This second couplet is found in 1 Corinthians 15:45-49. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from [out of] heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.”
Like the first couplet, the “first man” and the “second man” are also racial terms, but they define the two races of men under Adam and Christ from a different perspective altogether. The “old man” and the “new man” are terms that focus on the contrasting moral orders connected with each race, whereas the “first man” and the “second man” are terms which focus on the natural and spiritual orders connected with each.
The race of men under the “first man Adam” is just that—the first. There were no other races of men on earth before Adam. This rules out the notion of Java man, Piltdown man, Neanderthal man, etc. The new creation race under Christ, the “Last Adam,” is also just that—the last. There will be no other races of men to follow. This rules out science fiction ideas that suggest there may be another race of men in the future.
There are three basic differences that mark the heads of the two races of men under Adam and Christ.
The first man Adam was “made” a living soul, being a creation of God; whereas Christ, the Last Adam, was not made; He is the Creator. (The words “was made” in connection with Christ are in italics, in verse 45, and are not in the Greek text).
The first man Adam received life, whereas Christ, the Last Adam, is a “quickening Spirit” who gives life to His spiritual progeny under Him in His new race (John 17:2; 20:22).
The order of manhood under Adam is “natural” (soulish) and “earthy,” but the order of manhood under Christ is “spiritual” and “heavenly” (vss. 46-47).
Some further specifics as to the “first” and “second” men are as follows:
THE FIRST MAN
The “old man” and the “first man” are terms used by the Apostle Paul to define two different aspects of the human race under Adam. The “old man” denotes the corrupt state of the fallen race, whereas the “first man” denotes what is natural and earthy in the race. Hence, they are not terms that can be used inter-changeably.
The “First Man” is Never Said to be Sinful
In Scripture, the “first man” is never said to be corrupt or sinful, while the “old man” is nothing but that. The “first man” is a term that focuses on the earthy and soulish side of the race under Adam—on what is purely natural in humanity. What is human and natural is not evil. For this reason, the “first man” is never said to be “crucified” with Christ or having come under the judgment of God, as is the case with the “old man” (Rom. 6:6).
The creation of man after the first order has many attributes of God Himself, for he was created in His “image” and after His “likeness” (Gen. 1:26). For instance, man has a definite personality with likes and dislikes. He also has feelings and reasoning powers, etc. Natural graces and intellect are not evil, but are part of the makeup of a human being. God has not brought this into judgment, for it came forth from His own hand in creation. It is the same with our bodies; they are never said to be evil. As mentioned earlier, the KJV translates Philippians 3:21, “Our vile bodies,” but this is not the best translation, for what God has created is not vile. If our bodies were vile in the modern sense of the word, we would never be asked to present them to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). Similarly, the material creation that has come forth from the hand of God is never said to be evil. It has become unclean through the effects of sin and will need cleansing (Job 15:15; 25:5; Heb. 9:23), and some day it will be folded up and replaced with a new heaven and earth (Heb. 1:10-12; Rev. 21:1). But it is not said to be judged by God, as is man in the flesh.
While what is natural in the “first man” is not said to come under the judgment of God, that whole order of manhood has been superseded by another order of manhood under Christ that is superior. This is the force of the word “afterward” in 1 Corinthians 15:46. Hence, the first man has been set aside and replaced by the new order of manhood under Christ. Christians are part of that new race now, and are waiting to bear the image of the second physically (1 Cor. 15:49).
THE SECOND MAN
The Lord is the “second Man” and the “Last Adam.” As the “second Man,” His humanity was of an entirely new origin, being conceived of the Holy Spirit through a virgin (Luke 1:35). There was a union of the divine and human natures (yet sin apart) that formed this new order of humanity as seen in Christ. When the Lord rose from the dead, He became the Head of the new race of men as the “Last Adam.” This race is characterized by what is “spiritual” rather than by what is “natural.” It is:
Heavenly in origin (vs. 47).
Heavenly in character (vs. 48).
Heavenly in destiny (vs. 49).
The Lord did not bring His humanity down from heaven when He came into this world; it was He who was “from heaven”—that is, He was a heavenly Person. Note also: verse 48 says we “are” heavenly. We are waiting for our bodies to bear the image of the heavenly, when the Lord comes (vs. 49), but we don’t have to wait to be heavenly—we are heavenly creatures now (vs. 48). As part of this new heavenly race, we are to value everything that bears its stamp, and to cultivate those heavenly graces and qualities in our lives and in the assembly.
Some Practical Considerations
Since we are part of this heavenly new creation race, which has superseded the first race under Adam, we are to walk as such. Being heavenly creatures, we need to be careful not to introduce anything of the first order of man into the sphere of the new. What is of the first man should not intrude into divine things. To think merely on earthly and natural lines is to walk beneath what we are as heavenly beings. Natural graces, human intellect, human sentiment, etc. are not evil, but these things emanate from the first man and have no place in the assembly. The intrusion of these natural things was a problem in the Corinthian assembly. In fact, in this very chapter (1 Corinthians 15), Paul was dealing with this. The Corinthians were, with their human intellect, trying to understand “how” the dead were raised (vs. 35). Since they couldn’t figure it out, some of them didn’t believe that there was a resurrection of the dead.
We can apply human intellect and reason in the things of God, and it will surely lead us into error. Have we not sat in care meetings and listened to human ideas and opinions—well-meaning as they may be? Such intrusions ought not to be used in the spiritual realm, where the Word of God is to be our sole guide.
To bring music into the worship of God in a Christian assembly would be an intrusion of the “first man” in the things of God. Human skill, in playing beautiful music, is a natural thing. It is acceptable in its place, but it doesn't belong in the realm of spiritual things in the assembly. On the other hand, to put oneself forward with pride and vainglory is a characteristic of the “old man,” and it certainly has no place in the assembly either.
Human sentiment and emotion, which emanates from the first man, can affect our actions in the assembly and lead us contrary to the Word of God. An example would be someone affectionately hugging a person who has been excommunicated for some evil (whom Scripture says we are not to have fellowship with) because they feel sorry for that person.
Moreover, what is decent and respectful in the “first man” can be countenanced and given a place in the assembly. There is a tendency to value a brother who has natural charm, grace, and intellectual powers, rather than to value him for his spiritual qualities.