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No.1. The Problem Stated.
In a series of articles entitled “The Seed” we have attempted to show that from the beginning, and against all the opposition of the enemy, God has pursued His great purpose, a purpose which, while it comprehends more, must comprehend at least the election, preservation and ultimate glory of a chosen “seed”. While the demonstration of this aspect of the mighty purpose of the ages clarifies some erstwhile difficult passages, it reveals further and deeper problems, and while it will never be given to anyone on this side of glory “to know even as he is known” we do nevertheless believe that Scripture has been given to reveal the mind of God, even though the nature of the subject revealed, and the limitations of those addressed, render many a passage difficult of apprehension, as though seen “in a glass darkly”.
We now approach this purpose from another, yet related, angle and throw the subject before us in the form of a question. “Why was the church, which was chosen IN CHRIST before the foundation of the world not created spiritual and placed immediately into its heavenly inheritance? Why was it necessary for every member to enter into life IN ADAM?
The problem can be visualized thus:
THE PURPOSE
A | In Christ.
B | Spiritual blessings.
C | Heavenly places.
D | Far above all principality.
THE PROCESS
A | In Adam.
B | Not spiritual but natural.
C | Of the Earth, earthy.
D | Lower than the angels.
We have purposely limited our enquiry to a select company, the Church of the One Body. If we extend our enquiry to comprehend the number that do not appear to have been the subjects of Divine grace at all, the problem becomes so vast and the issues so great, that there is every likelihood that we should fail to accomplish anything satisfactory. While readily admitting this vast outer ring, it will simplify the present quest, if we concentrate on the known few, rather than the unknown many. The company we have before us therefore is the Church of the Mystery. They are a unique company both in regard to the parenthetical nature of the dispensation under which they have been called, and the sphere and character of their blessings. These are particularly related to one feature, with which we are concerned at the moment, the period of their election by God.
“According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. i. 4).
The word “according” links the distinctive sphere of blessing “in heavenly places” with the distinctive period “before the foundation of the world”. For our present purpose we assume that the reader already accepts the translation “before the overthrow of the world”—those to whom such a rendering is either new or objectionable are referred to article No.10 of the series on Ephesians, in The Berean Expositor Volume XXXVI, p.61.
At the moment we assume that no reader has any difficulty in believing that heavenly places is the destined sphere of blessing for thiscompany, and that they were chosen before Gen. i. 2. The difficulty arises out of the fact that even though this company were thus chosen in Christ they come into conscious existence in Adam, and it is with the hope that the reason for this will be evinced that the present series is undertaken.
The chronology of the Bible commences, not with “the beginning” but with the creation of Adam. Yet Adam appeared on the earth less than six thousand years ago (see series entitled “Time and Place”). The period that intervened between the choice of the church and the creation of Adam cannot be computed. We cannot speak of the enormous length of time that intervenes in thousands or even millions of years, we must speak of geological ages. One has but to consider the formation of the coal seams, the building up of a chalk cliff, the evidence of igneous and sedimentary rocks, the provision of oil, and the record of fossils, to realize that the period is so immense as to pass beyond the bounds of human comprehension. If God chose the members of the church and destined them for a super-heavenly inheritance IN CHRIST, why did he wait all these ages and bring them into existence IN ADAM? (who was not “spiritual”—I Cor. xv. 46-50). Why did He not create the church at the time of its election, or place these elect members straight away in possession of their inheritance? There must be a reason, what is it? Before we can proceed, we must divest the subject of one feature that if unremoved will clog the issue. The words “in Adam” are so related to sin and death, that we may forget that these are added complications that have come in after the creation of man, and that the words “in Adam” primarily refer to man as the head of the race, and as he left the hand of his Maker. This we must establish before we can go further.
Man was made in the image and in the likeness of God. This does not mean that the physical appearance of Adam had any relation to the appearance of God, for God is spirit, and is invisible. The “image’ seen by Nebuchadnezzar in a dream symbolized the whole course of Gentile dominion, but neither Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel nor the reader believes the Gentile dominion is “like” an image in appearance. Adam set forth as a “shadow” (Hebrew tselem) the glory of his Creator. Adam was “a figure of Him that was to come” (Rom. v. 14). Man was “made upright” (Eccles. vii. 29), he subsequently “sought out many inventions” but these we leave for the moment. Man was made at the beginning “a living soul”, was “of the earth, earthy”, was “not spiritual”, and possessing a nature of “flesh and blood” could not, even when unfallen, “inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. xv.). Moreover, Adam unfallen was but a type. The true Adam was Christ.
“The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural: and afterwards that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven . . . . . now this I say brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (I Cor. xv. 45-50).
We purposely refrain therefore from including in the present exhibition of our problem the added conditions of sin and death that are also involved. These will come later. We have big enough problem before us without added complications.
Before man was created there was an order of spirit beings, of varied ranks, Angels, Principalities and Powers, some of whom, when the foundations of the earth were laid “sang together” and “shouted for joy” (Job xxxviii. 7). It was therefore not outside the realm of possibility for God to have created another company of spiritual beings, and placed them directly and without further ado “in heavenly places”. Should it be objected that God did not choose angels for this high honour, we reply, that is true, and we do not suggest that the church could be or should be but another order of angels. What we do ask is why, seeing that they were chosen to “spiritual” blessings in “heavenly” places, were they nevertheless brought into being as “natural” and “earthy” creatures? What purposes did the long wait and the entry of Adam serve? For the answer to this and the statement of further allied problems, we must await the unfolding of the Scriptures in the succeeding articles of this series.
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