CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST

Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 15:22, 45-49; Rom. 5:18-19; 6:3-11

Identification with Christ is a great matter. From our point of view, there have been many people
who have lived on the earth from the ancient days until now. Even though we know that the
world’s current population is a few billion, we do not know how many people have died or how
many people are yet to be born. All we know is that there are a few billion people who are alive
today. From God’s point of view, however, there are only two men in the whole world.

ADAM AND CHRIST

According to the book of Romans, there are only two men in the world: Adam and Christ (Rom.
5:12, 15, 17). Adam is the first man, and Christ is not only the second man but also the last man
(1 Cor. 15:45, 47).

The first man is Adam. The second man, however, is not Cain but Christ, because those who
came after Adam came out of Adam. The second man is Christ, and because there is no man
after Christ, He is also the last man. Adam is the first man, because there was no man before
him; Christ is the second man and the last man, because there is no man after Him. There is no
one between Adam and Christ, because Adam is the first and Christ is the second.

Everyone in Adam Being a Sinner

There are only two men in the universe. There was no man before Adam, and there is no man
after Christ. In God’s eyes every man is in Adam, comes from Adam, and belongs to Adam,
which is to say that every man is identified with Adam. Before we were saved, our name was
Adam. Whoever is not saved is in Adam. A person should not think that he is not a sinner
because he has not committed some specific sin. When Adam committed sin in the garden of
Eden, we were in him. Adam’s sin made every man a sinner.

The Chinese people arrived in China by passing through the Pamir Mountains. Although we may
not have personally passed through the Pamirs, we passed through the Pamirs when our
ancestors passed through the Pamirs. Likewise, when Adam sinned, we also sinned.
Consequently, all who are from Adam have sinned. Therefore, we all are sinners.

Everyone in Christ Being Saved

In God’s eyes every man who has believed into Christ is saved because a saved person enters
into Christ and is identified with Him.

Although the Bible speaks of Noah and his family passing safely through the flood (Gen. 8:13-
19; 1 Pet. 3:20), strictly speaking, it was the ark that passed through the flood. Noah’s family
passed through the flood only because they were in the ark. Hence, eight people did not pass
through the flood, but rather one ark with eight people passed through the flood. In God’s eyes
there was only the ark. God saw the ark passing through the flood; He did not see eight people
passing through the flood.

When God looks at a saved person, He sees only Christ. God does not see Mr. Chang or Mr. Lee;
He sees only Christ. Everyone who is saved is in Christ. Apart from Christ, God does not see any
other person; He sees only Christ.

One day the Word, who was with God and who was God, became flesh; that is, God put on
humanity, and His name was Jesus. Jesus was God, yet He put on the human nature. When the
Lord Jesus responded to Philip’s request to see the Father, saying, “Have I been so long a time
with you, and you have not known Me?” (John 14:9), He was speaking of both His divine nature
and His human nature. When He went to the cross, He put His human nature on the cross. When
He died on the cross, He died as a man. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the
temple was split in two from top to bottom. The veil being split signifies the Lord being split,
(Matt. 27:51; Heb. 10:20). The cherubim embroidered on the veil were also split. The veil
signifies Christ, and the cherubim embroidered on it signify the creatures. The splitting of the
veil signifies that all creatures died with Christ.

The Jews think that the death of Jesus was just the death of a rebel, but a saved person knows
that Jesus died to bear his sins. Those who have a further understanding of salvation know that
Jesus also bore all of the old creation in His death. His death, however, was not an end, because
He resurrected after three days to become the Spirit. Therefore, whenever anyone calls on His
name today, the Holy Spirit enters into him. Thus, Christ and man are identified.

Before His ascension, Jesus was Emmanuel (Matt. 1:23), meaning “God with us”; after His
resurrection, He is with us even more. Now He lives in us until the consummation of the age
(28:20). Everyone who is saved has Christ. Once we were in Adam, but now we are in Christ.
Once we were in a kingdom of darkness, but now we are in another kingdom. There are only two
kingdoms in the universe: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan. Today we have been
transferred from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God.

Once we were only in Adam, but through the second birth, that is, regeneration, we have entered
into Christ and are now in Christ. However, even though we are in Christ, we still bear Adam’s
resemblance. Nevertheless, God sees only the ark, not us. When we see ourselves, we see the old
creation, but when God sees us, He sees only Christ.

IDENTIFICATION WITH CHRIST BEING

THE WAY TO SALVATION

Noah’s family passed through the flood because they were joined to the ark. Redemption is
based on union. We must be joined to Christ in order to be saved. In order to be joined to Christ
we must be delivered from Adam. From Adam we have inherited sin and death, which must be
judged. Therefore, a person must be freed from the sin in Adam in order to be joined to Christ.
 BEING IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST AND
LIVING IN THE LAW OF LIFE

For those who are in Adam, sinning is easy and natural. Sinning is as easy and natural as
breathing. Those who are not saved do not need to prepare to sin or even make an effort to sin,
because sinning is easy and natural. Although it is easy to sin in Adam, it is impossible not to sin
in Adam. No matter how much force and effort we exert, we will sin because the law of sin and
of death is a part of Adam (Rom. 7:23; 8:2).

There is also a law in Christ, and in this law of the Spirit of life, we have been freed in Christ
Jesus from the law of sin and of death (v. 2). This is because the death of Christ, which dealt
with sin, and the resurrection of Christ, which dealt with death, have been given to us through
our identification with Him.

It is natural for a person in Adam to sin. It is also natural for a person in Christ to be freed from
sin and death. It is also natural for a Christian to obey God’s will in Christ. Whenever we behold
Christ, we are freed from sin. Whenever we behold Christ, we become holy. It is natural for us to
obey God’s will and to practice the goodness of God in the law of life. This is to be identified
with Christ; this also is the way of a Christian.

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