01.14 The Two Adams
XIV. The Two Adams The Scriptures speak of two "Representative Men." The first is called "ADAM," the second is called the "LAST ADAM" (1 Corinthians 15:45), or the "Second MAN," the "Lord from Heaven." 1 Corinthians 15:47. This identifies Him with the Lord Jesus Christ. The "First Adam" is charged with bringing sin into the world. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Romans 5:12.’ The "Last Adam" came to reverse what the First Adam did, and to "put away sin." Hebrews 9:26.
"For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one: much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ." Romans 5:17. To understand the Work of these two "Representative Men" we must study their history.
I-THE FIRST ADAM.
After the earth had been restored from its "formless and void" condition, and the air, sea, and earth been repopulated with bird, fish, and animal life, we read-
"And God said, Let US make man in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created He him; male and female created He them." Genesis 1:26-27. From this we see that man is a CREATED being. That he was made in the "IMAGE OF GOD," not in the image of an "Ape," and was formed not from a brute, but of the "dust of the earth." There is an "Impassable Gulf" between the lowest order of man and the highest type of beast that science has failed to bridge. The "Missing Link" has never been found. That the whole human race is of "One Species" and had a common origin (Acts 17:26) is clear from the fact that, when the different races of the earth’s- inhabitants intermarry, their offspring are not sterile but fertile. There is no contradiction between the first and second chapters of Genesis as to the creation of man. The first chapter (Genesis 1:26-28) gives the FACT of his creation, the second, the MANNER OF IT." Genesis 2:7. One is supplementary to the other. In Genesis 2:7, we are told that-"the LORD GOD formed (fashioned) man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the ’Breath of Life;’ and man became a ’Living Soul.’ " From this we see that the creation of man was "Threefold." (1) The formation of the BODY. (2) The impartation of the SPIRIT. (3) The unification of the two through the SOULISH part of man. The two principal parts of man are the BODY and the SPIRIT, but as the functions of these are separate, one being physical and the other spiritual, a third part had to be supplied called the SOUL, intermediate between them, and through which they may communicate. This makes man a "Threefold Being." 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12. See the Chapter on "The Spirit World," and the Chart "The Threefold Nature of Man," page 68. In Adam as originally created the "Soul" was such a perfect medium of communication between the "Body" and the "Spirit" that there was no conflict between them. The three blended together in one harmonious whole. When man fell the "Soul" became the "Battlefield" of the "Body" and the "Spirit," and the conflict began that Paul so graphically describes in Romans 7:7-24.
Eve was not fashioned in the same way as Adam. She was "made" later. "The Lord God caused a ’deep sleep’ to fall upon Adam and he slept; and He took one of his ’RIBS,’ and closed up the flesh thereof: and the ’RIB,’ which the Lord God had taken from man, made (builded) He a WOMAN, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now ’bone of my bones,’ and ’flesh of my flesh;’ she shall be called WOMAN, because she was taken OUT OF MAN." Genesis 2:21-23. The reason why Eve was not fashioned separately from Adam, but was taken out of Adam’s side, was to show that in their relation to each other as man and wife they were to be ONE FLESH. That is in their interests, sympathies, etc., they were to be one, and physically they were to be counterparts of each other. In this respect Adam and Eve. are a type of the Last Adam and His Eve-THE CHURCH. Ephesians 5:25-32.
Adam was not created a baby or a primitive savage, but a full grown man perfect in intellect and knowledge, else he could not have named the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. And the fact that his descendants had such skill in the invention of musical instruments and mechanical devices and could build cities and towers and such a vessel as the Ark, proves that the men of Antediluvian times were men of gigantic intellect and attainments, and that instead of man having "evolved upwards" he has "DEGENERATED DOWNWARDS." The first pair were happy in their sweet companionship, and doubtless believed that it would last forever. They knew nothing of the ruins of the Primeval Earth beneath their feet, now covered with the Edenic verdure of a renewed earth. Neither did they know that the heavens above them swarmed with fallen beings under the leadership of Satan, and that their happiness was to end in a "Fall" that would necessitate their expulsion from that "Garden of Delights," and that sooner or later they should taste of physical death.
If it be charged that God should have forewarned Adam of his danger of an attack by Satan, let it not be forgotten that the commandment not to eat of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" should have caused him to beware of any being who should tempt him to disobey the command of God and eat of it. To have plainly told him of the plan of Satan would have frustrated God’s purpose in the testing of Adam. True obedience is to obey without knowing why.
How long after Adam was created Eve was given to him we do not know. It must have been some time, for Adam required time to name all the living creatures that were brought to him, of cattle, of fowl, and of the beasts of the field. Neither are we told how long after Eve was given to Adam before the Temptation. It is hardly likely that it was immediately, for while they were mature physically they were but as children in experience, at least Eve was, and she was unfit to cope with the seductive wiles of the Serpent, the most powerful enemy of God and man.
Satan’s purpose in the "Temptation" was to thwart God’s purpose in the creation of man (the peopling of the earth with a holy race of beings), and to regain the earth, which he had lost by his rebellion. His hope was to excite God to destroy the first pair for their sin before they could populate the earth. He played his game with consummate skill. Fearing that if they were approached together they might withstand him, he awaited the time when Eve should be alone.
It is not improbable that Eve, curious to know the cause of the prohibition, had stolen away from Adam and gone off by herself to examine the Tree, and that Satan, discovering her there, was not slow to take advantage of his opportunity.
If Eve had avoided the vicinity of the Tree, she would not have been able to cast that look at it which made her desire to eat of its fruit. Satan saw that Eve was disgruntled about something. He wisely surmised that it was because God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree, so he approached her and spoke to her. The fact that Eve was not afraid to talk with the Serpent is an indication that it was not a loathsome creature, and that it was no stranger to her. She had seen it often, and probably talked with it before, for Satan does not make his supreme effort until he has first prepared the way. What the Serpent was like before it was cursed and caused to crawl instead of stand upright, we do not know, but it must have been a beautiful creature. Whether it had the power to talk, or simply became the mouthpiece of Satan we are not told. What we do know is that Satan incarnated himself in it.
Observing that Eve was casting longing glances at the "Fruit" of the Tree, the Serpent (Satan) opened the conversation by craftily asking-"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden ?" The subtilty of this question is seen in its insinuating suggestion that God did not love them, and was unfair and unkind to forbid them anything. In her answer Eve betrays her feeling toward God by adding to the prohibition, saying -"Neither shall ye TOUCH it," as if God was afraid to trust her. She also altered the penalty from-"thou shalt surely die," to "lest ye die," thus expressing doubt as to the certainty of death. It is a dangerous thing to add to or subtract from God’s word. Revelation 22:18-19. The commencement of the Fall was the "deceitful handling" of the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2.
Satan was the first "Higher Critic." He was the creator of the "SEED OF DOUBT." It was deposited in the heart or mind of Eve by Satan’s question-"Yea, hath GOD said?" This led Eve to question the love of God. This "MICROBE OF UNBELIEF" the human race has inherited from Eve. Men do not openly deny the goodness of God so much as they question the statements of the Word of God. They say-"Has God really said we must not do thus and so? Have we not misunderstood what He has said, or misinterpreted His meaning? Surely God is too loving and merciful to eternally punish the wicked."
Satan having sown the "Seed of Doubt" and perceiving that the poison was working, next declared that God was a liar by saying--"Ye shall not surely die." This is the "DEVIL’S LIE," and it has been incorporated into the religious systems of today that teach that man shall not be eternally punished. Satan then impugned God’s motive by declaring that God did not want them to have a knowledge of "Good" and "Evil" lest they become "gods" like Himself. This appealed to Eve’s curiosity and ambition, and stirred up a "torrent of desire" in hei heart, and when she saw that the "Tree" was "good for food" (the Lust of the Flesh), and "pleasant to the eyes" (the Lust of the Eye), and "desirable to make one wise" (the Pride of Life), she did not wait to consult her hus band, but put forth her hand and plucked and ate the fruit, and the days of her innocence were ended; and when Adam appeared, without contrition of heart, she in turn tempted him, and he not willing to be separated from her also ate, the result the ruin of the race. The Woman was deceived, but Adam was not deceived, nevertheless, the Apostle tells us, it was the "woman’s" fault. 1 Timothy 2:13-14. The inducement that Satan held out to Eve, that the acquisition of knowledge would put her and Adam on the same plane with God, and make them GOD-LIKE, is the same inducement that Satan offers to ambitious men today, and he is seeking through his dupes to build up a magnificent civilization on the discoveries and inventions of men, and exalt man without God, and his aim is the final
"DEIFICATION OF MAN," that will find its culmination in his "SUPERMAN," "THE ANTICHRIST," who will sit in the Temple at Jerusalem and proclaim himself GOD. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. This accounts for all the "World Systems" of today for the social, religious, political and commercial betterment and advancement of the race.
Adam and Eve were created "INNOCENT." "Innocence" is not "RIGHTEOUSNESS." "Innocence" cannot become "Righteousness" until TESTED. If Adam and Eve had stood the "Test" they would have become "Righteous" or "Holy," they failed and became SINNERS. There is but one step from "Innocence" to "HOLINESS," or from "Innocence" to "SIN." Adam and Eve took the step from "Innocence" to SIN and became SINNERS. If they had taken the opposite step they would have become "Holy" and been beyond the possibility of "Sin." Now man cannot become "Holy" without the New Birth. In the Fall of man the triumph of Satan was complete. The first effect of the disobedience of Adam and Eve was "SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS." "They saw that they were NAKED." The result of this knowledge led them to invent clothing made of "FIG LEAVES." All living creatures are clothed by nature. Fish have scales, birds have feathers, beasts have hair, or fur, or wool; even serpents have a beautifully colored skin. Many are naked when ushered into existence, but it is not long until nature provides clothing. Man alone of all Good’s creatures is left without clothing, and is compelled to have recourse to artificial covering. Why is this? It is the result of SIN.
Adam and Eve at first wore no clothing, nor did they need to. Their state of innocence made them not ashamed. Some claim that their unfallen nature was clothed in a veil of radiant glory that hid their nakedness. This they lost in the Fall. At once, conscious of their shame, they resorted to artificial clothing. Clothes are the trappings of guilt. The style and character of clothing may change, but the guilt remains. Clothing may hide our shame from the eyes of man, but not from the eyes of God. A black heart may hide behind a white vest. The sun set that day upon a scene that witnessed the downfall of the human race. It was a dark and fearful night. They both dreaded to meet God and so hid themselves in the forest when the Lord God came down to take His usual walk in the Garden in the cool of the day. Heretofore they had looked forward to the daily visit of the Lord God, but now they feared to face Him. Thus sin makes cowards of us all. By questioning them the Lord God got them to sit in judgment on their own conduct. Adam blamed his fall on Eve, she blamed her fall on the Serpent. God patiently listened to them and gave them an opportunity to justify their conduct, then He passed judgment on them. But to the Serpent He gave no opportunity for justification, but said-
"Because thou hast done this, thou are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust thou shall eat all the days of thy life; and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between THY SEED and HER SEED, IT (her seed-CHRIST) shall bruise thy HEAD, and THOU shalt bruise His HEEL." In the expression THY SEED (Satan’s seed) we have a prophetic reference to THE ANTICHRIST who as Satan’s seed is called in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the "SON OF PERDITION."
These are the words of a Judge to a condemned criminal who is awaiting sentence, and is a confirmation of Satan’s previous rebellion, who here hears his doom. At once the Serpent, the tool of Satan, is changed into a crawling, loathsome, venomous reptile. The Woman’s sentence was that she should lose her position as man’s equal and become subject to him, and that untold sorrow and misery in motherhood should be her lot. Unto Adam God said, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake, . . . thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground." So what had been a pleasure to Adam, the care of the Garden, was henceforth to be a task, for driven out from the Garden he must make a living by tilling a soil that brought forth naturally nothing but thorns, thistles and weeds. The Edenic Dispensation was perfectly unique. It was characterized by the "absence of sin," and the "presence of God." There will be nothing like it again until "The Tabernacle of God is with men," and He will dwell with them on the New Earth. . Revelation 21:3. In the Edenic Dispensation God dealt with Adam on the basis of "INNOCENCE," and He can never treat with man again on the same basis until the curse of sin shall be removed from the earth. Man is no longer under probation, but under condemnation. John 3:18. Ever since the Fall God has had to deal with man as a guilty, lost, helpless and ruined sinner. And not only a ruined sinner, a ruined CREATURE. There is no good thing in him, he is at "enmity with God," and is not "subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Romans 8:6-7. In mercy God drove the guilty, but forgiven pair, from the Garden lest they eat of the "Tree of Life" and be doomed to live "forever" in their sinful mortal bodies. Men claim that innocence and a perfect environment are safeguards against wrong-doing, but the catastrophe of Eden proves that this is not true.
II. THE LAST ADAM The Fall of the "First Adam" demanded the coming of the "Last Adam." It is self-evident that a fallen creature cannot redeem itself. It must be redeemed by a power outside itself. Therefore no human being of the Adamic race could redeem the race. Such a redemption demanded a Divine interposition. But the Redeemer must have the same nature as the Adamic race. He must be a MAN. To this end he must be born into the human race and yet be free from the "taint of Sin." This was accomplished by the "Virgin Birth." See the Chapter on "The Mystery of Godliness." The "Last Adam" having taken upon Himself human nature it was necessary that He be put to the same test as the "First Adam." To this end we read that immediately after His Baptism, before He had preached a sermon or called a disciple, He was led of the Holy Spirit into the ".Wilderness" to be tempted (tested) of the Devil. Matthew 4:1. It was not then a case of it "happened so." It was a part of God’s plan as to the "Last Adam." The Temptation was not planned by the Devil. He doubtless would have avoided it, for he knew who Jesus was, but Jesus having been led into the rendezvous of the Devil, the Devil could not well avoid the meeting. That he was not over-anxious to make the test is evident from the fact that he waited until Jesus was physically worn out from fasting.
Notice the "Place of Temptation." It was not in a "Garden" like that in which the "First Adam" was tested. It was in the "Wilderness," a place uninhabited except by wild beasts, and with no means of satisfying hunger. It is profitable to compare the "Forty Days" of fasting with those of Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah both had GOD with them. Jesus had the DEVIL. THE FIRST TEMPTATION
Mark says He "was in the Wilderness 40 days tempted of Satan." Luke says "being 40 days tempted of the Devil." Matthew says "and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was afterward an hungered, and when the Tempter came to Him, he said," etc. The probability is that the Devil skirmished from ambush with Jesus during the 40 days, and then when he saw Jesus weakened by fasting, and believing the "Psychological Moment" had come he attacked him in the open. The matter of hunger was neither incidental nor accidental. It was ordained. If it had not been a feature of the Temptation Jesus might just as well have been tempted in Capernaum or at Jerusalem after a feast. While the Temptation of Jesus was to show that He was qualified to be the Head of a New Race, the time of the Temptation, between the declaration of His Sonship and the proclamation of the Kingdom, is not without significance, for it explains the character of the Temptations as having a bearing on the setting up and feeding the subjects of the Kingdom. The "First Temptation" is similar to the one in Eden. It raised the question of doubt. "IF Thou be the SON OF GOD." It had been but six weeks since God the Father had said at Christ’s Baptism-"This is my beloved SON in whom I am well pleased," and the force of the Devil’s argument lay in the fact that Jesus, being hungry, and with no visible means of supplying His need, could test the fact of His Sonship by performing a miracle, for that was the Old Testament sign of Messiahship. The Devil may have gone farther and said-"You will die if you do not eat, how then can you carry out your Kingdom plans? Do you not know that the way to get the ascendency over men is to feed them? How can you set up a Kingdom without a ’Commissary Department?’ If you know that you have power to turn stones into bread, all you will have to do is to say:-’Come unto me all ye that are hungry and I will give you food and supply your needs,’ and you will have a multitude of followers." Was not this true when Jesus fed the 5000 and they wanted to take Him and make Him King and he had to flee to prevent the premature setting up of the Kingdom? For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own need would have been illegitimate, for the power to work miracles was given Him not to supply His own needs but the needs of others. For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own hunger would have been disobedience. God’s purpose in having the Holy Spirit drive Jesus into the Wilderness was that He might be made to hunger, and He had no right to satisfy His hunger until God saw fit to satisfy it Himself, so to have turned stones into bread would have been an act of disobedience. This is clear, for when the purpose of the Temptations was fulfilled angels came and ministered unto Him and supplied all His physical needs. In Jesus’ reply to the Devil-"It is written MAN shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," Jesus, by the use of the word MAN, classes Himself with humanity and takes the position of trust and dependence upon His Heavenly Father, declaring that man needs something more than physical food, he needs the kind of food of which Jesus spake at the well of Samaria, "I have meat to eat that ye know not . . . my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me." Jesus in His reply took the "impregnable position" that what God the Father had said as to His SONSHIP needed not the corroborative proof of a miracle. THE SECOND TEMPTATION No length of time is given between the Temptations, and the inference is that they followed one another in quick succession as suggested by the word-"then." It would be interesting to know what the second and third Temptations of Adam and Eve would have been if they had not fallen to the first. Probably they would have been different. Having failed in his effort to get Jesus to disobey the "Will of God," the Devil changes his tactics. He takes Jesus from the Wilderness to Jerusalem and sets Him on a Pinnacle of the Temple, and says- "IF Thou be the SON OF GOD, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone." Psalms 91:11-12. This Temptation is a challenge to Jesus to make His faith in God’s protecting care visible. If He trusted God in all things let Him cast Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple and test the promise of God to give His angels charge over Him and bear Him slowly down to the ground. The Kingdom idea is also seen in this Temptation. The Prophet Malachi (Malachi 3:1) had foretold that the Messiah would suddenly come to His Temple. What could then be more spectacular than for Jesus to float down, apparently out of the heavens, into the Court of the Temple filled with the representatives of the people. Surely such an apocalypse would dazzle the multitude and they would at once accept Him as their Messiah. This was a temptation for Jesus to test His Deity and Sonship by presuming on the protective care of God. The Devil’s hope was that if Jesus yielded and threw Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple, that His presumption would have put Him outside the pale of angelic assistance and that He would have been dashed to death on the marble pavement of the Temple.
Jesus’ reply was-"It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." This was a rebuke and for the second time the Devil found himself foiled. THE THIRD TEMPTATION
"Again, the Devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the Kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me." Matthew 4:8-9. This was the Devil’s "TRUMP CARD," his Masterpiece of Temptation. Having failed to get Jesus to satisfy His hunger in an illegitimate way, or to test His Father’s protecting care, the Devil bluntly offers Him the Kingdoms of ’This World if He will transfer His allegiance from His Father and fall down and worship him. It is clear that this was a compromise offer. The Devil knew that he was doomed to defeat and he wanted to make the best bargain he could. It is worthy of note that Jesus did not dispute his claim of Lordship over the "Kingdoms of this World." In fact, Jesus called him, the "Prince of this World." And it is further worthy of note that when Jesus refused the offer it was to still leave the "Kingdoms of this World" under the Devil’s dominion, and they" will remain there until He comes whose right it is to rule and reign over them in Millennial Glory. The Devil knew that Jesus had come into the world to get control of the "Kingdoms of the World," and what he practically said to Jesus was-"You came into the world to die on the Cross that you might win back these Kingdoms to God. Now if you will bow down and by worshipping me acknowledge my supremacy over these Kingdoms, I will give them to you without the sufferings of the Cross." To dazzle Jesus with the grandeur of his proposition the Devil took Jesus up on to an exceedingly high mountain, and in a "moment of time" (Luke 4:5), as if he feared a prolonged view would dispel the illusion and disclose the worthlessness of those Kingdoms, the Devil showed Jesus the "Kingdoms of the World" and the "Glory of them." But Jesus saw farther than the Devil. He saw the Kingdom that He Himself was destined to set up and that in comparison with those Kingdoms would far excel them, and He knew the offer was not worth the price. Furthermore He knew the promise- ""Ask of ME (the Father), and I shall give Thee the Heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession" (Psalms 2:7-9), so it was not necessary that He accept the Devil’s offer. The Devil’s proposition was his undoing. Immediately Jesus said-"Get thee hence, Satan." This was a command, and at once Satan, now unmasked and called by his right name, like a whipped cur, foiled and defeated, slunk away, and the angels came and ministered to Jesus. By His victory over Temptation Jesus passed from the "FULNESS of the Spirit" to the "POWER of the Spirit." Luke 4:1; Luke 4:14.
We are told that Jesus was "tempted in ’all points’ like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15. These "all points" may be summed up under three heads, represented by the "Three Temptations" of Jesus, and were included in the "One Temptation" of Eve-(1) "The Lust of the FLESH;" (2) "The Pride of Life," and (3) "The Lust of the EYES." 1 John 2:16. All the temptations of mankind may be summed up under three heads, represented by the Wilderness Temptations.
1. The Temptation to Secure the Supply of Our Natural needs by ILLEGITIMATE MEANS.
2. The Temptation to Presume on God’s Protection When We WILFULLY RUN INTO DANGER.
3. The Temptation to Secure This World’s Goods and Honors, Without Toil or Suffering, by Entering Into a League With the FORCES OF EVIL. The lessons for the Christian Church are-(1). Do not turn your church into a "Soup Kitchen" or a place of "Suppers" to get the funds to supply the needs of the Church. (2). Do not use spectacular and sensational methods to get an audience. (3). Do not enter into an alliance with the powers of state, wealth and society, or into Federations of Anti-Christian Forces for world supremacy. Eve, the bride of Adam, was tempted first, fell, and pulled her husband down with her. Christ the Last Adam was tested first and because of His victory over temptation He is able to keep His Bride the Church from falling. The Last Adam will recover the Kingly Sceptre the First Adam lost. The Devil tempts us to make us UNUSABLE. God tests us to show that we are USABLE. The instrument of victory is the "WORD OF GOD." We must be able to answer the Devil with-"IT IS WRITTEN." COULD JESUS HAVE SINNED?
There are those who claim that Jesus could not have been tempted in all points like as we are if it were not possible for Him to sin. Others claim that while it was possible for Jesus to sin there was no probability that He would, and therefore there was no risk incurred in His Temptation. Those who claim that it was possible for Jesus to sin compare Him with Satan and Adam, who, though created pure and sinless, had in them the possibility of sinning as is evidenced by their fall. But Satan and Adam were created beings, while Jesus was the Only Begotten SON OF GOD, born of the "Virgin Mary," and it was said of the body of Jesus that it was "THAT HOLY THING." Therefore the humanity of Jesus was SINLESS, and when joined to the Eternally Holy Personality of the SON, there could have been no possibility of Jesus sinning.
If Jesus could have sinned then the whole scheme of Salvation hung in the balance until after the Wilderness Temptation. Such a thought is not only unthinkable but unscriptural. Jesus was the Lamb-"foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18-20), and a lamb accepted for sacrifice must be "without spot or blemish." The Scriptures declare that "Whosoever is born of God CANNOT SIN." 1 John 3:9. Therefore Jesus could not sin. If He could have sinned at the Temptation, since there has been no change in His nature since then, for He took His humanity back with Him to Heaven, what is there to prevent His yielding to Temptation in the future? What guarantee have we that the whole plan of Salvation shall not yet be upset? The thought is contrary to the whole trend of the Scripture.
What then was the purpose of the Temptation if it were not possible for Jesus to have fallen ? The purpose was simply to show that Jesus was a PERFECT SAVIOUR, and that there was NO SIN IN. HIM, nor possibility of failure. He was thus set before us, not as an example to be followed when we are tempted, but as an object of Faith to whom to look as our DELIVERER when we are tempted. A simple illustration will make this plain. We will suppose that a double track "Suspension Bridge" has been built over a deep canyon connecting two mountain ranges. To the people in the valley the Bridge seems to be but an "airy nothing" hardly capable of carrying its own weight and they are afraid to trust themselves to it, but one day to their amazement two long trains of freight cars loaded with pig-iron approach from opposite directions, and when both have reached the centre of the Bridge they stop. At once they expect the Bridge to collapse. But no, it remains intact. And when, after remaining 24 hours on the Bridge, the trains continue on their way, they no longer lack faith in the safety of the Bridge. So with the Temptation of Jesus. It was the test of His Sonship and of His power to overcome and destroy the works of the Devil, and we need no longer fear but that He is a Perfect and All-Powerful Saviour. As we have seen the First Adam brought upon the human race guilt, condemnation, separation, so the Last Adam reverses all these and the standing of the Believer is that of "not guilty," no longer under condemnation, and for him there shall be "no separation" from God. Romans 8:33-34, Romans 8:38-39. The "wages of sin" is Death, but we read in Paul’s immortal chapter on the Resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:22), and he is speaking only of the body and not of the soul, so the Universalist cannot find an argument here for universal salvation, "As in Adam all die (physically), so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically)." So as the First Adam brought death into the world, the Last Adam brought "Resurrection," "Life," and "Immortality" to light through the Gospel.