Chapter 30 - New Covenantal Headship

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The original headship of Adam proved insufficient. As a result, it did not adequately serve to vindicate the nature of God from angelic accusation.

Nevertheless, all was not lost. With foreknowledge, God was fully aware that Adam would fail to satisfy his role of headship on the renovated earth. He had predetermined to remedy Adam’s fallen headship by stipulation of the Eternal Covenant.

In fullness of time, He sent the Christ to earth as the mediator of the Eternal Covenant. Jesus satisfied the stipulations of the Eternal Covenant by His sacrificial death and resurrection. Consequently, He provided for the redemption of the elect from “every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (cf. Daniel 7:14; Revelation 5:9; 7:9; 14:6)

In this present age, the new headship, law, and life of the Eternal Covenant were predetermined to be manifested on earth through the New Testament church. The benefit of the covenant ensures that the elect of the church are legally suitable and organically compatible with God.

In the New Testament, the new law of the Eternal Covenant, the "law of God," is referred to as the “law of Christ,” the “law of faith,” the “law of the Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus,” the “perfect law,” and the “law of liberty.” (Romans 3:27; 8:2; 1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2; James 1:25; 2:12) Often referred to in this book as the “rule of life,” it secures legal suitability with God.

Assuring organic compatibility with God, the new life of the Eternal Covenant is eternal life (zoe) shared with the mediator of the covenant, Jesus Christ. His life (zoe) is imparted to the New Testament church by the divine work of regeneration and spiritual birth.

The new headship, law, and life of the Eternal Covenant made the New Testament church suitable for transference from the “domain of darkness” (realm of satanic authority) into the Kingdom of God (realm of divine authority). Eternally positioned in the kingdom, the church is “blessed… with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

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Contrasting Headship

In Romans 5:14-21, Paul distinguished between Adam and Jesus Christ as two contrasting figures divinely positioned in the role of covenantal headship:

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Adam	Jesus Christ	Verse
“... death reigned from Adam” “who is a type of” (foreshadow or pattern)	“... Him who was to come” (fulfillment of the type, foreshadow, or pattern)	14
“For if by the transgression of the one many died,”	“... much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”	15
“The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation,”	“... but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.”	16
“For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one,”	“... much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”	17
“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men,”	“... even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”	18
“For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,”	“... even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”	19

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According to Paul, Adam, the first head of humanity, was a “type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14) The immediate context of his writing clarifies that Jesus Christ is the One “who was to come.” (Romans 5:15, 17)

The headship of Adam was a type, foreshadow or pattern of the headship of Jesus Christ. However, Paul explained Jesus was not merely the second Adam, but the “last Adam.”

Jesus Christ was not just another Adam. As the "last Adam," He was the fulfillment of the type, foreshadow or pattern originally presented by Adam. Therefore, Jesus was not only the perfect head of the human race but the final one.

Paul provided additional emphasis for the contrasting headship of Adam and Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:

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Adam	Jesus Christ	Verse
“For since by a man came death,”	“... by a man also came the resurrection of the dead.”	21
“For as in Adam all die,”	“... so also in Christ all will be made alive.”	22
“So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul.”	“The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”	45
“… the natural;”	“... then the spiritual.”	46
“The first man is from the earth, earthy;”	“... the second man is from heaven.”	47

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Adam’s original act of unrighteousness allowed sin and death to enter the world. (Romans 5:12) Consequently, the human race became legally unsuitable and organically incompatible with God. Thus, Adam’s headship proved insufficient to vindicate the nature of God.

New Covenantal Headship

By the redemptive work of God, the New Testament church is positioned under the new headship of Jesus Christ. His headship provides the perfect remedy for sin both imputed and inherited from Adam. Perfectly sufficient to vindicate the nature of God, the New Testament church is eternally positioned under the representative (legal) and representational (organic) headship of Jesus Christ.

The new headship of Jesus Christ provided the perfect remedy for all sin:

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Imputed Sin	Inherited Sin
The remedy for sin imputed from Adam is new representational (legal) headship. It provided the legal imputation of Christ’s righteousness.	The remedy for sin inherited inherited from Adam is new representational (organic) headship. It provided the impartation of Christ’s life (zoe).

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The new law of the New Testament church positioned under the headship of Christ is the eternal “law of God.” (Romans 7:23, 25, 8:2, 7) It is manifested within the church according to the gracious governance of His indwelling life (zoe).

The new life of the church positioned under the headship of Christ is vastly different from its old life positioned under the headship of Adam. It is obligated but not indebted; regenerated; intimately joined to God by the union of shared life; enlightened; and empowered in accordance with His indwelling life (zoe).

By stipulation of the Eternal Covenant, the New Testament church is utterly privileged to forever be positioned under the representative and representational headship of Jesus Christ. Consequently, it is both representative of divine righteousness and representational of divine life (zoe) on earth.

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New Testament Church

In harmony with the gracious benefit of the redemptive Eternal Covenant, the New Testament church is comprised of people who have been made legally suitable and organically compatible with God. They were assembled together in one covenantal body under the representative and representational headship of the Mediator of the Eternal Covenant, the “last Adam” and the “second man,” Jesus Christ.

Under the covenantal headship of Jesus Christ, human beings are legally suitable and organically compatible with God:

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Category:	Position in Christ:	Reference:
Legally Suitable:	Justified from all transgression of the "law of sin," not guilty. Debt of sin “paid in full” by the blood of the Eternal Covenant. Forgiven of all transgression of the "law of sin" (past, present, and future). Declared righteous according to the standard of the "law of sin." “Holy and blameless and beyond reproach.” New law: the "law of the Spirit of life (zoe) in Christ Jesus."	Romans 4:1-5:11; 8:15; Ephesians 1:4-5; 7
Organically Compatible:	New life: Spiritual regeneration: made suitable to accommodate divine life. Spiritual birth: Made alive to God by His shared, spiritual life. Heavenly. Controlled by the regenerated nature in willing submission to the indwelling God; “obedient from the heart.”	Romans 5:18- 6:14; 7:14-25; Ephesians 2:4; Colossians 2:12-13; 3:4; 2 Peter 1:4

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Made legally suitable and organically compatible with God, the new man is transferred into a living (zoe), spiritual realm of existence:

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Category:	Position in Christ:	Reference:
Realm of Existence:	The realm of the Spirit of life (zoe) (described by the terms “in the Spirit,” “according to the Spirit,” and “led by the Spirit”).	Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:1-6:12

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The realm or sphere of the Spirit is characterized by a distinct familial standing, citizenship, security, and style of governance:

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Category:	Position in Christ:	Reference:
Familial Standing:	Children of God (legally by adoption and organically by spiritual birth).	John 1:12; Romans 8:15-17
Citizenship:	Heavenly citizenship.	Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 2:9
Security:	Eternally and temporally secure. Ascended and seated with Christ; Sealed by the Spirit; Secured by divine hope (Romans 8:18-25); divine intercession (Romans 8:26-27); divine purpose (Romans 8:28-30); divine benevolence (Romans 8:31-34); divine love (Romans 8:35-39); and divine choice (Romans 9:1-11:36).	Romans 8:18-11:36; Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 2:22
Style of Governance:	Positioned under the immediate headship of Jesus Christ. Set free from the power of the indwelling principle of sin. New life and nature that allows for internal control by the gracious “law of God,” the rule of indwelling life (zoe); made obedient from the heart.	Romans 6:14-7:13; 8:3-4

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Jesus Christ is the “last Adam,” the perfect fulfillment of the office of headship for the human race. Eternally positioned under His gracious headship, the New Testament church is the primary beneficiary of the Eternal Covenant. Unconditionally transformed by its gracious law and life, the church was made legally suitable and organically compatible with God. As a result, the New Testament church on earth is both representative and representational of Christ on earth.

© 2025 James Hiatt

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