In order for Christ to legally qualify to be our substitute and representative, His divinity had to be united to our corporate fallen humanity that needed redeeming. It is in the incarnation that these two distinct opposite natures were united together in one person and Christ became the second Adam. This is the in Christ motif, the central theme of Paul’s theology [1 Corinthians 1:30].

On the cross, our corporate condemned life died eternally in Christ [the wages of sin, see 2 Corinthians 5:14]. In the resurrection, God gave the human race the eternal life of His Son [1 John 5:11]. All that we are, as a result of the Fall, Christ was made at the incarnation; that through His life, death, and resurrection all that He is we were made in Him [2 Corinthians 5:17]. This constitutes the good news of the gospel.

BY NATURE WE ARE:

1. Spiritually dead, but in Christ were made spiritually alive   [Eph. 2:5]
2. Sinners, but in Christ were made righteous   [2 Cor. 5:21]
3. Sinful, but in Christ were made holy and blameless   [Eph. 1:4]
4. Condemned, but in Christ were justified   [Rom. 5:18]
5. Sons of man, but in Christ were made sons of God   [1 Jn. 3:1]
6. Hell bound, but in Christ were made to sit in heavenly places   [Eph. 2:6]
7. Mortal, but in Christ were made immortal   [2 Tim. 1:8-10]
8. Poor, but in Christ were made rich   [2 Cor. 8:9]
9. Lower than the angels, but in Christ were made joint heirs   [Rom.8:17; Heb.2:5-12]