So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 1Corinthians 15: 45-46
This scripture refers to the first Adam and the last Adam: the Adam God created in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus.
The first Adam was created by God, in His image, from dust. He was flesh first, then became spiritual when God breathed life into his nostrils. It was a miraculous beginning. Adam had dominion over the created world.
Jesus was a spiritual being first, then became flesh. He came into the world as an infant, born of a woman from Adam’s lineage. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit to a virgin. It was a miraculous beginning as well. Jesus has dominion over all that is put under His feet. He is Lord of all.
These men are also referred to in scripture as the first man and the second man (The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 1Corinthians 15: 47). Although there were many men born between Adam and Jesus, these were the only two men to be born without sin.
But let’s not forget that Jesus was there before Adam. He was the word in the beginning. He was the one through whom God created all things. God gave life to Adam, who in turn gave life to all his descendants who were enslaved to sin because of Adam’s disobedience. God later gave flesh to Jesus, who in obedience to his Father, gave eternal life to all who believe in him.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Colossians 1: 15
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