Adam and the Redeemer

Question
I've read that it says somewhere in the Bible that the redeemer had to
be from the bloodline of Adam. Is this so, or is it an assumption since he
was the first man?
Answer
Any redeemer has to be of the bloodline of Adam if he is to be human, since all humans are descended from Adam. In Jesus' case, he was descended from Adam only through Mary. But Jesus' claim to David's throne, and thereby his qualification as Savior, depended on the fact that Joseph was his father even though this was not a blood relationship but an adoptive one. In any case, Paul does say rather explicitly that Jesus was a physical Israelite, which would make him a physical descendant of Adam (Rom. 9:5). Nowhere does the Bible explicitly say that the redeemer had to descend from Adam. But in Romans 5:12ff., Paul indicated that Jesus was the second Adam insofar as Jesus' role as the representative of his people (whereby they are judged by his actions) paralleled Adam's representation of the human race. So, in some ways, Jesus in his role as redeemer was closely associated with Adam.


Answer by Ra McLaughlin

Ra McLaughlin is Vice President of Finance and Administration at Third Millennium Ministries.