Day 41: How Did Jesus’ Response Affect the World (Us)?
In our final reading for the week, we consider how Jesus has reversed the catastrophic effects of Adam’s rebellion. We make a comparison of what Adam has done to us with what Jesus has done for us. Whereas Adam brought sin, death and condemnation in our World, Jesus has brought righteousness, life and peace.
2 Corinthians 5:21
He (Father-God) made the One who did not know sin (Jesus) to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
This verse may be one of the most profound verses in the entire Bible. For now, you should just understand that Jesus became so completely identified with fallen humanity and sin on the cross, that God as the Righteous Judge dealt with Christ as if He himself were the sum total of all sin and sinfulness. On the Cross, God dealt with the issue of the sin that separates fallen humanity from Him in One Man, at One Time, for All people. As you should know by now, we have been contrasting how Christ came to redeem the terrible effects of Adam’s Rebellion in the Garden. If you remember, we looked at Romans 5 which explains the universal and catastrophic effects of Adam’s sin. Now let’s return to that passage, but this time let’s take note of how Christ has come as the “Last Adam” to counter all that Adam did:
Romans 5:12-21
So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned … 15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many! 16 And the gift is not like the one who sinned. For judgment, resulting from the one transgression, led to condemnation, but the gracious gift from the many failures led to God making things right. 17 For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ!
18 Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came the ability to be right with God leading to life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made right with God. 20 Now the law came in so that the transgression may increase, but where sin increased, grace multiplied all the more, 21 so that just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. {NET}
We are going to return to define a lot of these words like “righteousness” in a later study. For now, just take note of how Christ has completely reversed the effects of the Fall of Adam. From a place of blessing Adam brought curse into the human experience; from the place of curse, Christ brings blessing to the human experience. The following chart highlights the difference in Adam and Christ:
Every human being is born “Dead in Adam.” We gain the inheritance of Adam’s choice by birth. However, God desires that we trust in Christ so that we can inherit the benefits of Christ’s perfect life.
As we close out this week, we want you to understand that Jesus is our perfect substitute. He paid the price (the IOU) for our sins, He bore our punishment, He was abandoned to the forces of evil and darkness so that we would never be abandoned (see Hebrews 13:5). Jesus experienced the full force of death, both spiritual and physical, for us so that we could be free from the tyranny of both.
Consider this:
Hebrews 2:9, 17
Now we see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by God’s grace he would experience death on behalf of everyone.… Therefore he had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in things relating to God, to make atonement [a perfectly satisfying sacrifice] for the sins of the people. {our translation}
Jesus’ complete obedience to the Father and submission to Him has qualified Him to be our Savior. Part of the Good News of the Gospel is that Father-God is calling us to give our allegiance, our trust to Christ and allow Him to be our representative, our mediator, who brings us back to the Father:
1 Timothy 2:4–6
[God Our Savior] wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, 2:6 who gave Himself—a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.
How has this lesson helped you to understand what Jesus has accomplished for you?
Does this lesson give you more insight into what Jesus means when He says, “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6)?
Can you see that what Jesus offers us is so far greater than what we could accomplish on our own?
Scan back over or reflect on this week’s reading and ask yourself:
1. What have I learned that gave me new ideas and images?
2. How do these truths call me to change the way I am thinking?
3. How do these truths call me to trust Father-God more?
*You can find a complete list of all the MilktoMeat readings here.
