The Second Man...The Last Adam

[dave c]

simpletruth #139e revisited 26NOV11 salicart@msn.com

For This Reason—Page Five: The Second Man...The Last Adam

by rev. dave carter

Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2Co 5:14-17; NIV). As Christians in the Kingdom of Heaven, we are the garden, the workers, and the produce...we are the field, the harvesters, and the wheat...we are the net, the fishermen, and the fish. This is not by our own design...not by our own efforts...and not by our own authority. We are snatched from the sea of lost humanity as we are drawn individually by God the Father to turn toward the Son for forgiveness of sin, and as we seek Christ’s lordship in our lives. Through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit we are reborn (“born again”) and we become a new creation, yet we remain fundamentally human as we head toward the completed perfection of eternity in the presence of God. This is the justification-sanctification-glorification aspects of salvation.

"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men" (Mt 4:19; NIV). "...The kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish (Mt 13:47; NIV). The Church is made up of human beings who have been rescued and redeemed from our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In turn we are to become “little Christs” for those who remain lost to sin and death, as well as for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. By our words, by our actions—by our love for God, for our neighbors, and for one another—we are to serve as Christ’s helpers through productive lives of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit and so gain the approval of God and of mankind (Ro 14:17).

36 What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. …42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body [soma psuchikon-#5591/ “soul body”], it is raised a spiritual body [soma pneumatikon-#4152/ “spirit body”]. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. 50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable (1Co 15; NIV).

The body that we inherited from the first man/first Adam’s flesh is literally a “soul body” that is perishable, dishonorable, weak, and made from the dust of the earth. The second man/last Adam’s “flesh” is literally a “spirit body” and it is imperishable, glorified, powerful, and made from heavenly material. As we are currently like Adam, our present material bodies are identified as being related to the soul (with all its associated weaknesses)—hence they are “soul bodies.” As we are resurrected in Christ, our future glorified bodies are identified as being related to the spirit (with all its associated strengths)—hence, they will be “spirit bodies.” In the meantime, we are like the chrysalis as it passes from being an earth bound caterpillar into a glorious creature of beauty that sails and floats upon the breath of God.

Philippians 2:3-11: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (NIV).

Jesus of Nazareth (the second man...the last Adam) was born to a virgin through the power of God the Holy Spirit into this world as fully the Son of God and fully the Son of Man. This is a very great mystery that is beyond our ability to understand. This same Holy Spirit pulled the crucified Christ from the tomb and seated Him upon the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. It is this same Holy Spirit Who eternally seals us, Who transforms us, and Who will resurrect us at the splitting of the eastern sky, the shout of the archangel, and the sound of the trumpet as all creation witnesses the return of the Shepherd King for His people who are His bride and His body (1Th 4:13-18). This is great cause to cry, “Hallelujah!,” without pride...without reservation…and without fear. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!” Amen.