Excerpts from the CNT:

First Corinthians 15 presents Christ as the firstfruits (vv. 20, 23), the second man (v. 47), and the last Adam (v. 45). It is significant that these three aspects of Christ are mentioned in one chapter. When we put together these three aspects of Christ, we see that Christ is the first, the second, and the last; as such, Christ is everything. Concerning these aspects of Christ, we must not only learn the truth and see the vision but also have the experience.

a. The Firstfruits

In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul says, “Now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” In verse 23 Paul speaks of “the firstfruits, Christ.” Christ is the firstfruits of resurrection to be the beginning of God’s new creation and to be the Head of the Body, the church.

(1) To Be the Beginning of God’s New Creation

Christ was the first One raised from the dead, becoming the firstfruits of resurrection. This was typified by the firstfruits (a sheaf of the firstfruits, including Christ with some of the dead Old Testament saints, was raised at the Lord’s resurrection—Matt. 27:52-53) in Leviticus 23:10-11, which were offered to God on the day after the Sabbath, the day of resurrection (Matt. 28:1). As the firstfruits, Christ is the beginning [3180] of God’s new creation. Christ in resurrection is the beginning, the germination, of the new creation. Through the resurrection of Christ the old creation passed away and a new creation came into being. By His all-inclusive death He terminated the old creation; in His resurrection He germinated the new creation with the divine life. Christ is the firstfruits of the new creation in resurrection. This is confirmed by Colossians 1:18b: “He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead.” This verse shows that Christ is the first in resurrection; as such, He has the first place in the church, God’s new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15).

(2) To Be the Head of the Body, the Church

Christ as the firstfruits of resurrection is the Firstborn from the dead that He might be the Head of the Body (Eph. 1:20-23). Hence, Colossians 1:18a tells us that Christ is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead. Since He, the Head of the Body, has been resurrected, we, the Body, also will be resurrected.

b. The Second Man

(1) Out of Heaven

First Corinthians 15:47 unveils Christ as the second man. “The first man is out of the earth, earthy; the second man is out of heaven.” Out of the earth denotes the origin of the first man, Adam, and earthy, his nature. As the first man, Adam is the head of the old creation, representing it in creation. As the second man, Christ is the Head of the new creation, representing it in resurrection. In the entire universe there are only two men: the first man, Adam, including all his descendants, and the second man, Christ, comprising all His believers. We believers were included in the first man by birth and became a part of the second man by regeneration. Our believing has transferred us out of the first man into the second. In regard to our being part of the first man, our origin is the earth and our nature is earthy. In regard to our being part of the second man, our origin is God and our nature is heavenly. Out of heaven denotes both the [3181] divine origin and the heavenly nature of the second man, Christ.

(2) To Replace the First Man

In the Bible there is a principle that the second always replaces the first (Gen. 17:18-19; 25:23; 48:18-19; 1 Sam. 16:1; 2 Sam. 12:14, 24-25; Rom. 9:12-13). This principle is indicated by 1 Corinthians 15:46: “The spiritual is not first but the soulish, then the spiritual.” The spiritual here denotes Christ the second man; the soulish denotes Adam, the first man (v. 47). According to human understanding, tradition, and practice, we should follow the one who is first, not the one who is second. For this reason, Paul deliberately says in this verse that the soulish and not the spiritual is the first; the spiritual is the second. If we take the Bible, we should follow the second and not the first. For example, we should not follow Cain, the first; we should follow Abel, the second. Furthermore, during the passover in Egypt, the firstborn were rejected, condemned, and killed. This indicates that God’s judgment is upon the firstborn. The same principle applies to the first creation and the new creation. God does not want what is first; He wants what is second. Hence, God does not desire the first man; rather, He desires the second man to replace the first man.

c. The Last Adam

First Corinthians 15:45 reveals that Christ is the last Adam. “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul’; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit.”

(1) To Terminate the First Man

Christ being the last Adam implies the termination of the first man. In the universe there are only two Adams and two men. The first Adam (v. 45) is Adam our forefather, and the last Adam is Christ. The first man is Adam, and the second man is Christ. The last Adam is the conclusion of Adam, the first man. The last of anything is the termination of that thing. Hence, the last Adam is the end of Adam. Christ became a man. As a man, He ended the Adamic race; Adam is [3182] terminated in Christ. The first Adam is the beginning of mankind; the last Adam is the ending.

The last Adam indicates an ending, and the second man indicates a new beginning. Christ being the last Adam means that He terminated Adam, whereas Christ being the second man indicates that He is a new beginning. We were all in Adam, and we were all terminated in Christ. Now we are in the second man, and we are in the new beginning. To be terminated is to be crucified; to be in the new beginning is to be in resurrection. We are in Christ as the last Adam; we have been terminated in Him. We are also in Christ as the second man; we have a new beginning in Him.

As the last Adam, He ended the old man. When He was crucified, our old man was crucified with Him (Rom. 6:6). His death as the last Adam was for God’s dealing with our old man. As the end of the old man, He crucified the old man and terminated the old creation. The old man is the representative, the center, of the old creation; hence, by destroying the old man Christ terminated the old creation.

(2) To Become a Life-giving Spirit

Christ, the last Adam, became in resurrection a life-giving Spirit. According to 1 Corinthians 15:45, the first man, Adam, became a living soul, and the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. This verse implies both the old creation with the soul as the center and the new creation with the Spirit as the center. Adam, the first man, was the head of the old creation. When God created him, Adam became a living soul. This means that he became a person, a human being. In Hebrew Adam means “man.” Christ being the last Adam implies a termination and conclusion of the old creation. The old creation ends with a man, the last Adam. This man who terminated the old creation became in resurrection a life-giving Spirit. Now the Spirit is the center and lifeline of the new creation. The old creation was created by God, whereas the new creation comes into being not by creation but by resurrection. Therefore, verse 45 implies two creations: the old creation with man, a living soul, as its center and the new creation in resurrection with the life-giving Spirit as its center. Through incarnation Christ [3183] became the last Adam to die on the cross for the termination of the old creation, and through resurrection He as the last Adam became the life-giving Spirit to germinate the new creation.

The life-giving Spirit is the reality and life pulse of Christ’s resurrection. Resurrection was a process to bring forth the life-giving Spirit. Through the process of resurrection, the last Adam, the man who ended the old creation, became the life-giving Spirit, the germinating element of the new creation. The life-giving Spirit is the essence to germinate a new creation. This Spirit is nothing less than Christ, the Triune God. Actually, the life-giving Spirit is the processed Triune God. In Christ God has passed through the process of incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Now in resurrection He is the life-essence to germinate the new creation. We have become the new creation germinated by the Triune God as the life-giving Spirit.

The last Adam was Jesus Christ in the flesh. As a man in the flesh, He was the Lamb of God who took away our sins (John 1:29). Furthermore, when He was crucified, He dealt with our natural life and our old man. This made it possible for us to receive the divine life. After dying on the cross, the last Adam, our Redeemer, became in resurrection the life-giving Spirit to impart Himself into us as life. As the life-giving Spirit, He is the life-dispensing Spirit. Now He is the Spirit who gives life, the Spirit who imparts life to us, the Spirit who dispenses Himself as life into the believers.

When Christ came through incarnation, He came with the Father and by the Spirit. After coming in incarnation, He took a further step to pass through death and enter into resurrection. This is the process that we call Christ’s transfiguration from the flesh into the Spirit. By going through this process of transfiguration, the Lord Jesus, who came in incarnation with the Father and by the Spirit, became the life-giving Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God. This transfiguration included a number of elements: humanity, human living, Christ’s all-inclusive death, and His life-imparting resurrection. All these elements have been brought into the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit, the consummation of the Triune God. [3184]

Furthermore, the life-giving Spirit is the totality of all that Christ is as the all-inclusive One. First Corinthians unveils that the Christ who is the portion of all believers and into whose fellowship we have been called (1:2, 9) is all-inclusive. He is God’s power and God’s wisdom as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption to us (vv. 24, 30); our glory for our glorification (2:7), hence, the Lord of glory (v. 8); the depths of God (v. 10); the unique foundation of God’s building (3:11); our Passover (5:7); the unleavened bread (v. 8); the spiritual food and the spiritual drink flowing out the spiritual rock (10:3-4); the Head (11:3) and the Body (12:12); the firstfruits (15:20, 23); the second Man (v. 47); and the last Adam (v. 45). As such an all-inclusive One, He is now the life-giving Spirit, the totality of all that He is for our experience and enjoyment.