Can You be Born into the Spirit World?
What you are about to read will shock you,
for it will challenge age-old concepts about the very purpose of human life. What are
you, after all? Are you—the deeply private, thinking, feeling, hoping, sensitive
human person—the real you—a "soul" imprisoned inside a
temporary physical body? Are you a reincarnation of a former life, as some believe?
What happens when you die?
In this booklet, you will see some of the most
puzzling mysteries of human existence made PLAIN. Finally, you will come to understand one
of the greatest mysteries of the universe: your own astounding human potential!
by Garner Ted Armstrong
How
long has it been since you looked up articles in major encyclopedias like the Americana,
Britannica, or World Book about yourself How long since you studied how
marvelous is your skeletal, nervous, digestive, circulatory, muscular systems; how the
human eye or ear is formed; how you see, hear, feel, walk, and talk? When did you last
study, then ponder an article about the air you breathe constantly; that incredible
substance that keeps you alive? How long since you looked up articles about water, and
saw how much of it is contained in air; in your own body?
You are a living, breathing, physical organisms
unique human being whose life is sustained by air, water and food. You are in many
ways a very strong, enduring organism, yet in others very fragile, susceptible to sickness
and disease, to accident, to death.
We all know "nothing is surer than death
and taxes, " but few seem to know what really happens at death. Our courts
often disagree on what death is and when it occurs. Those who are said to be brain
dead are kept living in a comatose state, like a vegetable, by life support systems in
hospitals. Who has not heard about sensational cases involving "the right to
die"?
We know when our hearts cease supplying
oxygen-bearing blood to the brain and our bodies, we die. Yet, for a considerable period
of time following heart stoppage, vital organs are yet alive.
Most have some concept of death. But is that
concept based on ancient mythology, on past religious training, or upon the Bible, which
is the handbook from the Creator of mankind about who we are, what we are,
and WHY we are?
We know the bible says the "wages of sin
is death" (Romans 6:23). It also says it is appointed to all men to die once, but after
this comes the judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Paul wrote, "For the wages of sin is
death: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"
(Romans 6:23). But worldly church tradition says, "No, that is not correct! You
already have immortal life—you have a soul which will live forever, either
in heaven or in hell. " But God's Word insists death and eternal life are
two opposites! The one is FINAL, the end of life!
Further, the Bible says eternal life is the
gift of God through Christ; not something inherently possessed by every person.
Job asked, "If a man die, shall he live
again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come"
(Job 14:14). Christ said....... the hour is coming ... when the dead shall hear the voice
of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live ... marvel not at this: for the hour is
coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall come forth; they that have done
good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the
resurrection of damnation judgment]" (John 5:25-29).
Paul was inspired to write....... if there be
no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen. And if Christ be not risen, then is
our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain" (I Corinthians 15:13-14). This
quotation is from the famous "resurrection chapter" where the whole subject is
thoroughly explained.
You and I know we are temporal; a
fragile, transitory life of a physical, chemical existence which can be abruptly terminated
in any number of ways. Deprive of us air, and we die. Of water, same result. Of food,
the same. It is only a matter of time in each case. By studying articles in
encyclopedias we can come to understand the incredible, miraculous creatures we are; how
we breathe, walk, talk, hear, feel, see, think, reason, react, sneeze, cough, laugh, cry,
grow older, and finally die. But in no encyclopedia can we find WHY we are
here—what is our final destiny!
Is not the most IMPORTANT information of ALL
the WHY of it all?
A signboard outside a local church near my
home proclaimed, "Those who are born of God are sure to resemble Him." I'm sure
the members of the church were pleased by the slogan; sure they were happy that thousands
of people driving by on the busy highway had to see it.
But did the pastor really understand the
words on his signboard? Before you reply in the affirmative, consider:
The first time in all history anyone heard the
phrase "born again" is recorded in John chapter 3. Jesus Christ said to
Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot
see the Kingdom of God" (John 3:3).
Who today has not heard about "born-again
Christians"? Millions believe they have been born again. The goal of thousands
of sermons is to cause people to be born again Christians. But did Jesus mean we should
have a religious experience; including believing on Jesus, asking for forgiveness
of sins, and receiving God's Holy Spirit; that this experience is "being born
again"?
Nicodemus' startled reply helps us understand
the meaning of the phrase as Jesus originally spoke it. Remember, He spoke in Aramaic, and
His words were translated into the language of John's Gospel, which was Greek. The Greek
word for "born" is gennao, from which you will no doubt recognize some of
our English words, like enGENder; GENerate, GENerations, etc.
However, as distinct from our English word
"born," the Greek gennao means the entire process of birth, including
conception, fetal development and parturition. It can be rendered either
"begotten" or "born, " depending on the context. Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance lists the word as including the following applications: "...to
procreate (prop. of the father, but by extens. of the mother); fig. to regenerate: -bear,
beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of, gender, make, spring."
Notice that the Greek expression Jesus used
could easily be translated in a number of different ways. However, from Nicodemus'
startled reply, it is obvious the rendering "born" is correct.
It is also obvious Nicodemus did not understand
Jesus' remarks in spiritual context. He did not think for one minute Jesus was talking
about the experience of "speaking in tongues," or "receiving Jesus."
Jesus used a phrase which meant literal birth. Nicodemus heard it that way. He
understood it that way. He answered by another question, which proves what Jesus'
statement had conveyed to his mind.
Nicodemus' startled retort was not deliberately
off-color. He was so amazed by Jesus' statement he merely referred to the impossibility
of what Jesus' words had conveyed to him. Read what he said. He asked how it was
possible for a grown man to enter into his mother's womb the second time, and be
"born again. " Can there be any doubt in your mind what Nicodemus
understood Jesus to say?
Why, then, don't the churches understand
that Jesus was talking about a literal rebirth; that He was not referring to some
ecstatic experience, or an emotional "acceptance" of Christ at an evangelistic
rally or church revival? The meaning of Jesus' words will come completely clear as you
read the surprising number of scriptures bearing on this most important subject.
Now, notice! Jesus plainly said "that
which is born of the flesh is flesh." You and I are physical creatures,
sustained by breathing air, eating food, drinking water. Were you born? Of course. Were
you born of flesh? Of course. Are you then, FLESH? These seem nonsensical,
don't they—ridiculous questions? Can you answer the next questions as simply?
Jesus said, "that which is born of the
spirit is spirit!" Are you composed of spirit? Of course not. Are you like the
wind, invisible, powerful, able to go quickly from place to place, unseen? Ridiculous.
Yet, Jesus said, plainly....... that which is born
of the spirit IS SPIRIT!" He explained, likening the true spiritual rebirth to
the wind, which, while exerting power; blowing "wheresoever it will," is invisible;
cannot be seen!
Now for the final question: Have you been
born again? The only answer you can give in the light of Jesus' statements is
"no," for you are yet flesh, not spirit.
Supposing you had never heard the
expression "born again" previously. If an adult said to you, "I have been born
again," you would look at him as if he were insane! You would, like Nicodemus, be
wholly puzzled by such a statement. Perhaps you would see humor in it. You might respond,
"But you couldn't have been born again, or you'd be holding a baby rattle, and
sucking your thumb!" But because you have heard the phrase many times; heard it
applied by the churches to a religious experience, you have assumed they
must know what it means.
Many years ago, an elderly lady asked me about
Jesus' statements to Nicodemus about being born again. She was a widow; had lived with her
husband, a Methodist minister, for over fifty years. All her adult life, she had been
taught that being "born again" meant a spiritual experience, "receiving
Christ...... being saved". I patiently explained the passage verse by verse,
word by word. I went through many other scriptures showing the nature of man; that a man
dies as does the beast; that all have one breath (Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).
I asked her, "Were you born of the
flesh?" She said, "Yes." I grasped my forearm-said, "I am flesh, born
of the flesh! " I touched her forearm, and said, "You are flesh, too,
aren't you?" She admitted she was.
I said, "I am not spirit—for I
am visible. You are not composed of spirit, for I can see you. We are
both composed of flesh!
I then painstakingly went through Jesus'
statement, "That which is born of the Spirit IS SPIRIT"; showed how
spirit is invisible; reminded her how Jesus was able to materialize and
dematerialize through stone walls following His resurrection. I explained that Christ had
been changed from flesh to spirit at the resurrection; showed her that Christ is called
the "firstborn among many brethren.
1 finally posed the question: "So have you
yet been born of the Spirit?"
Her answer? "Oh, yes! Praise the
Lord!"
I was shocked, but taught a valuable lesson. I
learned that some human minds are closed to the truth of God; that years of
false teaching, continuously reinforced, cannot be dislodged no matter how clearly and
logically the truth is presented.
This dear lady could not see the truth—f
or it would have meant repudiating all those sermons her beloved husband had given to the
contrary.
I doubt anyone could have explained those
simple texts any more patiently or clearly. What about you? Can you see the truth right
before your eyes, in your own Bible? The answer will be evident by the time you finish
reading.
The Bible describes a begettal prior to
the final spiritual birth—In exactly the same fashion as God designed human
reproduction! Creation was not completed with the Garden of Eden, it was only begun.
Almost no one understands the awesome plan of God; the great purpose He is working
out on this earth. Almighty God is reproducing after His own kind! Even as we human
beings were first conceived, and then, following nine months of fetal development,
born as little babies, so each child of God is first begotten of God through His
Holy Spirit, trained, taught, put through trials and temptations, then finally born of
God, either through the resurrection from the dead, or through being instantaneously
changed from flesh to spirit at the coming of Christ (I Corinthians 15:50-52).
Jesus Christ was the very first human being
to be begotten of God. Paul wrote that Christ was "...the image of the invisible God,
the first born of every creature [Greek: Prototokos; first begotten or
firstborn]: For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before [both in
time, and supremacy] all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the Head of the
body, the church: who is the Beginning, the First born from the dead, that in all
things He might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:15-17).
Paul wrote to the Hebrews, "And again,
when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, 'And let all the
angels of God worship Him' " (Hebrews 1:6).
Christ is the Author of salvation; the first
human being—God in human flesh—Who had the indwelling presence, without measure,
from the time of His birth, of the Holy Spirit of God the Father.
Not only was Christ the first human begotten
of God; He was the first born of God....... now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the firstfruits of them that slept [those who died]. For since by man came
death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits,
afterward [not a moment before] they that are Christs [those who are converted
Christians] at His coming (I Corinthians 15:20-23). Please note that scripture very
carefully! When will the dead in Christ finally become born of God? Not
until the moment of Christ's Second Coming!
Following His resurrection, Christ manifested
Himself to His shocked, unwilling disciples many times. He walked through walls; suddenly
materialized before their startled eyes (John 20:19). Even as He said to Nicodemus, He was
now "like the wind, " with Divine power; able to become invisible. He had
been born of God. He had been changed by the power of God, through His
resurrection, from human flesh to Divine Spirit!
God says, "There is one glory of the sun,
and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from
another star in glory.
"So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; [flesh, subject to decay] it is raised in incorruption [Spirit]:
it is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is
raised in power. It is sown [placed in the grave] a natural [fleshly] body; it is
raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body ["that which is born of flesh is
flesh"] and there is a spiritual body ["that which is born of the
spirit is spirit"] ... and as we have borne the image of the earthy
[born of our fleshly parents], we shall also bear the image of the heavenly [born of
God, changed from flesh into SPIRIT!] .
"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall
not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of
an eye, at the last trump, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be CHANGED" (I Corinthians 15:41-52).
Study those words carefully! You see how
perfectly they help explain Jesus' words to Nicodemus? God's Word does not portray a
"soul" leaving the body, wafting off to heaven or some place in
"purgatory." Instead, the Bible reveals a resurrection will take place;
that human flesh will be changed into spirit. As Christ told Nicodemus, you and I have
been born of earthly parents. We are weak, subject to physical debility and death. But
when we shall be born of the Spirit, we shall become Spirit—shall
become composed of Spirit! So says your Bible!
Recently, a friend told me, "I consider
myself a 'born-again' Christian... " This person is not a member of God's church;
uses profanity, smokes, drinks to excess, and pursues the materialistic goals of this
world. While he would be embarrassed to label himself a "sinner," he freely
tramples underfoot God's Ten Commandments. Certainly, he is not exemplary of all those who
claim to be "born again." Yet, he had, at some time or other in his life, gone
through the usual experience of "receiving Christ," perhaps at a revival, or
evangelistic campaign. In his own mind, he considers himself to be a "born-again
Christian," because, while he does know he needs to obey God; to quit
sinning by using profanity, smoking, Sabbath-breaking, etc., he believes on Jesus.
To him, he is "born again."
Yet, this man has never understood what is
sin (I John 3:4); that he is commanded to "repent, and be baptized," for the
receiving of God's Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). God says His Spirit is given to those who obey
Him (Acts 5:32).
What does the Bible say about receiving God's
Holy Spirit? Paul wrote, "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of His" (Romans 8:9).
These are not my words, but the Holy Word of
God. Do you own a Cadillac? You either do, or you do not. If you do, then it is a fact that
you own and drive a Cadillac. If you do not, then it is a fact that you do not! Do
you have the Spirit of Christ? It is a fact if you do, and it is a fact if you do not. It
is an absolute that you either have God's Spirit or you do not! Owning a
Cadillac is not some fanciful state of mind. It is not the way you "think. "
Being begotten of God, possessing His Holy Spirit within you, is not some
"idea" or mind set; it is not the way you think or reason. Either you have God's
Spirit, or you do not.
Suppose you have purchased a new home. You wish
to have power supplied to the home to run your electrical appliances. How do you receive
power in your home? Do you go to the living room, sit on the couch, and then "think
up" power? Do you set your mind in a certain way, and, presto, the lights come
on? Do you get into a certain mood, or wish for it hard enough? Do you
"tarry," holding up your hands, praying?
Ridiculous? Of course. You go to the utility
company, deposit a check, and they turn on the power supply to your new home.
If you have the power of God's Holy Spirit
actually lodged within your brain, connected to the human spirit God gave you at birth,
then you have power supplied from God. You do not receive this power by inducing a
righteous "mood," or setting your mind, or "believing"! Christ gives
several required, distinctive steps by which you may receive God's Spirit.
The Bible answers: "Repent, and
he baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
He told His disciples ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you..." (Acts 1:8).
If there is any such thing as a
"formula" for salvation, this is it! It consists of three distinct parts, each
of which requires deep understanding. There is no OTHER "formula" for
salvation—no short cuts—no special individuals who find salvation in some
other way. Some will argue, "But doesn't the Bible say you must believe on
Jesus and be saved?" Yes, it does, but your Bible does not contradict itself. It
stands or falls on any one of its parts. The Bible says you must accept Christ; that you
must not only believe He is the Son of God, but that you must BELIEVE Christ—believe what
He said is true. But simple "belief" is not enough! The devil is a
"believer. " He knows Christ is the Son of God. He knows Christ
died on the stake for the sins of man, for Satan helped engineer His death. He was present,
having entered into Judas Iscariot to betray Christ. Does that "belief mean the
devil is "saved"? Blasphemous! Ridiculous! As you see clearly, BELIEF is not
enough (James 2:19).
Now, let's come to understand that three-part
formula for salvation!
Peter said, "repent, and be
baptized To repent means to be deeply contrite and heart-broken over one's sins. It means
self revulsion and the desire to be absolved of guilt through Christ's sacrifice!
John the Baptist, who came preparing the way
for Christ's first coming, preached a message of repentance. "In those days came John
the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, and saying, repent ye, for the Kingdom
of Heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:1-2).
At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry,
"… Jesus began to preach, and to say, 'REPENT, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at
hand' " (Matthew 4:17). Christ commands us to repent of our sins; the sins which took
His life! We repent when we see ourselves in clear contrast to CHRIST; see His
wondrous example, His beautiful life, His flawless perfection in contrast to our filthy,
unspeakable sins, our wretched attitudes, our selfishness, vanity, and personal ego.
Christ commanded us to repent, then said it is
urgent we do so because "the Kingdom of Heaven" is at hand! The other Synoptic
Gospels render this statement, "The Kingdom of God is at hand," for it is not
the kingdom which is "in" heaven any more than it is the kingdom which is
"in" God; but the kingdom which is ruled from heaven, coming down from
God out of heaven (Revelation 21:2-4). The Kingdom will rule ON EARTH! (Revelation 20:4;
5: 10; Isaiah 2:3,4; 11:1-9; Micah 4; Zechariah 14:1-9).
Your dictionary says to repent means:
"To feel sorry or self-reproachful for what one has done or failed to do; be
conscience stricken or contrite."
Jesus said, "I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance!" (Luke 5:32). When He commissioned His
disciples, He said, "…Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins
[forgiveness of lawbreaking] should be preached in His name among all nations
…." (Luke 24:46-47).
To repent means to be deeply broken up, to be
heartsick, conscience stricken over having sinned against God! All sin is against
God. David prayed, "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned..." (Psalm 51:4),
even though he was repenting because of the murder of Uriah, and adultery with Bathsheba.
And what is sin? Let your Bible answer:
"Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for SIN IS THE TRANSGRESSION OF
THE LAW!" (I John 3:45).
Christ magnified the Ten Commandments;
lifted the "letter" of the law to a spiritual plane, showing that the law is
binding not only on human acts, but on human thought. Where it had been a sin to kill, now
Christ said it was the equivalent of murder if you hate a fellow human being! Study the
fifth, sixth, and seventh chapters of Matthew, and see the many examples of how Christ
applied the intent of the law, not just the letter. Jesus said, "Ye have heard that
it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, that
whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in
his heart (Matthew 5:27-28). Which is the more binding: the "letter"
of the law which made it a sin to complete the act, or the "spiritual intent" of
the law which makes it a sin to lust about the act?
Unless one repents, with the mind and
intellect as well as with the "heart," or the emotions; unless one realizes,
fully, WHY we are to repent; to repent of doing WHAT—then it is absolutely impossible
to receive the Holy Spirit of God!
Baptism is the second step in a three-part
formula, as it were, for salvation. CHRIST is the central figure in the rite of baptism.
The Greek word baptizo means to
"plunge into," or "to immerse.
Paul wrote, "Know ye not, that so many of
us as were baptized [plunged into water; immersed] into Jesus Christ were baptized into
His death? [In a figure of His death] Therefore we are BURIED with Him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father,
even so we also should walk [live] in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). Notice
carefully that baptism is a symbol of burial of a dead person, and the repentant
sinner is lowered into water; completely covered by water, even as a body is buried
in the earth.
Dead people are not stood against a tree, only
to have a clergyman walk by, toss a handful of dirt into their face, and declare them
"buried. "
The popular concept of "sprinkling"
and calling it "baptism" is as ludicrous as "sprinkling" dirt on a
dead body! "Pouring" is equally ridiculous—and is totally unauthorized, as
a method of "baptism." The practice of "christening" infants is
absolutely ridiculous in the light of God's Word concerning baptism. Baptism is not for
children. It is to be done only after a mature human being has come to understand WHAT
IS SIN; deeply repent of that sin; understand the enormity of Christ's sacrifice;
ask God to apply that blood sacrifice to atone for the sinner's life, and then be baptized
in humble obedience, understanding the sinner's very life is now forfeit; that he or she
is considered dead because of sin, but alive in Christ!
When we repent of sin, we realize the wages of
sin is death; that we have become worthy of the death penalty because of our sins. Then,
we look to Jesus Christ in heartbroken contrition, calling out to God the Father in self
revulsion and repentance, asking God, in His limitless mercy, to allow the shed blood of
His precious Son and our Savior to be applied to us. We come to realize our sins
caused the death of Christ; that He died because of sin; that He died in our stead,
so we do not have to die. We know we richly deserve the death penalty for our sins,
and we experience an inestimable feeling of relief, of joyous gratitude that God is so merciful
He allowed His own Son to die for us!
We then willingly approach the baptismal pool
in the most sober, repentant manner; keenly aware that the rite of baptism pictures our
human life forfeit; being "covered up," but only with water as a symbol,
not with six feet of earth; that just as Christ was buried in a tomb for three days
and three nights, so we now, through baptism, are momentarily picturing burial of the old
self, as well as the "washing of water by the Word," the figurative
"washing away" of our sins.
Jesus Christ Himself, though not needing
baptism, was baptized to set us an example! "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan
unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized
of Thee, and comes Thou to me?
"And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer
it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness ... and Jesus, when
He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water [notice He was down in the water;
had been immersed]: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of
God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: and to a voice from heaven, saying,
'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' " (Matthew 3:13-17).
On the Day of Pentecost following Christ's
resurrection, Peter witnessed powerfully of the fact that Christ had indeed risen from
the dead. Those who saw and heard the miracles were deeply convicted. The scripture we are
analyzing, Acts 2:38, as a formula for salvation is Peter's command to those
thousands who heard him on that day. God's Word says, "Then they that gladly received
his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls" (Acts 2:41).
Think about it! These people had killed
Christ! Yet, God, in His limitless mercy, was offering them repentance! You
see, even repentance comes as a gift from God! It is not something we
produce out of our own sorrow, or our own goodness, but a gift, granted of God! Notice:
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy
rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away" (Isaiah 64:6).
When Peter learned the meaning of the vision
concerning the house of Cornelius, and explained it to the Jewish faction in Jerusalem,
they finally "held their peace, and glorified God, saying, 'Then hath God also to the
Gentiles granted repentance unto life' " (Acts 11: 18).
Jesus said, "No man can come unto me
[repent, be baptized, and receive God's Spirit] except the Father which hath sent me draw
him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:44). Later, explaining, He
said ".... there are some of you that believe not ... Therefore said I unto you, that
no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father"
(John 6:65).
Do you see? Even coming unto Christ; feeling
that shame, remorse, and self-revulsion at the knowledge of the greatness of your sins
even that emotion is a gift from God—something God grants!
Now, back to our verse in Acts, the second
chapter. The convicted Jewish citizens who repented experienced shock, fear,
self-revulsion—they became deeply heartsick over what they had done! That's
the first step in repentance! Peter and the other apostles' powerful messages came
smashing into their consciences like an avalanche, cutting deeply into their minds like a
powerful, two-edged sword! Then, when they heard the enormity of their sin—when they
were convicted of their terrible sin—realized they could be baptized, as an
outward symbol of death and burial (for sin results in death) they were joyous!
Notice! "For when we were without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will
one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die... (Romans 5:8).
There were many Medal of Honor recipients on
Iwo Jima during World War II. Several times during that battle, Marines flung themselves
over grenades, smothering them with their own bodies to save their comrades! One man flung
himself on a grenade, shouting out a warning, just as a second grenade came rolling
down into the shell hole where he and his buddies were crouching. Quickly, he grabbed it,
stuffed it under him. Immediately, both went off, killing him instantly! Though
injured, his buddies survived.
Such tales of heroism are not
commonplace—but they do happen. It's true; mothers have died to save children; a
friend has died to save a friend. But do people die to save an enemy? Do men give
their lives to save people who are trying to kill them?
But God says, "But God commendeth His love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners CHRIST DIED FOR US! Much more
then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when
we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being
reconciled, we shall be saved by His life!
Can we even begin to grasp the great
goodness, the generosity, the benevolent mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His Father
and ours? Here was Peter and the rest of the apostles, offering repentance to the
very ones who, only fifty some days earlier, had participated in the death of
Christ!
What most of us do not realize is that we,
too, are guilty of the blood of Christ, because sin brings death! God says,
"For the wages of sin is DEATH; but the gift of God is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Here are two opposites. You do not have
eternal life inherent within you! It is the gift of God!
Since the wages of sin is DEATH, and God says,
"For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), that
means each one of us have come under the penalty of the law, which is DEATH! It is NOT
"eternal life" in some other place, like a supposed ever-burning fire,
but DEATH!
Everybody dies eventually. As Solomon wrote,
"For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth
them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man
hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity" (Ecclesiastes 3:19).
The Bible says the wages of sin is death. But
the result of sin is not just the "first death," which is common to all, but death
for all eternity—death by the horrifying method of FIRE as punishment for sin!
You and I are human beings, subject to aging
and death. Each day, thousands die. Millions starve to death every year; tens of thousands
perish in wars, through disease, or accidents. But these deaths, whether occurring in
impoverished "third-world" countries, or among your own family and loved ones,
are not the penalty for sin. While it is true sin may cause death (as in the
case of murder, drunken driving, etc.), the first death is not the penalty for sin. Here
is proof from God's Word:
"And as it is appointed unto men once
to die, but after this the judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). Yes, the day of judgment
is to come after the first death, no matter the cause.
John writes: "And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls [Greek: psuche, meaning
"lives"] of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the Word
of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received
his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years
were finished..." (Revelation 20:4-5). "
Here, we see the resurrected saints, converted
Christians who are resurrected at Christ's coming (I Corinthians 15:50-52; 1
Thessalonians 4:14-17) reigning with Christ (Revelation 2:26; 3:21) for one
thousand years, during what is commonly called "the Millennium." And who are
"the rest of the dead"? They are those who did not have a chance for
salvation during their physical lifetimes; countless millions from Asia, Africa,
Russia, India, Japan; people from every race and nation who never heard the Gospel of
Christ, and who never had an opportunity to consciously reject it.
Notice how God's Word speaks of the punishment
for sin as "the second death": "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in
the first resurrection [at Christ's coming]: on such the second death hath no
power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand
years" (Revelation 20:6).
John then saw "...a great white throne ...
and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books was opened: and
another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books, according to their works.
"And the sea gave up the dead which were
in it, and death and hell [Greek: hades, meaning "the grave"] delivered
up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell [the grave] were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND
DEATH" (Revelation 20:11-14).
Now, see what we have learned: So far, we have
dealt with but two classes of people, the saved and the unsaved. Clearly, the saved are
either resurrected at the moment of Christ's Second Coming, or, if alive, changed
instantaneously, caught up together with the resurrected saints into the clouds
immediately above this earth as Christ returns, then continues descending until
"...His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before
Jerusalem on the east... " (Zechariah 14:4). Paul wrote, "For as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward [and not one moment before] they that are Christ's [the
saints] at His coming" (I Corinthians 15:22-23).
These converted Christians, now changed from
human to Divine, will rule with Christ for 1,000 years (Revelation 2:26; 3:21; 5: 10;
20:4).
But the rest of the dead are not
resurrected until after the 1,000 year period of Christ's rule (Revelation 20:5;
11-15). The "rest of the dead" includes every human being who has ever lived,
from the time of Adam until the end of the Millennium, who has never had an opportunity
for salvation! This is the VAST MAJORITY OF ALL MANKIND!
Then, you might ask, "What about the
incorrigibles; those who are guilty of unpardonable sins; those who were given ample
chance, but who rejected salvation?
The answer to this logical question reveals yet
a third and final resurrection! Notice that those who are resurrected to
"judgment" during the period of the "Great White Throne Judgment"
(Revelation 20:11-15) are "judged out of those things which were written in the books.
" The Greek word is Biblos, which is translated "Bible" in
English. "Bible" really means "books," and unless connected with the
word "Holy" can mean any collection of books.
Now, HOW does God judge you and me? He
judges us by the standard of His written Word, the books of the Holy Bible! God says He
changes not (Malachi 3:6), and that Jesus Christ is the SAME, yesterday, today, and
forever (Hebrews 13:8). He does not judge one generation in one way, and another in a
different way. Peter wrote, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the
house of God [the church!]: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the Gospel of God?" (I Peter 4:17).
The resurrected millions who have never heard
the gospel will be judged out of the same book, the books of the Holy Bible, in the
same manner by the same God as you and I! God's standards remain the same.
Remember, judgment is not a sentencing!
Millions have interpreted these verses in the last half of Revelation 20 as a final
sentencing, as if God is handing out a final decision based upon past acts;
the deeds already done in a person's lifetime.
Not so. Speaking of the time of the New Heavens
and New Earth, God says, "There shall be no more thence an infant of days [no new
children will be born—God will supernaturally halt the human reproductive cycle], nor
an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old;
but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall not build, and
another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are
the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands"
(Isaiah 65:17-22).
This strongly implies a one-hundred year
time span for the Great White Throne Judgment; a period of one hundred years AFTER
the Millennium when God will judge the billions of people who never previously had
an opportunity for salvation.
But now, what of those who reject God's
loving offer of forgiveness?
God says, "And death and hell [Greek: hades,
meaning "the grave"] were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second
death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake
of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). This final judgment of the wicked is pictured by
Christ's parable about Lazarus and the rich man, in Luke's 16th chapter. Peter describes
this lake of fire, the FINAL judgment of God prior to the New Heavens and New
Earth: "Seeing then that all these things [material things] shall he dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation [conduct] and godliness, looking
for and hasting unto the coming of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be
dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" (II Peter 3:11-12).
John wrote, "And I saw a new heaven and a
new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no
more sea" (Revelation 21: 1). But earth is the "watery planet"! Life
can only exist because of water, and air! You are reading of a total change in the
very character of planet earth—ITS DESTRUCTION BY FIRE—changing this
earth from a watery blue planet to one of molten metal!
Obviously no physical life of any kind—from
bacteria to elephants from plants to mankind—can survive such an event!
Even as Nebuchadnezzar saw a being "like
the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25) walking about in the midst of the fiery furnace unharmed,
so the saints, now SPIRIT IN COMPOSITION, no longer flesh and blood, will be
here on earth to witness this stupendous event.
Remember, then—the wages of sin is not the
first death, but the second death; death by Gehenna fire; death for all eternity
from which there is no resurrection!
But those who repent of sins; who are
baptized and who receive God's Holy Spirit will receive eternal life in God's
Kingdom. On them, the second death will have no power.
Is the Holy Spirit a wraith-like, hooded
"ghost" of some sort; like an apparition? Is the Holy Spirit the third
member of the Godhead part of the trinity?
Briefly, remember that the archangel said to
Mary....... the Holy Spirit [The KJV uses the erroneous word "Ghost" which is a
very poor translation. The Greek word is pneuma, and means "spirit," not
"ghost"] shall come upon thee..." (Luke 1:35). Matthew wrote, "Now the
birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew
1: 18).
Clearly, Jesus continually prayed to His
"Father" in heaven. He said, giving His outline of prayer (commonly called
"the Lord's Prayer"), that we should pray, "Our Father, which art in
heaven... " Therefore, since the Bible says Mary was "found with child of the
Holy Spirit," if there were such a thing as a trinity, Jesus prayed to the wrong
Father!
God's word uses many different analogies to
explain to our human minds the deeply spiritual truths about God's Spirit.
Christ likened the Spirit to wind (John
3:8); and to water (John 7:37-39). Notice the following expressions: "And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting.
"And there appeared unto them tongues of
flame, equally distributed among them, like fire. And it sat upon each of
them..." (Acts 2:2-3 correct translation).
Here, when God's Spirit was first made
available to mankind on the Day of Pentecost, God caused a sound to be heard, like
a roaring tornado, or a hurricane! He also produced a visible manifestation of His
Spirit-like crowns of leaping fire appearing to settle over the head of each of the
apostles!
Notice: "And it shall come to pass in the
last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh... " (Acts
2:17). This does not say the Father will send some other person of the Godhead to
mankind, but says He will pour out of His Spirit upon them!
When Peter explained these miraculous events,
he said, "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this which YE NOW SEE AND HEAR!" (Acts
2:32-33).
Notice, God "shed forth" His Spirit.
And what did all those thousands of people see and hear? A wraith-like, hooded specter;
some "person" called "the Holy Spirit" as a third member of the
Godhead? No! They heard the sound of a rushing mighty wind and they saw flickering
flames of fire!
God's Holy Spirit is His great power; it is His
method of imparting spiritual life to His children! It enlivens, energizes,
begets His children! By His Spirit, He causes great miracles to occur.
Christ is called the First begotten among
all humans. "For unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this
day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a
Son?
"And again, when He bringeth the First
begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him"
(Hebrews 1:5-6).
First begotten obviously implies there are to
be others begotten of God! Paul wrote, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did
predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the FIRSTBORN among
many brethren" (Romans 8:29).
Christ was born of God by His
resurrection from the dead! He was changed from flesh to Spirit; from human to
Divine! Though Christ was very God, He nevertheless became flesh, and He died
by shedding His life's blood for our sins! (See Revelation 1: 18; cf. Luke 23:45-46;
John 19:30).
The Bible says "… we see Jesus, Who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became Him,
for Whom are all things, and by Whom are all things [Christ was the Creator described
in the Old Testament!], in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of
their salvation perfect through sufferings" (Hebrews 2:9-10).
John wrote, "And the Word [Greek: Logos,
meaning Spokesman " I was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth"
(John 1: 14).
In two significant ways, Jesus Christ was begotten
of God! First, by the limitless POWER of God's Holy Spirit, Christ "emptied
Himself" of His Divine status (Philippians 2:7, margin), and was begotten in Mary's
womb as a tiny human embryo! Not only was Christ therefore "made flesh"
(John 1: 14; Hebrews 2:14) and took upon Himself "the seed of Abraham" (Hebrews
2:16), but He was filled with God's Holy Spirit from the womb! Christ Himself said,
"For He Whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit
by measure unto Him" (John 3:34).
Thus, not only was Christ a Divine Spirit
Being Who had become flesh, He was also begotten of God's Spirit in His
mind; filled with God's nature, His wisdom, His Divine grace; His character, goodness,
mercy, knowledge, judgment and discernment, compassion and patience—given the very Divine
nature by the powerful indwelling presence of the Spirit of His Father.
What are you? You are a once only,
never before, thinking, feeling, living, breathing human being. How did you get here?
How did you come to have your life, your being?
Why, from your two parents!
For billions of years, you did not exist! Then,
when your life was only seconds from commencing, there was the potential that you
might come to be—but YOU did not yet exist!
What existed before you did?
Your father and your mother. In your mother's
body was a tiny, microscopic egg, which was, potentially any one of perhaps
hundreds of thousands of human beings, depending upon which even tinier male
spermatozoon united with that egg. Once united, YOU WERE ALREADY IN EXISTENCE. You, not
any one of millions of possible siblings, which would not have been you, but a different
child of your parents. At the instant of fertilization, the exact instant a
microscopic zygote was formed, you were on your way to fetal development and
eventual birth as a distinctly separate, unique human being. Don't even think about
disagreeing with what you have just read; don't doubt, for an instant, the absolute,
chemical, scientific, biological truth about the origin of your human existence.
Likewise, do not doubt for an instant the reality
of the method by which God is reproducing after His kind, enlarging His Divine
family.
When you see two young married women, one of
whom is pregnant by two days, what is the difference? Absolutely no difference, to the
human eye. Yet, an enormous difference in reality—correct? Surely. The young
wife who is expecting may not even be aware of the fact as yet; but as surely as the
turning of the earth, a new human life—never having previously existed--
absolutely UNIQUE, is being formed in her womb. So the pregnant young woman, while
outwardly appearing the same, is actually host to an unseen, tiny LIFE that is
within her. Is that life real? Does it actually exist? Does it have any existence apart
from the mother?
By the same token, the new spiritual life
begotten within each repentant sinner—the "new creature in Christ"—is
just as real as any human embryo, and, like such embryo, has no separate existence,
independent of the human spirit, connected to the human mind.
When we receive the Spirit of God following
repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17; 9:17), something happens. We
are then said to be "begotten of God"! What you have probably never realized is
the fact that a wholly new creature, now configured according to its Divine Father,
not its human father, has been begotten within your mind!
Paul put it this way: "Because the carnal
[fleshly, physical] mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be.
"So then they that are ‘in the
flesh’ cannot please God. But ye [you converted Christians] are NOT 'in
the flesh,' but IN THE SPIRIT, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you! Now if
any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His" (Romans 8:7-8). He
wrote to the Ephesians, "…the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off the former
conversation [conduct] the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man which
after [according to; in like fashion] God is created [the "new man" is created
within us!] in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:21-24).
God's Holy Spirit does not unite with flesh!
His Spirit does not come into our elbow, or our kneecap, or our shoulder. It enters our mind,
where dwells, in direct connection with our human brain, our human spirit!
Job said, "But there is a spirit in
man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding" (Job 32:8). Paul
was inspired to write, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption [Greek: huiothesia, meaning
"sonship"], whereby we cry 'Abba,' Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with OUR SPIRIT, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16).
The human spirit is that spiritual essence most
people have erroneously called "the soul," thinking it is immortal, has
separate intelligence, and lives on after death. Not so. The human spirit has no life
apart from its connection to the brain. It is this human spirit that makes us
"human," and no mere animal; that lifts us above all other creatures, capable of
experiencing compassion, sorrow; becoming conscience-stricken. This human spirit is what
gives us our "humanity"!
Just as your human life started by the uniting
of two distinctly separate life cells, male and female, so the "new creature
in Christ" is formed by the union of the Holy Spirit of God with our human spirit.
The frontal lobes of your brain contain that
portion of your mind wherein dwells your personality, your volition, your
decision-making capacity, your will power. The Bible often speaks of this portion of our
mind as our "heart," as a reference to that part of our mind which is capable of
emotion, of feeling, of contrition, introspection, and decision-making.
What happens when you repent?
You have repented, not with the portion of your
brain that controls your physical coordination, your memory, your speech, your eyesight,
or any other function except that of your conscience; your ability to feel shame
and remorse! You are said to have experienced "a change of heart." We
know there are "good-hearted" people, and people who have "bad
hearts," meaning wrong attitudes of resentment and vindictiveness.
When that human spirit is made willing through
repentance and baptism, God will then implant His Divine Spirit which contains a
portion of His LIFE and His NATURE as surely as our physical father implanted his
life and his nature into the egg of our mother to form OUR LIFE!
Notice! "Whereby are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the
Divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through wrath"
(11 Peter 1:4).
As surely as you inherited your father's very nature
by His having engendered you—so we become partakers of the Divine
character and nature by being begotten of our Heavenly Father!
Notice again! "But if the Spirit of Him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken [make spiritually alive] your mortal bodies by His Spirit that
dwelleth in you" (Romans 8: 11).
What is a begettal? When you were
begotten by your father imparting his life, his nature and physiognomy to you, that
is precisely when YOU began! From the moment of your begettal, you existed; you were
undergoing a dramatic period of fantastic growth and development until you would be born
from your mother, emerging as a totally unique, separate, never-before,
never-to-be-again human being! Yet, you were made in the image of your father and
mother.
And when we are begotten of God's Holy
Spirit, we begin a period of growth in the (by analogy) "womb" of the church,
which is called "Jerusalem which is above ... the mother of us all"
(Galatians 4:26); a period of growth through trial and test, Bible study and prayer,
fasting and meditation—overcoming the lusts of our carnal human nature, resisting the
clever enticements of Satan's evil world, until we are a mature "new creature in
Christ, " ready to be born of God!
Begettal with God's Holy Spirit is the
beginning of a new spirit being, a yet-to-be-born member of God's own Family, which,
when it comes to the time of birth, is to be born of God! When you were born
of your parents, what did you become? Human! You were not placed in a little house behind
the house; not placed outdoors—but became a member of your family, to be
nurtured, loved, and cared for. You were born on the same level of humanity as your
parents.
When we are born of God, what will we become?
Can you accept it? Can you grasp it? We are to be born of God!
At the beginning of this booklet, you read
what Jesus said to Nicodemus about being "born again." Now, what is born?
When one is finally born of God by a resurrection, or by being instantaneously
changed if yet alive, what kind of creature emerges?
Notice: "But some man will say, 'How
are the dead raised up, and with what body do they come?' Thou fool, that which thou
sowest is not quickened [made alive] except it die: and that which thou sowest, thou
sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some
other grain: but God giveth it a body as it hath pleased Him, and to every seed his own
body" (I Corinthians 15:35-38).
Take a tiny radish seed, a grain of corn, and a
kernel of wheat. Slice them into smaller pieces with a razor. Look at each under a
powerful microscope. Can you learn why, locked within the germ of the kernel of
wheat; why, locked within each of the tiny seeds is a pre-ordained pattern which
determines what will happen when the seed is planted, portions of it decay, stimulating
the germ to put down roots, and begin growing a bulb, or a stalk?
The Bible tells you "God gives it,"
meaning plants, "a body as it hath pleased Him. " Plants are beautiful. They
feed and clothe us. God designed them!
Observe a grain of corn. That particular grain
of corn never existed before, and if it is planted, most of it will die. That particular
grain of corn will never exist again if it is eaten, or even if it is planted, and begins
to grow into roots and stalk, finally forming a large, many leafed stalk with perhaps five
or six ears of corn—perhaps producing thousands of new grains of corn!
Those new grains of corn never existed before!
They are new wealth, produced from the soil. What pattern in the tiny germ locked within
the grain of corn caused the roots to pick out those particular minerals and vitamins;
those particular nutrients which would give each stalk and each leaf, each ear and every
new grain within it its color, fiber, texture, smell and taste? When you look at the new
ear of corn, you are looking at a never before, first time, new creation—something
which, if you eat it, can become a part of your body!
What difference is there between a single,
decaying grain of corn in the soil, and a large, seven-foot tall stalk of corn with many
fat, yellow ears in tassel? Is not the difference astonishing? As the old saying goes,
"Great oaks from little acorns grow!"
What is the difference between a six-foot,
nine-inch line backer on a professional football team and a microscopic zygote in his
mother's womb? Is not the difference astonishing?
God says, "All flesh is not the same
flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes,
and another of birds.
"There are also celestial bodies, and
bodies terrestrial [stars and planets, as well as spiritual and human]: but the glory of
the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.
"There is one glory of the sun, and
another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from
another star in glory.
"So also is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonor; it is
raised in glory: it is sown in weakness: it is raised in power:
"It is sown a natural body [physical,
fleshly—the normal human form], it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural
body, and there is a spiritual body" (I Corinthians 15:36-44).
What is the difference between a cancer-ridden,
chalky white, emaciated, dead corpse in a coffin, and a brilliantly shining, vibrantly
alive, translucent, powerful, SPIRIT BEING; a member of the FAMILY OF GOD ALMIGHTY?
What is the difference between a living spirit
being, able to zip around Mars and back in less than a second, and an elderly person
hobbling around with a walker, stooped over with arthritis, trembling from old age, pain
and weariness, with poor eyesight, nearly deaf. An incalculable difference, isn't it?
Can you comprehend it? Can you grasp the
astonishing truth of God from your own Bible that what is to be BORN OF GOD is a MEMBER OF
HIS DIVINE FAMILY, a new creation of the spirit world, destined to inherit the very power
of God—possessing never-ending, eternal life?
The first words of the Bible are "In
the beginning God..." (Genesis 1: 1). The Hebrew word for our English word
"God" is Elohim, which is a plural word, connoting more than one
Person (see Genesis 2:26).
That God uses the family as an analogy
to express His great and mysterious truths to us is no accident. It is not the clever
artifice of some religious teacher, but God Himself Who calls Himself "Father,"
Who refers to Jesus Christ as His Son, and Who calls we human beings
"brethren. "
Look at a few analogies for a moment: God is
the Father, Christ is the Firstborn of Mary, the Son of God, and the Firstborn from
the dead (Romans 8:29; I Corinthians 15:23). He is also Firstborn among many brethren.
The saints, converted members of God's true
church, are called "brothers and sisters" in Christ. The church is called
"Jerusalem above, the 'mother' of us all." The church is pictured as a woman who
delivered a man child, who was persecuted by Satan (Revelation 12). Christ is pictured as
a Bridegroom, and the church as His bride. His return, and the spiritual birth of
the church is pictured as a great wedding supper (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation
19:7-9).
These family references are God's doing,
and that of no man. Millions of professing Christians are blinded to the fabulous
truth that creation was not finished in the Garden of Eden—only begun! That
God then produced merely a physical prototype; that His plan involves the
RE-CREATION OF THE GOD FAMILY—GOD REPRODUCING AFTER HIS OWN KIND?
When Christ plainly said He was very God in
the flesh, the religious leaders of His day said He was guilty of blasphemy! Read
it! "But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
"Therefore the Jews sought the more to
kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath [their man-made traditions, not God's
Sabbath], but said also that God was His Father, making Himself EQUAL WITH GOD" (John
5:17-18).
But Christ WAS VERY GOD! "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word [Greek: Logos, or Spokesman] was
God" (John 1: 1).
When Christ walked through solid rock following
His resurrection, He was able once again to dematerialize, to live and move in the spirit
world. The stone was not rolled away to let Christ out of the tomb near
Golgotha, but to let the world look in! Christ appeared inside rooms, behind locked
doors, suddenly materializing before His disciples.
Once again, He was Divine, not any longer flesh
and blood, but spirit! However, even as He materialized before Abraham (Genesis
18), He appeared before His disciples having the same human form, complete with the
terrible wounds of His beating and crucifixion (John 20:24-31).
Later, His disciples saw Him miraculously
ascending to heaven, being slowly assumed into the clouds (Acts 1: 10-11).
Now, Christ was born of God by the
resurrection—CHANGED from human to Divine; from flesh to Spirit! He is called
"...the first-born among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). When we are
finally born of God, we shall become a part of that same Divine FAMILY; brothers
and sisters of Jesus Christ, children of the same Father, members of HIS FAMILY!
Christ was not blaspheming when He "made
Himself equal with God," for He said, "I and my Father are One," showing
their togetherness, their sameness. They are One Spirit Family of Divine Beings,
Each clearly identified in specific role, or rank; God the Father SUPREME, Christ
the Son, equal with His Father in everything, yet subordinate to Him.
Now, let's understand how a spiritual begettal
is real; how, once the "new creature in Christ" is begotten, it must
finally come to full term and be born of God.
When did you begin? Why, at conception, of
course. As we have seen, our human lives commenced at the precise instant we were conceived
by our parents. From that instant forward, you, with your color, texture of
skin, general physiognomy, color and kind of hair, color of eyes, ultimate height and
build—even inherited characteristics from maternal and paternal grandparents, were
beginning to form in your mother's womb.
In several instances in the Bible, God reveals He
foreknew certain ones, like Jeremiah, and John the Baptist. That means God, by a
miracle, caused their births—that their ultimate destiny was predetermined as early
as conception.
Now, think seriously. "When did Christ
become CHRIST? Why, at the precise instant of conception! From the moment
Christ "emptied Himself" (Philippians 2:7, margin) and by the power of the Holy
Spirit became a tiny, microscopic human zygote in Mary's womb, He was a
separate, never before in history, distinctly unique human being; GOD IN THE FLESH, Human,
yet DIVINE!
You and I began at conception, not six
weeks later, or when we reached the point that we might be able to survive apart from the
womb, even though only six or seven months in development.
All attempts to equate the gradual fetal
development with chickens, rabbits and other animals merely shows all had the same Great Designer,
but do not present cogent arguments for evolution. We are, though we may pass through
stages which appear like some animal, TOTALLY HUMAN at conception!
Now, look at the obvious truth of our spiritual
conception!
When we are begotten of God a first
time, never before, absolutely unique spirit being has been conceived. This tender
little life is supposed to be carefully protected by the spiritual "womb"
of the church! It must GROW to maturity. Paul wrote, "And He gave some, apostles: and
some, prophets: and some, evangelists: and some, pastors and teachers:
"For the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying [building up; constructing] of the body of
Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, unto a perfect [Greek: teleios, meaning "mature"] man, unto the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children
... but speaking the truth in love may grow up into Him in all things, which is the
Head, even Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-15).
A little later, Paul wrote, "…put off
concerning the former conversation [conduct; way of life] the old man [our carnal
minds], which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the
SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND [a new creation!]; and that ye put on the new man, which
after God [from, or according to God] is CREATED [a new created being in Christ] in
righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:21-24).
If any person turns back, gives up and quits,
REJECTS God's truth and God's rule in his life after once repenting, being
baptized, and receiving God's Spirit, it is the same as a spiritual abortion! But
with an important difference! An aborted human fetus is dead—gone. Very likely, it
will never be resurrected. Is God going to provide human wombs into which He
will place the millions of tiny zygotes and fetuses being aborted each year?
But when a new creature in Christ is
spiritually "aborted," meaning the carnal nature succeeds in overcoming the
little, tender, beginning spiritual creature, there is only the second death awaiting
in GEHENNA FIRE!
Peter wrote, "For if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome [overwhelmed, conquered],
the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
"For it had been better for them not to
have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them.
"But it is happened unto them according to
the true proverb, 'The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed
to her wallowing in the mire' " (II Peter 2:18-22).
Now, think of the analogy of a young wife who
finds she is pregnant, and instantly decides to avoid all toxins of all kinds, all
alcohol, and all harmful substances. She is a wise, loving, caring young
mother-to-be, for she knows that if she smokes, drinks, uses drugs, or even breathes a lot
of "second-hand" smoke, she will pass on all these harmful addictive substances
to her baby!
If she also wisely chooses to eat a balanced,
healthy diet of plenty of fruits, whole grains, vegetables; drink lots of milk for
calcium, avoid too many sweets, starches, sugars and artificial sweeteners, flavors,
preservatives and the like, she will be a very wise young mother, indeed.
But what if she does none of these things?
Today, helpless little infants are being
brought into this world who are already addicted to drugs! Many are diseased,
malformed, mentally deficient! What kind of a mother would casually imbibe alcohol, smoke
cigarettes, eat fatty foods, or artificial soft drinks laden with artificial colorings and
flavor, preservatives, and caffeine? Millions do!
As a result, our peoples are afflicted with an
enormous number of tragically malformed, deficient babies; some born with drug
withdrawal symptoms.
Will God allow you, as the physical prototype
in whom a "new creature in Christ" is to be formed, to pollute this new
creature with assorted, continual sins?
Paul wrote, "Know ye not that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators,
nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor
thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the
Kingdom of God.
"And such were some of you: but ye are washed
[by baptism, and the "washing of water by the Word"—Bible study],
but ye are sanctified [set apart for holy use and purpose], but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God" (I Corinthians
6:9-11).
It has been said, "You are what you
eat." In like fashion, your mind is composed of what you take into your mind, as
surely as a computer is programmed; information inserted into a machine. You are what you think;
what you hear, see, read, feel, experience—the sum total of all your mental input.
Which person among us is unaware of the
ghoulish, foul. rotten, satanic influence of "horror" movies,
"splatter" movies; motion pictures and video tapes which portray endless
explosions, car wrecks, machine-gunnings, garrotings, stabbings, rapes, bludgeonings,
slashings—every conceivable method of bloody murder?
Millions rush to theaters, or rent video tapes
to take home, or tune in to one of the movie channels on TV, and drink in of this virulent
filth, just like swilling PURE POISON—polluting their minds and consciences!
Make no mistake! Your mind is just like a
computer. Once you enter data into the "memory " disk in your
computer—it is IN there! By the same token, once you put something into your
mind, it is IN there. There, it stays. As surely as bad food becomes a part of
you, so bad scenes, bad words, bad moods and attitudes, resentments, hatreds, jealousies,
animosities; vicarious sexual experiences, murders—become a part of your mind.
Will God allow a converted member of His
church, one in whom the developing "new creature in Christ" resides, to wallow
in filth, continually imbibing pollution, to finally be BORN OF GOD?
There will be no malformed, no missing limbs,
no deficient minds, no "thalidomide babies" in God's Kingdom!
Therefore if we, as the vessels in whom future
members of God's own Family are being formed, should carelessly befoul those new
creatures, God will reject us—we shall never come to full term; never enter
into His Kingdom!
Notice how Paul was inspired to reveal this
concept of inner conflict; the downward tug of human appetites and passions struggling
with the upward pull of God's Spirit with our human spirit:
"For we know that the law is spiritual:
but I [the "old man," the fleshly human being] am carnal, sold under sin"
(Romans 7:14). Paul was by no means denying His baptism and conversion. Continually, he
referred to the shocking vision he experienced on the road to Damascus; to the fact of his
deep conversion (Acts 26:1-28). He is not rejecting his spirituality here; not denying he
has traveled far down the road toward God's Kingdom. No, he is comparing the outward
"old man" of whom he wrote so often with the "new creature" in Christ!
In order to better understand this rich,
encouraging passage, let's think about ourselves. We say, "This is my hand," or
"This is my leg." But when someone has lost an arm, or a leg, he is still
there. Helpless human beings have lost both arms and both legs, yet live.
What has been lost? Parts of the physical body. But the person with his whole store
of knowledge, his will and volition, his innermost psyche, his personality—the human
individual is still there.
Now, in order to drink in of the whole meaning
of Paul's comforting words, let's continue with a close paraphrase of what he so wisely
wrote: "For that which I, the fleshly human being, do, I, the new man in Christ, wish
I wouldn't do, because the things the new man in Christ really wants to do, the
carnal human being seems not to accomplish. What I, the innermost converted me, actually hates,
that I, the fleshly human, seem to do.
"If then I do that which I wish I
wouldn't, I consent unto the law that it is good.
"Now then it is no more I, the new
creature in Christ, that do it, but sin that dwells in my human, physical nature!
For I know that in me, (that is, in my flesh), dwells no good thing: for to will
[to want to; to desire to] is present with me, but how to do those good things I fail to
find. For the good that I, the new creature in Christ, would do, I, the carnal human
nature, do not; but the evil I wish I wouldn't do—I find myself doing.
"Now if I do that which I would not, it is
no more I [the new creature in Christ; Paul, the converted man with God's Holy Spirit
added to His human spirit, changing his human nature] that do it, but sin that
dwelleth in me.
"I find then a law, that, when I would do
good, evil is present with me.
"For I delight in the law of God after the
inward man [the new creature in Christ]: but I see another law in my members [note
the personal pronouns!], warring against the law of my mind [God's laws, written in his
heart through God's Spirit: Hebrews 8: 10], and bringing me into captivity to the law of
sin which is in my members [his physical body, with its appetites].
"O wretched man that I am! Who shall
deliver me from the body of this death?
"I thank God through Jesus Christ our
Lord. So then with the mind [the inner, new creature in Christ] I myself serve
the law of God; but with the flesh [the physical human being with its carnal
appetites] the law of sin" (Romans 7:14-25).
What comforting words!
How many times have we felt God is so disgusted
with us He will never hear our prayers again? How many times have we cried tears of
repentance, only to have the same temptations overwhelm us again?
Paul fought the same fight. God inspired Him to
show us how there is a struggle between the two natures: the human, carnal being we
are, and the new creature in Christ, striving to overcome our carnal human natures,
to be more like Christ!
Perhaps now we can understand more fully some
of the truly deep things in Paul's writings, things "hard to be understood" (II
Peter 3:16). For example, did Paul have an "out of the body experience?" Let's
see:
Driven to distraction by accusers and
critics, Paul continually found himself defending his motives, his conversion, his
apostleship—not merely before the Greek philosophers and other pagans—but to
the membership of the church!
Read the three chapters of II Corinthians
10, 11, and 12. To truly understand chapter 12, you need to read up to this mysterious
passage, understanding its context. Paul wrote, "I knew a man in Christ above
fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell: or out of the body, I cannot
tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
"And I knew such a man, (whether in the
body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up to
paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
"Of such an one will I glory: yet of
myself I will not glory, but in mine infirmities" (II Corinthians 12:2-5).
The Holy Spirit inspired these words! It is
obvious Paul was writing about himself, for why would he "glory" one way or the
other if this were some other person?
Here are the facts:
1) Paul was inspired to write he was
"caught up to paradise. " That is the truth of God, inspired of His Spirit. He
really was "caught up to paradise, " in one dimension or another.
2) Was he caught up as a fleshly human being;
the person, Paul of Tarsus—caught up by the power of God, to view heaven? Paul said
he honestly DID NOT KNOW. And if Paul did not know, then you and I cannot know. The method
of his being briefly transported to the "third heaven" is known only to God.
3) Instead of being caught up bodily, did he
have an "out of the body experience"? Did the "new creature in Christ"
within Paul's mind, the creature which is to be born of God by a resurrection in the
future, LEAVE Paul's body? Was that new creature caught up to heaven? Paul was inspired to
write that he honestly did not know.
We are left with the FACT that Paul was caught
up! This much, we know, and cannot deny!
We are left with the FACT that Paul did not
know whether it was bodily, or an out of the body experience! Therefore, IT COULD HAVE
BEEN EITHER!
Certainly, God's Holy Spirit did not inspire
this passage lightly! It is in the Word of God for a very important reason—to remind
us of the future life we shall have in the spirit world no longer as a flesh and blood,
air breathing, water drinking, food eating human, but as a member of the Divine Family of
God!
When Paul said, "Of such an one will I
glory," he was saying, "There is nothing about my flesh, this physical life,
which leads me to exult, to rejoice, to passionately embrace emotionally! But as a SPIRIT
BEING? Yes! Then, let me passionately exult, rejoice, leap, dance, sing, praise God as did
David before the Ark of the Covenant; GLORY in such a state of being, such a vision!
"
Clearly, he was contrasting the vainglory of
pompous religious leaders who rejoiced over circumcision and the like, with a vision of
God's Kingdom; God's Family, which is great cause for glorying, for praise, and grateful
thanksgiving!
Did Paul have an "out of the body
experience"? Even Paul did not know, and therefore, we cannot know. One thing is
sure. He was, either bodily, or the new creature in Christ out of the body, "caught
up" to the third heaven for some moments, as a foretaste of that great event of which
he wrote, "… we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,
at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (I Corinthians 15:51-52).
Now, we can understand what Jesus meant when
He said, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul [Greek:
psuche, meaning "life"]: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy BOTH
soul and body in Gehenna" (Matthew 10:28).
Those who heard Jesus' words knew immediately what He meant by "Gehenna," for He
referred to the Valley of the sons of Hinnom, which was called "Geena, " or
"Gehenna." It was the town dump—a narrow valley below a precipitous cliff
where trash, garbage, dead animals, and even the bodies of criminals who were put to death
were thrown. Fed by perpetual fires, this ancient dump site, with its flames and perennial
smoke, was used by Jesus Christ as analogous to the "Gehenna fire" which God
will use to destroy the wicked; eventually, to totally change the character of our watery
planet (II Peter 3:10-13).
The Greek words used by Matthew were psuche
(translated "soul"), and soma, which means "body. " The word psuche
has no etymological relationship to anything spiritual, of the spirit, extra-physical,
or immortal, but refers to the physical, chemical existence of all animal life. It should
have been rendered merely, "life," for clearer understanding.
1 know people who have lost limbs. They might
say, "I lost my arm in an accident," or, "I lost my leg. " But the
"I" doing the speaking is complete. Same mind, same personality, same
memory, same hopes and dreams, same conscience—the same person. What if
someone had lost all four limbs, both eyes, one lung, and had had both a liver and a heart
transplant? As grotesque as this picture might be, the point is clear—that person is
still there; for our physical lives and the "new creature in Christ"
abide together in the mind. One is physical life—the human brain, energized by
oxygen, and the blood supply. The other is spiritual life—the "new
creature in Christ," composed of the unity between our human spirit and the Holy
Spirit of God, which begets a "new creature."
Christ plainly said that we need not fear man,
who, though he has the power to destroy this human body, can have no power over the new
spiritual creature begotten of God.
The traditional concept of the
"immortality of the soul" misses the mark widely. The Bible teaches no such
doctrine—the words "immortal soul" appear nowhere in Scripture. However,
the Bible does show that each human being possesses the human spirit, or the
"spirit in man," if you prefer. That spiritual essence is linked directly to the
brain, and has no consciousness; no life apart from it.
The Bible speaks of the dead as oblivious,
unconscious: "Their inward thought is, that their houses shall continue for ever, and
their dwelling places to all generations; they call their lands after their own names.
"Nevertheless man being in honour abideth
not: he is like the beasts that perish" (Psalm 49:11-12). God says, "For that
which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the
one dieth, so dieth the other…" The death of a cow, horse, or dog is
identical to the death of a human. There is no difference. They are the same.
"…yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a
beast ... all go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again"
(Ecclesiastes 3:19-20).
There is no consciousness in
death—no more thought, reason, awareness—only the blackest oblivion, like the
deepest possible sleep! "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in
whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth: in that very day
his thoughts perish" (Psalm 146:3-4).
God says His people need not fear death. The
fear of death; superstitions and fables connected with death (like an ever-burning hell,
and other bizarre punishments), has resulted in weird pagan practices, including infant
sacrifice.
God says, "…He [Christ] also Himself
likewise took part of the same [human mortality]; that through death He might destroy him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil: and deliver them who through fear of
death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15).
To most, death is an abhorrent, yawning black
pit; a terrible, fearful, hated thing—something to be put off, avoided at all cost.
But "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear" (I John 4:18).
Jesus said not to fear man who can only kill the body, but cannot destroy the
human spirit; cannot terminate the "new creature in Christ, " which has a
spiritual existence.
Once God has begotten a "new
creature in Christ" in our minds, He says we should be "...confident of this
very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of
Jesus Christ. " Paul wrote, "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of
my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I
have kept the faith.
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day:
and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing" (II Timothy
4:6-8). Paul said, "Let your conversation [conduct] be without covetousness; and be
content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, 'I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee,' so that we may boldly say, 'The Lord is my Helper, and I will not fear what
man shall do unto me' " (Hebrews 13:5-6).
What tremendous peace of mind can be
ours when we know we are saved; know a new creature in Christ is begotten within
us; know that the innermost person we are SHALL NEVER DIE! As Paul wrote,
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk [live] not after [according to] the flesh, but after the Spirit!" (Romans 8: 1).
With such confidence, Christians have faced
swords, spears, fire, raging lions, torture racks, and firing squads! A Christian can look
death in the face and say, "You have no power over me! Oh, you can kill this body;
you can destroy my flesh, but YOU CANNOT KILL ME!" Our lives are "hid
with Christ in God. " We are not any longer susceptible to the "fear of
death" which results in great evil, but possess the love of God, which cancels
fear!
Some professing Christian teachers keep their
members continually in fear. Threats of "losing out," of being "left
behind," of being thrown into a lake of fire, of being "put out" of the
church are used by unprincipled men who seek only control over their followers'
lives. But our confidence in Christ is not susceptible to fear, doubt,
insecurity—constant uncertainty about our spiritual state.
God says, "And this is the record, that
God HATH GIVEN [past tense!] to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He
that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." The
moment one becomes completely repentant, is baptized, and receives God's Holy Spirit
through the laying on of hands (Acts 2:38; 5:32; 9:17), a new creature in Christ is
begotten! Though there is no consciousness apart from its connection to the human
brain through the human spirit; no separate existence any more than a human fetus has
separate existence from its mothers' womb, this spiritual life does exist. It is real.
It has been begotten, and, if brought to full term through a lifetime of overcoming,
Bible study, prayer, church fellowship; growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus
Christ, it shall come to the birth—finally be born into the God Family!
Why did John write such comforting words? He
said, "These things have I written to unto you that believe on the name of the Son of
God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on
the name of the Son of God" (I John 5:11-13).
This wonderful knowledge—this confidence
that "that good work that has begun in us" is real; that we already possess citizenship
with God (Philippians 2:20; margin)—helps us to be able to stare physical death
in the face without fear. No man has power over that new creature in Christ! Only God
can destroy it!
What is your confidence? Why, that Satan cannot
overthrow you; God will not; man cannot destroy your spiritual life—only you
can make the daily choices, and the final decisions affecting eternal life.
Now we can understand the deep significance
of God's annual Festival of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:34-44). For many decades, God's
people were taught that the Feast of Tabernacles was like a foretaste of the Kingdom of
God, that it was a picture of the government of God on earth, the Millennium.
So far as it went, this picture was not
erroneous—only incomplete. Not understood was the true significance of the "new
creature in Christ" that is to be begotten within each Christian, and how these
newly—begotten children of God form a rich tapestry of meaning with the typology of
the Israelites' 40 years of wandering.
Notice what God says about the feast: "Ye
shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are Israelites born shall dwell in booths
[tabernacles; tents, temporary dwelling-places]: that your generations may know that I
made the children of Israel dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of
Egypt: I am the Eternal your God."
Except you look elsewhere in biblical typology,
search the Scriptures for the meaning of all the annual Sabbaths, and see them in their
whole perspective, you would be left with: "I want you to live in booths, to picture
the fact that I made you live in booths." For the only explanation in the
original chapter setting forth the Feast of Tabernacles is that you just read!
Now, why did God make them sojourn for
forty years in temporary dwelling places?
Look at the typology: Egypt was a type of sin.
Pharaoh was a symbol of Satan; the two magicians, Jannes and Jambres, types of the
"beast" and "false prophet. " Individual Israelites were pictured as
slaves to sin; Israel as a nation a type of the church, while Moses is seen in two shadowy
types, both as God the Father (in his relationship with Israel, and in the giving of the
law), and as Christ (as the intermediary between the people and God).
The Red Sea typified baptism (I Corinthians 10:
1-4); the pursuing armies of Pharaoh pictured Satan's world, and Satan himself, striving
to hold on to each person who escapes from sin, repents, is baptized, and receives God's
Holy Spirit.
The wilderness of sin pictures this human life
span, living in Satan's world (Revelation 12:9; 11 Corinthians 4:4), enduring trials and
temptations. The forty years symbolize testing, trials.
The promised land pictured the Kingdom of God;
the Jordan River the final crossing; death of the old, birth of the new.
The entire generation that came out of Egypt
perished in the wilderness. Only their children, those born during their parents'
wanderings, entered the promised land under Joshua, who is a type of Christ. The
Hebrew "Joshua" is a direct synonym with "Jesus. "
The older generation pictures our human,
physical bodies, formerly enslaved to sin, under Satan's sway, giving in to the
temptations of Egypt. The newer generation who crossed Jordan under Joshua pictures the
"new creature in Christ," coming out of the older generation, crossing
Jordan (rebirth, or the resurrection), and entering into the Kingdom of God!
Notice the obvious picture painted by Paul:
"But we have this treasure [salvation, "Christ in us, the hope of glory"]
in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of
us" (II Corinthians 4:7). Here, Paul likens our physical bodies to clay pots, showing
their temporality, but the eternal nature of the "treasure" of the spirit.
Read up to the end of this chapter for a fuller
understanding of II Corinthians 5. Paul wrote "….we faint not; but though our
outward man perish [our human bodies age, and finally die], yet the inward man [the new
creature in Christ] is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a
moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: while we look not
at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which
are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. " Here, men
placed a chapter break. But the theme continues with I Corinthians 5, verse 1: "For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" (II
Corinthians 4:16-5:1).
Paul likens our physical bodies to
"tabernacles," booths, tents, or little shelters made from branches of trees and
palm fronds. Reference to the Feast of Tabernacles is unmistakable.
Now, study carefully each word of the remainder
of this passage in the light of what you have learned: "For in this we groan,
earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: [our permanent
spiritual body]. If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked [exposed as a
result of sin—not possessing a permanent spiritual home]. For we that are in this
tabernacle [our physical bodies] do groan, being burdened, not for that we would be
unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life" (II
Corinthians 5:1-4).
Paul's references to "groaning"
refers to the yearnings of the spirit; the impossible-to-be-articulated desire of the new
creature in Christ to finally achieve birth into God's Kingdom. Notice, "For ye have
not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of
adoption ["sonship"], whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our
spirit that we are the children of God ... likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself
maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
"And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth
what is the mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the saints according to
the will of God" (Romans 8:16-27).
Even as Paul heard words which "cannot be
uttered" during his brief view of the third heaven, so he likens our innermost
yearnings for God's Kingdom; our agonies of striving against sin, to "groanings which
cannot be uttered, " saying God's Holy Spirit intercedesthat God knows our hearts and
innermost being; that God searches the "mind of the Spirit."
Paul continued, "Now He that hath wrought
us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest [like a down
payment, or token] of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst
we [the new creature in Christ] are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For
we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent
from the body [the new creature in Christ finally liberated from; separate from,
these physical bodies], and to be present with the Lord.
"Wherefore we labor, that, whether present
[in our physical bodies] or absent [no longer in our physical bodies], we may be accepted
of Him.
"For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according
to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Corinthians 5:5-10).
Now notice the climactic truth God reveals
through Paul, "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh [we no
longer judge according to physical appearances; according to the vain socioeconomic
standards of Satan's evil world]: yea though we have known Christ after the flesh [we saw
Him as a physical human being; beheld His physical body], yet now henceforth know we Him
no more [physically].
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, HE IS
A NEW CREATURE; old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new!" (II
Corinthians 5:16-17).
The Greek word for "creature" is ktisis,
and means "original formation—building, creation, creature...."It is
interchangeable with the word "creation" in English.
How plain is God's truth to those who
have had their minds opened by His Spirit! Not only does the Feast of Tabernacles look
forward to the reign of Christ on this earth for 1,000 years, it also looks into the present;
pictures our sojourn during a physical lifetime in temporary "tabernacles, "
enduring trials and testing, looking forward to the typical river Jordan; crossing over
into the promised land, which is death and resurrection, or an instantaneous change at Christ's
coming!
I have known many people who have accepted
various points of truth; studied their Bibles diligently, comparing scripture with
scripture, to finally agree concerning this or that doctrine.
They then accepted this new doctrinal
point, convinced it was true.
What about you? Are you a "believer"?
That is, do you have certain "belief' which you hold to be true; beliefs you accept
as God's Word; beliefs which form your philosophical and doctrinal underpinnings—that
make you what you are, religiously?
I want you to take serious warning at
this point; to think deeply about what you are to read!
Everything you have learned in the preceding
pages is the truth of God from the pages of your own Bible. It is dangerous knowledge
in a sense, for it requires action on your part—either to accept it, and
believe, or reject it, spurning God's truth. However, even to merely accept it is not
enough!
Here's why!
The "new creature in Christ" of which
you have been reading is REAL. It is not a figment of imagination. It as as real as you
are real. And it is only those who have repented of sin; who knew what sin is when
they repented; knew what to repent of, who underwent water baptism, and who received God's
Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands who have had a "new creature in Christ"
actually begotten within them!
Being a Christian is NOT MERELY AN ATTITUDE OF
MIND!
Remember what we learned about Satan and
demons, and "belief"?
Satan is a believer! Do you think his belief
makes him a Christian?
Many professing Christians have come to
"see" a doctrinal argument here and there, have "accepted" some point
of truth or other. In their goodness, since they are the kind of people (they pridefully
assume) who always "accept truth" when they see it, they agree with
"truth" when it is revealed to them. They add another doctrine to their store of
"beliefs."
But such people have never experienced bitter,
soul-shattering, emotional BREAKUP over SIN! They have never truly REPENTED!
And, unless we REPENT, and do so with the whole
mind, with unreserved emotion of self-revulsion and disgust; do so with joyous acceptance
of Christ and His sacrifice—unless we do exactly as Peter said in Acts 2:38—then
no "new creature in Christ" has been begotten within us!
That would be precisely like a young married
women thinking she is pregnant, expecting a son or daughter, only to find
she was not pregnant in the first place—no child is forthcoming! You did not
get here because your mother "thought" she was going to have a child!
And you will never enter the Kingdom of God
because you "think" a certain way; accept certain points of truth, or are
convinced of an argument!
Just as surely as you cannot
"imagine" electricity into your home, you cannot "imagine" your way
into God's Kingdom! Being born of God is not a mind-set!
As shocking as it may sound, there will be MANY
who will be inducted into God's Kingdom who will have had little opportunity to learn very
much about biblical history, about prophecy, about doctrine! Christ said the "first
shall be last" and the "last shall be first." There is coming a
time when millions will repent when they see the awesome power of God in gigantic,
globe-shattering display, during the GREAT TRIBULATION, and the coming Day of the Lord!
Out of this climactic time will come not only the 144,000 of Revelation 7, but a vast, countless
multitude as well!
None of these will have gradually,
begrudgingly, reluctantly been dragged along, one intellectual argument after another;
accepting one point of truth after another, finally building some systematic liturgy
forming a body of "doctrine" which makes up their concept of
"Christianity." No, they will have REPENTED, in shocking, soul shattering
attacks of conscience; the knowledge of just HOW GREAT is God!
Do you see?
Christ said it best! "...except ye REPENT,
ye shall all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3-5).
Now, let your mind contemplate the moment of
your human birth. You cannot remember it, but it happened. A tiny, wet, human form emerged
from the body of your mother a certain number of years ago. From those first moments when
you began taking your first breath of this earth's air supply through your own lungs, now separate
from your mother's blood supply, YOU were on your own. Oh, your parents had to
nurture, care for you, protect you; feed you, clothe you, clean and wash you. But you were
here, a certain number of years ago.
You were destined to undergo all life's
experiences; learning to walk, to talk; go to school, perhaps marry, and have children of
your own—undergo heartache, suffering, joy, happiness, pain, sickness, triumph,
tragedy—years of sometimes wonderful, sometimes terrible human experience.
Why?
Without attempting to be overly
"clinical" in explaining the answer to this ultimate question, let us apply the
same question to our father's life-giving male sperm cell prior to our begettal. Why was
it created? Why did it exist? What was its purpose?
Pretty obvious, isn't it?
It came into being so WE could come into being,
so we could be given these human physical lives! What did we become, once our father's
male cell united with our mother's female egg? We became exactly who we are! And
our human, physical lives began at conception, not a moment later!
Though we were then a tiny, microscopic zygote
within the womb of our mother, we were nevertheless human; possessing the genetic codes
which would give us our entire physiognomy; determine our ultimate height, general build,
skin color and texture, color of eyes and hair, tenor of voice, and certain proclivities
and talents!
In like manner, when God begets a "new
creature in Christ" by the power of His Holy Spirit, uniting with our human
spirit, WHAT IS BEGOTTEN?
Does your mind deny it? Do you shy away from
the answer? Do you believe it sounds blasphemous?
But Paul wrote, "The Spirit itself beareth
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God: and if children, then
HEIRS: heirs of God, and JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST" (Romans 8:16-17).
What has Christ inherited? At what level does
Christ exist in His Divine Family?
Christ has inherited ALL THINGS—the universe,
in all its imagination—defying glory and splendor! He now dwells beside His
Father in ETERNAL POWER AND GLORY, and is VERY GOD!
And what shall we finally become when we
are BORN OF GOD? John said, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be LIKE HIM, for
we shall see Him as He is!" (I John 3:2).
The name "God" comes from a Family
term, Elohim, and means more than One! When I was born, I was born an
"Armstrong. " You were born, likewise, into your family. And when we are finally
born of God, that is what we shall BECOME—members of the Divine FAMILY of
God; lesser than Christ, and subject to Him; yet, members of His own Family! Can you now
comprehend? Can you now understand, at last, your astonishing human potential?
No wonder David prayed, "For thou hast
formed my reins: thou hast knit me together in my mother's womb.
"I will praise Thee, for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
"My frame was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in
the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and
in Thy book all my members were written, from the day they were fashioned, when as yet
there was none of them. How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is
the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:13-17).
Why are YOU?
You are here because God Almighty loves you;
because He put you here—produced you, for a FABULOUS, UNSPEAKABLY GREAT
SPIRITUAL PURPOSE! Do not miss your opportunity! Do not waste your human, physical
existence which is so brief, which is for the sole purpose of ultimately being made a
member of the very Divine Family! Have you repented? Have you been baptized? Have you
received God's Holy Spirit? Has a "new creature in Christ" been formed within
you by the power of God?
-End-
PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE AS WIDELY AS POSSIBLE
WITHOUT MAKING ANY CHANGES and WITHOUT CHARGE TO ANYONE
This publication is intended to be used as a personal study tool. Please know it is not wise to take any man's word for anything, including ours, so prove all things for yourself from the pages of your own Bible. Because your salvation is between you and God, it is through such personal verification that you will gain confidence and come to know for yourself what is truth.
For additional related knowledge and understanding,
may we suggest the following titles:
Do You Have an Immortal Soul?
Believe it or Not…. The Bible Does Not Promise "Heaven"!
Why Should You Repent
How to Get Rid of Guilt
The Ten Commandments
Is Water Baptism Required For Salvation?
What is Your Destiny?
Where is the True Church?
The Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association
P.O. Box 747
Flint, TX 75762
Phone: (903) 561-7070 • Fax: (903) 561-4141
E-Mail: