Day 3 of 21
Adam as a Type of Christ
The First Man and the Last
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Paul identifies Adam as "a type of the one who was to come" (Romans 5:14). This is one of the New Testament's most explicit statements about Old Testament typology — the principle that certain figures, events, and institutions in the Old Testament are divinely designed previews of Christ. Adam is the first and most foundational type.
Reflection
The comparison between Adam and Christ runs on two levels: parallel and contrast. The parallel is structural: both Adam and Christ are representative figures whose actions determine the destiny of all who belong to them. One man's choice shapes the fate of multitudes.
The contrast is decisive: "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" (Romans 5:15). Adam's trespass brought condemnation; Christ's obedience brings justification. Adam's sin brought death; Christ's sacrifice brings life. Adam's failure cursed creation; Christ's victory renews it.
Paul's argument in Romans 5 is carefully structured. Adam sinned, and sin entered the world. Through sin, death entered. Death spread to all people because all sinned. But the free gift is not like the trespass. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. "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" (Romans 5:19).
Spurgeon preached that in Adam we see what Christ came to undo, and in Christ we see what Adam was meant to be. Adam was created as the image of God, given dominion over creation, placed in paradise — but he forfeited everything through disobedience. Jesus, the last Adam, is the true image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and He is leading His people back to paradise — a new creation more glorious than the first.
In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul extends the typology: "The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45). Adam received life; Christ gives it. Adam was made from the earth; Christ comes from heaven. Adam's body was perishable; Christ's resurrection body is imperishable — and it is the prototype for the bodies believers will receive.
Goldsworthy captures the sweep of it: the whole Bible can be understood as the story of two representative men. Everything between Genesis 3 and Revelation 22 is the outworking of this drama — Adam's ruin being undone by Christ's restoration.
Going Deeper
The Adam-Christ typology is not an obscure piece of theology. It is the architecture of the gospel. If you are "in Adam," you share in his condemnation. If you are "in Christ," you share in His righteousness. The question of the Bible — and the question of every human life — is this: which Adam defines you? Through faith, we are transferred from one humanity to another, from the old creation to the new.
Key Quotes
“Adam was a figure of him who was to come. In Adam we see what Christ came to undo, and in Christ we see what Adam was meant to be.”
“The whole Bible can be understood as the story of two representative men: the first Adam who brought ruin, and the last Adam who brings restoration.”
Prayer Focus
Lord Jesus, You are the last Adam — the one who succeeded where the first Adam failed. Thank You that I am no longer defined by Adam's failure but by Your triumph.
Meditation
Adam's one act of disobedience brought condemnation to all; Christ's one act of obedience brought justification to all who believe. How does this 'one act' logic shape your understanding of salvation?
Question for Discussion
Is it fair that one person's act -- whether Adam's sin or Christ's obedience -- can determine the destiny of others who did not choose it? How does the concept of representative headship challenge our individualistic assumptions?