Yes—Scripture consistently places the natural before the spiritual, with the spiritual following afterward.
Paul states plainly that the spiritual was not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual (1 Corinthians 15:46). Les Feldick calls this one of the laws of Scripture, tracing it from Adam and Christ through Cain/Abel, Ishmael/Isaac, Esau/Jacob, Saul/David, and even the Antichrist before Christ. He also applies it to each believer: we begin as natural and become spiritual.
1 Corinthians 15:45-47 — Paul explicitly contrasts Adam and Christ, stating that the natural came first and the spiritual afterward, and that Adam is earthy while Christ is the Lord from heaven.
First Corinthians 15:45-47 draws a direct contrast between two men. The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The text then states that the spiritual was not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. This reveals the biblical order of the natural preceding the spiritual.
Les Feldick calls the pattern "first the natural, then the spiritual" one of the laws of Scripture. He shows this repeated order throughout the Bible: Cain the natural and Abel the spiritual, Ishmael the natural and Isaac the spiritual, Esau the natural and Jacob the spiritual, King Saul the natural and King David the spiritual, and finally the Antichrist the natural before Christ the spiritual. He also applies it personally, saying we begin as natural and become spiritual as believers.
Les points to a repeated sequence: first Cain the natural and then Abel the spiritual; first Ishmael the natural and then Isaac the spiritual; first Esau the natural and then Jacob the spiritual; first King Saul the natural and then King David the spiritual. He says this continues all the way to the end: first the Antichrist, the natural, and then Christ, the spiritual.
Les explains that Adam is natural because God created him from the dust of the earth, making him earthy. Scripture says the first man is of the earth, earthy. Christ, the second man, is the Lord from heaven—he is heavenly and spiritual. As the last Adam, he was made a quickening, life-giving spirit.
Les says that in our own experience we come into life as natural—we have no spiritual life. We begin as natural, and as believers we become spiritual. He says the process is always first the natural and then the spiritual.
Les points to the future seven-year period, saying first comes the natural—the Antichrist, the man of sin—and then comes the spiritual—the true Christ. This follows the same rule of thumb that runs all the way through Scripture.
Adam and Christ as Two Federal Heads
Les explains from 1 Corinthians 15:45-46 that Adam was a living soul while the last Adam was a life-giving spirit, and that the natural came first.
One of the Laws of Scripture
Les shows the repeated biblical pattern—Cain/Abel, Ishmael/Isaac, Esau/Jacob, Saul/David, Antichrist/Christ—and calls it a law of Scripture.
Adam Earthy; Christ Heavenly
Les explains that Adam was natural because he was made from dust, while Christ is heavenly and spiritual—the Lord from heaven.
Pattern from Genesis to Revelation
Les traces the same pattern through Cain/Abel, Esau/Jacob, and Saul/David, showing it runs from Genesis to Revelation.
Natural Then Spiritual in Personal Experience
Les applies the pattern to every person: we begin as natural with no spiritual life, and as believers we become spiritual.
Cain and Abel, Up to Antichrist
Les points out that Cain was the beginning of the natural, non-spiritual aspect of the human race, followed by the spiritual Abel, and that the sequence continues to the Antichrist and the real Christ.
Old Testament Rule Revisited
Les reminds readers of the rule of thumb he stressed in the Old Testament—first natural then spiritual—and reapplies it to Adam and Christ.
The Process Always First Natural Then Spiritual
Les highlights that throughout Scripture the process is always first the natural then the spiritual, with Adam and Christ as the clearest example.
1 Corinthians 15:45: And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
This contrasts the first Adam, a living soul, with the last Adam, Christ, who is a life-giving spirit.
1 Corinthians 15:46: Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
This is the direct scriptural statement of the order: the natural comes first, then the spiritual.
1 Corinthians 15:47: The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
This contrasts the earthy first man, Adam, with the spiritual second man, Christ, who is the Lord from heaven.
It means Scripture consistently presents the natural before the spiritual. Les Feldick calls it one of the laws of Scripture, seen in pairs like Adam/Christ, Cain/Abel, Saul/David, and even Antichrist/Christ.
Adam was made from the dust of the earth and is therefore earthy. Christ, the second man, did not come from the dust but is the Lord from heaven, and as the last Adam he is a life-giving spirit.
Les says everyone begins life as natural, with no spiritual life, and as believers become spiritual. This follows the same rule: first the natural, then the spiritual.
Watch the Teaching: Christ the Firstfruits: Resurrection Explained Verse by Verse