Genesis 3 records the story of Adam, the first human being created by God, who tried to “be like God” (verse 5). By attempting to become God, Adam sinned, and as a result every single one of us became condemned by God as a sinner: “one trespass [the sin committed by Adam] resulted in condemnation for all people” (Romans 5:18). In essence, Adam was our representative before God. He sinned, and his sin was imputed (i.e., attributed, given) to us. Adam’s sin was counted against us such that we became an enemy of God.

 

Fortunately for us, God did not leave us hopelessly in our sin condemned justly by his wrath; instead, he demonstrated his unfailing love for us by sending his son, the second person of the Trinity, to die for our sins offering a way for us to escape his wrath (Romans 5:8). God, himself, became man (Philippians 2:6-8), and bore all our sins. Paul puts it like this: “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Just as through Adam’s disobedience his sin is imputed to us, so also through Christ’s obedience his righteousness is imputed to us.

 

The first Adam tried to become like God, and, in so doing, every human being became an enemy of God. The second Adam, Jesus Christ, is God who became man, and, in so doing, he opened the door for every other human being to be reborn as a friend of God