Saturday, July 26, 2008

The Saving, Restoring Work of Jesus (the Last Adam)

"...The Son of God was born into the world to begin a new humanity, a new community of people who could lose their self-centeredness, begin a God-centered life, and, as a result, slowly but surely have all other relationships put right as well.

"Paul calls Jesus 'the last Adam.' As the first Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden, the last Adam (Jesus) was tested in the Garden of Gethsemane. The first Adam knew that he would live if he obeyed God about the tree. But he didn't.

"The last Adam was also tested by what Paul called a 'tree,' the Cross. Jesus knew that he would be crushed if he obeyed his Father. And he still did."

-- Tim Keller, The Reason for God, p.220 (Dutton 2008) [emphasis added]

No comments: