I began by looking at Jesus conception as a Man. What about His glorification? Paul said the following.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5
Strange as it may seem the one who bridged the gap between God and humanity was a man! I in no way want to diminish Jesus deity. He is the creator of all that is! At the same time we need to look at what scripture teaches about the significance of His humanity in relation to our lives and why Paul focuses on there being a man as the Mediator in heaven.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (NKJV)
41 There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. 42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. 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. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48 As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49 And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 1 Corinthians 15:41-49 (NKJV)
If we reflect on the passages above it becomes clear that everything in creation is about two men, the first man Adam, and the last Adam – Jesus. In the end our eternal destiny is determined by the image we bear. Which Adam are we found in? We are in the first Adam by our natural birth, we can be found in Jesus, the second Adam, by the surrender of our hearts to Him. Back around 1990 I was speaking in a church a said there was only one person getting into heaven Jesus. It created a bit of a stir but is true. While millions will get there He is the only one worthy and we get in by being IN Him and carrying His righteousness. The idea of being IN Christ is a core message in the book of Ephesians.
I invite you to reflect on the significance of being in Him and bearing His image and in my next post I will give some attention to verses 41-44 and there significance for our eternal destiny.
