Tackling Tradition 89: Yeshua, A Life-Giving Spirit

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.  (1 Corinthians 15:45–46, ESV)

Some people believe that this passage refers to Yeshua’s resurrection.    

There is truth to that, but in context, Paul is talking about Adam at his ensoulment not his fall nor his death & analogizing between Adam & Yeshua.   Let’s look at the rest of the text. 

The previous text:  

So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42–44, ESV)

The topic is the nature of & signs & seals on the resurrection body.    Thus comes after a series of analogies emphasizing seed to fruit relations & kind to kind relations.  

So, after a few words about continuity & contrast from glory to glory, Paul moves on to the signs & seals on the resurrection body. 

Then Paul looks back at his words about how in Adam we all die & in Christ all are made alive. 

 

Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.  (1 Corinthians 15:45–46, ESV)

 He continues: 

The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:47–49, ESV)

Thus, his comparison between Adam & Yeshua looks like this: 

Paul, as to Adam, is talking about Adam in Genesis when God breathed him into life - ensoulment. Yeshua as to His humanity is in view not so much as in His resurrection as much as in His ensoulment. 

• Adam: man of dust. 
• Yeshua: man of heaven
• Adam: created in the image of God.   When?  At ensoulment.
• Yeshua: as to His humanity, created in the image of God.  When?  At ensoulment at which time God,& as to Yeshua’s divinity, simultaneously united to Him, thus making Yeshua theandric. 

It’s true that Yeshua’s person & work in the crucifixion, resurrection, & ascension underwrites all of our redemption until life eternal, our own resurrection, &tc., but here Paul is drawing attention to how Adam became a living being, & Yeshua became not just a living being but the atoning, authoritative source of the whole of our existence —- which is personified in Him not just by way of His righteous, sinless life, the cross, empty tomb, &tc. but also the very creation of him as to his own body & soul & the Incarnation itself.  

Consequently, since He is the Redeemer-Mediator for every covenant including the Edenic Covenant, Adam’s existence & ensoulment — and ours — is covenantally dependent Yeshua’s existence & ensoulment too.

Generally speaking, what God has done for Yeshua, He has done for us.  One wonders if one day, when all things are made new, we too will all be theandric. 

O LORD, Hear Our Prayer(s)!