New Humanity

Introduction to Study Series

From cover to cover, the Bible is telling one consistent story. The storyline of the Bible is about God’s unfolding plan of creation to new creation. It is the story about how the Creator is rescuing his creation through the Christ. As the mission statement of the great team at The Bible Project states: “The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.”

* One Unified Story

Unfortunately, many people view the Bible as an old religious book that is meant to reform our behavior through rituals and rule keeping. But in the words of Ray Lubeck:

* The Use of Types

“Following the Bible is not about reforming our behaviors by strict rule keeping. Rather, it is an invitation to our imagination, offering to us whole new ways of seeing and being in the world in the ways that God describes it. God does not liberate us in Christ by giving us more and different laws, but by enabling us to look at literally everything from a different perspective, with a new reference point for reality.” (Read the Bible book)

To put that another way, the Bible is offering us a new worldview and a new way of life by inviting us to participate in the epic story that it is telling. It is so much more than embracing a new religion or lifestyle.

* The Purpose of this Series

* Introduction to this Study (Adam)

The Bible traces an unfolding drama that is taking place through real historical events with real-life human characters playing real roles. However, because of these characters and events, many people end up reading the Bible as a collection of stories that give us moral lessons or heroes to emulate. Think of the way that many children’s Bibles portray the story of Samson as if he is some sort of ancient Superman and the story of David as if he’s the brave little boy that’s not afraid of the big bad giant. We individualize these stories and isolate them instead of realizing that these stories and their characters are all part of a greater underlying story that is the epic story of the Christ.

And so that is the motivation behind this five-part study series that we’ve entitled, “The Christ: Foreshadowed and Fulfilled.” In this study, we are going to look at five different different figures from the Old Testament narrative and see how their stories foreshadow what would eventually be fulfilled in the Christ of the New Testament.

* Starting at the Beginning

Our purpose in this study is not to give you an exhaustive account of how all the different stories in the Bible point to the one main story. We’ll leave that up to you to explore and discover on your own. But our goal is to give you a deeper appreciation for the Bible as a whole and a fresh new perspective that leads you to join in and actually participate in what God is doing and has been doing since the beginning of human history.

Introduction to Study One

And so with all that being said, we will begin this study by starting at the beginning and looking at the first human figure that we encounter in the Bible whose name comes directly from the Hebrew word for humankind, Adam. On the very first page of the Bible, we read this about humanity and what God had in mind for this first human named Adam:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

So God created man in his own image,

27  So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26-28)

If we are going to truly understand the story of the Christ then we need a clear understanding concerning the story of creation. To better know Christ, we need a better understanding of the man named Adam. The two are intimately connected and cannot be separated.

God had a specific idea in mind when he created humanity and a specific role that humanity was intended to fulfill. We learn about this role in the story of Adam.

In this story, we learn that God desires for human beings to rule over his creation — caring about its protection and cultivating its potential — and to do so in a relationship of trusting obedience towards him.

To put it more simply, God’s plan for his creation was that it would be run by obedient human beings.

And so to explain what we mean by this and why it’s important, we’re going to look at the story of Adam, how that story helps us understand Jesus and how all this ought to shape our lives as Christians today.

* Why we need to hear this? FCF

The Story of Adam

As we look at the story of Adam, we’re goi

* What we’re going to see? Big Idea

Made in the image of God: Rule & Relationship

*Who was Adam?*

The Test of Trust

*Made in the Image of God*

The Promise: The Seed of the Woman

* & 2

* He is made for intimate, reciprocal relationship with God, designed for relationship with his created others and born to the divine and creative vocation of earth-care and earth-filling (). Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In [Dictionary of biblical imagery](https://ref.ly/logosres/dbibimg?ref=Page.p+9&off=3655&ctx=of+child+to+parent.+~He+is+made+for+intim) (electronic ed., p. 9). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

* While Genesis clearly speaks of Adam’s “rule” over the creation, it is a theme set in the context of dependence. Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In [Dictionary of biblical imagery](https://ref.ly/logosres/dbibimg?ref=Page.p+9&off=4806&ctx=tire+created+order.%0a~While+Genesis+clearl) (electronic ed., p. 9). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Jesus: The Second Adam

The Seed of the Woman: Luke’s Genealogy: Beloved Son

The Test

The Promise Fulfilled: Christ Embraced the Path of Suffering

* Adam is given the role of being a special representative or mediator between the Creator and the creation. Man is made as the image of God which means that “man’s nature and role are unique in creation.” (Clowey, 21)

* “The fact that man shares organic, bodily life with all the animate creation qualifies him to represent that creation before God.” (Clowney, 21) And so Adam is given the role to serve as the mediator between the Creator and the creation.

Remade in the Image of God

* Adam also is given the role of ruling over the Creator’s creation.

Us: New Humanity

*The Test Failed* — Trusting Obedience Towards God

* Adam is placed in the garden sanctuary where he is given freedom to cultivate and carry the creation forward. His freedom is given one limitation. In this limitation, his trusting obedience to the Lord of Creation was being tested.

Rule & Relationship: Royal Priesthood

* He was the acting representative of the human race.

* “By obedience under testing, his righteousness would pass beyond its original innocence. He would know the difference between good and evil by choosing the good. He would be confirmed as the righteous son of God, free to eat of the tree of life forever.” (CL, 23)

* Test 1: Distrust: “Did God actually say you can’t eat the fruit of your own garden?”

* Test 2: Doubt: “Surely a good God wouldn’t let you die.”

* Test 3: Desire: “God is holding out on you. There’s something greater available. Instead of ruling on behalf of God, you can become like God and act on your own authority.”

* Disobedience led to disorder. No matter how hard they would try human beings would not be able to restore their unity with God and with one another nor would they be able to escape the fear, guilt and shame that would plague their heart. Adam and Eve resorted to excuses and blame-shifting. “Adam blamed Eve, becoming her accuser rather than her advocate.” (CL, 38)

*The Promise Given*

* Judgement awaited them. They would be held accountable for their disobedience. But in the midst of God’s judgement, we see incredible mercy, grace, patience and hope. They didn’t fall dead at the foot of the tree. Death would be the consequence of their decision but God would prolong the penalty and speak words of hope. The serpent was judged first and we are told that God would put enmity between the man and the adversary; not between man and himself. God was still for humanity despite the rebellion. And one day, this enmity would reach its climax when a son of the woman would crush the head of the serpent while being wounded by the serpent as well.

* The seed of the woman — Seth is the appointed substitute for Abel and the rest of Genesis runs with this idea of the seed of the woman.

*How Does This Help Us Understand Jesus* —

* The Son of the Woman

* Luke’s genealogy — the beloved Son of God

* Adam as son of God is the father of the human race, and Jesus, whose divine sonship has just been declared at his baptism (), is the progenitor of a new people that grows to include members from all nations (). Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In [Dictionary of biblical imagery](https://ref.ly/logosres/dbibimg?ref=Page.p+13&off=4793&ctx=en+Adam+and+Christ.+~Adam+as+son+of+God+i) (electronic ed., p. 13). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

*The Test Passed* — Trusting Obedience Towards God

* Adam was tested in his own garden with an abundance around him. Jesus was tested in the wilderness at the brink of starvation. The serpent from the wilderness invaded the garden to test Adam. Jesus invaded the wilderness to confront Satan.

* Test 1: Distrust: “You’re supposed to be the beloved Son but your Father has driven you out here and provided nothing for you.”

* Test 2: Doubt: “You think you’re the Messiah but do you really believe that. If so, why don’t you prove how strong your belief is by a demonstration of faith. Surely, you won’t die.”

* Test 3: Desire: “There’s another way. Instead of inheriting the throne over all of creation through the path of suffering and death, you can have them now through simply acknowledging that I too have the authority to give them to you.”

* Did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped. Adam grasped to be equal with God. ()

* While Adam was exiled; Christ was exalted.

*The Promise Fulfilled*

* “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” () Jesus was going to do what Adam failed to do and cast out the adversary from his presence.

* “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” ()

* “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in the cross.” ()

* Christ’s death overcomes Adam’s disobedience.

*Remade in the Image of God*

* In Scripture, God created humanity in his image (). If this image was lost or marred in Adam (in some sense it seems to remain in ), it seems to be restored in Jesus Christ (; ; cf. also ; ).

* We need to rediscover this bigger picture than just salvation from sin.

* “Here is the problem to which Romans is the answer: not simply that we are sinful and need saving but that our sinfulness has meant that God’s project for the whole creation (that it should be run by obedient humans) was aborted, put on hold. And when we are saved, as Paul spells out, that is in order that the whole-creation project can at last get back on track. When humans are redeemed, creation gives a sigh of relief and says, “Thank goodness! About time you humans got sorted out! Now we can be put to rights at last.” (NT in JW, 173-174)

* is pointing out that Jesus is now enthroned and reigning as king; that he is now in the place where Adam was supposed to be. There is now a human ruling over the universe and doing so in a relationship of trusting obedience towards God.

* “Paul is working very closely with right across . And basic to his exposition of Genesis is this point: that God put his wonderful world into human hands; that the human hands messed up the project; and that the human hands of Jesus the Messiah have now picked it up, sorted it out and got it back on track.” (NT in JW, 174-175)

*What are the Implications for Us?*

* The image is a vocation or calling; not simply some spiritual attribute that we possess inside of us. It is the call to reflect the character of God to the rest of creation and to serve as the representatives of the creation before God.

* “That is what it means to be the royal priesthood: looking after God’s world is the royal bit, summing up creation’s praise is the priestly bit.” (NT in JW, 175)

* We have been rescued and redeemed in order to be a royal priesthood. To take up our created calling. Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom; salvation from sin is part of the story but not the whole story. The full good news is that in Jesus, and through his death and resurrection, God has become king of the creation and we have been reinstated as image-bearing human beings who are called to participate in God’s project of new creation.

* The theme of a new humanity shaped for a new creation emerges in Paul’s bold statements of unity. In Paul speaks of believers having “stripped off the old man /[palaion anthrōpon]/” and “put on the new [man]” “which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator.” Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In /_[Dictionary of biblical imagery](https://ref.ly/logosres/dbibimg?ref=Page.p+14&off=1272&ctx=ome!%E2%80%9D+(2+Cor+5:17).%0a~The+theme+of+a+new+h)_/ (electronic ed., p. 14). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

* The children of the last Adam are the harbinger and hope of the new creation. Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000). In /_[Dictionary of biblical imagery](https://ref.ly/logosres/dbibimg?ref=Page.p+14&off=3918&ctx=+God%E2%80%9D+(v.+19+NRSV).+~The+children+of+the+)_/ (electronic ed., p. 14). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

* Death used to rule but now new humans in Christ rule.

* 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. ()

* Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. ()

*Conclusion*

* It is noteworthy that Adam is the only Old Testament character who is /explicitly/ called a ‘type’ of Christ in the New Testament. There is a fitness in this, even if the typological relation between them involves as much contrast as resemblance; in Paul’s thought Christ replaces the first man as the archetype and representative of a new humanity: Bruce, F. F. (1985). /_[Romans: an introduction and commentary](https://ref.ly/logosres/tntc66rous?ref=Bible.Ro5.14&off=196&ctx=(1+Cor.+15:45%2c+47).+~It+is+noteworthy+tha)_/ (Vol. 6, p. 134). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.