Scripture Reading: Gen. 2:18-24; Eph. 5:23-32; John 3:29; Rev. 22:17
Ⅰ
The first couple in the Bible, Adam and Eve, presents a significant and complete picture of Christ and the church—Gen. 2:23:
A
God did not create man and woman at the same time and in the same way:
１
God formed man's body from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul—v. 7.
２
While Adam slept, the Lord took one of Adam's ribs and used it for the building of a woman—vv. 21-22.
B
In life, nature, and form the woman was the same as the man; therefore, when God brought the woman to Adam, he exclaimed, "This time this is bone of my bones / And flesh of my flesh" (v. 23a); Adam knew that at last he had found his counterpart (v. 23b).
Ⅱ
The church as the counterpart of Christ is typified by Eve as the counter-part of Adam—vv. 18-24; Eph. 5:23-32:
A
Eve was a part of Adam—Gen. 2:23a:
１
In typology this indicates that the church is a part of Christ; the church is nothing less than Christ Himself—1 Cor. 12:12.
２
The church, Christ's counterpart, is the element of Christ in the believers—Col. 1:27; 3:4, 10-11:
ａ
The church is not a composition of people of different races, nation-alities, and cultures; on the contrary, the church is the totality of the Christ who is in all the believers—Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20; 4:19.
ｂ
Although we are regenerated persons, if we live and act according to the natural man, we are not in reality members of Christ, parts of His counterpart—1 Cor. 2:14-16; 2 Cor. 11:2-3:
⑴
A member of Christ is a person produced with the element of Christ, who is the life-giving Spirit in our spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b; 6:17.
⑵
When the Christ who dwells in His believers as the life-giving Spirit is added together, the sum equals the church, His counterpart, which is actually a part of Christ Himself—12:12.
B
Eve was a part of Adam because she came out of Adam—Gen. 2:22a:
１
The church as the counterpart of Christ is a part of Christ because she came out of Christ—John 19:31-33, 36.
２
The rib, the bone, in Genesis 2:21 is a type of the Lord's resurrection life—the unbreakable, indestructible, eternal life of Christ—Heb. 7:16; John 11:25:
ａ
This life flowed out of His pierced side to impart life to His believers for the producing and building up of the church as His counterpart—19:34.
ｂ
This unbreakable resurrection life is for the producing of the spiritual Eve, the spiritual wife to match Christ—Rev. 19:7; 21:9-10.
C
After Eve came out of Adam, she returned to Adam—Gen. 2:22b:
１
This indicates that the church, which is a part of Christ and which has come out of Christ, returns to Christ—Eph. 5:27.
２
Only that which comes out of Christ can be recognized by Christ and return to Christ and match Him; only that which comes out of the resur-rection life of Christ can be His counterpart—vv. 25, 30.
D
Eve was taken out of Adam and returned to Adam so that the two of them might become one flesh—Gen. 2:24:
１
This is a figure of God in Christ as the Husband and His redeemed people as His counterpart being joined as one—Rev. 22:17.
２
In typology, Adam and Eve became one flesh; in reality, Christ and the church are one spirit, because he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit—1 Cor. 6:17.
３
Together Adam and Eve made a complete unit; in the same principle, Christ and the church make a complete unit—Eph. 5:32.
E
Eve possessed the life and nature of Adam—Gen. 2:21-22:
１
This signifies that the church has the same life and nature as Christ—Col. 3:4; 2 Pet. 1:4.
２
In order to match Christ as His counterpart, we need to be one with Christ in life and nature; this means that Christ and the church as one unit have the same life and nature—John 3:15, 29; 2 Pet. 1:4.
３
Because the church is the counterpart of Christ, we who compose the church need to experience Christ as our life and partake of His divine nature—Col. 3:4, 10-11; 2 Pet. 1:4.
F
Eve had the image and stature of Adam—Gen. 1:26; 5:1-2:
１
This indicates that the church bears the same image as Christ—Col. 3:10.
２
The fact that Eve was nearly the same in stature as Adam indicates that the church should have the same stature as Christ—Eph. 4:13.
３
In order to be Christ's counterpart, we need to be transformed into the image of Christ and be fully grown until we arrive at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ—2 Cor. 3:18; Eph. 4:13.
G
Eve was Adam's counterpart, his complement, to match him—Gen. 2:18-20:
１
This signifies that the result of Christ's death to release the divine life (John 19:34) is that He has obtained the church as His counterpart to match Him—Eph. 5:27, 30, 32.
２
Now God is no longer alone, for Christ has obtained a counterpart to match Him—John 3:29; Rev. 19:7; 21:9-10.