THE LAST ADAM
[p. 209] THE LAST ADAM
The subject of testimony, “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from among the dead, of the seed of David” (2 Timothy 2: 8), has been before us.
That was the subject of paramount importance for Timothy, and he is the type of the servant who is to continue till the coming of the Lord. Paul knew that he was passing off the scene, but Timothy was to continue typically. You will get the type of servant like Timothy until the Lord comes — till the appearing of Jesus Christ.
So you find the apostle charging Timothy by the appearing of Jesus Christ. Timothy was a simple man; a man of pious parentage, he was a vessel fitted to be charged with the truth of the apostle’s doctrine. Scripture looks for a succession of faithful men: it was that thought which led me to 1 Corinthians 15. Christ, the last Adam, comes in in connection with the resurrection of the body. This passage shews that the position of Christ as last Adam is connected with resurrection, and marked by a spiritual body. He takes up that ground in resurrection: He takes it up entirely on that footing. I want to shew how all is connected with Him as the last Adam — the beginning of the creation of God (Revelation 3: 14), the Amen.
A contrast is seen between the first Adam and the last: God put the first Adam on the ground of responsibility, the first man Adam was made a living soul: that is, he was a responsible man. The last Adam is a life-giving Spirit, there is no thought of responsibility there at all. In the raising of Lazarus you can see life-giving power: He is divine, He is Son of God, He is the last Adam. The last Adam stands in the same relation to a race as the first Adam did. The first Adam was head and beginning of a race; the last Adam stands in relation to that same race as a life-giving Spirit. He must be such if He is to recover man. Lawlessness and hatred had come in, and men are [p. 210] to be recovered from those two things, and the principle of recovery bears analogy to the way of departure. The last Adam stands in relation to the same race as the first Adam; the last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. This is seen in two ways: (1) the rights of God have been regarded and discharged; (2) the enemy of man has been defeated; Christ has annulled him that had the power of death. Redemption has secured all for God: the liabilities have been met and discharged. Man came under death and was liable to judgment; Christ has discharged all. Christ takes up the position as last Adam: the liabilities are discharged and the power of Satan annulled, so He is the last Adam.
In the case of Israel of old we see them with Pharaoh and his hosts behind, and the Red Sea before; God came in and the waters of the Red Sea were smitten, and Pharaoh and his hosts were annulled. Christ attaches to Himself in two ways: (1) by His words, and (2) by the Spirit of life; by these He attaches to Himself; He has ability to do this. When the Lord was on earth He attached to Himself, and it was by words. We see this in what Peter said at the close of John 6, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal”: the communications which He had made to them had attached them to Himself. You get another instance in Martha and Mary — the latter sat at His feet and heard His word, the word was the bond between her and the Lord. Saul saw the Lord after the resurrection; others heard a voice but did not receive any communication. Saul heard and understood the communication. He attaches us to Himself by the communications that He makes to us, and so the word of Christ becomes the bond between our souls and Christ.
Next we get the bond of the Spirit of life: He is the point of attraction, as it is written, “I, if I be lifted up ... will draw all to me” (John 12: 32), but it is by the Spirit of life. In John 20 the communication was, “Peace be to you”. Then He breathed into them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. He proved Himself to [p. 211] be a life-giving Spirit. We get a communication in the first instance, and then He gave us the Spirit of life, and that is a bond that cannot be broken — we are firmly attached to Christ. Now everything attached to Christ must go through the experience of death and resurrection. Now look at verse 54. Death is swallowed up in victory, that cannot take place till resurrection has come to pass. It is a wonderful thing to see that God has before Him death being swallowed up in victory, ‘sin and death no more shall reign’.
God is forming a company for heaven, and has been doing so all along, and each had to go through the experience of death and resurrection. Adam had to fall into a deep sleep; Noah had to enter the ark, and that meant death to man. Death means morally when a man has come utterly to an end of himself, and nothing but the power of God can do for him. Noah had to go in figure into death, and came out on to a new earth, which figuratively is resurrection. Now look at Genesis 15. God said to Abraham, “Look now toward heaven”, but then he had to fall into the deep sleep and the horror of great darkness, which answered to the experience of death.
Isaac was offered up in figure; he had to go through death, he was a resurrection man. Then we see Jacob in Genesis 42: 36, where he says, “Me have ye bereaved of my children”; he had to go into death in experience in losing his children, but then in chapter 46: 3, God says, “Fear not to go down into Egypt”. He is the God of resurrection. The same principle is seen in Joseph; he was put in prison, “he was laid in iron”, helpless — none could help him but God. We see God’s dealings with all these so as to teach them death and resurrection; God wished then and wishes now to bring the mind of all His saints into this thought of death and resurrection. David too and Daniel had to learn the power of God in resurrection.
And all this teaching was in view of Christ coming out as the last Adam — a life-giving Spirit. The Lord attaches.
[p. 212] us to Himself by His word and His Spirit; but by the epistles and in the teaching of baptism the thought is to bring us into accord with Christ in our souls, that what He has died to we should die to. The Spirit is leading to accord of mind to Christ. He has died to sin and to the world, how can we then live in these? We are dead with Him and we are risen with Him through faith of the operation of God, who raised Him from the dead. It is the pleasure of God that we should be brought into accord with Christ now. ‘In him we stand, a heavenly band’. The Spirit is working mightily to bring us into accord with Himself now by death and resurrection. So in a future day in regard of Israel, they have to go down into the horror of great darkness; there will be the time of Jacob’s trouble, but they will be saved out of it; but then death will be swallowed up in victory: it says, “Some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt”. The same principle will apply to the nations then — it will be life to the nations, but all is connected with Christ as a life-giving Spirit. The great point is that distinction might be brought to Christ: the Spirit is working to this end in us to make us surrender ourselves. In Mary’s case Christ was her life, and she spent all she had to confer distinction on Christ. We read in Job “skin for skin”, etc. — any sacrifice will be made by a man for his life; even if Christ is your life, will you give all that you have for Him? All that Mary had she was prepared to give for her life — for Christ. We have to use all we have to distinguish Christ. When we pass away there will be something left if Christ is really our life, then in glory Christ will distinguish us, “when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” — what Mary did, He said, should never be forgotten. We want to be dead to all that which Christ died to; but then He is risen, and Christ is our life, and we shall take opportunity to distinguish Christ: a risen Christ is our life, “because I live, ye shall live also)” death cannot sever that connection. “For me”, said the apostle, “to live is Christ”. It is a total mistake to [p. 213] say, For me to live is Paul or myself; it is neither righteousness nor is it wisdom.