The Second Adam: A Fresh Start in Christ
“Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
The question we all love getting from someone in our life.
I always choose the bad news first. I like to get it over with. I don’t want my ice cream before my Brussels sprouts. Just let me plow through the bitterness. I’ll deal with it, one bite at a time, and then I’ll savor my sweet ending.
And while there is beauty in the story of creation, Adam and Eve isn’t a feel good story. The fall of man, our betrayal and ultimate separation from our loving Father, it really is the bad news first.
Yet thankfully, that’s not where the story ends.
Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 12-19 that without Christ and His resurrection, we can’t be raised from the dead. We are still in our sins. We are still separated from our Creator in this life and in death. We are still Adam. Now and forever.
Gulp.
But (and I’ve never been more grateful for a “but” in my life), Paul still gets to tell us the good news. And it’s the best news of all.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:20-22).
God didn’t just leave us with our plate of Brussels sprouts, that Adam ordered for all of us, to heap on our plates, family style. God had a plan to rescue us. To win us back to His sweet table. And that plan, was a Second Adam. But this Adam was perfect and faultless. This Adam was His Son, sent as a Man, just like Adam, to undo what Adam had done. What you and I have done. To resurrect us in a way that Adam never could. This Adam was the last Adam the world would ever need. (1 Cor. 15:45)
God gave us the ultimate Good News. The Good News that cancels out any bad news. He gave us Christ. And in Him we are made alive. Now and forever.
{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve heard the story of God sending Jesus to die for our sins but I’ve never correlated it with Adam eating the forbidden fruit which separated human from God at first… So then God sent His Son Jesus to pay the ultimate price so that all if our sins going forward could be forgiven. You really learn something everyday. I’m so glad I have been lead by the Holy Spirit to embark on this journey of understanding.
Me too Nance! He has been strengthening my.trust.him day by day with every.devo
Thanking GOD for second chances! (and we ALL know he has given us too many to EVEN count)
I am so thankful that I have a second chance at salvation. The Lord bas surely blessed me by giving ne the chance to spend forever with Him in paradise.
I truly love this. From the very beginning God the father declared our victory. Not just a temporary win over a small battle, but a overcoming triump declaring the war over.
It is amazing to think about our life after death–First as spirits in heaven and then as ressurrected bodies when Jesus returns. Our eternal life will be thrilling:)
Sonene told me preach the gospel to yourself each day "I am a great sinner in need of a great savior! I try to do this often to remind myself of my need for the gospel and dependence on Christ alone!
I’m so thankful we have the good news and have seen our old lives with the bad news so we can appreciate Gods grace even more
This jumped out at me today: “If for this life only have we hoped in Christ, we are of all men to be pitied.” It is a shame that Paul had to remind the Corinthians that if the dead cannot be resurrected, then Jesus must not have been resurrected, and if that is the case, their faith is a lie. I pray that I strengthen my faith and not allow it to fall to such depths. I pray that my conviction in the fresh start given us through Jesus becomes stronger.
i am forever grateful daddy Lord for the ultimate sacrifice of love!!! jxt wondering what would have happened to us all???!!!!! forever forever gratefuuull:-D
Wonderful news! I'm so thankful the God is greater than all our sins. It's so humbling and freeing! Thank you Jesus!
Kathrine that is one of my fav songs… This passage didnt speak to the first time I read but reading it again was like Wow! So thankful! Im read two devo a day trying to catch up with yu ladies but i love readibg the comments and yyr insight… Give me strength!
It is so comforting knowing that Christ sent his son for us. After reading your passage above, I wanted to shout AMEN! God is just loving and knowing everything his son was going to endure, he sent him here anyways for each of us. Such a joy!!
Thank you Nance for sharing . I really needed to hear those words !
Nance I am going to use that . I got adouble blessing out of this.
Everyone likes new stuff. It looks good, it smells good, it makes us feel good…that is for awhile until the excitement of the new fades.
I thank God that His new is eternal! He is sovereign and in control. Even when it looks as if there is no hope there is…we just have to have faith and believe. I thank God for Jesus, who always triumphs.
Nance, thank you for sharing your practice of saying "Itrust you Jesus" as a response to , well, everything!:) I want to work that into my daily life. I t's an encouragement to me that other women are praying the same prayer.
Beautiful Katherine, just beautiful!
Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day, oh, glorious day
In Him I am made alive. Now & forever.
Nance,thank u for sharing. I am going to incorporate that in my daily walk.
Jesus I trust you! Heather awesome, I can remember when I would argue and plead the cause. No longer! I know what I believe. Without Jesus I would not be leading the life I have now.
Reminds of the jesus story bible book, i read it with my kids all the time and it shows how Jesus is our perfect good news and happy ending :)
I don’t believe in Death any longer. Cos am made in Christ Jesus. And in Jesus we re made alive for ever. Therefor Death has being abolished for ever cos we shall not all sleep but shall be changed! PRAISE GOD
What a great and faithful God we serve, that he did not leave us in death, but rescued us and blesses us with life! Thank you Lord!
I am glad that Jesus triumphed over death and we have life in him.
We are so blessed to experience the life giving One. Lord, thank you for giving us your life! I love you Lord Jesus!
But God! Christ in His resurrection power brings us life. Grateful beyond words this evening.
Praise the Lord our faith is not in vain!
And boy, do I become more and more aware of just how "good" this news that is each day! I am so thankful for this undeserving gift of salvation :) Thank you for sharing!
xo
brittanykytecreated.blogspot.com
A big Thank You to SRT writers! The imagery of these devotions has been absolutely wonderful-I’m soo enjoying this Fresh Start!! I’ve been telling all the women I know , wanting to share this awesome plan, and God’s awesome plan for us! By reading daily about fresh starts my mind-set has been way more positive and I find myself really believing I can put the past behind me! Forgiving myself is the biggest obstacle. That my Loving Father DOES forgive me turns me into a puddle of mess from soo many tears of regret, sadness, happiness, joy, confusion, until I read these devo’s and all your comments that help me make sense of it all!! I get so much from them. Heather, Jennifer, Jeanette all had points that spoke to me today- Thank you, I appreciate your insights Ladies :)
Thank you Jesus for another day! Another day for me to learn Your word, to get closer to You, that I may know You like I know no other! So You are my First in EVERYTHING. You DIED for me, to give ME Life- Thank You sweet Jesus, Thank You!!!
After reading today's post I never really though of Christ as the second Adam….nor in my Catholic upbringing was I ever taught that. It makes so much sense that God sent his perfect and faultless son, Jesus, as the second Adam. Wow! I am beyond grateful for his sacrifices. Thank you for your words.
I'm thankful that Jesus Christ have a resurrection. If it weren't because of this, our salavation would be invalid and everything would be useless. I just thank God for Jesus Christ. For being the Savior of my life.
Heather, your words felt as if they came from my heart. My husband is a “just in case” believer- not one who truly has a relationship with God. I pray that God will work with them and lead them into a loving relationship with him.
This message today brought tears to my eyes. Our God is truly wondrous and amazing, and his love overwhelms me. We are blessed as believers. I smiled as I thought “a new and improved Adam
So thankful we KNOW that Christ is risen from the dead and can give us life! I was thinking this morning of all the Old Testament saints who had to have so much faith that One would come one day and undo Adam’s downfall. I am grateful to have faith in a Savior that already came to die for us!
Thanking God for the "but" which came in the form of the second Adam, Jesus. Thankful for the resurrection so that I may live.
Death came by the life of one man, Adam, but LIFE came by the death of another man, Jesus. Thank you Jesus for life and a love that’s never ending!
I love this and I love how I can see Jesus as my Savior through today's devotion. Even in our guiltiness He came, and He not only came for us, He conquered the grave and was ressurected so that we can have victory over our sin and be raise up too. Thank you Jesus for coming, for saving, for redeeming, for giving us victory and for making a way for us to be with you always!
Thank you for sharing! So hopeful to have a way through Jesus!
God bless, Jessica @ http://www.proverbsliving.org
Talk about a fresh start! In the beginning man was in paradise until sin separated us from God. But, Jesus came and washed away our sins. He makes us fresh and new. He brings us back to God. Thank you Lord for our fresh start in Jesus.
Thank God for His always making a way out of no way, because without Christ we would have no way back to our Father. But our Redeemer is ever present. Thank You Jesus!
I was just thinking this morning what a wonderful, full-of-promise "but" that is…
Christ has indeed been raised from the dead!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detai…
Thank you for my worship today Ingrid. The Lord bless you, sister!
Gotta love the conclusion! "The Good News that cancels out any bad news. He gave us Christ. And in Him we are made alive. Now and forever." Amen & amen!!!
I can't seem to stop smiling after today's reading:)
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is theological and a historical fact, praise be to God. Be encourage by this song sisters it encourages me .http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGlqJSKlEmA.
This passage reminds me of God's grace and mercy. Although Adam really messed up God loved us enough to give us round 2 with His Son! His death, burial and ressurrection gave us the second chance and the power to live boldly in Him! As such, he continues to bless us and His grace offers second, third, fourth chances! Thank you God!!
The power of resurrection!!!# We were dead I our sins BUT CAME ALIVE THRU CHRIST!!!! I have never thought about the fact he also resurrected us from it sins. We were made alive, new creatures ask because, of him. His love still amazes me! Thank you Father, for your resurrection and my own I love you
When reading today I am reminded of something once said to my {unsaved} husband when he asked a believer “What if when you die there is nothing & all that you have believed in is false?” Their reply was that if in the end this is all just a lie you still would have lived a good life. God’s principals make for great life rules. They said they would rather have lived a life in God & have it not work out than live a life in sin & have God be real. While I understand the sentiment behind that-that isn’t what Hod wants from us. He wants us fully committed to Him. He doesn’t want us half heartily. And for what Christ did for us, it’s the least we can do. God isn’t my security net just in case I fall off the tightrope of life-He is my all in all. Without Him there would be no life and I am forever grateful for His sacrifice through Jesus for my sins.
Wow! Great analogy! He's not my security net!!!
Love It!
This truly is a remarkable thing to study and look further into. We had a double hit on this when I took Philosophy in my first semester of college. Taken at face-value, this is very simple to understand, but when dug a little deeper, things go haywire. Reminds me of Aristotle: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Wonderful analogy in the end.
Nance, I love that about saying “I trust You Jesus in every situation. Going to try this. Thank you for sharing.
I have been given a challenge from another devo I do each morning and that is to make it a habit to say "I trust you Jesus" in response to whatever happens to you. Then if there is time, think about who I Am in all My Power and Glory; ponder also the depth and breadth of My Love for you.
This seemed to fit right in with new beginnings and today's lesson in 1Cor 15:12-28.
Thank God He loves us so much that we can have new life in Jesus and trust Him with our lives in every situation-good, bad, or ugly. Good morning Girls, It's back to work for me today!
Are you reading Jesus Calling by Sarah Young? I am and I love it.
Thank you for this. I can’t even tell you how much I needed to hear that today. :)
Thank God he didn't leave us with the Brussels Sprouts (yuck)! Such good news, such GREAT salvation.
Anniewiltse, thank you for that comparison! It is exciting to know that before the foundation of the world (and before the first sin), God had laid the plan to rescue us from ourselves. This is love, indeed!
What an awesome plan God has! I just want to know him more and seek to serve him more every day of my life.
I love Corinthians 15:14, And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
Because I know that Christ has been raised and my faith is far from useless. It is life giving! What an awesome message to start the day with!
Yes for sure!
I love, in 1 Cor. 15:45, the distinction between the first Adam being a living being and the last Adam being a life-giving spirit. We live because we're flesh, because we're descended from the first Adam. But we are made vibrantly alive only when we live in a way that mirrors the sacrifices and ministry of the last Adam.
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