human. He often referred to Himself as the Son of Man, and the New Testament consistently affirms His full humanity. He experienced hunger, wept, grew tired, felt sorrow, and faced fear. Many people assume that He performed miracles solely because He is God; however, He carried out His works in the fullness of His humanity, living in complete dependence on God. He also declared that whoever believes in Him will do the works He has been doing and even greater works than these (John 14:12). In every way, He fully shared in our humanity and understands our weaknesses.

He lived as Adam was meant to live, in total dependence upon God. He prayed before choosing disciples. He gave thanks before multiplying bread. He obeyed even unto death.

God made Adam perfectly in the image of God, and God also made Jesus perfect. God did not create human beings as robots, but gave them free will. Adam chose disobedience with his free will, while Jesus chose obedience. And in that obedience, something new begins. Humanity is being reborn. In Jesus we see humanity as God first designed it to be. Freedom under obedience. Power flowing from dependence. Authority grounded in surrender.

Two Men, Two Paths in Romans: The apostle Paul draws the line clearly. Through one man - condemnation. Through one man-justification. Adam chose autonomy. Jesus chose obedience. Adam’s rebellion brought death. Jesus’ obedience brought life. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive

So when we ask, Who am I? — Scripture answers: You are not merely the child of Adam. You are a child of God in Christ. Your story does not have to end in the wilderness. However, we cannot go back home in heaven by ourselves.

Is There A Path Back to the Garden? Is there a person who can lead us home? Yes. The path is obedience. The Person is Jesus. He will lead us home.

He does not merely forgive Adam’s failure from a distance. He steps into Adam’s place. He walks where Adam fell. He obeys where Adam rebelled. And at the cross, the flaming sword that barred Eden falls upon Him. He dies the death Adam earned. He rises to restore what Adam lost.

The granite stone of the tomb is not the end. Resurrection is. In Christ, the hunger for life is satisfied. The design beneath the chaos is revealed. The faint trumpets grow louder.

What Can a Person Be Under God? Turn our eyes upon Jesus. A life anchored in prayer. A will surrendered to God. A humanity radiant with divine purpose. That is what humanity looks like when linked to God. Not frantic independence. Not grasping ambition. But obedient trust. We are restoring the image of God in Christ.

The question “What was I meant to be?” finds its answer not in self-creation, but in union with Christ. The trumpets you hear are not illusions. They are the call of your true design. And that design is restored not by self-assertion, but by abiding in the Second Adam.

Conclusion: Who am I? What am I meant to be? Turn your eyes upon Jesus — and see. In Him was life. And that life is the light of all people. Adam shows us what we became. Jesus shows us what we were meant to be. And through Him — what we may yet become. Blessed be God Day by day! Amen!