Where in Scripture do you see the pattern of first the natural and then the spiritual?
Scripture consistently reveals first the natural, then the spiritual. Paul notes this in verse 46, and it appears in Cain before Abel, Ishmael before Isaac, Esau before Jacob, Saul before David, and Antichrist before Christ. This is one of the laws of Scripture.
Les teaches that this is one of the rules of God in His manifestation with the human race, and that all through Scripture you have first the natural, then the spiritual. He gives examples: Cain then Abel, Ishmael then Isaac, Esau then Jacob, King Saul then King David, and finally the Antichrist then the true Christ. Paul makes mention of this in verse 46, and Les calls it one of the laws of Scripture. Verse 47 then describes the first man as of the earth, earthy—that was Adam.
Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
Why does the natural come before the spiritual in God's order?
The natural comes first because the first man, Adam, is of the earth, earthy, and serves as the federal head of the natural human race. Through him the race was plunged into sin, and sin precipitated death. Only afterward does the spiritual come, through the last Adam, the Lord from heaven, who is a life-giving spirit.
Where in the Bible do you see first the natural and then the spiritual?
The pattern appears all through Scripture: first the natural, then the spiritual. Paul mentions it in verse 46, and examples include Cain then Abel, Ishmael then Isaac, Esau then Jacob, Saul then David, and finally the Antichrist then the true Christ.
More Questions
What is the law of Scripture about the order of natural and spiritual?
Scripture follows the law that the natural comes first and then the spiritual.
How does the first-the-natural-then-the-spiritual pattern apply to the Antichrist and Christ?
The pattern continues to the very end of the Book, where the Antichrist, the man of sin, comes first as the natural, and then the true Christ comes as the spiritual.
Why did Paul say the natural came first and the spiritual came afterward?
Paul says in Scripture the natural Adam came first and the spiritual Christ came afterward, so the natural/spiritual order is Adam then Christ.