Second-Man
Likeness
…so shall we bear the likeness of the
man from heaven.
1 Corinthians 15:49
Larry and John were lamenting the
argument of the ages; both with strong opinions; neither giving
ground.
“Eve caused Adam to sin, and,
consequently, the entire human race,” Larry espoused.
“No, Eve did not cause Adam to sin,”
John asserted. “Adam could have resisted and said ‘No! It’s
wrong!’ but instead he gave in to temptation without much
forethought or resistance.” he countered.
Larry didn’t like Adam taking the
blame; as a man it left a bad taste in his mouth. “I still say Eve
took advantage of Adam, offering him the apple and seductively
enticing him. I can hear her now, ‘Take a bite, Honey…it’s
sooo good! Surely God won’t kill us!’” Larry’s words were
venomous and heart-felt. “Adam never had a chance!”
“You know, Larry,” John said,
holding up his hand, motioning for a truce. “No matter who’s to
blame, all that matters is that because of what happened that day, we
needed a Redeemer, Someone Who could make us right with God. Thank
You Jesus! If not for Him we are lost forever.”
“Amen to that.” They’d finally
found common ground.
†
If Adam was the first father of the
human race; hence the first man, we needed Another, who could say NO!
to temptation; a Redeemer of mankind; the Second Man.
While destined to reign over the earth,
Adam fell into sin, and caused us to forever need a replacement for
the pattern God intended. Adam’s sin, resulting in our sinful
nature, is the likeness we are born with. We take on Adam’s
likeness under the influence of temptation, living out of our
sin instead of in the Spirit.
For us to enter heaven we needed a
Second Man to Father our race. So God sent Jesus. Who, in the flesh,
was able to live a life complete and sinless by living in the Spirit
at all times. It is this likeness, that of the Second Man, that must
shine through our sin. And the only way to ensure this outcome is to
accept Him as our Lord and Savior.
Prayer
“Lord Jesus, I want to
exchange my sinful likeness for Yours, the likeness from heaven.
Please, forgive my sins, and come into my heart. Amen.”
No comments:
Post a Comment