The Secret of the Flesh
FAR TOO MANY OF US have adopted a syncretic belief system with regard to the gospel of Christ. We have attempted to reconcile our own gospel of redemption with God’s gospel of redemption. The end result? We end up preaching a false gospel in which we attribute the salvific power of Christ to everything from pets to aliens. Therefore it’s absolutely crucial that we understand what the requirements of salvation are before we walk ourselves into contradiction with the promises of God.
STUDY SYNOPSIS:
The fact that all of humanity has shared the flesh of one man is significant. That means that in regard to our humanity, all that we are, and all that we have, came from Adam. In fact, even how God relates to us was established in God’s promises to Adam. This establishes the principle of representation. Adam set the stage for his family. And he didn’t set that stage well. His failure put us in need of another representative for humanity. We would have to be born again from that parent so that we could legally receive a better inheritance than what we received from Adam.
Adam’s failure was not a surprise. It was part of God’s plan. And that plan can be seen in the flesh and the solution that it presented.
The secret of the flesh, which is to say, the mystery inherent in God’s design of our bodies, was hidden from view until God Himself was born into the flesh of Adam. You see, it was the flesh of men that allowed Christ’s resurrection. We’d have no hope without it. Its design is crucial to redemption. It allows for the imputation of sin and the satisfaction of justice against it, which together produce an exclusively human redemption. This has tremendous implications for soteriology which derives it’s understanding of redemption from how God addresses sin.
Need more details? Not convinced? Continue reading for an in-depth study on this subject.QUICK ANSWERS: (Click for answer):
- Why were angels created as glorious spirit beings in heaven, but our spirits were placed into “meat suits” (bodies) and put on a tiny planet outside of heaven?
- Why does Adam represent us?
- Why should I suffer because of Adam’s sin?
- Why are men appointed to die, even after they receive eternal life?
- Why did God need to become a man in order to save us?
- How is Jesus both Man and God?
- Was the flesh of Jesus the same depraved flesh of Adam?
- How can Jesus be punished for our sin yet be raised to life sinless?
- Can salvation be offered to anyone or anything other than humans?
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FLESH OF MY FLESH
The word of God teaches us that Adam and Eve were the progenitors of humanity. Every man, woman, and child on the face of the earth is a descendant of Adam and Eve. So when we speak of mankind, we are speaking of a single family that has expanded exponentially. Even evolutionists have been forced to concede that the genetic makeup of mankind has come from a single human. However, while they focus on the “mother” of humanity, even calling her “Eve” in a mocking defiance of divine revelation, it’s actually Adam from whom all flesh has come. For even Eve was made from the flesh of Adam (Genesis 2:22-23).
The fact that all of humanity has shared the flesh and spirit of one man is significant. It establishes a principle called “representation.” Representation is what allows the work of one man to affect all others, for better, or for worse.
REPRESENTED BY ADAM
In the beginning, the flesh of Adam and Eve was perfect, and was wholly subject to the will of God’s righteousness within them. However, when their spirits moved to separate themselves from the guiding will of God, the flesh was cut off from the Divine Nature and left alone with its own sensory cortex. This became the basis for self-centeredness. So God cursed Adam and Eve by turning them over to the desires of their own flesh. By doing so, mankind would learn that nothing good comes apart from God and His righteousness. From that day forward, their descendants were consequently born into self-centered flesh, which has resulted in a continuation of sinful choices and condemnation.
For this reason, the word of God tells us:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22, NIV)
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. (Romans 5:19, KJV)
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. (1Corinthians 15:22, KJV)
It’s important to point out here that it was not Adam’s sins that were imputed to us, but rather the self-centered nature of Adam’s flesh. Thus, when we, as the descendants of Adam, stand before the judgment seat of God we will not be judged for eating of the forbidden fruit of Eden but judged according to our own sins.
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14, NKJV)
“The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18:20, KJV)
This places the responsibility of sin squarely upon the individual who committed it. How would Christ atone for sin if sin cannot be passed on to another? We would have to die in Christ, and be raised spiritually with Him. This is what abiding in Christ is all about.
So then, by the process of physical descent, we are receiving the condemned flesh of Adam. When Adam sinned against God, he became estranged from God, which is to say, separated from God by sin.
“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2, KJV)
Adam became as a foreigner, or a stranger, to God. It’s no surprise to discover, therefore, that foreigners beget foreigners. It’s for this reason that all men are equally estranged from God at birth.
“The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.” (Psalms 58:3, NASB)
This is the principle of imputation, wherein the consequences of sin are inherited through birth.
“Therefore, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, [no one being able to stop it or to escape its power] because all men sinned. {13} [To be sure] sin was in the world before ever the Law was given, but sin is not charged to men’s account where there is no law [to transgress].
{14} Yet death held sway from Adam to Moses [the Lawgiver], even over those who did not themselves transgress [a positive command] as Adam did. Adam was a type (prefigure) of the One Who was to come [in reverse, the former destructive, the Latter saving].” (Romans 5:12-14, italicized content added by AMP Bible)
It was the representation of Adam that allowed death to hold sway, even over those who were not transgressing known laws. The flesh of Adam was sentenced to death long before we received it. And since receiving it, we’ve only continued to add to its list of offences. Thus, regardless of our own guilt, we all share in the need to be rescued from Adam’s flesh.
This reality has come to be known as the “Federal” or “Representative” view of the fall. This view generally teaches that because we have all partaken of Adam’s corrupted flesh and estranged spirit, we shall also share in the flesh’s corrupted nature and the spirit’s estrangement through imputation.
FAIRNESS IN REPRESENTATION:
But what value is there in representation? Why would it be God’s will to subject all of humanity to this?
“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; {21} because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20-21, NKJV)
As a natural component of procreation, God saw fit through representation to subject the children of Adam to the futility of estrangement from God. While this may at first appear to be cruel, it was in fact a mercy. God did this to give us hope.
People usually object to the dual idea of representation and imputation because it has the appearance of entrapment. “How can it be fair,” some lament, “that we have not even been given the same chance to live apart from sin that Adam was given? The imputation of representation unfairly subjects millions to a fate they had no choice but to accept.” But consider the alternative for a moment. What would have happened if we had no representative but ourselves. Would we still have hope through Christ?
Remember, Adam represents us because we are extensions of his flesh and spirit, via childbirth. We are “in Adam” because we are in his flesh (1 Corinthians 15:22, KJV). Now consider what it would mean if there was no such thing as “mankind” and everyone was born with unique flesh. Adam would represent no one but himself, and we would represent no one but ourselves. This would surely spare us from the imputation of Adam’s sin nature. However, our relief would be short-lived. Sin would find us, just as it did Adam, thereby placing us back into the very condemnation we sought to avoid by rejecting the flesh of Adam and its condemnation.
“Not so!” some object, “I would have done better!” This claim, while certainly prideful, is always made with the assumption that Adam was a poor choice to represent man. But is that true? Was Adam a poor representative of mankind? Looking to Adam, we find that he was created perfect and without flaw. God beheld Adam and declared that His work “was very good” (Genesis 1:31). In fact, the Hebrew words from which we get “very good” are me’od (meh-ode’) and towb (tobe), which together mean “wholly and exceedingly good as expressed with intense vehemence.” God was wholly and exceedingly pleased with His work. Where, then, shall we find fault?
Those who make this assumption imagine that they could have somehow been more perfectly aligned with God and His will than Adam and Eve were, thereby avoiding sin and its condemnation. But this assumption is foolishness. It’s foolish because it’s impossible to exceed perfection. More than this, the very notion is Satanic. Why? It’s because this idea originated with Satan. Satan was the first to imagine that if he were given the chance, he could exceed the perfection of God that preceded him. For men to assume that, were they given the chance, they could exceed the Divinely established perfection of Adam and Eve, is equally foolish. This kind of thinking reveals just how corrupt our minds have become.
If we admit that God did not err by choosing Adam instead of us as the representative of humanity, then we are in fact admitting that we would have willingly rebelled, as did Adam, or we would have been deceived, as was Eve (1 Timothy 2:14). The omniscience of God knew that every man and woman would have responded in the same way that Adam and Eve did. Thus, we were fairly represented.
So we discover that by rejecting the flesh of Adam with its inherent representation, we would not actually escape sin. In fact, not having Adam as our representative actually poses an even greater threat to us than gaining his corrupted flesh. Here’s why.
After falling into sin, the sins of each and every one of us would have had to be addressed separately and individually by a Redeemer. And if every man and woman had to be represented individually by a Redeemer, there would be no hope for anyone, save one man – Adam. This is because the representation of Christ is for the flesh of Adam alone. Jesus cannot represent the flesh of any other creature while representing the humanity of Adam. This is why God says that all men were made subject to the futility of Adam’s corruption so that we may have hope (Romans 8:20-21). Our hope is found in the fact that God has seen fit to provide a means of redemption for the flesh and spirit of Adam. And we, as partakers of Adam, have access to his hope through the imputation of representation.
We are so used to thinking of Jesus as the representative of the multitude that comprises the church that we have forgotten that this multitude is, in reality, comprised of a single man’s body and spirit. Jesus is the representative of “mankind” which specifically refers to those who share the flesh and spirit of one man, Adam. And so, when Jesus came to represent humanity before God the Father, He was referred to as “the last Adam.” This terminology speaks of Christ as a replacement for Adam, and all who partake of Adam’s flesh.
“Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life]. {46} But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual. {47} The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven.” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47, italicized content added by AMP Bible)
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, KJV)
“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.” (Romans 12:5, KJV)
Imputation and representation work together to enable a Redeemer to save not just Adam, but “mankind.” Thus, we find that the human “body,” in both its physical and spiritual senses, is crucial to our hope in redemption. This is the will of God, which once was a mystery, but now is made known in the unifying body of Christ.
“Having made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself: {10} That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: {11} In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: {12} That we should be to the praise of His glory, who first trusted in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:9-12, KJV)
REVELATION OF A MYSTERY:
Now lets look a bit closer. The “mystery” of God’s will does not refer to a single truth, but to many. The role of the flesh in the redemption of mankind is multifaceted. So lets consider some of those facets as they come to light under closer inspection. Specifically, lets look at the steps the Messiah had to take in order to offer redemption to mankind.
STEP ONE: Humanity and Divinity Must Become One in the Messiah
In order to save Adam and his descendants, it was mandatory for the Messiah to be both Human and Divine.
“For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham. {17} Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:16-17, KJV)
Why was God compelled to take on the nature of those He intended to save? It was because representation required it. Thus, it’s made abundantly clear that Jesus did not become an angel so as to represent the fallen angelic host. Rather, Jesus took upon Himself the seed, which is to say, the flesh of Adam, within the line of Abraham.
This act has generated much controversy. How could this be done, and why was it done? Lets begin by answering how it was done.
1a) The Mystery of Procreation.
In the book of Genesis, we are taught that God’s creation of Adam was completed in two stages. The first stage involved the creation of Adam’s body. Instead of creating Adam from out of nothing, God first formed Adam’s flesh from the dust of the earth. It may seem strange that a body of flesh was derived from the same chemical elements as rock and soil (such as: oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, water, etc.), nevertheless, this is something modern science has been able to test and examine, and as a result, has confirmed this scientific statement to be true.
While atheistic men do not contest that man’s body came from the natural elements of the earth, they cannot bear to accept the next claim–that life is not derived from the same chemical elements. The living spirit of man has never been identified nor catalogued showing it to be comprised of natural substances. Nor shall it ever be, for a spirit is not natural to the elements of the earth, but is instead supernatural and comes from a Supernatural Creator. It was God Himself who breathed life into the body He formed from the dust of the earth. This is the second step God took to create Adam. God’s “breath” or Spirit, became the life called Adam (Genesis 2:7).
How do we explain this? How do we describe the spiritual means by which part of God became a being who was distinct and separate from the Being of God, and yet retained His image? This Divine knowledge has not yet been revealed to the limited minds of men. However, its fundamental principle stands as the foundation for procreation: life proceeds from life, and spirits beget spirits.
When men and women join together in sexual union, they too contribute a portion of themselves to form a new life after their own image. Adam was born directly from God, thus “he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man” because Eve was taken out of Adam (1 Corinthians 11:7, NASB). This means that Adam was a son of God, whereas Eve was a daughter of man. This distinction is made for a reason, the Messiah would be representing Adam’s flesh alone. It was necessary for Eve, therefore, to partake of Adam’s flesh and spirit if she was to have any hope of redemption. We, like Eve, also find our hope in our inheritance of Adam’s flesh. And so it is written:
“…Adam, which was the son of God.” (Luke 3:38, KJV)
“…since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. {8} For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;” (1 Corinthians 11:7-8, NASB)
The fact that God makes this distinction of origin, or direct descent, between Adam and Eve is significant. There is a spiritual transfer in procreation that originates from one’s parents. That spiritual transfer is made, at least in part, through men’s blood.
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood…” (Leviticus 17:11, KJV)
When God formed Eve, He took Adam’s rib, containing Adam’s flesh and life-blood (in which resided a remnant of his spirit). God did not breath a spirit into Eve’s body as He had with Adam, no, her life was taken from the life-blood of Adam. While this process was supernatural indeed, it used the same elements found in natural birth. Thus, Eve’s flesh and spirit was formed from the flesh and spirit of Adam. This same process has continued through human reproduction ever since.
In fact, it’s this principle of spiritual procreation that makes the gospel possible. This is because the only way to satisfy the justice of God against the sins of humanity is to partake of Adam’s flesh and spirit, as have all his children, and put the flesh to death but release the spirit into everlasting life. However, the Messiah would have to be sinless, and have access to the power of righteousness, if He were to have any hope of escaping the corrupting nature inherent in Adam’s flesh. It was therefore mandatory that the Messiah be directly descended from both God and man. And so He was.
Consider, therefore, the humanity and divinity of Jesus. We’ll begin with His humanity, and how the Son of Man was joined with the Son of God.
THE HUMANITY OF JESUS:
We are told that the Holy Spirit “came upon” a woman named Mary in such a way that she became pregnant with Jesus Christ (Luke 1:35). But what needed to take place for this pregnancy to produce a being that was both a Son of God, and a genuine son of man? The answer is clear. The descended flesh, blood, and spirit of Adam would need to be offered by Mary, and joined with the Spirit of God.
In this, we must ask a question. Did God mimic the role of a human father? Did God introduce genetic material into the womb of Mary in order to satisfy the natural process of conception? Think carefully! If God resorted to the act of creation, rather than an act of forming or molding preexisting elements, this would have defeated His purposes in a virgin birth. God prophesied that He would produce the Messiah from the seed (the flesh and spirit infused blood) of Eve, who was the offspring of Adam. To create genetic material that would have naturally been provided through a human father would have rendered the virgin birth pointless. If a natural born son was all God needed, God could have simply joined His Spirit with the natural son of Joseph and Mary and accomplished the same feat.
However, Joseph was bypassed for a reason. The combined spirits of Joseph and Mary would have produced a spirit legally subject to the nature of Adam. Thus, a virgin birth was called for, so as to produce a Son who would inherit both the corrupted flesh of Adam and the incorruptible Spirit of God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit moved upon Mary and joined a remnant of her spirit and flesh (passed down from Adam) together with the preexisting, pre-incarnate, Spirit of God the Son. And thus, “God the Son” became “Jesus Christ,” the son of both God and Mankind.
This was not an act of creation, but of formation; it was a molding together of two spirits into one.
“..the LORD…formeth [yatsar] the spirit of man within him.” (Zechariah 12:1, KJV)
- FORMETH: 3335. yatsar, yaw-tsar’; prob. identical with H3334 (through the squeezing into shape); ([comp. H3331]), to mould into a form; espec. as a potter; fig. to determine (i.e. form a resolution):– X earthen, fashion, form, frame, make (-r), potter, purpose.
To form or fashion something is to take preexisting elements and mold them into shape. For example, God created the earth void, and formless, but afterward, He formed its shape to be inhabitable.
“In the beginning God created [bara'] the heaven and the earth. {2} And the earth was without form, and void;….” (Genesis 1:1-2, KJV)
“For thus saith the LORD that created [bara'] the heavens;… He formed [yatsar] it to be inhabited: …” (Isaiah 45:18, KJV)
The Hebrew word bara’ is a primary root word which means “to create,” and can be qualified to speak of formative processes. For example, God created all men, in that He created Adam from whom we have all descended through the process of procreation.
“…I have created [bara'] him for my glory, I have formed [yatsar] him; yea, I have made ['asah] him.” (Isaiah 43:7 (KJV)
In saying that God created all men, must we imply that the reproduction of flesh is purely a supernatural event? Does flesh supernaturally appear from out of nothing? No, flesh is transferred from parent to child through natural processes. And yet, this system of reproduction has been designed and empowered by the ordination of God, and thus qualifies as both a natural and supernatural event. In this way, God can be said to be the Creator of the flesh and spirits of all men, and yet not be held accountable for validating the ungodly and unrighteous conception produced through rape, incest, or even depraved applications of science.
This forming of the Messiah, from the flesh and spirit of Adam, and the pre-incarnate Son of God, created a Man who suffered under the condemned flesh of Adam, but who had what no other man had access to–the Holy Spirit. Thus, the power of Jesus was a power that all men now have access to in Christ; His power was the power of the Holy Spirit who guides men into the truth. In this way, Jesus was Divinely shown how to overcome the desires of Adam’s flesh, and find the true power available to mankind.
THE DIVINITY OF JESUS:
When the prophet Isaiah prophesied the birth of the Messiah, he spoke on behalf of Mary and God, saying:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government [of God] shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. {7} Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV, italicized content added for clarity)
And in the New Testament, God the Father, says to God the Son:
“But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8, KJV)
Thus, it is without scriptural controversy that Jesus is understood to be God come in the flesh.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16, KJV)
Although Jesus has always existed as a Divine expression of the triune Godhead, His humanity was added to Him–it was inherited from Adam. The everlasting Spirit of God was fused with a mortal human spirit so completely as to be inseparable, and yet the Messiah still retained the distinction between His humanity and Divinity so that their union did not form to create something different than God and man altogether. One of the reasons this was possible, no doubt, was that Adam was created in the very image of God and was therefore naturally compatible with God by design. Thus, in taking on the spirit and flesh of a man, God the Son would not be replacing His Divinity, but merely limiting it according to the normal parameters of His newfound humanity.
“Let this same attitude and purpose and [humble] mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus: [Let Him be your example in humility:] {6} Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, {7} But stripped Himself [of all privileges and rightful dignity], so as to assume the guise of a servant (slave), in that He became like men and was born a human being.” (Philippians 2:5-7, italicized content added by AMP Bible)
Although equal with God, Jesus had come to represent men, and thus He set aside, and made no attempt to access, His omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. Instead, He lived and functioned within the natural confines and limitations of the flesh and spirits of men.
1b) Adam’s Self-Centered Flesh was Imputed to Jesus.
The principles of imputation and representation at work in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, bring to light a startling, and therefore controversial, revelation. Jesus inherited the self-centered flesh of Adam. This is a revelation that’s often ignored or rejected on account of pious ignorance.
When discussing the nature of the flesh that Jesus inherited from Adam, we must be careful of two things. We must be careful to avoid assigning sin to Jesus personally, for He was sinless. And we must also be careful not to ignore the imputed nature inherent in the flesh of Adam. When we speak of fallen flesh, this generally implies guilt by participation in sin. So what shall we say of the flesh passed on to Christ? Did imputation cease? Was the flesh of Christ amoral and indifferent to sin, or was it self-centered?
The scripture teaches us that the flesh of Christ was imputed with the nature of depravity, which is not itself sin, but is only the flesh-centered desire of sin.
“For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning.“ (Hebrews 4:15, AMP)
The flesh of Christ was tempted with the alluring promises of sin. This means that the flesh of Christ was self-centered, as is the flesh of all men who partake of Adam. But how do we know this? Because we are told that the Spirit of God cannot be tempted:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man:” (James 1:13, KJV)
If the Spirit of God cannot be tempted with evil, and Jesus is God, then in what way was Jesus tempted? If the spirit of Christ cannot be tempted, then we are speaking of the temptation experienced by Adam’s flesh. So when we are told that Jesus was “tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1), we understand that it was His flesh that was being tempted, not the Spirit of Christ.
As a man, how was Jesus able to overcome the self-centered desires of Adam’s flesh? By the power of the Holy Spirit.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. (Romans 8:9, NIV)
Jesus was the fulness of God in bodily form (Colossians 2:9), therefore, the will of the Father was made known to Christ through the Holy Spirit (John 5:19). God’s passion was Christ’s passion. Thus, as the Father loved righteousness, so did the Son. All else pales in comparison, making it possible for Jesus to overcome the temptations of the flesh in light of the joy set before Him (Hebrews 12:2) which is obtained through righteousness.
“But unto the Son He saith, …Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” (Hebrews 1:8-9, KJV)
“For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].” (Hebrews 2:18, italicized content added by AMP Bible)
By the love of God’s righteousness, Jesus overcame the desires of sin in His flesh, keeping that flesh in submission to the righteousness of His Holy Spirit. In this, Christ both satisfied the divine law of God as a man, and became an example for all men, exemplifying how we must rely upon the Holy Spirit when tempted with the lusts of the flesh.
“It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: … {4} that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, {5} not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, NIV)
This is how we must understand the temptation of Christ. He was subjected to temptation in the flesh, but was able to overcome it by the love of God’s righteousness. Now His example must become our own.
STEP 2: The Flesh of Adam Must Die
While some might imagine that it’s wonderfully pious and spiritual to teach that the flesh of Christ was not the same self-centered flesh that the rest of us received from Adam, it is in fact a Satanic assertion. This is why Jesus rebuked Peter when he objected to Christ’s revelation that the flesh of the Messiah needed to suffer and die.
“From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. {22} Then Peter took Him, and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee. {23} But He turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matthew 16:21-23, KJV)
Peter could not imagine why the flesh of the Messiah would need to be beaten and put to death, even though it was not directly guilty of transgression against the law. But he failed to recall the condemnation upon human flesh, or that God would send the Messiah to satisfy this sentence of death upon it. Death is appointed to Adam’s flesh, and is imputed to all men by reason of representation, even upon one who has committed no direct offence against the law, such as the Messiah:
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” (Romans 5:14, NKJV)
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. {5} Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “ Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me.” (Hebrews 10:4-5, NKJV)
It was the flesh of Adam that was prepared for Christ to take to the cross because it was Adam’s flesh that God had condemned to death.
“…it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27, KJV)
Ignorance of this fact resulted in Peter’s unwitting alignment with the will of Satan, not unlike many well-meaning saints today. What men like Peter don’t realize is that if the flesh of Christ is not the same corrupt flesh that we all received from Adam, then Christ’s sacrifice profits us nothing. The condemned flesh of Adam must be put to death, and that is precisely why it was mandatory for Jesus to take Adam’s flesh upon Himself and put it to death on the cross.
STEP 3: The Spirit of Jesus Must Live
Resurrection is made possible by flesh. Without it, there would be no such thing as resurrection. For example, imagine if we were just spirits, like the angels. When a spirit sins, the judgment is death. Spiritual death is eternal (Matthew 18:8, 25:41,46; 2 Thessalonians 1:9). All who enter spiritual death remain dead.
Enter the secret of the flesh. The spirit of man is encapsulated in a fleshly vessel. When the vessel of flesh is broken by death, the spirit is released and judged according to the condition in which it is found–be it guilt or innocence. Thus, men are capable of dying twice, once physically, and once spiritually.
Men first die physically. Physical death is the separation of a spirit from the body.
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die [in the flesh], but after this the judgment [in the spirit]: {28} So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many [in the flesh]; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time [in the Spirit] without sin unto salvation.” (Hebrews 9:27-28, KJV, bracketed content added for clarity by author)
Upon physical death, the spirits of men stand before the judgment seat of God, at which point they are either received into the presence of God, or cast away from Him forevermore. To be cast away from God is to die spiritually. Spiritual death is the separation of men’s spirits from the presence of God. This is the second death.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh [sin by the power of God] shall not be hurt of the second death.” (Revelation 2:11, KJV, bracted content added for clarity by author)
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6, KJV)
“And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” (Revelation 20:14, KJV)
Once our spirits have been released from our bodies, the spiritual condition in which our spirits are released will be the condition in which they remain; being released either in holiness unto eternal life, or released in corruption unto the second death of damnation. Thus, regardless of how we come to stand before God, in the Day of Judgment it shall be said:
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” (Revelation 22:11, KJV)
The only reason our spirits can be released free from sin is because when we receive Christ as our new representative by covenant, we are born again in the spirit. Thus, while our flesh continues to strive against our redeemed spirits, at death we are freed from it’s relentless tugging, and remain holy and pure in our cleansed spirits.
Now consider these truths in light of the prophecy given to Adam, Eve, and Satan (the seed of the Serpent).
“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, KJV)
When the time had come for this prophecy to be fulfilled, God sent forth His Son to be born in the flesh of men.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, {5} To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” (Galatians 4:4-5, KJV)
As the “Promised Seed” of Eve, Jesus was born under the laws of God, which demanded from men the righteousness of faithful obedience. Failure to obey these laws, even in one point, would result in condemnation.
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10, KJV)
And, as we know, the flesh of Adam is weak, and falters easily. Thus the law has condemned all men, and by it no man has ever been able to walk without falling under condemnation. No man, that is, except Jesus Christ. Jesus came both to fulfill the law, and to satisfy the justice demanded by the law. In reference to this calling, Jesus said:
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the [prophetic utterances of the] prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. {18} For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” (Matthew 5:17-18, KJV, bracketed content added for clarity by author)
Jesus kept the whole law perfectly, thereby fulfilling His own responsibility to it as a man. Jesus accomplished this feat by the power of the Holy Spirit, to whom Jesus was wholly submitted. Thus, what the law could not accomplish in men because of the weakness of the flesh, Jesus accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, {4} so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3, NASB)
Because men can die twice, Jesus satisfied the requirement of the law, which calls for the death of every sinner, by taking His flesh and offering it to God as a sin offering. In this, Jesus suffered and died in the flesh of Adam. This satisfied the law, which called for the death of sinful flesh.
However, because Jesus had fulfilled the laws of God, and was guilty of no personal sin, His spirit was released in holiness. This is the first resurrection of the righteous unto life in God. There will also be a second resurrection, but it will not be unto life, but unto damnation (Revelation 20:11-15). Thus, Jesus was the first Man to ever be raised to life in God. And only in Him can other men take part in the first resurrection. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power…,” “and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 20:6, 22:11, KJV).
Therefore Jesus became the “firstfruits” of humanity, which is to say, the first son of Adam to be offered to God and accepted. The concept of “firstfruits” was first introduced by God to Israel, and represents the first grain to be harvested from a crop.
“Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field. Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.” (Exodus 23:16, NIV)
This observance foreshadowed Christ, the “firstfruit” of the human harvest (Matthew 9:37-38).
“But the fact is that Christ (the Messiah) has been raised from the dead, and He became the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. {21} For since [it was] through a man that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead [has come]. {22} For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive. {23} But each in his own rank and turn: Christ (the Messiah) [is] the firstfruits, then those who are Christ’s [own will be resurrected] at His coming.” (1 Corinthians 15:20-23, italicized content added by AMP Bible)
REDEMPTION IS EXCLUSIVE TO MANKIND
These facets of mystery, which allow for the redemption of mankind, also naturally prevent Jesus from offering redemption to fallen angels. In light of what we have discussed thus far, consider the work of Christ as applied to angels.
To redeem an angel, God would be obligated by Divine laws of representation to become an angel. So let us assume, for a moment, that Jesus did take on the nature of angels, and not men as the scriptures teach (Hebrews 2:16). This would, of course, satisfy the first requirement of representation, but only for one angel. Angels were not birthed from parents, as was humanity, but were created as individuals, like Adam. Thus, like Adam, angels serve as their own representative before God. As Adam represents his flesh, so do angels represent themselves before God. This places them under individual representation.
But this is not the worst of it. In order to make atonement for the angels, Jesus must satisfy the requirements of justice that call for the condemnation of angels who fell into sin. Once again, Jesus would Himself have to remain sinless, and yet take upon Himself the sins of demons. But onto what shall that sin be placed? Angels have no flesh, for they are only spirit.
While it is true that angels can take on the form of men, and that their bodily form is real enough to allow them to physically eat (Genesis 18:9; 19:3), this flesh is not theirs by right of original creation. Instead, angels are spirits (Psalms 104:4), and God’s word tells us that, “a spirit hath not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39).
If God the Son had been formed after the likeness of angels, and then served as their substitute in death, judgment could have fallen on nothing else but His spirit. This would have left Christ’s righteous Spirit with no way to escape the second death–the eternal separation of one’s spirit from God. This is why there can be no redemption for the angels. The freedom of Christ’s Spirit is crucial to His work of atonement.
As clear as this is, there will always be some who insist that God had a “secret” redemption plan; some other way to redeem creation from sin. These alternative gospels are imagined to offer salvation to everything from pets to aliens. Although proponents of these gospels will often confess that scripture does not expressly teach alternative gospels, they assure us that the foundation for their gospels is found in scripture. What they fail to realize, however, is that what the scriptures do teach about Christ’s gospel to humanity utterly eliminates the possibility of redemption for anyone but humanity. Consider carefully why this is so.
1. Christ’s humanity is permanent.
Jesus didn’t temporarily become a man; He became a man for all eternity. This fact rests upon the requirements of representation. Jesus no more temporarily became a man than He temporarily grants us His eternal life when we abide in Him. The means and work of redemption stand eternally.
The humanity of Jesus Christ was appointed by God to stand eternally before God the Father as an eternal High Priest on behalf of Christ’s brothers in the flesh.
“By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament. {23} And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: {24} But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable [human] priesthood. {25} Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:22-25, KJV, bracketed content added for clarity by author)
This priesthood is established on the laws of representation. It must be a man who functions within the office of high priest. This is because God requires a representative of mankind to present an offering on behalf of humanity. This, again, is why Jesus was obligated to become like His brethren in the flesh so that He could, as High Priest, stand eternally as the atonement for men. Thus, it is the humanity of Jesus that “continueth forever” as “an unchangeable priesthood.”
This is why Melchisedec, the symbolic forerunner of Christ’s eternal priesthood, was introduced to Abraham as one who was:
“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.” (Hebrews 7:3, KJV)
If the humanity of Christ stands forever in the office of High Priest, then Jesus cannot thereafter cease to be a man, and take upon Himself the nature of any other being. For this reason we must understand that Jesus “…took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham” so that He could live forever in the “unchangable priesthood” of men as “a priest forever” (Hebrews 2:16, 7:24-25; 7:3, KJV, NIV).
2. Jesus died once to defeat the rebellion of creation.
The earth was created for the sole purpose of dealing with sin, once and for all. The work of Christ against the rebellion of sin was in no way limited to the sins of men. On the contrary! From the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God delivered a prophecy in which both men and angels were included. It would be the seed of Eve, Jesus Christ, who would secure eternal life for His brethren in the flesh while at the same time crushing the head of rebellion, Satan, under the heel of human redemption. In this, both the sins of men and of angels are inseparably tied together by the work of Christ.
Jesus will defeat all rebellion through His human form, whether that rebellion is angelic or human. The human Messiah would, through the redemption of mankind, defeat death, and then return as the rightful possessor of the earth and crush all usurping authority of evil under the heels of His feet.
“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. {23} But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. {24} Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. {25} For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. {26} The last enemy to be destroyed is death. {27} For He “has put everything under His feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under Him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ. {28} When He has done this, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:22-28, NIV)
The redemptive death of Christ has been revealed to be a one-time event, which can never be repeated.
“But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, {13} from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:12-13, NKJV)
This work of redemption eliminates any possibility that an additional sacrifice for the atonement of sin will be made. Jesus did this once, as a man, so as to defeat death and place the rebellion of all beings (all His enemies) under the heels of His feet. Never again must this be done. Never again will redemption be offered, because what it requires can only be offered once. Redemption is now exclusively reserved for humanity. And what shall be our answer to those who suggest that Christ is not the only name under which salvation is offered?
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12, KJV)
3. Angels were created to serve the redeemed, not be redeemed.
“Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3, KJV)
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? {2:1} Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” (Hebrews 1:14 – 2:1, ESV)
“It is not to angels that He has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. {6} But there is a place where someone has testified: “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? {7} You made Him a little lower than the angels; you crowned Him with glory and honor {8} and put everything under His feet? In putting everything under Him, God left nothing that is not subject to Him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to Him. {9} But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because He suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. {10} In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. {11} Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. {12} He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.” {13} And again, “I will put my trust in Him.” And again He says, “Here am I, and the children God has given me.” {14} Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— {15} and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. {16} For surely it is not angels He helps, but Abraham’s descendants.” (Hebrews 2:5-16, NIV)
Angels are “all ministering spirit’s, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14, KJV). It was for this purpose that angels were created.
For the sake of God’s purposes in election, God’s hand of wisdom rested upon two thirds of His angelic host so that they would not be deceived by the deception of Heylel’s sin. These are the “elect angels” who did not fall from their calling (1 Timothy 5:21).
However, the angels who abandoned their Divine calling for the call of rebellion can have no reprieve from judgment. They cannot be saved by the atoning work of Christ (Hebrews 2:16). Thus we are told that:
“…God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4, KJV)
In fact, Hell and the eternal lake of fire were created expressly for those angels who sinned against God.
“Then shall He say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” (Matthew 25:41, KJV)
Men simply share the fate of fallen angels when they follow after the similitude of their rebellion. Only those whom God the Father has chosen from among mankind did He “predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren”(Romans 8:29).
4. Aliens are a deception, and not candidates for redemption.
The question of alien redemption is based upon the assumption that aliens exist as a legitimate species of creation. It’s fundamental tenant is the presumption that God secretly created extraterrestrial life on distant planets–life to which mankind would eventually be joined through redemption and eternal union in God.
However, by reason of Christ’s eternal human priesthood, and for many of the same reasons angels cannot be redeemed, extraterrestrial life could never be offered redemption. At best, they would only serve as examples of God’s judicial wrath against sin, for which we have more than enough human and angelic examples.
More than this, we should expect Jesus to have taught about His eternal purpose for extraterrestrial life. We should expect this because Jesus promised us, saying: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15, NIV).
With this promise in view, we must then ask, “Are aliens part of our Master’s business? Has Jesus ever spoken of them?” Yes, actually, He has. However, Jesus has revealed that they are a demonic deception perpetrated against humanity. But the demonic spawn of this “alien” deception is far from an illusion. For those interested in the Biblical chronology of alien deception, please see THE ALIEN DECEPTION.
BUILDING FOUNDATIONS:
These truths stand as the foundation, and basis upon which God offers us hope. To ignore them can lead us into false perceptions of the gospel, or in how sin has been addressed by God. In other words, if you do not understand the requirements of redemption, you will be prone to errant assumptions about who and what can be redeemed. From there, error will only compound itself until you are preaching a gospel contrary to the one originally revealed by God through the Bible.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9, NKJV)
The requirements of redemption are fundamental to our understanding. The purpose for Christ’s work, both in the incarnation and upon the cross find their rational in what God was required to do in order to redeem mankind. As you do your own study, read with this understanding in mind, and watch the revelation of God’s heart open up to you.