First and Final Adam

Adam was God’s created “image and likeness” (Gen 1:26–28) who foreshadowed Jesus Christ “the exact likeness of God” (2 Cor 4:4) and “visible image of the invisible God” (Col 2:25).

No One-to-One Adamic Analogy

Of course, we cannot establish a one-to-one analogy between Adam and Christ; indeed, the most important typological links display as much contrast as they do likeness. Jesus is “very God of very God; begotten, not made” (Nicene Creed). While living in paradise, Adam succumbed to temptation, sinned, and was driven out of the garden. But when the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, he too was tempted, but didn’t sin.

Work of Final Adam

So those who are “in Adam” inherit sin, but those who are “in Christ” inherit life (Rom 5:12–21). Indeed, Jesus could promise a crucified thief, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Offspring of the Woman

Woman’s Seed versus Seprent’s Seed

After our human race fell into sin, God foretold a history of warfare between the serpent’s offspring and the offspring of the woman, which would culminate in final victory through the seed of the woman: “I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen 3:15).

So when Eve bore sons, she must have thought, “Here’s my serpent-slaying son.” But Cain turned out to be the brother-slaying seed of the serpent. Worse, Abel’s innocent blood contributed nothing to the redemptive program that would crush the serpent’s head. So old covenant saints could only await what the book of Hebrews announces: “You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel” (Heb 12:24).

Jesus Born of the Virgin

In the end, it’s Jesus, offspring of the Virgin, whose victory gets announced this way: “This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels” (Rev 12:9; see 20:9). And everyone who is in Christ shares in that victory, as Paul said, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you” (Rom 16:20).