As we consider the shadow and type of the final days of the first creation and its antitype found in the new creation, let us also consider the context of Hebrews 2:5–8 that concludes with the following observation about Adam:
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
The first creation’s head was Adam who forfeited all things that were initially placed under his feet. The success of the new creation falls under the new head of Jesus Christ.
After the fall, Genesis 5:3 declares, “And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth.” The image and likeness has changed from that image of God to that of Adam; his offspring was in his image and likeness: a fallen human nature. Adam’s sin principle (the Adamic sin nature) became the controlling factor of all his offspring: “for as in Adam all die” (1 Cor. 15:22a).
What was Adam’s creation? He yielded to the flesh, his principle; the sin principle of control was the flesh. Adam is the first, both the first Adam and the first man. The controlling principle of this first creation was himself: Adam and flesh. Adam is forever known as the Old Man. He is the first and the oldest of mankind.
The burden of Hebrews 2:9 then introduces another man, the Second Man. As Adam was the first born of the old creation, Jesus Christ is the first born of the new creation. Romans 8:29 aptly recognizes this understanding: “For whom he did foreknow [of His saints, those who believe on Him], he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Additionally, note Hebrews 2:10, 11:
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Christ is the New Man of a new creation. We become His offspring; He is our Everlasting Father. Ephesians 4:22 tells us, “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.” That old man is fallen and corrupt through the deceitful lusts of the first creation, the flesh. “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:24). This is a new man, a new Adam, a new humanity that comes through a new creation.
Reflection Upon What We Have Seen
Several principles have been observed about the creation of Genesis chapter one. God chose to bring this creation into existence through the logos, His Son, and there was not anything made that was made, that was not through and by Him, and for Him. John 1 declares that the logos, Jesus Christ, came to this earth through a new creation, to become the “first born” of a new creation. This truth is also unfolded in Colossians 1:15–17:
Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by [Gr., en or “in”] him were all things created [perfect passive, revealing the crisis of the creation, which He has maintained in existence since that crisis creation], that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created [perfect passive, crisis of creation and maintained to this hour] by [Gr., dia or “through”] him, and for [Gr., eis or “unto”] him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
The Son is the sustaining power of that creation, and “by him all things consist.” He maintains and sustains creation.
That man was made in the image and likeness of God is revealed in Genesis 1:27, with the Hebrew word bara (“to create”). But the fall of man brought a blighting of this creation. It is God’s intent to bring about a new creation of man through His Son, the very logos that brought the first Creation. Christ Jesus is the image and likeness of God in whose image we are made. The ancient things, all that belong to the old Adam, those things that are under sin, in sin, polluted by sin, corrupted by sin, and affected by that fall, profoundly affected the whole sphere of humanity, and therefore the whole aim and character of life. Through Jesus Christ, the originator of the new creation, the former concepts of life are “passed away; behold, all things are become new” (beginning with the crisis but continuing in the present tense; 2 Cor. 5:17). We must remember that all things in this new creation are from God through His incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.
The “Sixth Day” of Creation
Our previous article considered the first five days of the first creation in the light of the spiritual new creation. Now we come to the sixth day. All the previous days of creation prepared for this final day, the crowning day of creation. The sixth day brings the creation of land animals and culminates with the creation of man and woman.
The Book of Romans seems to come to an apex in chapter twelve, where all the mercies of God are bringing the believer to sacrifice. After justification by faith, the work of sanctification, and the infilling of the Spirit of God, we come to chapter twelve and hear the summons to place all on the altar, that altar being Christ Himself, bringing the child of God to the grand call of consecration. All of the workings of Christ in our lives call us to willfully place all on the altar of complete submission. The sixth day of creation brought forth land animals; the animal is for sacrifice: “As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:36).
In the new creation, our lives are to come to the apex and great hour of consecration. What is the reason for all of these workings of grace that have come upon us? It is that we would now be a living sacrifice, a continual burnt offering. This is what we were newly created for; this is what we were saved to become: “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1). As Christ was The Lamb of God, we are to be sheep for the altar (Christ Himself), in sacrifice. A consecrated life being lived in the fire of consumption is the spiritual consummation of the new creation.
However, there is another truth found in Romans that is equally important: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). Christ is the recovery of that image and likeness that man lost at the fall. He Himself is that image and likeness! This is why we are to be conformed to the image of God’s Son. Note the Apostle’s words in 2 Corinthians 4:3–6:
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Paul also declares in Colossians 1:12–15:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son; In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [of all creation].
And then, we read in Colossians 3:10, “And have put on the new man [the neos, new man–Christ], which is renewed (emphasis added) [present passive, continually renewed] in knowledge [experiential knowledge) after the image of him [the restoration of the image of God is gradual] that created him.”
This sixth day is in principle a shadow and type of the man Christ Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 15:45 he is called the “last Adam.” In 1 Corinthians 15:47 he is called the “second man”; this man is the Lord from heaven. In 15:49 we read that we shall also bear the image of “the heavenly.” This is where Christ must become the “man” of our heart, to be enthroned over our entire being, as Lord of all. This is where God can command this man to flourish, and be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish my earth–His earth–and subdue it, have dominion over the fish of my sea, over the fowl of my air, and over every living thing that moveth upon my earth.
Dear reader, this is where we want to come in our lives, after our new birth. For it is all leading to the enthronement of the Lord Jesus Christ, and to His taking possession of the whole heart and soul, and extending the boundaries of His perfect grace and love throughout our whole man. Forgiveness of sins and change of heart are not the ultimate goal in the Christian life. God designed within this new creation for His plan to exist between Christ and the believer. Christ must have dominion and control of everything. He is to be the Man of the last Adam that controls and dominates my entire life.
However, the culminating reality of the sixth day of creation was the formation of Adam’s bride. The new creation includes a bride relationship for this second Man, this last Adam. A bride for Christ is the ultimate of the creation! We read of this precious truth in Ephesians 5:22–33. There certainly is the imperative need of the Lordship of Christ in our lives within the new creation, but also, we must see the hope of Christ being our Beloved Husband. In Revelation 19:7 we read, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” John reveals that this order of saints is the bride of Christ; reviewing her life (in the aorist tense, the crisis tense, but in the active voice), she has prepared herself (the adorning in life) for this momentous occasion of being given to the Lamb as His bride. “And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (19:8). The beauty of her preparation will become evident in what will be granted her: she will be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness of saints.
In Revelation 21:2 we read, “And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” As to this new creation, this will be the final glory! John declares it thus: “prepared as a bride adorned.” This truth is expressed in the perfect passive, indicating a crisis preparation that is then a continual, sustained preparation; additionally, it is in the passive mood indicating a work by another upon her. It is the Lord that will make this preparation of His bride over a lifetime of her living on earth. With these two passages of Scripture, we see the paradox of preparation of the bride of Christ: the collaboration of the grace of God and an ongoing submission by the believer to that grace for preparation.
This is the hope of the sun, the moon, and stars mentioned on the fourth day. The Christ of Scripture and His work within the heart, the church ever pointing the believer to the Lord in the night seasons of life, and the stars (Christian parents, a true biblical church, and true Christians) encouraging each other in the preparation of one another to live the most submissive and responsive life to Christ. How apt are Paul’s words to the Corinthians:
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:2, 3).
Conclusion
This new creation in Christ Jesus is a realm of human existence that began the moment we were born again. As John the Baptist was sent as a forerunner of the first coming of Christ, God must raise up forerunners who are making ready a people prepared for the Lord on the eve of His second coming. This new creation must ever be seen and known each day of our living, unhindered, an absolute submissiveness to the workings in this new creation. As pastors, we must be ever giving God’s people “meat in due season” as part of the heart’s preparation for His Coming.
On the seventh day God rested from His work. There will come an eternal day when God will rest from this new creation. When we get to heaven His work will be resolved; we will stand complete in Him. All will be found in the image and likeness of Christ, and in the fashion of His glorified body:
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure (1 John 3:2, 3).
This will be the final work of the new creation:
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:22, 23).
Part of this consummation of the new creation will be the bematos: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). The new creation has as its foundation Christ alone: “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 3:11). Then begins the building of our life: “Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble” (3:12). God intends the building of our life in Christ, the new creation, to be through and in the righteousness of Christ (the gold), and all of the workings of redemption (silver), and even with the character of Christ in the individual aspects of His perfection (the precious stones). But anything from that old, fallen creation of our “self” in the context of our humanities of wood, hay, and stubble will be burnt up. Why must this be? “That no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Cor. 1:29).
This new creation cannot be established in the old flesh; it must be established in the power and glory of Christ, the new Man, the last Adam, the second Man. Heaven will have only one humanity there, the humanity of the new creation, found in and through the power of the second member of the Trinity, the Son, Who came to earth in the flesh and dwelt among us.
To Him be the glory! For He is the author, the creator, and the image for this new creation. This new humanity was created by Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, and He continues to be made a part of us through all that He is doing in heaven as our Advocate and Great High Priest at the right hand of the Father! We are His generation, His offspring, and to be forever with Him!