How do Adam and Christ illustrate the first-natural-then-spiritual pattern?
Scripture consistently follows a first-natural-then-spiritual pattern. Adam, the first man, was natural, earthy, and of the earth. Christ, called the second Adam in Romans and Corinthians, was not earthy but spiritual. Thus Adam represents the natural order, while Christ represents the spiritual order that follows.
Les teaches that all through Scripture there is a format that is never abridged: first the natural, then the spiritual, and it carries from Genesis to Revelation. He illustrates this with Adam and Christ. The first man, Adam, was natural; he was of the earth and earthy. The second Adam, as Les picks up in Romans and Corinthians, is Christ. Christ was not earthy but spiritual. So Adam stands for the natural that comes first, while Christ stands for the spiritual that follows.