From ‘in Adam’ to ‘in Christ’

Here’s where we left off in the last post:

All of us are conceived and born as descendants of Adam—we are “in Adam.” As such, we bear Adam’s corrupt image. And yet, there are those descendants of Adam who are no longer “in Adam”—they are “in Christ.”

The question we now need to answer is how can we move from “in Adam” to “in Christ”—from a state of death to a new life?

A short answer is by birth, but birth of a different kind. Let’s look at this in more detail. 

Why be “in Christ”

Paul answers clearly and unmistakeably (1 Corinthians 15:22):

As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 

Bible scholar David Clines comments:  

As the second Adam, Christ is the head of the new humanity; therefore, as Adam shares the image with his descendants, so Christ shares the image with His descendants, namely those that are ‘in Christ.’

All of us are born “in Adam.” If we do nothing about that status, tragically, we will die “in Adam.” God, through Jesus Christ, offers us life “in Christ.”

To live the life God designed and desires for you, you must be “in Christ.”

How to be “in Christ”

Although there are many biblical ways of explaining and illustrating this transfer or conversion—I will focus on the metaphor of the new birth to a new life.

In the prologue to John’s Gospel (John 1:1-18), the theme of receiving Jesus Christ and believing in his name is introduced with the metaphor of birth (John 1:12-13):

… to all who received him [Jesus Christ], 

     to those who believed in his name, 

he gave the right to become children of God

—children born not of natural descent, 

       nor of human decision 

       or a husband’s will, 

but born of God.

John clearly states that this “birth” is not physical. Instead, it is a birth that takes place when a person “receives” Jesus Christ—when a person “believes in His name.”

As we read John’s Gospel, this birth theme is expanded in a conversation between Jesus and “Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council” (John 3:1-15). I encourage you to pause and refresh your memory of this critical discussion. 

A conversation about birth 

What motivates Nicodemus’ opening statement? Is it curiosity or something else?

“Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Jesus’ reply is somewhat puzzling. He makes a statement that does not seem to engage with Nicodemus’ words. Nevertheless, the Lord is speaking to Nicodemus’ unspoken need.

In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again [or, born from above].”

John’s rich Gospel is full of double meanings. In Greek, gennēthē anōthen can be rendered as “born again/anew” or “born from above”—anōthen carries this double meaning. We do not need to choose one; both inform us. Jesus is talking about the cause and effect, the source and result of this birth.

Nicodemus questions how such a birth can happen:

“How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born!”

Is this genuine puzzlement or a challenge? How can a person be born again?

Jesus then provides more details about this birth that is so necessary.

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit [pneuma]. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit [pneuma] gives birth to spirit [pneuma]. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind [pneuma] blows wherever it pleases. You hear the sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with the everyone born of the Spirit [pneuma].”

There is much we could examine in this dialogue. For now, note the five references to pneuma, a Greek word that can be translated as S/spirit, wind, or breath. The Holy Spirit was instrumental in the conception of Jesus in Mary's womb. This Spirit is also instrumental in a person “in Adam” being “born again/anew” and “born from above,” with the result that they are “in Christ.”

Summing up

As we have already learned from the Prologue, this birth is not physical—it is very different. Yet, like a physical birth, it initiates a new life. This birth is brought about by the Spirit as a person receives Jesus Christ, believing in his name. Effectively, that person is moved or converted from “in Adam” to “in Christ.”

Sometime after his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus says (John 5:24):

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. 

Being born anew or born from above gives a person eternal life—that is, new life in union with God, who reveals Himself as Jesus Christ. It also means crossing over from the death union “in Adam” to the life union “in Christ.”

This is the new beginning that we all desperately need.

In the next post, we will visit another metaphor illustrating this new beginning.

BACK TO “God in Flesh as a New Creation”

Notes: D. J. A. Clines, “The Image of God in Man,” Tyndale Bulletin 19 (1968): 102.

Image credit: 2024 © John B. MacDonald in Powerpoint.