January 31 THE LAST ADAM "It is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit... . The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47, NKJV). The title, "the last Adam," appears only once in the Bible; it is unique to the apostle Paul, who describes Christ as "the last Adam... the Lord from heaven." In his analogy between the natural body and the spiritual body, Paul links creation and redemption. He states that the original Adam was created in God's image, holy and innocent. But, because of his transgression, all his descendants were born sinful (see Psalm 51:5). The fallen Adam became the head of the whole sinful race. Because of the offense of the first Adam, "sin entered the world... because all sinned" (Romans 5:12, NKJV). In God's redemptive master plan, He made adequate provision to redeem and restore the human race. Hence, "when the time had fully come, God sent his Son... to redeem those under [the] law" (Galatians 4:4, 5, NIV). Paul identifies God's Son as the "last Adam." The last Adam was born holy, lived an unimpeachable life, died vicariously for the sin of the world, rose triumphantly from the grave, and ascended into glory. When the first Adam fell, the human race lost its Edenic home, holiness of character, direct communication with God, and eternal life. Through the last Adam, all these blessings and privileges will be fully restored forever. By overcoming the enemy, the second Adam became the head of all humanity. The assurance of Scripture is that "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ [the last Adam] all shall be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22, NKJV). All that was lost through the first Adam will be fully restored through the last Adam (see Ephesians 1:14). "Christ, by his sacrifice paying the penalty of sin, would not only redeem man, but recover the dominion which man had forfeited. All that was lost by the first Adam will be restored by the second [Adam]."--Review and Herald, October 22, 1908. My Prayer Today: Lord, Thank You for giving me Jesus, the last Adam, through whom the final restoration is guaranteed. Amen.