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Adam’s headship proved insufficient to vindicate the nature of God and repopulate His kingdom with willing citizens. Thus, it was no surprise to God that the first man, Adam, could not adequately represent the human race.
With foreknowledge, God predetermined to fulfill the stipulations of the redemptive Eternal Covenant. Therefore, in the fullness of time, He sent the mediator of the covenant to earth. Fulfilling covenantal stipulations by His sacrificial death and resurrection, Christ Jesus 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) The Eternal Covenant furnished the New Testament church with new law. Freely offered without condition, it ensured legal suitability with God. As a result, the New Testament church could be transferred from the representative headship of unrighteous Adam to the representative headship of the righteous Savior. The new covenantal law of the Eternal Covenant was specifically referred to as the “law of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 9:21; Galatians 6:2) It is described in the New Testament as 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; James 1:25; 2:12) The law of the Eternal Covenant is often referred to in this book as the “rule of life.” The Eternal Covenant also provided the New Testament church with new life. It too was freely awarded without condition and ensured organic compatibility with God. As a result, the New Testament church could be moved from the dead representational headship of Adam to the representational headship of the living (zoe) Christ. The new covenantal life of the Eternal Covenant was life shared with the mediator of the Eternal Covenant, Jesus Christ. It is accomplished by the divine work of regeneration and spiritual birth. By further benefit of the Eternal Covenant, the redeemed members of the New Testament church were transferred from the “domain of darkness” to the Kingdom of God. Eternally positioned in the kingdom, they are “blessed… with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) |
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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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According to Paul, Adam, the first head of humanity, was a “type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14) The immediate context clarifies that Jesus Christ is the One “who was to come.” (Romans 5:15, 17) By principle of headship, Adam, the first man and first head of humanity, was a type, foreshadow or pattern of Jesus Christ. In contrast, Jesus Christ is not the second Adam, but the “last Adam”. He is not just another Adam. Instead, He is the fulfillment of the first Adam and, thus, the fulfillment of the type, foreshadow or pattern.
Paul provided additional emphasis for the contrasting headship of Adam and Christ in 1 Corinthians 15: |
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Adam’s original act of unrighteousness allowed sin and death to enter into 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.
By the redemptive work of Christ, however, the real New Testament church is no longer positioned under the headship of Adam. Instead, it is gloriously and eternally positioned under the representative and representational headship of Jesus Christ. |
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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 be forever positioned under the representative and representational headship of Jesus Christ. As a consequence, it is 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 made legally suitable and organically compatible with God. They are joined as 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 His covenantal headship human beings are legally suitable and organically compatible with God: |
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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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The realm or sphere of the Spirit is characterized by a distinct familial standing, citizenship, security, and style of governance:
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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.
© 2023 James Hiatt |
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