I carry in my notebook, right
here in the front, pictures of my family, particularly the grandbabies. And when I'm away and get to
talking about them and folks ask me about them, I start to
describe them. I'll say, oh, DeGrace looks just
exactly like her grandma. And I start to describe it. Descriptions
don't quite do the job. So I have a picture here, open
it up, of the Grace and Shelby sitting in red dresses in our
living room, and she looks just like her. That's one of the beauties
of the types and pictures in the Old Testament. There are
a great variety of them. They are clear, instructive,
object lessons, vivid pictures, vivid portrayals of our Lord
Jesus Christ, in his person, in his glory, and in his works
of redemption and grace on our behalf. They were pictures drawn
by the hand of divine providence on purpose to show us Christ
our Savior. Now, there's a great variety
of them. There are historic types, Israel's deliverance out of Egypt,
Israel's deliverance from Babylonian captivity, the very creation
of the world, all these things are historic types and pictures
of Christ. There are ceremonial types of
our Savior, the whole tabernacle, the altar, the showbread, the
mercy seat, the Ark of the Covenant, Everything in the tabernacle,
the priesthood, the Passover, the sin offerings, all those
things were ceremonial pictures and types of Christ. The Sabbath
day, those various things connected with the law. And then there
were personal types of our Lord, many of them, many of them. Some
that stand out eminently as types are Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac,
and Judah, and Joseph, Moses, David, Solomon. These are all
specifically identified as types of our Redeemer. Now, let me
ask you a question. Did you know that there is only
one type of the Savior that is specifically named as a type
of Him in all the Scriptures? Just one, just one. This will
be surprising, puzzling, I'm sure. This one type that is specifically
named as a type. It's almost always ignored if
you pick up a book on the study of types. Almost always ignored. If this type is mentioned, it's
given just a courteous mention because the person is forced
to acknowledge this one type is named as a type, and then
very apologetic. as if the person is fearful that
somehow God may have made a mistake and there's something evil connected
with making this type a type of Christ. Now, I hope I've got
your attention. Let's look at our text. Romans
chapter 5, verse 14. Romans chapter 5 and verse 14.
Here is the only type specifically named in the scriptures as a
type of Christ. Nevertheless, death reigned from
Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the
similitude of Adam's transgression." Now watch it, "...who was the
figure of him that was to come." The type, the pattern, the example,
the picture. He was the figure of him that
was to come. Then in verse 15, the Holy Spirit
tells us, "...him that was to come is Christ our Savior." I
want to talk to you this morning, then, about Christ being typified
by Adam. Being a type of Christ, Adam
has much that is in common with our Savior. And like all the
types, there are many things about Adam that are not like
our Savior at all. Types are just types. They're
not perfect. They're not perfect. They're
just pictures. And with every type, there are failures. The
reason for that is that our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be portrayed
and exemplified completely by any one thing. As we read through
the scriptures, we find that Adam and Christ are uniquely
joined together. We would be wise to carefully
and prayerfully study such passages as this in Romans 5. Look with
me at verse 12, and let's read the rest of the chapter. Romans
5, verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man, sin
entered into the world, and death by sin. Paul had been declaring
man's depravity and his corruption. from the beginning. And he then
declares that there is no possibility of salvation in man or by man,
but that redemption and justification is a matter of God's free grace
through the blood of Jesus Christ in him alone, and this justification
we receive by faith in him. Now, since that's the case, as
by one man sin entered into the world, by one man's disobedience,
one man's transgression, that's how we got in the mess we're
in, and death by sin, death by reason of sin. So that death
passed upon all men for this reason, for that all have sinned. When that one man sinned, we
all sinned in him. When that one man died, we all
died in him. Somebody says, well, I don't
like that. Like it or not, that's the way
it is. That's the way it is. God arranged it that way on purpose
for His glory, and He arranged it that way on purpose as a mighty
act of grace. As a mighty act of grace. Since
we were lost by something somebody else did, altogether outside
ourselves, There's hope that maybe we who can never do good,
we who can never justify ourselves, we who can never establish righteousness,
maybe, maybe there is another one man by whom we might be made
to stand forever accepted of God, but see, for until the law
all sin was in the world, but death is not imputed where there
is no law, Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even
over them that had not sinned like Adam did, at the similitude
of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was
to come. But not as the offense, so also
is the free gift. For if through the offense of
one many be dead, much more." I love those two words, don't
you? Paul uses them repeatedly in these verses. Much more. Much more. This is much more
better. The grace of God and the gift
by grace, which is by one man, there he is, Jesus Christ, hath
abounded to many. And not as it was by one that
sinned, so is the gift. That is, salvation had come by
Adam. Salvation had come by flesh. Salvation had come from sinners.
But the free gift for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but
the free gift is of many offenses unto justification." Verse 17,
"'For if by one man's offense death reigned by one, much more,
they which receive abundance of grace, all sufficient, unfailing,
immutable free grace, and the gift of righteousness It's grace
that brings righteousness. Righteousness is a gift. Righteousness
is something God does for you and gives to you, not something
you perform. The gift of righteousness shall
reign in my life. I'm alive. I was dead, but I'm
alive because God's given me life in Christ. And this gift
reigns in life. I won Jesus Christ. Verse 18. Therefore, just like we were
lost in Adam, just like we died in Adam, just like we sinned
in Adam, as by the offense 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." What on earth does
that mean? I had a couple of letters this
week from a fellow trying to engaged me in debate, wanted
to argue about universal salvation, universal redemption. And I,
of course, you know, that kind of nonsense, I just ignored it.
But does this mean that everybody's saved? He says death came on
all men under condemnation, but Christ came and now the free
gift has come on all men, not shall come, has come on all men
under everlasting life. No, you know better than that.
The book speaks plainly about some who are in hell. The book
speaks plainly about some who are going to hell. Some of you
are headed there quickly. Now, not all men are saved, but
he's talking about two representative men and two groups of people
represented by them. Adam represented all men, the
whole human race, and all men died in him. The Lord Jesus Christ
represents another race. He represents the race of God's
elect. His chosen, and all men in Him,
all His represented ones, all His chosen ones, all who are
under Him and in Him and with Him as a covenant head and federal
representative, all whom He represents and represented and shall represent
forever as surety before God, have been given righteousness
and life by him, in him, and within him. Read on, verse 19. For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, by
the obedience of one, we were all got in the mess we're in
now by the disobedience of Adam. Oh, but there is another Adam
who perfectly obeyed God Almighty, and by his obedience By His obedience,
watch this, shall many be made righteous. Remember what I said? Thank God we failed on a representative
man. God arranged it that way because
it was His purpose to save His own by another representative
man. Now hear me, hear me, God help
you to hear me. Salvation, righteousness, eternal
life, acceptance with God, is accomplished altogether outside
our experience. Christ accomplished it. He gives
it to us. Read on. Moreover, the law entered
that the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, oh, may
God make your sin to abound for you, so that you're made this
day to be convinced of your sin. And I promise you, wherever sin
abounds, If God ever makes you to see the abundance of your
sin, grace shall much more abound. Where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. That as sin hath reigned unto
death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal
life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now let's look at another text
where Adam and Christ are linked together. 1 Corinthians 15, verse
21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection
of the dead." Verse 22. For as in Adam all died, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. Now let me remind you
some things you know. Adam was made in the image of
Christ, who is the image of the invisible God. Adam was, by God's
arrangement, a representative man, a covenant head, so as Christ,
a representative man, a covenant head. All that Adam did, all
he represented did in him. All that he did was imputed to
all men, all his seed. All that he became was imparted
to all his seed by natural generation, so that we are all born sons
of Adam, children of wrath, even as others. We are all born flesh,
and flesh will never be anything else. So too, all that Christ
did has been imputed to us, his seed. All that he did, we did
in him. I can't begin to describe the
wonder of that, the blessedness of that. I haven't yet begun
even to start to grasp hold of it for myself. But when the Lord
Jesus Christ lived on this earth as a man, Loving God with all
his heart and his neighbor as himself. Fulfilling righteousness
perfectly. Obeying God's will fully. Suffering God's wrath for sin
completely. Dying, rising again. Ascending to glory. Taking his
seat rightfully at the right hand of the majesty on high.
I did in him. Everything, everything. That's
what's called a covenant head and representative. And now all
that he is, is imparted to all his seed by supernatural regeneration. And all believers in Christ are
made to be the sons of God. Consider what Adam did as our
federal head and representative. He repudiated the goodness and
love of God. He questioned the truth and veracity
of God. He defied God's right to be God. That's what sin is. It is the
defiance of God's right to be God. That's how Adam got us into
mess we're in. Christ the last Adam. The second
and last man. The second and last federal head
and representative. completely vindicated the love,
the truth, and the majesty of God, which the first man, Adam,
had so grievously and deliberately dishonored. Christ, the man,
as the God-man, our mediator, honored God in thought, word,
and deed all the days of his life upon the earth. He vindicated
the love of God completely and fully, and vindicates God's right
to be God. bowing to Him in all things. If ever you are tempted of Satan
to question the goodness and love of God, if the events of
providence appear to be casting a cloud over God's goodness and
love, and you're tempted to think all these things are against
me, look back to Calvary and behold the good and mercy and
love of God in the sacrifice of our Redeemer. Our Lord Jesus
vindicated God's truth too. When he was tempted by Satan,
do you remember how he responded to every temptation? The Scripture
says. When he went into the synagogue
Sabbath day after Sabbath day, he read the Scripture. As he
chose his twelve disciples, he deliberately chose one by the
name of Judas, who was a devil, that the scriptures might be
fulfilled. When he was on his way to Calvary,
he said, It is written, and behoove me to suffer and die and rise
again the third day, that the scriptures might be fulfilled. When our Lord Jesus was risen
again from the dead, he appeared to his disciples. And he walked
along the way and got to talking to them, and he opened to them
the scriptures and expanded to them things concerning himself.
The Lord of glory completely vindicated, as I said, the majesty,
supremacy, and sovereignty of God as our substitute and our
representative. He willingly, voluntarily submits
to the will and purpose of God at all things, at all times,
in all circumstances. He trusted God perfectly. He obeyed God's law completely,
fulfilling every aspect, every prophecy, every word, every moral
precept, every ceremonial obligation. He subjected in all things His
will to the Father's will. Oh, God teach me by my Savior's
example. how to walk in this world. My
will is nothing, yours too. Not my will, thy will be done. What I want out of life has got
nothing to do with living life to the glory of God. I recall
several years ago, oh, it's been nearly 30 years ago, my first
visit to Mexico, Brother Henry Mahan, Walter Gruber and I were
walking along the plaza out in Eastern Just back before Cancun
was anything but just a beach, nothing there. We were walking
in Plaza Island off the shore there, and Walter, Henry said
to Walter, he said, Brother Walter, you're happy down here, aren't
you? Walter said, Brother May, in happiness, it's got nothing
to do with me being here. He said, I'm where God wants me to be.
That's the example our Savior set. That's it. Always submitting
his will to the Father's will. He magnified the justice of God
in His death. In doing so, He fulfilled all
righteousness and brought in everlasting righteousness for
His people, putting away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself. In all things, He was made like
unto His brethren for His people's sake, and now He is not ashamed
to call us brethren, because He has made us the righteousness
of God in Him. Now, turn back to Genesis 1 for
a minute. Genesis 1. We read this earlier
in our scripture reading. We look at verse 26. God said,
let us, the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, take counsel
together. Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and the fowl of the air, and over all the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth
upon the earth. Many explanations have been given
of the fact that God made man in his image and after his likeness. Made him a moral, rational creature. Made him upright. All those things. And all those things are true.
But that's got nothing to do with what he says right here.
Nothing to do with it. We ignore the Holy Spirit's interpretation
of his own words so many times. Let's not ignore it here. Turn,
if you will, to the book of Colossians. Colossians chapter 1. Hold your
fingers here in Genesis. Turn to Colossians 1. When the
Scriptures tell us here in Genesis 1 that Adam was made in the image
of God, what does it mean by the image of God? What does it
mean? Do we have to guess about it?
Do we have to speculate about it? Or does God, the Holy Spirit,
tell us exactly what the image of God was? Let's see. Colossians
1 verse 15, talking about the great glory of Christ. who is,
what does it say, the image, the, singular, the not two, just
one, the image of the invisible God. And being the image of the
invisible God, he is the firstborn of every creature. What does
that mean? What does that mean? Oh, that
means that as the Russellites would say, well, they would say
that means that Jesus was, he was the biggest, best, first
creature of God. No, no. He's the beginning of
the creation of God. That's exactly how John, or the
Holy Spirit, tells us in John's words in the book of Revelation.
He's talking about Christ, the image of God. Father, Son, Holy
Spirit in the council chambers of eternity. Let's make man like
him. And he declares that Christ stood
then from eternity, not in a physical stature. He did not assume human
nature till it came into the world in time, but he stood from
eternity as our covenant head and mediator, the God-man mediator
who was to come, by whom salvation and righteousness and the very
glory of God would be revealed in his creation. Turn, if you
will, to Proverbs chapter 8. Christ is that wisdom man who
spoke for us and whose delights were with us from eternity. Proverbs 8, verse 25, hear him
speak. The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of his way, before his works of old, before he said,
Let there be light, and there was light, before he set the
stars in the heavens, before he put a firmament in the creation. before ever he calls the fish
of the sea to multiply. Before his works of old, the
Son of God says, the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way. Verse 23, I was set up. Now he can't possibly be talking
about himself and his divinity. He's talking about being set
up as our mediator, voluntarily set up and set up by the purpose
of God. I was set up from everlasting,
from the beginning, wherever the earth was. When there were
no depths, watch it, I was brought forth. When there were no fountains
abounding with water, before the mountains were settled, before
the hills was I brought forth. While as yet He had not made
the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust
of the world, when He prepared the heavens, I was there. Without Him was not anything
made that was made. When He set a compass upon the
face of the depths, when He established the clouds above, what a word! Established the clouds. Established
the clouds. Try getting out of a plane sometime,
walk on one. But God established them. That vaporous mist floats
around. When he established the clouds
above, when he strengthened the fountains of the deep, when he
gave to the sea his decree that the water should not pass his
commandment, and they never do. They didn't pass his commandment
when he flooded the earth. and that he didn't pass his commandment
when he sent the tsunami, that he didn't pass his commandment
when he sent the tidal wave over Bangladesh a few years ago, they
never passed his commandment. When he appointed the foundations
of the earth, the foundations of the earth, scientists, in
their deliberate denial or attempt to deny God's being, call them
laws of nature. Throw something up, it's going
to come down. Foundations of the earth. The connection between
all the various planets, and the stars, moons, and the earth. When he established the foundations
of the earth, then was I by him, as one brought up with him, and
I was daily his delight. The Lord God looked on him, Our
mediator, our surety, this one who is the image of the invisible
God, the appointed God, man, mediator, and he smiled at him
all the time. I was daily his delight, rejoicing
always before him. I rejoiced always in his purpose,
rejoiced always in the covenant, rejoiced always in what I was
appointed to do, rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth. Rejoicing in that which was to
come, God making man upon the earth and setting the earth for
his people. Now watch this. And my delights,
even back yonder, were with the sons of men. Now Paul speaks
of this very chapter and he says, Of him are you in Christ Jesus,
who is made of God unto us? Wisdom. Wisdom. That's who's
talking here. He's the wisdom man. After the
pattern of this man, who was to come, the first earthly man
was formed. And therefore, the triune God
said, let us make man in our image. Christ the man is that
one upon whom our help was laid from old eternity, even before
the world began, even before we needed help. God said, behold,
I have laid hell upon one that is mighty. I've exalted one chosen
out of the people. Christ is the man whose goings-forth,
Micah says, have been from old, from everlasting." Now, there
is a relationship implied. Turn back to 1 Corinthians 15
again, verse 45, and watch the language. So it is written, the
first man, Adam, was made a living soul. God breathed in his nostrils,
and Adam became a living soul. The last Adam was made a quickening
spirit. We often refer to the first Adam
and the second Adam, but that's a mistake. I won't make too much
of that. Christ is referred to as the
second man, but he's never in this book referred to as the
second Adam. Always he is referred to as the last Adam. I'll get
to that a little bit more in a minute. But in the scriptures,
this connection, Christ being called Adam, as the first man
was called Adam, shows a distinct relationship. It shows first
that there is a typical relationship, and then it shows that this other
Adam is another altogether. First, let's look at the fact
that this is clearly a type. Names are often used in Scripture
to be used for types. We see it all the time in Scripture.
When Adam is called Adam and Christ is called Adam, it's because
it's intended for us to understand that Adam was a type of Christ.
In the book of God, Revelation chapter 11, Sodom and Egypt represent
the world, because the world is called Sodom and Egypt. In
chapter 17, verse 18, the apostate church is called Babylon, because
Babylon was a type of all apostasy. In Hebrews 12.22, the church
of God is called Mount Zion. Mount Zion. I thought that was
over in Palestine. No, that was just a type of Mount
Zion. Mount Zion typified the Church
of God. John the Baptist is called Elijah.
You mean John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnate? Some fools
thought so. But no, John the Baptist was
the one who was typified by Elijah. In the scriptures, our Lord Jesus
himself is called David. At another time, he's called
Solomon. But he wasn't either David or Solomon. David and Solomon
simply typified him as our great king. Now the application of
the name Adam then to our Savior is to be regarded as a declaration
that Adam typically was related to Christ. Therefore, Paul says
he is the figure of him that was to come. Now, let me show
you how. Four things. I can't begin to
give you the fullness of this type. I don't even know the fullness
of it. But I'll maybe come back to it
another day. Let me show you four things in which Adam typified
our Lord. He typified Christ in the holiness
of his nature. There have only been two men
in the universe who were holy, harmless, and undefiled. Just
two. The first man was created that
way. The second man, the last man, Adam, came into this world
without the use of a man, but was rather conceived as that
holy thing in the womb of the Virgin, The Son of God, our Savior,
assumed human nature and walked on this earth all the days of
His life, holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. The
Word made flesh, the woman's promised seed, is the one who
first stands out holy and undefiled. But we look back to the beginning,
and there's a man who's like Him without sin. You ever try
to think what Adam and Eve must have been like in the garden?
I have a blessed, happy home, loving wife. Shoot, ain't nothing
compared to what Adam and Eve had. I apologized to my wife yesterday.
I'm fairly patient with most people. I get so impatient with
her. Not Adam. Not Adam. Oh, perfect. Perfect before God. Second, Adam
was typical of our Lord in His dominion. You remember the Lord
God said, let him have dominion. Let me look at a couple of scriptures
with you. Turn to Psalm 8. Psalm 8, verse
4. What is man that thou art mindful
of him? The son of man that thou visitest him. For thou hast made
him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honor. Thou madest him to have dominion
over the works of thy hands. Thou hast put all things under
his feet. All sheep and oxen gave the beast of the field,
the fowl of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth
through the paths of the sea." Well, that's the very thing God
said to Adam, wasn't it? All this dominion was ascribed to
Adam back in Genesis 1. God told the first man to have
this dominion. But the first man isn't the only
one spoken of here. Can't be. As a matter of fact,
if you read Hebrews chapter 2, the Holy Spirit says, I'm talking
about another man. I'm talking about this last Adam,
the Lord Jesus Christ. We see not yet all things put
under him. What's under your feet? Come
on. Now, what is it that you control? What do you have dominion over?
Nothing. Nothing. Oh, well, the prophecy
is not fulfilled. Oh, yes, it is. We see Jesus. A little lower than the angels,
crowned with glory and honor, there's the man under whose feet
God has put everything, and that man in whom soon God will subject
everything beneath our feet. Third, Adam was typical of our
Savior in his marriage. In Ephesians 5, Paul writes,
husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.
And then it says, we are members of his body, of his flesh and
of his bones. Do you remember whose language
he was using? That's what Adam said in the garden. God brought
Eve to him. He said, oh, she's bone of my
bone, flesh of my flesh. Because she was one with him,
part of him, because, and I say it myself, she was made from
his rib. That's not so. The book says
God made his rib woman. His rib is her. She is entrically, vitally in
union with him, part of him. Therefore he said, for this cause
shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall be joined
to his wife and they too shall be one flesh in utter devotion. Now, the Holy Spirit tells us
specifically. You can read it for yourself,
Ephesians 5, verse 32. This is a great mystery. A man gets married,
takes him a wife, leaves mom and dad, and if he doesn't, he
ain't much of a man. And he's joined to his wife, devoted to
his wife, and he sets his life for his wife. And they, too,
are one flesh. This is a great mystery. Paul
said, oh, but I'm not talking about that. I digressed a little. That's not what I'm talking about.
That's the mystery of Christ and his church. So when Adam
said this, he spoke by the Holy Spirit. In this mystery he says,
for this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother and
shall be joined to his wife. The union between Christ and
his church. is often described as a marriage. He's the bridegroom.
She's the bride. He's the king whose garments
smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia out of the ivory palaces. She's the queen who stands at
his right hand in the gold of Ophir. The whole Song of Solomon
is given as a picture of this marriage union between Christ
and His Church. Oh, how Adam loved his wife before she was
his wife. Adam was cast into a deep sleep
by the hand of God, as was our Savior cast into the sleep of
death by the rod of His justice. And God opened Adam's side and
took out a rib and made woman. And then He brought her to Adam.
And she ravished his heart. She delighted him. And God Almighty
takes chosen sinners by His omnipotent grace at the time of His love. and brings Christ his bride,
and she ravishes his heart. Can you imagine? The Son of God
looks at you and me and says, Thou hast ravished my heart with
one of Thine eyes. With the eye of faith, I look
to Him and ravish His heart. Oh, how Adam loved Eve. There
is not in all the Bible a picture of Christ's love for his church
so vivid and clear and full as Adam's love for Eve. Now, the
popular notion is that Adam was deceived, that Adam was beguiled. Eve, after she was deceived and
she deceived her husband Adam, nothing of the kind is true.
The Holy Spirit specifically tells us in 1 Timothy 2.14, Adam
was not deceived. What? He wasn't deceived? He went into this thing with
his eyes wide open? You mean he did what he did in
full knowledge of what he was doing? How can that be? Adam
wasn't deceived in any degree. He knew exactly what he was doing. He saw Eve, his beloved wife,
in the depths of guilt and depravity and shame and filth and cursedness
and condemnation. And out of nothing but love for
her, before he would be parted from her, he would be damned
with her. That's our Redeemer. Oh, how
He loved me. So great was His love for me. The horrid load of all my guilt
was on my Savior laid. He loved me so that for my life,
my sin, His own He made. Forsaken there by God in death,
His heart was fixed on me. His love embraced my guilty soul
while nailed to the tree. For me, He took the cup of wrath
and drank damnation dry. His love sustained His soul in
death that I might never die. O love amazing, beyond the reach
of human thought, that love shall be my endless song which my salvation
bought." Now, turn back to Genesis 2 for just a moment. God caused
a deep sleep to fall on Adam. And he took one of his ribs and
made the woman and brought the woman to Adam. And Adam took
her as his wife. Look at verse 25. And they were
both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. When the
Lord God brings His elect to Christ, we stand before Him. These two things are true of
Christ and of us. We stand naked before Him. All
things are naked before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
And we're not ashamed. The Son of God is not ashamed
to call you His brother or His bride because He's made you holy
before God. And here I stand naked before
God. Naked so that He sees everything. I can put on a show to you. I
don't pretend a lot, but before God Almighty, I stand naked before
His eyes, and I'm not ashamed.