“By the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)

When Adam rebelled against God, he experienced many new things—things that have haunted mankind ever since. All of these things were experienced by Christ in an intense way as He redeemed fallen mankind and the cursed creation.

Adam had never seen or experienced death (Genesis 2:17) until he sinned (3:19, 22). Adam and Eve had been naked and unashamed (2:25), but sin distorted everything (3:7, 21). Before sin, Adam and Eve had known only blessing (1:28), but the universal curse followed (3:14-19). They had known joy and fellowship, but then they knew sorrow (3:17) and separation (3:23). They had lived in a garden (2:8), but then the plants brought forth thorns (3:18). Prior to sin they had been given work (2:15), but because of sin they would sweat (3:19) as they toiled. The angel’s weapon kept them from returning to Eden (3:24), and outside violence reigned (4:8, 23; 6:13). Childbearing was originally created to be easy but then was accompanied by sorrow (1:28; 3:16).

Likewise, Christ experienced death on the cross (John 19:30), but by His resurrection He conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). He experienced nakedness (John 19:23; Psalm 22:18), the full thrust of the Curse (Galatians 3:13), sorrow (Isaiah 53:3), and separation from God (Matthew 27:46). Cruel thorns were placed on His head (John 19:2), and He sweat great drops of blood (Luke 22:44). The soldier’s weapon pierced Him (John 19:34), finally ending a series of violent acts (Luke 22:63; Matthew 27:26, 29-30; Isaiah 52:14; etc.). But through His suffering He overcame the Curse and redeemed His fallen creation. As a result, many children have been brought forth (Hebrews 2:9-10), reborn into a glorious state through His suffering. JDM