Although Christ's human form was strong and untouched by sin, He nonetheless embraced sin and took on our weaknesses despite being free from suffering. Let us heed these prophetic words: Surely He has borne our griefs... He will faithfully bring forth justice (Isaiah 53:4; 42:3). He adopted this very flesh, as the Apostle teaches: This corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:53). Conceived by the Virgin through the Holy Spirit, He is the Son of Man, for the Virgin belongs to humanity, and what is born of the flesh is flesh (John 3:6); thus, the offspring of man is indeed man, serving as the sole mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5). He, being imperishable, took on flesh to render it imperishable. He, being immortal, took on flesh to grant it immortality. Whoever follows Him will be clothed in immortality, and whoever obeys His will shall not face eternal death (John 11:26), for Christ will declare, ‘Verily I say unto you, Today you shall be with Me in paradise’ (Luke 23:43). What does ‘today’ signify? It indicates, ‘You have emerged from the darkness; together, you will dwell in the light! Those who have been embraced by the eternal Light should not fear the shadows.’ He beautifully affirms, You shall be with Me in Paradise, signifying: you have nothing to fear in the flesh, for you have seen Me in the flesh. ‘Do not fear being cast out of paradise as Adam was! Know that you will be with Me; in My presence, you cannot falter.’ The flesh in paradise had previously fallen prior to its acceptance by Christ. You will be where He who embraced you is present. He speaks true when He asserts, Where I am, there they shall be with Me (John 17:24). The Good Shepherd will not abandon His fold, and fear not the wolves in paradise. It was proclaimed, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). Thus, the adversary has been vanquished even before final judgment; he is bound in everlasting chains, freeing you from further deception. Adam fell due to the serpent’s deceit and the enticement of his wife. Therefore, there is no marriage in paradise, for all will exist without the unions of marriage, akin to angels in heaven (Matt. 22:30). God did not promise Adam, ‘You shall be with Me,’ as He foreknew Adam would succumb and require redemption through Christ. A blessed fall, now restored for the better, emerges because the Good Shepherd and the faithful Merchant do not abandon their flock and their treasures. The battle with the serpent will continue in Paradise until he is cast down, yet those who are united with Christ need not fear! Adam was separate from Christ when he was beguiled; had he been with Christ, he would have remained steadfast in faith and not fallen. Adam’s failure stemmed from his refusal to abide in Christ’s Word. Recognize who perseveres in Christ: If you abide in Me and My words abide in you, whatever you desire will be granted to you (John 15:7). Furthermore: If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love (John 15:10). Do you wish to comprehend why Adam is not united with Christ? The Lord called out to him, Adam, where are you? (Gen. 3:9) — seeking him as if he were absent. He would not have asked, Where are you? had He counted Adam as remaining in Him. We learn who caused Adam’s concealment: They hid themselves from the presence of the Lord (Gen. 3:8). Christ observes all: whoever tries to hide remains hidden; the uncomprehending are lost in misunderstanding (1 Cor. 14:38); the Lord recognizes His own (2 Tim. 2:19). The Lord desires all He has created to belong to Him. Oh man, if only you would not flee and conceal yourself from Christ! He actively seeks out those who have strayed, wishing not for their destruction, but calling, ‘Adam, where are you? I placed you in the light, yet you pursue darkness.’ In paradise, where morning is perpetual, evening falls because all sin casts a shadow, as the Scripture notes: They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise in the evening (Gen. 3:8). Grasp this mystery: you sinned in the morning but were freed by evening. Can evening exist where Christ reigns? Though He resides above the heavens, He is present within His saints. Can evening exist where God dwells? For God is light (1 John 1:5). A brilliant light illuminated Saul's path when Christ encountered him, and this divine radiance blinded the persecutor. Why was Saul blinded? Because he failed to recognize Christ! Had he identified the Lord of Light, his sight would not have dimmed. Upon realizing the truth, he accepted Him. His unawareness is evidenced in his inquiry when he heard the voice, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ Saul responded, Who are You, Lord? (Acts 9:4-5). He would not have asked had he known the Lord! The Lord addressed him as one unknowing, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting; it is hard for you to kick against the pricks’ (Acts 9:5). Saul exclaimed, ‘Lord, what shall I do?’ Consider how fitting the teaching is for both. The healer may impose treatment, compelling change for recovery. The afflicted seek the healer, discerning whether He is capable and worthy of curing them. When Saul recognized the Creator of healing, he sought the remedy and discovered salvation. Saul not only emerged from his blindness but also attained a light he had not previously known; he saw Christ for the first time. Let us reflect further, echoing the significant declaration: Behold, I come... I have desired to do Thy will, O my God, and Thy LAW IS IN MY HEART. I HAVE DECLARED THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IN THE GREAT ASSEMBLY. Behold, I will NOT HIDE my lips. Thou, O LORD, knowest. My truth I have not concealed in my heart (Psalm 39:8-11). From this text, it is evident: Behold, I go to fulfill not only Your will but also to write Your law in My heart. Certain manuscripts contain the phrase in My womb because it is the intellect's womb that nurtures the seeds of understanding. Isaiah spoke to this: We have received and birthed the spirit of salvation (Isa. 26:18). Paul, too, draws from this womb: My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you (Gal. 4:19). Thus, Christ is conceived not only in the body but within the soul! From this womb, the apostle brought forth life, as it is written: I have begotten you through the gospel (1 Cor. 4:15). This explains why some manuscripts read in the heart and others in the womb, illustrating that we are discussing the womb of the inner person which resides in the heart. Within it, we uphold the precepts of natural law. These precepts are not merely retained but birthed anew in our hearts. Therefore, it is declared that not merely the hearers of the law are justified before God, but those who act upon the law will also be vindicated (Rom. 2:13). There are those who naturally fulfill the law, such as the Gentiles, who, without knowing the law, adhere to it intuitively. Thus, the psalm illustrates that as the gatherer of the Gentile nations, Christ took on our humanity, asserting that He fulfills the law in His heart. For the Gentile nations, unaware of the law, still recognized Christ, whom the Jewish people, recipients of the law, failed to acknowledge, thinking they need not understand, as it is written, The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master's crib, but Israel does not know Me (Isaiah 1:3). This represents the womb of believers, in which the Holy Spirit operates, sowing spiritual seeds, as the Lord Jesus proclaims in the Gospel: Whoever believes in Me, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water, as the Scripture asserts (John 7:38). From this river, streams flow that rejoice the city of God (Psalm 46:4). From those streams arise spiritual waters, aptly described: The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods lift up their voices from the noise of many waters (Psalm 93:3), extolling God above the heavens.
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