Greetings in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. (1 Corinthian 15:45)
We all know that Adam was the first man created by God. When Adam was created by God, Bible simply refers him as the man. The name “Adam” was not used until reaching Genesis Chapter 2 although he was created in Genesis Chapter 1: “The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:20, ESV) God placed the first man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. God also brought all the animals on the land and all the birds of the sky, and the man gave names to all the living creatures. When God saw the need of a helper for the first man, God referred the first man as “Adam”. Logically speaking, there was no need to use a name to refer the first man because there was no other men except Adam. There are countless living creatures on the ground, in the sky and on and under the water, but God saw Adam was alone because all of these living creatures could not be a true companion of Adam.
God created a woman, and the woman became Adam’s wife. Bible also did not name the first woman until reaching Genesis Chapter 3. In Chapter 3, the first woman was named “Eve”: The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. (Genesis 3:20) Eve is an English name, but the original name sounds like khav-vaw in Hebrew. The meaning of the name is a life giver. Then the name “Eve” appears only once more in Genesis, when Cain was born. For example, when Eve was tempted and deceived by the serpent, i.e., Satan, Eve was just called the woman because she was not doing her role of being the mother of all living. After Eve’s deception by the serpent, Adam was also deceived. Both Adam and Eve, as result, sinned against God. Then, they hid themselves from the face of God. (Does this sound familiar? We also know that there is no way to hide from God. Adam and Eve thought that they could hide from God among the trees.)
God, merciful with full of love, came to Adam and Eve, who hid from God’s face. Then God mercifully made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them, although they directly sinned against God. (This is the first salvation story appeared in Bible. This in fact, points to Jesus Christ, who died on cross for our sins to save us from the eternal death.) God was also righteous. Thus, God could not ignore their sins and keep them in Eden as if nothing had happened. God had to send out of Eden. This is the end of the third chapter of Genesis. The following chapter of Genesis starts with “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.” (Genesis 4:1) For Adam and Eve, the earthly life that we all are familiar with had begun.
By the way, the above verse is the last time that the name “Eve” used in the book of Genesis, and the other books in Old Testaments. The name, Adam, also only appears once more in the same chapter (except Chapter 5, which lists the genealogy of Adam). Specifically, Genesis chapter 4 verse 25 tells: And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” (Genesis 4:25) As a result, both Adam and Eve completed their mission on earth as the first man and the giver of life. Were their lives successful in the eyes of God?
Right after being expelled from Eden, Adam and Eve bore two sons: Cain and Abel. Tragically, Cain, the first son killed Abel, the second son, who was also Cain’s one and only one brother. The motivation of killing Abel was not so serious either. Cain was simply jealous of Abel because Cain’s offering to God was not accepted while Abel’s offering was. The first murder was born out of jealousy, which represented our sinful nature. Even so, God was gracious and full of mercy. He did not wipe out the entire humanity. Instead God remembered His blessing given to Adam after he was created, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28b) God gave another son, Seth, instead of Abel, who was killed by Cain, his own brother.
Then Genesis Chapter 4 concludes “When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the LORD by name. (Genesis 4:26) God protected Seth from all harms and dangers. Seth grew up before God. God also gave Seth a son, Enosh. Finally, the descendants of Adam started prosper in God. They also recognized God as the source of blessings and as their Dear Father, rather than the God that Adam and Eve were afraid of. Yes, this first man, Adam, terrified by God due to their sin, but God restored the relationship with Seth and his descendent.
The first Adam started our human history, but the history, from the beginning, was tainted with the blood and brotherly jealousy. Even so, God was with them. He continue being faithful to the first Adam, and kept His original blessing — Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Although the human wickedness sprang out of jealousy between Adam’s two sons, God amended the broken fabric of Adam’s family by bring in Seth. The Satan did the terrible thing to Adam by tickling the very nature of human desire, but God poured out His mercy on Adam and his family in His love.
The first Adam was sinful, but God was merciful and gracious. God restored the brokenness of Adam’s family. Sinning and God’s mercy were two pillars of the story of the first Adam. The same story continues among all of his descendants (of course, including us). If not, all humanity would have had been already perished long time ago due to own sins – even killing one’s own bother simply because of jealousy.
Jesus Christ is the second Adam. The first Adam was sinful and being occupied by his own desire and self, but Jesus was sinless, served others, and gave his life as a random for all. The first Adam who chased his own pleasure in his eye, but the second Adam did love the sinners, who were against Him. The first Adam lived in disobedience and violence, but the second Adam gave peace, hope and faith by demonstrating His own love to those who even crucified Him on cross. As a result, we all died in the first Adam, but we are made alive in the second Adam, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Praise the LORD, Jesus Christ, who is gracious and merciful with full of love, which is unfathomable! Give thanks to God! Though Jesus, we all are made alive.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthian 15:22)