The miracle of the believer being taken out of Adam and placed into Christ (the Last Adam) is central to Exchanged Life discipling and counseling. Consider different aspects of this transformational truth.

The importance of “in.”

• In Christ – This is our position (as in the Line diagram)
• Christ in us – This is our power (as in the Wheel diagram) [1]

The importance of “with.”

• Union with Christ (1 Cor. 6:17),
• Identification with Christ (Gal. 2:20) [2]

Five Biblical themes related to being in and with Jesus Christ

1. The Gardener grafts us in organically.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser… every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit…” (John 15:1,2).

“But if some of the branches were broken off [unbelieving Jews], and you [believing Gentiles], although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you”  (Rom. 11:17,18).

2. We are baptized into Christ by the Holy Spirit.

As Naaman was physically healed by being baptized in the Jordan (2 Kings 5:14), believers are spiritually “healed.” (1 Pet. 2:24).

“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor 12:13).

“For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27).

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:3,4).

3. We are transferred from being citizens of the kingdom of darkness to being citizens of the Kingdom of God 

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Col 1:13,14

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”  Phil 3:20,21

4. We are in Christ Jesus due to His Legal headship.

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man [Adam], much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:12-21).

5. There is a change of family lineage through being born of God.

“since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 1 Peter 1:23

“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12,13).

“Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph,… the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:3,38).

“In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him” (Heb. 7:8-10). (re Christ’s priesthood after the order of Melchizedek)

Means: Through the gospel – receiving Christ as Lord and Savior

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” John 5:24

“And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption…” (1 Cor 1:30).

Significance: This is a death or life issue.

“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Cor 15:21,22).

Conclusion

May this transfer from being in Adam to being in Christ not only change our eternal destiny, but also have transformational influence in our Christian living!

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:17,18).


JBW

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[1] See the book In Christ, Christ In at PeterWade.com.

[2] See Bone of His Bone, F. J. Huegel (CLC Publications)

Concerning appropriation, see GFI Workshop notebook pp. 93-99 and the newer “Appropriation wheel” diagram diagramhttps://elcmatters.org/diagram-slides/

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version (Thomas Nelson).