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(It is suggested that this lesson, which is lengthy and deep, be read at two different times, the second beginning from the section on “Transferred into Christ” on page 10.)
The twenty-four lessons of the previous two volumes were an overview of the different matters between us and God which we, the sinners, should realize, know, and practice after we have believed in the Lord to be saved and have become a saint of God and of the Lord. Beginning with this volume, we will go further to look into the salvation which God prepared for us in Christ. We will also look into the riches we have obtained, the experiences we should have, the things we should accomplish, and the goal we should attain in Christ.
1) “The first man is out of the earth” (1 Cor. 15:47); “The first...Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45).
Though there are millions of people on the earth, there are only two men in the eyes of God. The first one is Adam. The Bible calls him the first man and also the first Adam. He is out of the earth; therefore, he is earthy. He is the beginning of man, and there is no man before him. Thus, he is the first man, the initial man. We people in the world are all his descendants, who are out of him and who are in him to be one man with him.
1) “The second Man is out of heaven” (1 Cor. 15:47); “The last Adam” (1 Cor. 15:45).
These verses refer to Christ. Here the Bible calls Christ the second Man. In our eyes, since the first man is Adam, the second man should be his firstborn son, Cain, as the second generation of mankind. However, the Bible, bypassing Cain and millions of his descendants, says that the second Man is Christ. This is God’s view! In God’s eyes, the first man after Adam is Christ. Before Christ, there was only one man, Adam, and there was not another man besides him. Thus, Adam is the first man, and Christ is the second Man. The Scriptures here not only call Christ the second Man, but also the last Adam, that is, the last Man. This tells us that God views Christ not only as the second Man but also as the last Man, and there is not another man after Him. Though there is a first man before Christ, there is not a third man after Him. Adam is the first man, and Christ is the second Man. Therefore, in God’s view there are only two men in the universe — Adam and Christ. All the other millions of people are either in Adam, of Adam, and one man with Adam, or in Christ, of Christ, and one man with Christ.
1) “And He made from one every nation of men” (Acts 17:26).
In some manuscripts, the word “one” in this verse is rendered “one blood,” referring to one man. This one man is Adam. From this one man Adam, or from this “one,” God made every nation of men in the world. Every nation of men in the world is out of Adam and in Adam. Actually, before we were born, we were already in Adam. Because we were originally in Adam, it was possible for us to be born of Adam and be those who are of Adam.
1) “For as through the disobedience of one man [Adam] the many were constituted sinners” (Rom. 5:19).
Of all the things which we have in Adam, the first is sin. The first thing Adam passed on to us was sin. To be sinful and to be sinners, we do not need to commit sins. Through the disobedience of the one man, Adam, we are already sinful and are constituted sinners. Adam was sinful and was a sinner through disobedience. We also are sinful and are sinners as long as we are in him.
2) “So then, as it was through one offense [the one in Eden] unto condemnation to all men” (Rom. 5:18).
Since we are sinners and are sinful in Adam, we are under condemnation. Since Adam caused us to be sinners, he also caused us to be condemned. We all participated in his one offense in the garden of Eden because we were all in him. While he was sinning, we were all in him, sinning with him. He included us and brought us with him when he sinned.
3) “For as in Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15:22).
Of all the items that we have obtained and now possess in Adam, the first is sin, the second is condemnation, and the third is death. Since we have sin, we are condemned; since we have condemnation, we will surely die. The result of sin and condemnation is death. This death is in Adam and includes several levels of meaning. First, it is the death of the spirit, that is, the human spirit losing its function because of the break in its fellowship with God. Second, it is the death of the body, that is, the human body losing its life and returning to dust. Third, it is the death of the soul, that is, the human soul going to Hades to be tormented (Luke 16:22-25). Fourth, it is the second death, that is, the human spirit, soul, and body being cast into the lake of fire to suffer the eternal torment (Rev. 20:15; 21:8). Today the spirits of the people of the world are dead to God. One day their bodies will die and their souls will go to Hades to be tormented. In the last day, their spirit, soul, and body will be resurrected and will come together to be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented eternally, which is the final and eternal death. These are the significances included in death, the common portion in Adam of the entire world.
1) “Everyone who believes into Him [Christ]” (John 3:16, lit.).
Here the word “into” literally implies entering into. Our believing causes us to enter into Christ. We were originally born in Adam, and we continued to live in Adam after our birth. When we believed into the Lord, our believing brought us into Christ that we might enter into Him and become a person in Him.
2) “For as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27).
Baptism immediately follows after believing. To believe and be baptized are two parts of one step for our entering into the Lord. To believe is to enter into Christ inwardly, while to be baptized is to enter into Christ outwardly. Our believing is our entering into Christ in reality in our spirit; our being baptized is our entering into Christ practically in water. Once we believe, we enter into Christ in the spirit. Then through baptism we confess and confirm this fact, displaying and declaring it. Thus, to believe and be baptized is a complete step which brings us into Christ, transferring us out of Adam into Christ that we may be a man in Christ.
3) “But of Him [God] you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Our responsibility is to believe and be baptized in order to enter into Christ. But to put the Spirit of Christ and the life of Christ into us is beyond our own ability; this is God’s doing. When we enter into Christ through believing and being baptized, God puts the Spirit of Christ and the life of Christ into our spirit that we and Christ may have a spiritual organic union; all of this is God’s doing. Therefore, as far as the Spirit and life are concerned, it is of God that we are in Christ Jesus. It is God who placed us in Christ and put the Spirit and the life of Christ into us that we might be joined as one with Christ in spirit. Except for our believing and being baptized, this was altogether God’s doing through His Spirit. In this way, God practically transferred us out of Adam into Christ in the Spirit and in life that we may become a person fully in Christ.
We were born of Adam, having the things in Adam, which are the means by which our old man in Adam lives. When we are transferred into Christ, we also possess the riches in Christ, which are the means by which our new man in Christ lives. Such riches in Christ are innumerable. Those that we have chosen as important are listed below.
1) “Through the obedience of the One [Christ] shall the many be constituted righteous” (Rom. 5:19).
The first thing we have in Adam is sin, but the first thing we have in Christ is righteousness. The first thing Adam brought to us was sin; the first thing Christ brings to us is righteousness. The disobedience of Adam made us sinful and constituted us sinners; the obedience of Christ constitutes us righteous that we may become righteous persons.
2) “Through one righteous act [the one at Golgotha] unto justification of life to all men” (Rom. 5:18).
The sins we have in Adam caused us to be condemned in him, while the righteousness we obtain in Christ causes us to be justified in Him. The one offense of Adam in the garden of Eden caused us, who were in him, to be condemned, while the one righteous act of Christ at Golgotha caused us, who are in Him, to be justified.
Furthermore, the sin and condemnation we have in Adam also caused us to have death, but the righteousness and justification we gain in Christ cause us to have life. Adam’s sin brought us death, but Christ’s righteousness brings us life. Due to Adam’s sin, the death of Satan entered into us to do a work of death. Thus, our spirit, soul, and body, that is, our whole being, were invaded by death. Due to the righteousness of Christ, the life of God entered into us to do a work of life to swallow up the death in our spirit, soul, and body that our whole being could be made alive.
3) “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).
“Made alive” here refers to being resurrected. We originally were dead persons. Then Christ came into us, bringing God’s life to make us alive. Thus, to be made alive is to be resurrected. The death Adam brought to us ruined everything of our life in the old creation. The resurrection Christ brings to us begins our life in the new creation that we may partake of everything in this life of the new creation.
4) “Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
In Christ we obtain not only the three items of righteousness, justification, and life but also every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. The selection of the Holy Father, the redemption of the Holy Son, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly, spiritual blessings spoken of in the New Testament have been given to us by God in Christ and are obtained by us in Christ.
5) “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
It is concisely stated here that there are four important things which we obtain in Christ from God: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Wisdom is the main item and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are the detailed points. All that God has given to us in Christ is out of Christ’s wisdom, or we may say that it is Christ as wisdom, which includes righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Righteousness is for us to be justified by God that we may be saved. This is in the past. Sanctification is for us to live a holy life that we may be victorious. This is in the present. Redemption is for our bodies to be redeemed that we may be glorified. This is in the future. We have obtained all these items, which are all Christ Himself, in Christ from God.
6) “...in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, they have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
We also became a new creation in Christ. The old things in Adam have passed away and they have become new in Christ. This is a result of being transferred from Adam into Christ.
