" In the flesh," it seems to me, is the state of every unconverted person. It is simply, man's state by nature. It does not mean his physical state as in the body, but his moral state of alienation and opposition to God, and can only be true of the unconverted (Rom. 7:5; 8:8).

" In the Spirit," is the state of every soul indwelt by the Holy Ghost (Rom. 8:9), and is in contrast to being "in the flesh."

"Fleshly" or "carnal" (see i Cor. 3:i, 3, New Trans) is, when a Christian (who is " not in the flesh but in the Spirit," Rom. 8:9) is walking according to the flesh, instead of according to the Spirit.

" Spiritual," is the manifestation of being "in the Spirit," and is in contrast to "fleshly."

The Corinthians were "in the Spirit," and not "in the flesh," for they were indwelt by the Holy Ghost
(chap. 6:19) but Paul could not speak to them "as unto spiritual," but "as unto fleshly " (chap. 3:i, 3). This shows clearly that "in the Spirit" and " spiritual" cannot be the same thing, nor can "in the flesh "and "fleshly" be the same; and, to me at least this is a great help.

Then "in Adam" and "in Christ" are contrasts, and, I judge, have nothing to do with the reception of the Spirit as an indwelling Person, though if one is in Christ he must necessarily be also "in the Spirit." But we do not come to be "in Christ" by the reception of the Spirit, but by life. A family oneness, or a race, is constituted by the reception of the same life by all the members from him who is its head.

A man is "in Adam" by the fact that he is a human being, born into this world, and partaker of the same life and nature in its fallen state as Adam, and so likewise he is "in the flesh." And does not the correlative truth hold good? I am "in Christ" by a new birth which identifies me with the new family -God's family-children of God:and which likewise associates me with the Head of a new race as being- part of that race. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Man and Last Adam, is the Head of the new race, and as quickened by Him, and possessing life in Him, I am part of the new race and thus "in Christ."

The question then arises, do we receive the Spirit at new birth? or is there something more to be believed and to take place before that blessing can be ours ?* Let us look at it thus. *The operation of the Spirit in producing the new life is not in question just now; all agree as to that.* Do we get eternal life at new birth? Surely we do! There are not three kinds of life and each obtained in different ways, (1) natural life, (2) new birth life (of some undefined kind or character), and (3) eternal life as a further thing. With the Gospel and Epistles of John in our hands we cannot believe such foolish assertions. We therefore believe that we receive at new birth a new life, and that life is eternal life. Are we forgiven at new birth ?We should again say, Yes, surely! We cannot conceive of an unforgiven child of God! Then can we have life and forgiveness without the Spirit? We are compelled to say, No! Then that settles the question. All else is merely a matter of knowledge or experience. Difficulties may crowd in, but they belong to knowledge or experience and not to the fact as to what God has given, and given as the fruit of the sacrifice of His beloved Son on the cross, and which is the portion of all the family of God in this day of grace irrespective of their intelligence.

We may be reminded of people who evidence new birth and yet cannot say they are forgiven or saved. Well, the question would be, Have we any right to acknowledge such as born again while in that state? If we have, then we have an equal right to believe that all Christian blessings belong to them – that they are theirs, though they have not as yet learnt it so as to rejoice in the fact of possession of them. On the other hand, is it not just possible that these cases may be mere religiousness, or cases of conviction which have not as yet reached to conversion ?

I know suppositions are dangerous, but let us take one for a moment. Suppose a man in that state, that is, born again but not yet indwelt by the Spirit, and dying suddenly; would he go to heaven ? I shall be told that God would give him the Spirit ere He took him because the Body of Christ is being formed and every one born again in this dispensation must be in it. But how could God give him the Spirit if the possession of that gift depends on his having believed in the forgiveness of his sins and the man had not believed that?

It seems to me that Scripture joins faith and new birth and every other Christian blessing, now that we are in the full light of Christianity, and does not suppose a new birth apart from faith and the possession of all else that goes with it. " Of His own will begat He us by the word of truth" (James 1:18). '' Born again . . by the word . . which by the gospel is preached unto you" (i Peter 1:23, 25). "Born of water and the Spirit" (John 3:5). If then there is faith to produce new birth, or if you like to reverse it and say, new birth to produce faith, then surely there must be forgiveness along with it, if Scripture is to be our guide, seeing Col. 2:13 connects quickening with forgiveness. And if so, then the indwelling of the Spirit likewise goes with it, for this last blessing is given " to all them that obey God " (Acts 5:32).

The knowledge of, and enjoyment of these things, of course, is another thing. We learn them gradually as they are ministered to us by the Spirit through the Word; but not, surely, that we only get them separately in that way. That would be to make the reception of them depend on our intelligence, and not on the value of Christ's sacrifice which has procured them for us. '' All things are yours, for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's," but I have to learn what I have got in and with Him. I got the casket containing all the jewels when I got Christ; I have to find out what is in it, but they are mine to start with. It is said by some that we are "in Christ" by the indwelling Spirit. But what then becomes of all the saints before the cross and after the Church is gone? The reply given is,'' Scripture is silent as to how they will come to be 'in Christ.'"But is this so? Scripture does not, that I am aware of, speak of two ways in which that blessing can be effected, and if that view be correct, then all saints must receive the Spirit as an indwelling Person the same as we do, and consequently they must likewise be in the body! This, we know cannot! be.

Now there can be no question that all saints from Adam to the end of time are and will be "in Christ," for there will only be one new race with its Head "the second Man" and "last Adam."To be part of that new race then is effected, not by the indwelling Spirit, but by having the life of Him who is its Head. All saints have and will have that, and so will be equally part of the new race. Saints in this dispensation alone have the indwelling Spirit and form the body, and are distinct from all others in that respect.
Saints before the cross had life and were therefore in the Son, the source, or if I might use the word, the reservoir of it-life was ever in the Son. '' In Him was life." It is not a question of how much they knew or understood about it, it is the fact. Life in Him must have put them in Him, so that when the Son came into the world, and died, and went on high, and was "made Lord and Christ," they were then necessarily in Him who was now Christ, and are thus "in Christ," just as we are, and as all saints in a future day will be. That none in the past dispensation had the indwelling Spirit, John 7:39 makes evident, and none will in the future. It is peculiar to the Church as the body of Christ and to Christianity. But all saints have the same life-His life, and therefore can and will be "in Christ" and form the one new race of which He is the Head and which abides forever, in contrast to the fallen race which passes away. Wm. Easton