When Christ died on the cross, He also died as a man in the flesh. As the Word which was with God and which is God, He became flesh (John 1:1, 14). First Peter 3:18 says that Christ was “put to death in flesh.” As a man in the flesh, Christ had only the likeness, the form, of a fallen man; He did not have the sinful nature of a fallen man. This means that He was in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:3), but He did not have the actual nature of sin. Because the Lord Jesus died as a man in the flesh, His death dealt with the fallen flesh. Sin and the fallen flesh were all dealt with by the death of Christ.
Romans 8:3 reveals that when Christ died as a man in the flesh, God condemned sin in the flesh. The phrase “sin in the flesh” refers to the source of sin, the Devil. For this reason, in Romans 6, 7, and 8 sin is personified as a living one. This living sin was condemned by God when Christ died on the cross as a man in the likeness of the flesh of sin. When the flesh that Christ put on through incarnation was crucified, God condemned the sin in the flesh of fallen mankind.
Christ was sent only in the likeness of the flesh of sin. He did not actually have the flesh of sin, but only the form, the likeness, of the flesh of sin. This is portrayed by the type of the brass serpent: the brass serpent had the form of a serpent, but it did not have the poisonous nature of a serpent. Likewise, when Christ died on the cross, He was in the likeness of the flesh of sin, but He did not have the nature of the flesh of sin. Nevertheless, because He died as a man in the flesh, God could condemn sin in the flesh. As a man in the flesh He died so that sin in the flesh might be condemned by God.
In redemption Christ was also the last Adam, a man in the old creation (1 Cor. 15:45b). This is the reason Romans 6:6 says that our old man was crucified with Him. Because the Lord died on the cross as a man, the last Adam, in the old creation, our old man was dealt with through His death.
As the last Adam, Christ was the conclusion of the old man. Therefore, when He was crucified, our old man was crucified with Him. His death as the last Adam was for God’s dealing with our old man.
When Christ was incarnated, He took us upon Himself. He put on blood and flesh. Therefore, when He was crucified, we were crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20). From God’s viewpoint, before we were born we were crucified in Christ. When Christ was crucified, not only were sins and sin dealt with; we ourselves were crucified with Him.
When Christ died on the cross for our redemption, He died not only as a man in the flesh, the last Adam, but also as a creature. Christ is both the Creator and a creature, for as God He is the Creator and as a man He is a creature. Christ with respect to His humanity is a creature. Christ is a man, a typical man with flesh and blood, which are created things. It is ridiculous to say that Christ is a man but deny that regarding His humanity He is a creature.
Colossians 1:15 reveals that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation. For Christ to be the Firstborn of all creation means that He is the first of all the creatures. The preposition “of” in the phrase “the Firstborn of all creation” indicates that Christ is one of the creatures, not someone who is apart from the creatures. As the Firstborn, He is one of the many items of the creatures.
The redemption accomplished by Christ is not only for man but also for all creation. Through His redemption all created things in heaven and on earth have been reconciled to God (Col. 1:20). Thus, Christ’s redemption is for all things. Hebrews 2:9 says clearly that Christ tasted death not only on behalf of every man but also on behalf of everything.
If Christ were only a man and not the Firstborn of all creation, the first of all the creatures, how could He have accomplished redemption for all the creatures? In the same way that it was necessary for Him to be a man to accomplish redemption for man, it was necessary for Him to be a creature to accomplish redemption for all the creatures. It was necessary for Christ to be the first of all creation in order for Him to redeem all creation, just as it was necessary for Him to be the last Adam in order to be qualified to be the Redeemer of mankind. When the Lord Jesus died on the cross, He died also as the Firstborn of all creation. Hence, through His death on the cross the entire old creation was dealt with.
The fact that Christ’s death as a creature terminated the entire old creation is indicated by the rending of the veil in the temple from top to bottom. Concerning this, Luke 23:44 and 45 say, “It was already about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, the sun’s light failing; and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.” The darkness here is related to sin, and the veil is a type of the flesh of the Lord Jesus. Hebrews 10:20 speaks of “a new and living way, which He dedicated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh.” On the veil that was rent when Christ died cherubim were embroidered (Exo. 26:31). According to Ezekiel 1:5, 10 and 10:14-15, cherubim were living creatures. The cherubim on the veil, then, represent the living creatures. Upon the humanity of Christ were all the creatures. This means that in His flesh Christ bore all the creatures. When the veil in the temple was torn, the cherubim embroidered on it were also torn. This indicates that when the flesh of Christ was crucified, all the creatures borne by Him were crucified as well. Through the death of Christ, sin, sins, the flesh, the old man, and all the creatures were dealt with. His death truly was all-inclusive.