God was faced with two necessities in any effectual plan of salvation: first, the sending forth of a second Man who would fulfill His original intention in man’s creation; second, the providing of another Adam who would act representatively for the human race as the Head of a new order. The Man Christ Jesus meets both these necessities. 

He is God’s, second Man.

1 Corinthians 15:47

“The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

He is God’s last Adam.

1 Corinthians 15:45

“And so it is written: the first man Adam was made a living soul.” the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit.”

In the God-man, God made a new union with the human race; the ultimate issue of this union is a new race of redeemed men of whom Christ Jesus is the Head.

To fully qualify, however, as the last Adam in this mediatorial redemptive work, God’s second Man must succeed where His first man failed, and He must succeed under the same circumstances and limitations. The first man failed on earth: the second Man must succeed on earth. The first man had a tripartite human nature subject to human limitations. The second Man must have a tripartite human nature subject to human limitations. The first man was tempted from without by Satan to doubt, disobedience, and disloyalty. The second Man must be tempted in the same way by the same person to do the same thing. If God’s second Man succeeded where God’s first man failed, He would qualify as the last Adam to become the Redeemer of the human race and the Head of a new order of beings.

Let us see how God’s second Man in the incarnation met every one of these requirements.

The eternal Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. The only begotten Son left the Father’s bosom in glory to be born of a virgin in a manger in Bethlehem. A Savior was born in the city of David. The Lord from heaven came to earth.

God’s second Man was human, subject to human limitations. Christ’s humanity began where ours did and went through all the stages of human life from infancy to manhood. Christ had a human ancestry.

Romans 1:3

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.”

Acts 13:23

Of this man’s [David] seed hath God, according to His promise, raised unto Israel a Savior, Jesus.

The Son of God became the Son of Man by human birth. He was “a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.” Mary was His mother.

Luke 1:30-31

³⁰ “And the angel said unto her, “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor with God.³¹ And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus.

He was a “child” subject to the law of regular development, living in a home with brothers and sisters and growing under the training and discipline of His home life as other boys grow.

Luke 2:40

“And the Child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.

He was “a man,” and as a son and brother in the home, as a neighbor and tradesman in the community, and as a citizen of the nation, He performed every duty and met every obligation that these human relationships demanded. Christ Jesus was not only “made in the likeness of men,” but He was in His earthly life “found in fashion as a man” (Philippians 2:7-8). “In all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren” (Heb. 2:17). In everything, the Son of Man was not only humanly perfect, but He was perfectly human.

Source: “Life on the Highest Plane” by Ruth Paxson
Gracious Lord, shine Your light into our hearts to see what was required in Your being born a God-man to qualify to become our Redeemer.