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So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being; the "Last Adam", a life-giving spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45 NIV)
It was the most horrible
situation I've ever seen in my life. I never dreamed that man could do
to man such terrible things. I had walked into a house of horrors. Just
a few months earlier, one tribal group in the African nation of Rwanda
had attempted to exterminate an opposing one. If a wife was from the
Hutu tribe and her husband was Tutsi, she would turn him into the
militia to be killed and visa versa. It was estimated by local people
that nearly one million people had been killed in just a matter of one
month's time.
The mayor of one city told me his story. "My wife and I had seven children," he said. "When the order was given to kill all the Tutsis, a neighbor who was a close friend came to me and said, 'You'll never be able to hide in one place. Let me take four of the children and hide them. You and your wife and other three children can hide in a different place.' I agreed. But once he had the children, he called the militia. And they slaughtered them."
I was shocked at what he had to say. It was incomprehensible to hear what man could do to man - especially at the close of the 20th century. I found myself asking, "How could such a thing happen at this time in history?"
The answer to my question goes way back to the fall of man. The Bible says that because of one man's sin, we all have a nature that is prone toward evil. Adam, the first man, made a devastating choice. He disobeyed God. That produced incalculable tragedies upon future generations. Before that choice was made, there was perfect peace and harmony between man and the world around him. Afterwards, there was greed, murder, immorality, and a host of other dark deeds that filled the lives of people.
In short, the first Adam blew it. He sinned and passed his "sin nature" to future generations. That sin nature was written in the DNA of all his descendants, including you and me. It left us hopeless and helpless. It produced the potential for the kind of tragedies that took place in Rwanda in 1994.
But there's good news. The Bible not only speaks of the first Adam, but it also opens our eyes to the victory that we have in the ""Last Adam." The Apostle Paul refers to Jesus as the "Last Adam." The first Adam lost our relationship with God, but the "Last Adam" regained it for us. The First Adam left us with a degenerate nature, but the "Last Adam" brings regeneration to our hearts and lives. The Bible says, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:28 KJV).
The name, "Last Adam," brings great encouragement and hope for our hearts. Jesus was, is and always will be God. But the title of "Last Adam" is the most clearly stated name of Jesus that assures us of the humanity of Christ. The uniqueness of Jesus is in the fact that He was God who became man. There has never been a man like him nor will there ever be one like Him. He's God-man. He's the creator of the universe and the "Last Adam."
Jesus came to this earth and identified with us as a man. Yet, He was without sin. When He comes to dwell in our hearts through faith, His life-giving Spirit quickens us and gives us a new heart and a new nature. We have the power dwelling within us to live victoriously. We don't have to live in the bondage of sin. We are more than conquerors. We only have to appropriate by faith the power of His Spirit working within us. Trust Him today. He's your source of victory.
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