Adam, the Type of Christ – Romans 5:12-19

 Let’s start with a silly question: How many points of agreement do two things have to share before they are similar to one another? For example how similar are the giraffe and the ponderosa pine? In nearly every way they are very, very dissimilar. However, they are both tall and they both possess life of some sort. Are they more, or less, similar to each other than a fist sized rock and a clam? In the case of the clam and the rock, they may look alike in size and shape, but that is all. In comparison the giraffe and the pine tree might be considered quite similar – relatively speaking.

Like it or not, you may be more like someone half way around the world than with your next door neighbor. Despite the difference in skin color, your educations may be similar, jobs, talents, joys and even your faith. So once again, how many points of agreement do two things have to have before they are similar? I suppose that if the primary agreement is really large, then there might be very few points necessary. For example, if a man in India has been saved by the grace of God, then he might be more like you than your neighbor who religiously attends the Methodist church down the road.

Why do I ask these questions? Because out of the many things in the Bible which are said to be “types of Christ” – the first is Adam. That isn’t my opinion – it is the declaration of the Apostle Paul, while being lead of the Holy Spirit. But I have to admit that many of the other types of Christ bear more similarities than Adam does. And yet, the way in which that special person resembles the Saviour is so strong that it would be unjust for us not to consider that relationship at least in passing.

Because the points of agreement are few, our message this evening will not be very long.

First, I need to define what has primarily become a religious or theological word.Preachers are prone to say that there are many “types” of Christ in the Old Testament. Verse 15 says – “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the FIGURE of him that was to come.” Do you see the word “figure”? The original Greek word is “tupos” (too’-pos). And according to any good dictionary, “tupos” came through Latin into English and eventually evolved into the common word “type.” It means the same thing theologically that it means when you talk about using a typewriter, or the type of tulip that you planted in your garden. It talks about something which leaves an impression or print. It may be talking about two things which are similar to each other.

The word “tupos” (too’-pos) is used 16 times in the Bible, so it’s something that every Christian should know. But it isn’t always translated the same way – even though the meaning is always the same. Thomas said to the disciples, “Except I shall see in his hands the PRINT of the nails, and put my finger into the PRINT of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” He was saying that the nails which held Jesus to the cross, must have left their mark in His hands. Even though the nails are gone, I expect Christ to have the impression of the nails still with Him. And He did. Perhaps He still does. Then Stephen said, “Our fathers had the tabernacle of witness in the wilderness, as he had appointed, speaking unto Moses, that he should make it according to the FASHION that he had seen.” “Now all these things happened unto them for ENSAMPLES: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ENSAMPLE.” “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an EXAMPLE of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” “In all things shewing thyself a PATTERN of good works:”

When we talk about something being a “type of Christ,” we mean that it is a picture or illustration of some aspect of the Lord Jesus. And there are literally dozens and dozens of these figures or impressions of Christ in the Bible. But some bear far more similarity to the Lord than others. So hopefully, the next time I say that Isaac is a type of Christ, you’ll remember what I mean. And the Passover lamb is a type of Christ, and various aspects of the Day of Atonement are types. The Rose of Sharon is a type of Christ, as were Moses and Melchizedek.

But the first of all those figures and pictures was Adam. In looking at that man, we can see only a couple of similarities to Christ. But at least one of those things is something very important.

First, Adam had no human father.Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary and the step-son of Joseph, was actually and literally the Son of God. Of no one else has God the Father ever spoken from Heaven, “This is my beloved Son.” Demons recognized that Jesus was the Son of God, as did disciples in general and the Apostles specifically. Paul once declared that the saints of God have been delivered from the power of darkness, and have been “translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son.“ He has said that our Great High Priest is Jesus – the Son of God. He said that Melchizedek was a type of the Lord Jesus. And John said, “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.” And “who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?“

Even though you might be called the children of God, because you have been born again of the Spirit of God, you are not a son or daughter of the Lord in the same way as Jesus. Christ has always been the Son of God, not by any kind of birth, but by an eternal and inexplicable relationship. Daniel spoke of the Son of God long before Bethlehem and the manger. Some heretical cults say that Jesus became the Son of God at the creation, but that isn’t early enough. There has always been a Trinity, and the Second Person of that Trinity has always been the Son of God.

You may be a son or daughter of God, and I hope that you are, but Adam was a son of God in an even more unusual way. Adam had no human father, so he was unlike any of us. God was Adam’s Creator/Father. His was a unique relationship to God, just as Jesus’ relationship was absolutely unique but in another day. To no one else can we make that comparison, except perhaps to that enigmatic Melchizedek.

Secondly, Adam was sinless – at least for a while.One of the problems with types, both with the printing industry and theologically, is that there is no perfect impression. One of the fun areas of stamp collection is discerning and collecting all the varieties of certain stamps. Some of those varieties were planned, but the really fun ones were not. And when a typewriter key hits a sheet of paper, the image is never as crisp as the key itself. If one sheet of paper is not as smooth as another, the image will be different between those sheets. If there is a change in the ink, or the humidity, or the angle of the paper, the image will be different. And even in the best set of circumstances that image will be less than the original. I’m sure that there is a specific law of physics to describe this, but I’m not sure what to call it.

For a short time after Adam came from the hand of the Lord, he was not tainted by any sin. That may have lasted a few hours to some days or months, we can’t really be sure. But there came a moment when he sinned and spiritually died.

The Lord Jesus too was sinless, but in a very different way – the image isn’t as perfect as the real. Adam was sinless only because he hadn’t yet sinned. It might be better to say that he was innocent of sin, because that quickly changed. But for Christ Jesus, sinlessness was a part of his being, not a part of his history. I am one of those people who believe that Jesus was completely incapable of sin. Sin, by definition, is the transgression of the will of God. Since Christ was and is deity, it was and is impossible for Him to contradict His own will. The theological word is “impeccable.” Christ could never have sinned, and He never will.

Despite Adam’s eventual sin, for a little while his sinless innocence was typical, or a type, of Jesus’ sinlessness

Third, Adam was made heir of the world.The Lord took five days to create the world, preparing it for the crown of His creation. On the sixth day 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.”

In the original creation, there was no creature greater than Adam. If someone wants to say that the animals could speak, and think and solve problems, Adam was still greater than them all. He was commanded and given authority to have dominion over the rest of creation. Only Jehovah Himself was greater than Adam. And who knows where that would have gone, if Adam hadn’t rebelled against God.

In this Adam was a type of Christ, who is in some special way heir of absolutely all things. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed HEIR OF ALL THINGS, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” All power and authority have been given unto Christ. Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – Master and God. He is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. His enemies shall be made His footstool. And “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. FOR HE HATH PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET.”

What a wonderful thing to know that our Saviour is the Heir and King of all things. And a part of that wonderful thought is that we shall be joint heirs with Christ. In this we have even more than Adam originally had.

Nevertheless, Adam is a type of Christ in this area.

But the most important aspect of this typology is that Adam was the federal head of a body of people.Adam plunged all of his children into sin and destruction, but Christ lifts all of His children into righteousness and glory.

I hope that we’ve covered this point reasonably well over the last couple of weeks, so that all I need to do right now is to reiterate it. This is what Paul has been teaching us in this portion of Romans. Verse 14 – Adam who is a type of Christ, transgressed or sinned against God. Verse 15 – And through Adam’s sinful offense, everyone of us – his children – died a spiritual death. Verse 16 – Through Adam’s sin, judgment and condemnation came upon all humanity. Verse 17 – Through Adam’s sin, death began to reign over every one of his children. Hate this doctrine if you like, but you can’t honestly say that the Bible doesn’t teach it.

However, as Adam is the figure, Christ is the completion, and in some ways even the antithesis. Verse 15 – Despite the similarity, Christ’s blessing is vastly superior to Adam’s offense. Through Adam’s sin everyone died, but through the righteousness of Christ grace has abounded to many. Verse 16 – Adam’s sin brought judgment, but the free gift of Christ brings justification. Verse 17 – Adam’s sin means death for everyone, but Jesus’ death means life for multitudes. Verse 18 – “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” And verse 19 – “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

How can I know that I am one of the Lord’s people, despite first being one of Adam’s people? I know because I have been enabled to repent of my sin, and now my love and trust is in Christ Jesus. My relationship to God has gone from a mere Creator/creature to Saviour and saint. And my relationship to Adam now illustrates my relationship to Christ. I am now a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus.