How Did Christ Undo the Curse of Adam?
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. - Romans 5:17-19, ESV
One man took one bite of one piece of fruit and everything changed. In this seemingly simple and insignificant act, humanity committed cosmic treason against their King. Adam and Eve and all their descendants were plunged into sin, death and condemnation. "Because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man."
So, from Adam to Christ, the pattern for all of humanity was set: People were born corrupted by the curse of Adam's sin, they chose to sin as soon as they were able, and they received the just condemnation for their sin.
Thankfully, God also did two other things when Adam sinned: He made a promise and He provided a covering. He cursed the serpent and said to him, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15) In this promise, God gave the hope of redemption to Adam and Eve, even before He cursed them.
Then, "the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." God had to kill animals in order to provide this better covering for Adam and Eve. They had tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. God's covering was so much better, but it required the death of an innocent to provide it.
Thousands of years after Adam and Eve sinned against God, one man was born who broke the pattern of sin and death. He was born without a sinful nature, as innocent as the first Adam. He grew in wisdom, in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) He was tempted even more strongly than the first Adam: While the first Adam was placed in a lush garden with many fruitful trees, He was driven into the desert wilderness, where He had nothing to eat for 40 days. The first Adam was tempted once and sinned immediately, but He was tempted three times, even supernaturally, and He resisted. The first Adam casually betrayed God, but He agonized and sweat drops of blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, refusing to turn away from His Father's will.
The second Adam, Jesus Christ, then went to the cross and took the guilt and condemnation of the first Adam and all of God's children upon Himself. By a single act of obedience unto death, He reversed the curse and brought salvation. In the place of sin, He brought righteousness. In the place of death, he brought life, In the place of condemnation, he brought reconciliation and eternal life.
Have you received the gift of life Jesus earned by His obedience? Are you rejoicing in the reversal of the curse that Jesus brought to light in His death and resurrection?
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