As the first human being God made, Adam serves as humanity’s covenant head and representative. In Paul’s letters, he refers to Christians as people who are “in Christ”. This is contrasted with how we’re born – spiritually dead “in Adam.” We become spiritually alive when we’re “born again”, just as Jesus told Nicodemus. Then, Paul considers us “in Christ”.
Only one verse in the Bible mentions a covenant with Adam.
Like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.
Hosea 6:7
God’s covenant with Adam wasn’t explicit or formal. Before the fall, God and Adam walked and talked freely. God promised mankind everlasting life and dominion over the earth. In return, he asked for obedience to the only command he gave Adam: stay far away from evil.
Adam failed to live within that covenant, and by chapter 6 of Genesis, all of mankind had also failed. Evil had blossomed and filled the earth with violence. The evil was so overwhelming that it appeared mankind was not redeemable.
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.
So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:5-8
Out of all the world, only one man, Noah, found favor with God. But one was enough – mankind was redeemable. God told Noah to build a huge boat, according to his instructions.
For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
Genesis 6:17-18
When the flood subsided, God made a new covenant with Noah. He promised to never again give up on humanity; instead of destroying us, he would redeem us. And God confirms that covenant with every rainbow.
Facets of redemption found in Noah’s story:
- God promises to redeem his creation, never again to destroy it.
- The story of Noah is also a picture of God’s Redeemer leading a remnant of God’s people into a new creation.
- Noah believed God – enough to spend a hundred years building an enormous boat, on dry land. Redemption will depend on faith, believing and trusting God’s plan.
- The story shows that Noah wasn’t the son of Eve who would redeem mankind. Noah himself needed a redeemer.