2
Cor. 5:17 Therefore if
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: (kainos, as to
age, from neos, regeneratively new) old things (archaios,
the original) are passed away (figuratively perished);
behold, all (pas, all things by all means and at all
times) things are become new (kainos, as to age, from neos,
regeneratively new).
This
paper is to explore just how new of a beginning we as believers do
have “in Christ”. All genuine Christians need to see and
understand that they have had a transfer of race from
the very moment of their regeneration by receiving Christ’s life.
The word regeneration (Titus 3:5) itself
is transliterated from the Greek, paliggenesia,
meaning “a repetitive nativity” or “a repeated
beginning”. I am sure most can see that “genesia,”
in paliggenesia, must have something to do with a genesis or beginning
– a newly generated life.
We
know that in the Genesis of the Bible the race of mankind began with
the first man Adam. Paul tells us in 1Cor. 15:45
… The first man Adam was made (ginomai, became)
a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (life-giving)
spirit. And in 1Cor. 15:47 The first man
(Adam) is of the earth, earthy: the second man
is the Lord from heaven.
The
“last Adam,” of whom Paul writes, is no less than the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself. I note that 1Cor 15:45 does not
say the 2nd Adam, but rather the last or final Adam.
Hence we see there are only two potential races of people in God’s
mind’s eye. 1) The human fallen race is of the first Adam, and
the other is 2) The new race of people who possess God’s very
life, in the person of Christ (the Last Adam), as the Spirit of
life, indwelling their human spirit (1Cor 6:17,
Col
1:27). The second race consists of the regenerated children of
God – reborn of God Himself (John 1:13), via His seed (the
Christ-seed, Gal 3:16, 1Pet 1:23); these are a people of an entirely
new and significantly different race than that of the first Adam.
The
result of the two
Adams
has everything to do with man’s potential of death versus eternal
life.
1
Cor. 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
Paul
here tells us here that it was by the life choices and actions of
the first Adam that mankind, all his offspring, his entire lineage,
has been made dead toward God, through the first Adam’s sin, which
separated man from God for eternity. Yet, we note, Paul goes on to
say that “in Christ shall all be made alive”. This death
condition of mankind persists today. Rom 5:14 (NASB)
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over
those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who
is a type (antitype) of Him who was to come. Thus, as Adam
affected all mankind negatively, so Christ’s work on the cross was
on behalf of all mankind, not to restore man to his pre-fall
condition, but to make a new mankind of a new race.
Every
father possesses and passes on his very life and nature with his DNA
– since he and his offspring are essentially of one life and
nature. From this we may see that the two Adam’s are the federal
heads of their progeny, the two races of people. The first race
possesses and is possessed of the fallen life and nature of their
“father”, the first Adam. The race of the last Adam possesses
the very life and nature of the resurrected Son of God. We share in
His one life. Jesus Christ, according to His humanity as of the seed
of David, was raised out of resurrection (Rom 1:3-4), in order to
bring His humanity into the Godhead – making man one with God.
Since all believers today are regenerated of Christ’s very life
and nature they make up the very body of this resurrected Christ
– of which He is the Head. Ephes. 1:22-23 And
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church, 23Which
is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
The
first Adam’s race, by whom all mankind has become dead toward God,
had to be brought to an end in order for God
to dispense the life of the resurrected Christ to be man’s only
genuine life (Gal 2:20). Every Christian was of Adam’s fallen
lineage, yet also they were in Christ in the cross; they were
crossed out as to their old man - when Christ died they died. This
becomes effectual for those who believe in order to receive Christ.
Likewise, as Jesus was raised from the dead, we believers have also
been raised to new life. Rom 6:3-4 Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized (placed) into
Jesus Christ were baptized (placed) into his death?
4Therefore
we are buried with him by baptism (placement) into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life.
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