THE SPIRIT AND THE SOUL

"For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12).

Devotion 9 of 15

A CLOSER LOOK AT JESUS

The Lord Jesus is depicted quite differently than Adam. ". . . . the Second Man is the Lord from heaven . . . and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are . . . we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor 15:47-49). In Christ, we become a "new creation" (2 Cor 5:17). That new creation is far superior to that of Adam in Eden. It is an enhancement, as well as a restoration!

The renewal experienced under the administration of Jesus is of a higher order than that of Adam. The Lord Jesus is called "the Firstborn among many brethren" (Rom 8:29b). God has predetermined those brethren "be conformed to the image of His Son" (Rom 8:29a). Their ultimate bodies are not made from the earth, as was Adam's. Rather, our new, or resurrection, bodies are called "our house which is from heaven" (2 Cor 5:2). Until we inhabit those glorious bodies, we have received the Holy Spirit, which is also "from heaven" Gal 4:6; 1 Pet 1:12).

Behold the difference between the Lord Jesus and Adam, even in his innocent state. Adam's first recorded confrontation with the devil resulted in disobedience and transgression (Rom 5:14,19). Our Lord's first recorded confrontation with Satan resulted in His total victory (Matt 4:1-11). What a dramatic difference! And that is the Image to which God is conforming us!

When God created Adam, He breathed into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). When he recreates men in Christ Jesus, He gives them "the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:2). This is such a marvelous transaction it enables us to resist the devil, thereby causing him to "flee" from us (James 4:7). We are now empowered to put off the old nature, refusing to allow it to dominate any form of our expression. In salvation we "have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col 3:10).

WHY ADAM?

One might ask, "Why, then, did the Lord make Adam in the first place? Why not simply create man in the 'express image,' never allowing a fall and the need of recreation?" This is best comprehended by considering what salvation is all about. The Spirit apprises us that in salvation God's intent is "that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph 3:10-11). He is revealing aspects of His marvelous nature to heavenly personalities that they have never before seen. These are chiefly made known through His wisdom and grace--both of which are perceived to their highest degree in salvation through Christ.

To make a "good" creation, and have it fall by its own choice, is a grievous matter--at least if that iss all there is to it. But it is not. God, through wisdom and grace, takes that fallen creation, and is conforming it to the more precise image of His Son. The fallen creation becomes "willing in the day of His power" (Psa 110:33). Such come to hate the sin they once loved, and love the One they once hated. On the Sovereign's "potter's" wheel, they are gloriously reshaped (Jer 18:2-4). All of this is done without violating the nature of man or compromising the character of God.

Ah, such glorious working has got the attention of the holy angels! They desire to investigate even the Gospel, that is the catalyst for such change. Thus it is written, " . . . the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; things which angels desire to look into" (1 Pet 1:12).

If it is not clear now, live by faith and you will see it clearly in the world to come.
As we span the vast panorama of time and behold the wonderful works of God, we will see the reason for both Adam and the Second Adam--for the first man, and the Second Man from heaven. When we see what the Lord has done, and that He accomplished it all in the domain of the devil, all things will be seen clearly.

PRAYER POINT: Father, thank You for giving me to Jesus, and conforming me to His image. I find the process most delightful and gratifying. Receive my praise in Jesus' name.

-- TOMORROW: AN OVERVIEW OF OUR MAKEUP --