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Part 2 - The Sanctifying Work of Christ
Consecrated to Christ as His Bride
The Genesis account of day six continues: "Then God said, 'Let Us make
man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the
fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all
the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God
created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and
female He created them" (Gen. 1:26-27).
Day four of the creation week points to that separation out from under
the rule of the law unto the rule of Christ. Now a corresponding
consecration is modeled in the second part of day six. Those separated unto
the rule of Christ are consecrated to be the bride of Christ. Christ as the
antitype of Adam took sin upon Himself and died on the cross. This ended the
rule of the law. In His resurrection, as the last Adam, Christ rules over
His bride, the church.
This is spoken of by Paul to the Romans: "Or do you
not know, brethren (for I speak to those who know the law), that the law has
dominion over a man as long as he lives? . . . Therefore, my brethren, you
also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be
married to another; to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear
fruit to God" (Rom. 7:1,4).
The Head of the church
In writing to the Ephesians, Paul correlates the relationship of a
husband and wife to that of the relationship of Christ and the church. He
says, "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the
church; and He is the Savior of the body" (Eph. 5:23). He goes on to say,
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself for her" (Eph. 5:25). Christ as head is "Savior of the body." Christ
loved the church so much that He "gave Himself for her." Adam foreshadowed
this.
Then Paul directly ties this relationship of Christ and the church to
the creation account of Adam and Eve: "So husbands ought to love their own
wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one
ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord
does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His
bones. 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' This is a great
mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:28-32). Paul
quoted Genesis 2:24 in this passage, a verse which Moses wrote concerning
the creation of Adam and Eve. He then says that "this is a great mystery."
As a "mystery" there is a hidden meaning behind it. Paul then explains it by
saying, "but I speak concerning Christ and the church." The relationship of
the first two humans where "the two shall become one flesh" points to the
oneness in the relationship of Christ and the church.
All of one
Thus the writer to the Hebrews says of Christ: "But we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with
glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom
are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those
who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed
to call them brethren, saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In
the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' And again: 'I will put
My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given
Me.' " (Heb. 2:9-13).
"He who sanctifies" is Christ. "Those who are being
sanctified" are those being brought into this relationship with Christ;
these are those in the church age being brought into a living relationship
with Christ and added to His body, the church. They "are all of one" with Christ. As such, the church is called the bride
of Christ. The creation account points to this sanctifying work of Christ.
The image of the invisible God
God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." In
the history of the human race, Jesus Christ is the one man who most reflects
the image and likeness of God. When God created mankind, He created a single
man first, and then out of his side created the woman. Scripture shows that
the man, Adam, is a type of Christ. Romans 5:14 says
that Adam "is a type of Him (Christ) who was to come." With the
creation account being a model and outline of the saving work of Christ, here
is the central theme of the gospel: God becoming man in order to
deliver mankind out of sin and death.
Hebrews 1:3 says that Christ is "the brightness of His (God's) glory and
the express image of His person." Again in Colossians it is said of Christ
that "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation"
(Col. 1:15). The incarnation of Christ, where man truly reflected the image
and likeness of God, is spoken of by John: "And the Word became flesh and
dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
Made to be sin for us
Adam as a type of Christ does not just reflect the incarnation of Christ;
he reflects the role of God becoming man: that of the Head of mankind,
Redeemer, and Priest. The writer to the Hebrews talks of the incarnation
relating to redemption: "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of
flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death
He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and
release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage" (Heb. 2:14-15). Christ took upon Himself the sins of the world, was
put to death for them, and so brings liberty to those who are joined to Him.
There is a parallel to this in Adam, for it was Eve who was deceived and
disobeyed God. "For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not
deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression" (1 Tim.
2:13-14). Adam was not deceived. First Eve ate of
the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden, being deceived by the serpent,
but then when Adam ate of it, he did so knowingly and willingly. This models
the action of Christ. The world fell into transgression, but "God so loved
the world" that Christ came and willingly took upon Himself sin and death.
"For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Christ was made sin for us,
taking upon Himself the shame and reproach of it. Isaiah says, "Surely He
has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:4-5). The first Adam who took
death upon himself to identify with Eve represents Christ who took sin upon
Himself and suffered death for it.
A big difference however is that Jesus was sinless, "a lamb without
blemish and without spot," while Adam actually transgressed. Because of
Adam's transgression and fall, all his descendants are born with a fallen
sin nature. This required that Jesus, the "express image" of God, be born of
a virgin. Jesus did not inherit Adam's nature and thus was "without blemish
and without spot."
Christ the firstfruits
In Jesus' death and resurrection He destroyed death and the power of it. Paul tells the
Corinthians, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by
Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so
in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming" (1 Cor.
15:20-23).
Further on in the chapter we are told: "And so it is written,
'The first man Adam became a living being.' The last Adam became a
life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural,
and afterward the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust;
the second Man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:45-47). Adam was a type
of Christ in that he took sin upon himself and suffered death for it. As
head, Adam gets the blame for the fall of the human race. Eve was deceived
and fell, but Adam is said to be at fault. Likewise, it is Christ who took
the blame for the sins of the world.
This type however ends with death. The death of Christ is the death of
the natural man of those joined to Christ. This is the man descended from Adam, lost in sin. Christ
brought this to an end on the cross. "However, the spiritual is not first,
but the natural, and afterward the spiritual." It is in the resurrection
that Christ is then called "the last Adam." He is the "firstfruits" of those
who come into life. As the "last Adam" He is Head of the human race, Lord
and King. When God created Adam saying "let us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness," He was pointing past the first Adam to the last
Adam, Jesus Christ.
One flesh
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them" (Gen. 1:27). We read of how the woman was
created in chapter two of Genesis: "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to
fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He
made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: 'This is
now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.' Therefore a man shall leave his father
and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh" (Gen.
2:21-24).
It is through the death of Christ that a bride is made for Him,
for the church is called the bride of Christ. As Adam slept and Eve was
created out of his side, so too Christ "slept" in that He was buried after
His crucifixion and through this the church was created. When Jesus died His
side was pierced and blood and water came forth. Water represents baptism
into new life through the death and resurrection of Christ, and the blood is
the atonement for sin that makes possible that new life.
Fruitfulness
The account of day six continues: "Then God blessed them, and God said to
them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living
thing that moves on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). God said to the man and woman
that he created, "Be fruitful and multiply." This type of the relationship
of Christ and the church shows that to abide in Christ is the setting in
which fruitfulness is to occur.
Jesus said, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit
of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide
in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in
him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).
Christ has separated the believer unto Himself in various ways and
consecrated him to good works. Christ's work also has provided the Holy
Spirit that these works could be accomplished. The end result among those
who abide in Jesus is a fruitful and multiplying church.
"Fill the earth and subdue it" means to bring the earth into its fullness
and into subjection. The earth in this Genesis passage is a type of the
church, the place where Christ and all believers dwell. Christ as Head,
along with the cooperation of His bride, is bringing His church to fullness
and completion, and bringing it into subjection to Himself and to God.
Dominion
God said, "have dominion
over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living
thing that moves on the earth". A part of the sanctifying work
of Christ was for Him to become a man. The dominion that God gave mankind in
this passage is foremost a dominion given to Christ as the "last Adam" and
head of the human race.
Paul wrote of the exceeding greatness of God's power, "which He worked in
Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in
the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in
that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to
be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of
Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:20-23). "All principality and power and
might and dominion" has been put under the rule and reign of Christ. God has
also made Christ "to be head over all things to the church, which is His
body."
Jesus as Creator has dominion over all things, and likewise as the
preeminent man, He is head and ruler. Colossians speaks of this: "He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all
things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All
things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things,
and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church,
who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may
have the preeminence" (Col. 1:15-18).
We shall reign with Him
Now it was to both the man and woman that God said, "let them have
dominion." As head of the body, Christ has the preeminence. But to His body,
the church, He gives authority, power, and dominion also. This is an
extension of His rule, one that He shares with His people. The church does
not have this separate from Christ, but only because she is joined to
Christ. The rule that the church has is one that is under the rule of
Christ. He is head and so the rule that the church exercises is one done in
the name of Christ. As Paul said to the Ephesians concerning the church, it
"is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Eph. 1:23). The
church, Christ's body, is representing Him. Thus the rule and dominion given
to the church is actually Christ's, and it is being exercised in Christ's
name. Paul said to Timothy, "This is a faithful saying: For if we died with
Him, We shall also live with Him. If we endure, We shall also reign with Him
. . ." (2 Tim. 2:11-12).
The dominion is one over the earth and the creatures in it. It is given to both the man and
the woman. God said, "Be fruitful
and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves
on the earth" (Gen. 1:28). The earth represents the body of
Christ. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the creatures on the
earth represent the various aspects of life in the Spirit.
Those added to
the church are consecrated to a life in the Spirit, called to witness to the
world, live before the throne of God, and minister to the members of the
church, all by and through the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. It
is to these areas that God gives the church dominion. The purpose is to add
to and build up the body of Christ that it would glorify God. Christ is head
over this and His members are given rule with Him. It is Jesus who directs
His church, and the members are to take His direction and the authority
given by Him and go forth in His name. The gifts given to the church do not
rule the church, but rather the church rules them, and are tools for
accomplishing the purpose of God.
This is taught by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians where he is
speaking on the gifts of the Spirit. He is addressing the subject of tongues
and prophesy in the fourteenth chapter. The teaching here is directed toward
the goal of building up the body of Christ with the gifts of the individual
members. These gifts are under the control of those who have them, rather
than the gifts controlling the members. Paul says, "For you can all prophesy
one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged" (1 Cor. 14:31). By
self-restraint, the gift can be ministered "one by one."
Next he writes,
"And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not
the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints"
(1 Cor. 14:32-33). The "spirits of the prophets" are "subject" to the
prophets. The gift is "subject" to, or under the rule or dominion of, those
who exercise it. "God is not the author of confusion but of peace." The goal
is the edification of the church that it may grow "to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ," that the head, Christ, would be
glorified, and that love would abound. "As in all the churches of the
saints" shows that this proper use of a gift is an example for all gifts in
every congregation.
Sustenance
The account of day six is concluded: "And God said, 'See, I have given
you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and
every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to
every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that
creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb
for food'; and it was so" (Gen. 1:29-30). Food speaks of sustenance and
satisfaction. It enables one to continue. In this chapter as a
type of Christ's work in separating and consecrating a people for God, here
is that which provides satisfaction: fruitfulness. This is the
fruitfulness of abiding in Christ which manifests itself in the good works
of the Spirit in the realms of witnessing to the lost, worshipping God and
communing with Him, and edifying the body of Christ.
An example of this is the time that Jesus and His disciples came to a
city of Samaria. His disciples went into the city to buy food, leaving Jesus
by a well. It was here that Jesus met and spoke to the Samaritan woman about
living water. When the disciples returned and urged Jesus to eat, the
account records: "But He said to them, 'I have food to eat of which you do
not know.' Therefore the disciples said to one another, 'Has anyone brought
Him anything to eat?' Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him
who sent Me, and to finish His work' " (John 4:32-34). The fulfilling of
God's will and doing His work was like food to Jesus.
Likewise, living a life that is in accord with the calling of God, where
there is an abiding in Christ and the fruitfulness of the Spirit, is God's
provision for the satisfaction and sustenance of His people. Accomplishing
the good works to which one is called, and this by the Holy Spirit, is food
for the spirit of the believer. Good works done in Christ and by His Spirit
do not make
one spiritually weary. Rather they uplift, sustain, and satisfy.
The sanctifying work of Christ
"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.
So the evening and the morning were the sixth day" (Gen. 1:31). It is Christ who has sanctified a people for God. The church as the bride
of Christ is His work, for He "gave Himself for her, that He might
sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He
might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish" (Eph.
5:25-27). The work is totally Christ's, and it is complete and finished. In
God's sight, it is "very good."
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