When Christmastime rolls around, what do you think about? Perhaps you imagine the pretty lights and Christmas decorations all around you. Or maybe youthink of the nativity scene, and the glory of angels filling the sky, praising God. Maybe your mind goes to A Charlie Brown Christmas and Linus saying, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”
But how many of you think about the first man God created – Adam? The creation account is not one we often associate with Christmas and the incarnation of our Savior, but the link between Adam and Jesus is actually quite significant. And that’s why I sat down with the director of Answers in Genesis UK, Simon Turpin on the Creation Today show, “Why is Jesus Called the ‘Last Adam’?” to discuss that very topic.
Mr. Turpin walks through the parallels between the first Adam, and Jesus, the Last Adam. In the beginning, Adam brought physical and spiritual death into the world through his sin, but Jesus, by dying a physical death on the cross, brought resurrection! Where Adam failed to obey, Christ’s perfect obedience was sufficient. The redemption of mankind from Genesis to the Gospels is the connection between the sin of the first Adam and the perfection of the Last Adam.
But why is the connection between creation and Christmas so important? Mr. Turpins says it best: “The Son of God became human so that humans can become sons of God.” In the beginning, God created humans in His image, so Jesus’ incarnation and perfect sacrifice on the cross made a way for us to get back to God’s perfect design. Where the first Adam failed, causing death to reign through his trespass, the Last Adam was victorious, causing righteousness to reign through His grace.
So this Christmas, as you spend time with your loved ones and open gifts around the tree, be sure to reflect on the grace and humility of Christ at Christmas, and recognize the gift of God in response to the failing of the first Adam. And take some time to watch this show to see the even greater beauty of Jesus as the Last Adam.
