1) “Everyone who believes into Him [Christ]” (John 3:16, lit.).
Here the word “into” literally implies entering into. Our believing causes us to enter into Christ. We were originally born in Adam, and we continued to live in Adam after our birth. When we believed into the Lord, our believing brought us into Christ that we might enter into Him and become a person in Him.
2) “For as many as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27).
Baptism immediately follows after believing. To believe and be baptized are two parts of one step for our entering into the Lord. To believe is to enter into Christ inwardly, while to be baptized is to enter into Christ outwardly. Our believing is our entering into Christ in reality in our spirit; our being baptized is our entering into Christ practically in water. Once we believe, we enter into Christ in the spirit. Then through baptism we confess and confirm this fact, displaying and declaring it. Thus, to believe and be baptized is a complete step which brings us into Christ, transferring us out of Adam into Christ that we may be a man in Christ.
3) “But of Him [God] you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:30).
Our responsibility is to believe and be baptized in order to enter into Christ. But to put the Spirit of Christ and the life of Christ into us is beyond our own ability; this is God’s doing. When we enter into Christ through believing and being baptized, God puts the Spirit of Christ and the life of Christ into our spirit that we and Christ may have a spiritual organic union; all of this is God’s doing. Therefore, as far as the Spirit and life are concerned, it is of God that we are in Christ Jesus. It is God who placed us in Christ and put the Spirit and the life of Christ into us that we might be joined as one with Christ in spirit. Except for our believing and being baptized, this was altogether God’s doing through His Spirit. In this way, God practically transferred us out of Adam into Christ in the Spirit and in life that we may become a person fully in Christ.
We were born of Adam, having the things in Adam, which are the means by which our old man in Adam lives. When we are transferred into Christ, we also possess the riches in Christ, which are the means by which our new man in Christ lives. Such riches in Christ are innumerable. Those that we have chosen as important are listed below.
1) “Through the obedience of the One [Christ] shall the many be constituted righteous” (Rom. 5:19).
The first thing we have in Adam is sin, but the first thing we have in Christ is righteousness. The first thing Adam brought to us was sin; the first thing Christ brings to us is righteousness. The disobedience of Adam made us sinful and constituted us sinners; the obedience of Christ constitutes us righteous that we may become righteous persons.
2) “Through one righteous act [the one at Golgotha] unto justification of life to all men” (Rom. 5:18).
The sins we have in Adam caused us to be condemned in him, while the righteousness we obtain in Christ causes us to be justified in Him. The one offense of Adam in the garden of Eden caused us, who were in him, to be condemned, while the one righteous act of Christ at Golgotha caused us, who are in Him, to be justified.
Furthermore, the sin and condemnation we have in Adam also caused us to have death, but the righteousness and justification we gain in Christ cause us to have life. Adam’s sin brought us death, but Christ’s righteousness brings us life. Due to Adam’s sin, the death of Satan entered into us to do a work of death. Thus, our spirit, soul, and body, that is, our whole being, were invaded by death. Due to the righteousness of Christ, the life of God entered into us to do a work of life to swallow up the death in our spirit, soul, and body that our whole being could be made alive.
3) “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:22).
“Made alive” here refers to being resurrected. We originally were dead persons. Then Christ came into us, bringing God’s life to make us alive. Thus, to be made alive is to be resurrected. The death Adam brought to us ruined everything of our life in the old creation. The resurrection Christ brings to us begins our life in the new creation that we may partake of everything in this life of the new creation.
4) “Who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).
In Christ we obtain not only the three items of righteousness, justification, and life but also every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies. The selection of the Holy Father, the redemption of the Holy Son, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and all the heavenly, spiritual blessings spoken of in the New Testament have been given to us by God in Christ and are obtained by us in Christ.
5) “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
It is concisely stated here that there are four important things which we obtain in Christ from God: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Wisdom is the main item and righteousness, sanctification, and redemption are the detailed points. All that God has given to us in Christ is out of Christ’s wisdom, or we may say that it is Christ as wisdom, which includes righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Righteousness is for us to be justified by God that we may be saved. This is in the past. Sanctification is for us to live a holy life that we may be victorious. This is in the present. Redemption is for our bodies to be redeemed that we may be glorified. This is in the future. We have obtained all these items, which are all Christ Himself, in Christ from God.
6) “...in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, they have become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).
We also became a new creation in Christ. The old things in Adam have passed away and they have become new in Christ. This is a result of being transferred from Adam into Christ.