we derive from him a corrupt and enfeebled nature. Christ is the cause of life, because his righteousness is the judicial ground of our justification ; and because we derive from him the Holy Ghost, which is the source of hfe both to the soul and body. Comp. Rom. 8, 9-11.
That the word all in the latter part of this verse is to be restricted to all behevers (or rather, to all the people of Christ, as infants are included) is plain, 1. Because the word in both clauses is limited. It is the all who are in Adam that die ; and the all who are in Christ who are made alive. As union with Christ is made the ground of the communication of life here spoken of, it can be extended only to those who are in him. But accordiug to the constant representation of the Scriptures, none are in him but his own people. " If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," 2 Cor. 5, 17. 2. Because the verb (^(ooTrotcw) here found is never used of the wicked. Whenever employed in reference to the work of Christ it always means to communicate to them that life of which he is the source, John 5, 21. 6, 63. Rom. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 15, 45. Gal. 3, 21. The real meaning of the verse therefore, is, * As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall aU be made partakers of a glorious and everlasting life.' Unless, therefore, the Bible teaches that all men are in Christ, and that all through him partake of eternal life, the passage must be restricted to his own people. 3. Because, although Paul elsewhere speaks of a general resurrection both of the just and of the unjust. Acts 24, 15, yet, throughout this chapter he speaks only of the resurrection of the righteous. 4. Because, in the parallel passage in Rom. 5, 12-21, the same limitation must be made. In V. 18 of that chapter it is said, "As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life." That is, as for the offence of Adam all men were condemned, so for the righteousness of Christ all men are justified. The context and the analogy of Scripture require us to understand this to mean, as all who are in Adam are condemned, so all who are in Christ are justified. No historical Christian church has ever held that all men indis- criminately are justified. For whom God' justifies them he also glorifies, Rom. 8, 30.
There are two other interpretations of this verse. Accord- ing to one, the verb, shall be made alive, is taken to mean no more than shall be raised from the dead. But this, as already