The risen Christ is the new man.  In him the new humanity comes into existence according to God’s eternal purpose.  God’s intention was always to create this unique human in whom all other humans would share in his communion with the Father in the Spirit.  Adam was a mere type of this true man, a shadow.  Before Adam was made, God chose his own Son to be the true man in whom his purpose for humanity would be accomplished.

In the outworking of this purpose Jesus is the turning of the ages.  His dying brought an end to the old Adamic age under the power of sin and death.  His rising brought into existence a new age of freedom and life in God.  That means a radical shift in the human situation.  The old has gone; the new has come.

By the Spirit, we now share in the joy and freedom of the new humanity together.  And in doing so we openly and confidently bear witness to the reality of the new humanity that came into existence when Jesus was raised to newness of life.

We cannot pride ourselves in this newness because we found it exclusively in him. And only when he found us in pure grace.  So we never forget for a single moment that we are new humanity only in union with that true man who is different from us. We are also aware that our knowledge and experience of new humanity will continually grow only as we are focussed entirely on this one.  We, therefore, do not look aside to any other.