In Adam, In Christ

2021-07-11

There is a lot to say about what it means to be in Christ. To understand what it means to be in Christ, the Lord has given a comparison in His Word to explain it.

On Ancestry’s Effects

In Hebrews 7:9-10, the Spirit reminds us of a story found in Genesis 14. After rescuing Lot from an alliance of kings, Abraham met with a certain Melchizedek, a king who was also a priest. The Hebrew patriarch gave the priest-king a tenth of his spoils, and in return, this king of Salem blessed Abraham. The Lord tells us:

And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him (Hebrews 7:9-10).

This demonstrates that the priesthood of Aaron, which was from the tribe of Levi, was inferior to the priesthood of Melchizedek (see Psalm 110:4). This is a message in and of itself, but I want to draw attention to what Hebrews 7:9-10 says of Levi: He “payed tithes in Abraham” and “was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.” The events of Genesis 14 took place before Abraham’s son (and Levi’s grandfather) Isaac was conceived or born. However, Levi “payed tithes in Abraham.” Levi shared a part of this offering not yet being born. A reality of Levi existed in Abraham long before his birth. There is a principle here we can glean: we too had a reality in our ancestors long before we were ever born.

Another example we see is in the case of Adam and Seth in Genesis 5:1-5:

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; (2) Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (3) And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth (Genesis 5:1-3).

Here we see that Adam was created “in the likeness of God.” Then, 130 years later, he had his son Seth “in his own likeness, after his image.” We know that somewhere between these two events, between verses two and three, Adam rebelled against God, spiritually died, and was thrust from the Garden of Eden. Adam was created in God’s image, but Seth was born after Adam’s fallen, sinful image. Like Levi was in Abraham before his birth, Seth was in Adam before his birth. The actions committed by his father not only affected Seth, but he also was present at that rebellion in the loins of his father. Since the whole human race of today was descended from Seth, we also were affected by and present at that rebellion.

Comparing Adam and Christ

Romans 5:12-21 builds on these principles and then compares what happened to our condition in Adam and our new condition in Christ. Here are some things to think about:

All were in Adam when he sinned and fell. Our common forefather sinned and spiritually died. All of humankind now sins and are spiritually dead. (Romans 5:12)
Absence of law does not matter. Even without the law to impute sin, death continued to all of humankind. (Romans 5:13-14)
In Adam, all are dead, but in Jesus Christ, all received the gift of grace. Notice the phrase “much more” in Romans 5:15. What was established in Christ is superior to what was established in Adam. (Romans 5:15)
Being in Adam leads to judgment and condemnation and being in Christ leads to the free gift of justification. Adam’s judgment was spiritual death and eviction from the Garden of Eden. In Christ, we are justified (declared righteous) and are bound for a paradise superior to that of Eden. (Romans 5:16)
Death reigns in Adam’s action of sin, while the gift of righteousness reigns in Christ. Death reigns in this world. Even the baby or unborn child that never knew what sin is can still die as a baby or unborn. In Jesus Christ, abundant grace and the gift of righteousness reigns. (Romans 5:17)
In Adam, all are judged, but in Christ, His righteousness justified all. The judgment that was in Adam’s line is gone for those in Christ. The word “all” in this passage has been used to defend the false doctrine of universalism. However, one must follow the logic in this fashion. First, the entire human race is born in Adam. However, the entire human race is not born-again in Christ. We are no longer a part of the race of Adam as believers in Christ! We are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). (Romans 5:18)
In Adam, all are made sinners, but in Christ, all were made righteous. In Adam, all have the indwelling principle of sin. Sin is more than moral pollution or “doing bad stuff.” We sin because we are sinners. All too often, we tell the unsaved to “repent of their sins.” This shows a shallow view of sin. The Adamic, ungenerate man cannot repent of sin because it is a part of him. In Adam, we cannot repent of sin any more than a dog can repent of barking, or a goldfish can repent of swimming. Sin is hardwired into the Adamic nature. Being born again in Christ changes everything. (Romans 5:19)

Two principles are necessary before we proceed. First, we need to be born again into a new line of humanity to be saved from sin and live for Christ. That new humanity is found in Jesus Christ. The line of Adam is depraved and is at enmity with the Lord for eternity. The line of Christ is mutually exclusive with the Adamic race of humanity.

Second, because of this, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is an indispensable Christian doctrine. As foretold by the Lord in the Garden (Genesis 3:15), the Christ would be the seed of the woman, not of the man. Jesus has no father save God the Father, and He is the eternal Son of God.

Comparing Noah and Christ

The question we need to ask now is whether being present in Adam at the foundation of the world is properly analogous with being in Christ during His incarnation. From what we have seen, it becomes clear that it is properly analogous. Let us look at another example in Noah.

In Noah’s day, the world was facing complete judgment by a worldwide flood. Noah went through the floodwaters in the ark as the wrath of God destroyed humanity. Noah and his family got off the ark unharmed. God then promised that He would never destroy the world by flood again. The world then was repopulated by Noah’s sons. Everyone on the face of the earth today is a descendant of one of Noah’s three sons.

Think about this: because Noah and his family were saved by the flood, all of us were also. If you were to somehow go back in time and kill Noah when he was three years old, the entire present human race would disappear. Our existence today was contingent on the salvation of Noah millennia ago. We were saved from the flood because Noah’s sons were. Furthermore, based on the principle of ancestry we previously discussed, we were all present in the seed of Noah’s sons those many generations ago.

We were there in Noah’s sons when they got on the ark.

We were there when God closed the door on the ark.

We were there when God carried us through the floodwaters.

We were there when the ark door opened and when Noah’s sons went out into a new world.

The promise never to be destroyed by worldwide flood extends to us. God’s wrath will never destroy humanity by flood again.

But there is One greater than Noah and his sons. Jesus received the wrath of His Father because of our sins on the cross. Jesus was buried and descended into the depths for three days and nights. Jesus rose from the dead, never to die again, and never to see the wrath of God again. Jesus ascended into heaven, and He was enthroned at the right hand of the Father.

Let us apply our principle of ancestry here in Christ:

We were there in Christ when He received the wrath of His Father on the cross.

We were there when Jesus was buried.

We were there when Jesus rose from the dead.

We were there when Jesus ascended and was enthroned on the right hand of the Father.

All these things happened long before we were born-again. As the ark carried Noah’s family through the flood, and we were in the sons of Noah at that time, we were with Jesus as He experienced God’s wrath on the cross nearly 2,000 years ago. This affirms the Scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:9: “God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.” It also affirms that every true Christian will be rescued before the wrath of God is poured out on this world, for we already went through the wrath in Christ.

Our bond with Jesus is greater than what it was with Noah and Adam. He is the eternal Son of God, and the others were mere men like we are. This principle of being in Christ is true of every born-again believer. This is the unity with Christ we have.

Ephesians 2:1-10 also emphasize these principles. In Ephesians 2:5, the Lord tells us, “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).” Notice the past tense: we were “quickened,” or made alive, in Christ. There is a danger here. This does not mean that the physical resurrection has taken place. Heretics espoused this lie in Paul’s day (2 Timothy 2:18). However, because we are in Christ, we were spiritually made alive (past tense), and it also guarantees our physical resurrection to life in the future, because of our being in Christ.

In Ephesians 2:6, we see that He also “raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Notice the past tense again. We can conclude that there is already an element of us in heaven.

Consider these Scriptures:

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. (2) Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. (3) For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

These Scriptures make a lot more sense when we understand our history, ancestry, and position in Christ.

The one word of caution is to say that though we have a spiritual reality in the Lord, our physical bodies are still very much Adamic in nature and just as much prone to sin as they were. The flesh (the old man) is still Adamic in nature until the resurrection on the Day of Christ. The new man is of Christ and cannot sin or fail. How we go about living for Christ in this life is another essay for another time. It suffices to say that the truths presented here must be appropriated by faith. These truths are of no benefit to us unless we know them and affirm them to be true.

Questions to Think About

Now that we have discussed who we are in Christ, let us conclude with some challenges.

Do you see how certain salvation is for the believer?
Do you see how we have been saved from God’s wrath?
Do you see how we have been fully accepted by God?
Do you see how much power there is in Christ to live the Christian life?
Do you see how much power there is to fulfill the Great Commission?
Do you see how unconditional eternal security is a foregone conclusion (2 Timothy 2:13)?