The Bible tells us that the first man, Adam, was created by God, in His image and likeness, directly from the dust of the ground. God breathed into Adams nostrils the breath of life, and he became a living soul (
Genesis 1:2627;
2:7). Thus, Adam was not the product of some form of theistic evolution.
1 God did not make him in the image or likeness of an ape, nor from a lower hominid by any lengthy or even abrupt mutational processes.
2 Rather God created Adam as an immediate act, by His word (i.e. by commanding or willing this to happen), at some time on the sixth day of Creation week.
3
While Adam was
made in the image of God, Christ
is the image of the invisible God (
Colossians 1:15).
The Bible tells us that the last Adam, Jesus Christ, was the One through whom God created all things (
John 1:13;
Colossians 1:1520;
Hebrews 1:2). Thus Jesus was pre-existent with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit before Adam lived (
John 8:58;
Micah 5:2).
4 Nevertheless, in His humanity, He too had a miraculous beginning when He was incarnated as a human beingconceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (
Matthew 1:2023;
Luke 1:2635)
Adam was created a perfect man, in full possession of all human faculties, and with a God-consciousness which enabled him to have spiritual communion with God. Initially innocent, sinless, and holy, he was in a right relationship to God, to woman, to himself, and to the natural world around him.
The last Adam, Jesus, was also perfectly man, one with God (
John 10:30;
17:21-22), innocent, sinless, and holy (
Hebrews 7:26). Many people mistakenly refer to Jesus Christ as the second Adam, a term not found in the Bible. However, Scripture refers to Christ as the second man (
1 Corinthians 15:47). There have been many men since Adam, but Jesus Christ was only the
second man to ever be completely without sin.
Unlike the first Adam, the Lord Jesus was, in addition, divine, having the attributes, offices, prerogatives, and names of deity. Being fully God, He is worthy of worship (e.g.
Revelation 5:1114).
Adam was the head of the human race. Jesus Christ is the head of redeemed humanity (see, for example, Ephesians 5:23). Since Christ died once for all time (Hebrews 7:27; 9:28; 10:1014), there will never be the need for any further Adam. Hence He is the last Adam.
The first Adam gave life to all his descendants. The last Adam, Jesus Christ, communicates life and light to all men, and gives eternal life to those who receive Him and believe on His name, giving them power to become the sons of God (
John 1:114).
Adam, representing mankind, was given dominion over the created world (
Genesis 1:26). After being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ was elevated to Gods right hand, and given dominion over all things, which were put under his feet. (
1 Corinthians 15:27;
Ephesians 1:2022). The first Adam was lord over a limited domain, the last Adam is Lord of all (
Acts 10:36).