The question which we propose to consider, in the following pages, is one of the most interesting and important that could possibly engage our attention. It is this: What is the life which, as Christians, we possess? what is its source? what are its characteristics? what is its issue? These great questions have only to be named to secure the attention of every thoughtful reader.
The divine word speaks of two distinct heads or sources. It speaks of a first man, and it speaks of a second. In the opening of the book of Genesis, we read these words, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.....So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” (Chap. 1:26, 27.) This statement is repeated in Gen. 5 “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him.” After this, we read, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image.”
But between Adam’s creation in the image of God, and the birth of a son in his own image, a great change had taken place. Sin had entered. Innocence had fled. Adam had become a fallen, ruined, outcast man. This fact must be seized and pondered by the reader. It is a weighty, influential fact. It lets us into the secret of the source of that life which, as sons of Adam, we possess. That source, be it remembered, was a guilty, ruined, outcast head. It was not in innocence that Adam became the head of a race. It was not within the bounds of Paradise that Cain was brought forth, but outside, in a ruined and cursed world. It was not in the image of God that Cain was begotten, but in the image of a fallen father.
We fully believe that personally Adam was the subject of divine grace, and that he was saved by faith in the promised seed of the woman. But, looking at him fed (,)’ally, that is, as the head of a race, he was a fallen, ruined, outcast man; and every one of his posterity is born into the same condition. As is the head, so are the members—all the members together, each member in particular. The son bears the image of his fallen father, and inherits his nature.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh,” and, do what you will with “flesh”—educate, cultivate, sublimate it as you will, it will never yield “spirit.” You may improve flesh, according to human thinking; but improved “flesh” is not “spirit.” The two things are totally opposite. The former expresses all that we are as born into this world, as sprung from the first Adam. The latter expresses what we are as born again, as united to the Second Adam.
We frequently hear the expression. “Raising the masses.” What does it mean? There are three questions which we should like to ask those who propose to themselves to elevate the masses. First, What is it you are going to elevate? Secondly, How are you going to elevate them? Thirdly, Where are you going to elevate them to? It is impossible that water can ever rise above its level; and so it is impossible that you can ever raise the sons of fallen Adam above the level of their fallen father. Do what you will with them, you cannot possibly elevate them higher than their ruined outcast head. Man cannot grow out of the nature in which he was born. He can grow in it, but not out of it. Trace the river of fallen humanity up to its source, and you find that source to be a fallen, ruined, outcast man. This simple truth strikes at the root of all Human pride—all pride of birth—all pride of ancestry. We are all, as men, sprung from one common stock—one head—one source. We are all begotten in one image, and that is a ruined man. The head of the race, and the race of which he is head, are all involved in one common ruin. Looked at from a legal or social standpoint, there may be differences; but looked at from a divine standpoint, there is none. If you want a true idea of the condition of each member of the human race, you must look at the condition of the head. You must go back to Gen. 3 and read these words, “He drove out the man.” Here is the root of the whole matter. Here is the source of the river the streams whereof have made sad the millions of Adam’s posterity for well-nigh six thousand years. Sin has entered and snapped the link, defaced the image of God, corrupted the sources of life, brought in death, and given Satan the power of death. Thus it stands in reference to Adam’s race—to the race as a whole, and to each member of that race in particular. All are involved in guilt and ruin—all exposed to death and judgment. There is no exception. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” (Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12).) “In Adam all die.” (1 Cor. 15:2222For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22).) Here are the two sad and solemn realities, linked together— “Sin and death,”
But, thanks be to God, a Second Man has entered the scene; and this great fact, while it sets forth the marvelous grace of God towards the first man and his posterity, doth also, in the clearest and most unanswerable manner, prove that the first man has been completely set aside. If the first had been found faultless, then should no place have been sought for the Second. If there had been a single ray of hope as to the first Adam, there would have been no occasion for the Second.
But God sent His Son into this world, He was “the seed of the woman.” Let this fact be seized and pondered.
Jesus Christ did not come under the federal headship of Adam. He was legally descended from David and Abraham, as we read in Matthew. “He was of the seed of David, according to the flesh.” (2 Tim. 2:88Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: (2 Timothy 2:8).) Moreover, His genealogy is traced, by the inspired penman, in Luke’s gospel, up to Adam. But here is the angelic announcement as to the mystery of His conception: “And the angel answered and said unto Mary, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:3535And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35).
Here we have a real man, but One without a single taint of sin—a single seed of mortality. He was made of the woman, of the substance of the virgin, a man—in every particular, just such as we are, but wholly without sin, and entirely free from any association which could have given sin or death a claim upon Him. Had our blessed Lord come, as regards His human nature, under the headship of Adam, He could not have been called the Second Man, inasmuch as He would have been a member of the first, like any other man; and further, He would have been obnoxious to death, in His own person, winch it were blasphemy to assert or suppose.
But, adored forever be His peerless name, He was the pure, holy, spotless One of God. He was unique. He stood alone—the only pure untainted grain of human seed that earth had ever seen. He came into this world of sin and death, Himself sinless and life giving. In Him was life and nowhere else. All beside was death and darkness. There was not a single pulse of spiritual life, not one ray of divine light, apart from Him. The entire race of the first man was involved in sin, under the power of death, and exposed to eternal judgment. He could say, “I am the light of the world.” Apart from Him, all was moral darkness and spiritual death. “In Adam all die; in Christ shall all be made alive.” But let us see how.
No sooner did the Second Man appear upon the scene, than Satan appeared to dispute every inch of the ground with Him. It was a grand reality. The Man Christ Jesus had undertaken the mighty work of glorifying God on this earth; of destroying the works of the devil; and of redeeming His people. Stupendous work! Work, we may with all possible assurance say, which none but the God man could accomplish. But, as we have said, it was a real thing. Jesus had to meet all the craft and power of Satan. He had to meet him as the serpent and meet him as the lion. Hence, at the very opening of His blessed career, as the baptized and anointed Man, He stood in the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. See Matt. 4, Luke 4.
And mark, even here, the contrast between the first man and the Second. The first man stood in the midst of a garden of delights, with everything that could possibly plead for God against the tempter. The Second Man, on the contrary, stood in the midst of a wilderness of privations with everything, apparently, to plead against God and for the tempter. Satan tried with the Second Man precisely the same weapons which he had found so effective with the first, “The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.” Comp. Gen. 3:66And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:6). Matt. 4:1-91Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. (Matthew 4:1‑9). Luke 4:1-121And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, showed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Luke 4:1‑12). 1 John 2:1616For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16).
But the Second Man vanquished the tempter—vanquished Mm with one simple weapon, the written word. “It is written?” was the one unvarying reply of the dependent and obedient man. No reasoning, no questioning, no looking this way or that way. The word of the living God was commanding authority for the perfect Man. Blessed forever be His name! The homage of the universe be His throughout everlasting ages! Amen and amen.
But we must not allow ourselves to expatiate, and therefore we hasten on to unfold our special theme. We want the reader to see, in the light of holy scripture, how the Second Adam imparts life to His members.
By the victory in the wilderness, the strong man was “bound,” not “destroyed.” Hence, we find that, at the close, he is suffered once more to try his hand. Having “departed for a season” he returned again and that in another character, even as the one who had the power of death, by which to terrify the soul of man. Tremendous thought! This power he brought to bear, in all its terrible intensity, on the spirit of Christ, in the garden of Gethsemane. We cannot possibly contemplate the scene in that garden and not feel that the spirit of our blessed Lord was passing through something which He had 11 ever experienced before. It is evident that Satan was permitted to come before Him in a very special manner, and to put forth special power, in order, if possible, to deter Him. Thus He says, in John 14:3030Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. (John 14:30), “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.” So also, in Luke 22:5353When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. (Luke 22:53), we find Him saying to the chief priests, and captains of the temple, “Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye Stretched forth no hands against me; but this is your hour and the power of darkness.”
Evidently, therefore, the period from the last supper to the cross was marked by features quite distinct from every previous stage of the marvelous history of our Lord. “This is your hour.” And, further, “The power of darkness.” The prince of this world came against the Second Man, armed with all the power with which the first man’s sin had invested Mm. He brought to bear upon His spirit all the power and all the terrors of death as the just judgment of God. Jesus met all this in its utmost force and in all its awful intensity. Hence, we hear such accents as these, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” And again, we read that, “Being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
In a word, then, the One who undertook to redeem His people, to give eternal life to His members, to accomplish the will and counsels of God, had to meet all the consequences of man’s condition. There was no escaping them. He passed through them all; but He passed through them alone, for who but Himself could have done it? He, the true Ark, had to go over alone into the dark and dreadful river of death, in order to make a way for His people to pass over dryshod. He was alone in the horrible pit and the miry clay, that we might be with Him on the rock. He earned the new song alone, that He might sing it in the midst of the Church.
But not only did our Lord meet all the power of Satan as the prince of this world, all the power of death as the just judgment of God, all the violence and bitter enmity of fallen man: there was something far beyond all this. When man and Satan, earth and hell, had done their very utmost, there remained a region of darkness and impenetrable gloom to be traversed by the spirit of the Blessed One, into which it is impossible for human thought to enter. We can only stand upon the confines, and with our heads bowed in the deep hush of unutterable worship, hearken to the loud and bitter cry which issues thence, accompanied by those words, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”—words which eternity itself will be insufficient to unfold.
Here we must pause, and ascribe, once more, eternal and universal praise, homage, and adoration to the One who went through all this to procure life for us. May our hearts adore Him! May our lips praise Him! May our lives glorify Him! He alone is worthy. May His love constrain us to live not unto ourselves, but unto Him who died for us and rose again, and gave us life in resurrection.
(To be continued, if the Lord will.)