A VIEW OF GOD’S ECONOMY OR PURPOSE FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT TYPES

If we read the Old Testament carefully, we will see that it is roughly divided into two sections. The first section is a history of nine persons. The second section is a history of the nation of Israel. Both the history of the nine persons and the history of the nation of Israel are types and pictures. They both describe the same thing—God’s economy.

We will first consider the first section of the Old Testament which is the story of nine persons recorded in the fifty chapters of the book of Genesis. The first five persons of these nine form one group—Adam, Abel, Enosh, Enoch, and Noah. The last four form another group—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. The first group shows us how God works Himself into the sinner. The last group shows us how this man into whom God has worked Himself experiences Him as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In the end the sinner becomes Israel, who is the prince of God, ruling for God and dispensing His riches into men.

ADAM AND EVE—CHRIST AND THE CHURCH

Adam—Christ as the Expression of God

Among these nine persons, the first is Adam and Eve. Adam is a type in two aspects. After his creation and before his fall, he was a type of Christ who is the embodiment of God. Adam was created by God according to His own image for the purpose of expressing Him. God also entrusted him with the authority to rule over all things to represent Him. Hence the created Adam is a type of Christ expressing God and ruling for God as the Head.

Eve—the Church as the Expression of Christ

God took a rib from Adam to form a woman (Gen. 2:22) who is Eve, his wife. Eve is a type of the church as the expression of Christ. As Eve was from Adam, so the church is from Christ. This picture shows us the desire of God in His economy. God is the unique Male in the universe. He needs a counterpart (Gen. 2:18) which is the created man, redeemed and regenerated by Christ, transformed, and built together to become the church. This is why at the end of the Bible we see the Spirit and the bride speaking as one man in Revelation 22:17. The Spirit is the ultimate expression of the Triune God. He is the processed Triune God. He has a bride which means that He is married to the created, redeemed, regenerated, transformed, and glorified tripartite man. This matter was mentioned by John the Baptist in John 3: “He who has the bride is the bridegroom” (v. 29). The Bridegroom is the Lord Jesus, and the bride is the church. Ephesians 5 also says that as Adam and Eve were made husband and wife, so Christ and the church are made one body (vv. 30-32). When we come to Revelation 19, we see that the marriage of the Lamb is come (v. 7). Chapter twenty-one says that the holy city, New Jerusalem, comes down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (v. 2). The New Jerusalem is on the one hand the dwelling place of God, and on the other hand the bride of the Lamb. The Lamb is the embodiment of the Triune God, and the Lamb’s bride is a composition of the redeemed ones throughout the ages. In eternity future the Triune God will become one body with His redeemed tripartite man. The two will become one universal couple. This is the goal of God’s economy.

FROM ADAM, THE FALLEN ONE, TO NOAH, THE ONE WHO WORKED TOGETHER WITH GOD

Not long after Adam was created, he fell and became the first sinner. He is, therefore, a type of the sinner. On the side of creation, he represents Christ. On the side of the fall, he represents us the sinners. From Adam, the fallen one, to Noah, the one working together with God, we have a type of the fallen sinner becoming a saint working together with God. We were all Adam, fallen sinners. But God has saved us and has made us step by step to be Noah, working together with God and building an ark for Him.

The Fallen Adam Wearing the Skin of the Sacrifice

When Adam sinned, he knew that he was naked and had nowhere to hide himself (Gen. 3:7-8). God gave him the skin of the sacrifice for coats (3:21) to be his covering. This typifies that we, the descendants of Adam and the fallen sinners, are all naked and are not able to stand before God. But the Lord Jesus has become the Lamb of God (John 1:29) having been slain for us and having shed His blood to redeem us from our sins. Moreover, He gave Himself to us to be our righteous covering. Hence, we who have believed and are baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27) and are able to stand before God.

Abel, the One Inheriting Salvation, Offering Up a Lamb as a Sacrifice

After Adam we have Abel. Genesis 4:4 says that Abel offered up a lamb as a sacrifice for God’s acceptance. This typifies that we, the saved ones who have put on Christ, live daily in Christ to live Him out, that we would become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). When we offer up this Christ that we live out as a sacrifice to God for His satisfaction, we are accepted by God in Him.

Enosh, the Frail One, Calling On the Name of Jehovah

The third person is Enosh. The meaning of his name is the frail one. He called on the name of Jehovah. This is a type of the frail believer calling on the name of the Lord to enjoy Him as his portion. After we are saved, we put on Christ as our righteousness before God and learn to live in Him to live Him out. But many times we feel that we are weak and not able to overcome our own weaknesses. The only way is to call “O Lord Jesus!” By calling on His name, we overcome to enjoy the riches of the Lord.

Enoch, the One Pursuing after God, Walking with God

The fourth person is Enoch, the one pursuing after God and walking with God. He is a type of the believer who pursues after the Lord and who lives and moves together with the Lord. When you are about to lose your temper or show a long face, you can experience victory, walk with the Lord, and live together with Him by calling on the name of the Lord. In this way you are changed from an “Enosh” to an “Enoch,” from a weak believer to one who walks with the Lord.
Noah, the One Walking with God, Working with Him

The fifth person is Noah. Noah worked with God to build the ark. This is one step further from Enoch’s walking with God. First, the fallen sinner Adam puts on Christ, being acceptable to God to become Abel. Then through his weakness, he becomes Enosh who calls on the Lord all the time. As a further step, he becomes Enoch who walks with God. As a result, he becomes Noah who works together with God, building the ark every day, not only for the salvation of others, but to save himself as well. Philippians 2:12 says to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Today we all have to be in fear and trembling, walking with God, working together with Him to build our own ark, so that we can save not only others but also ourselves from the judgment of God and the corrupted age into a new age. In this new age, we live before God to offer up the burnt offering for God’s satisfaction.

Adam, Abel, Enosh, Enoch, and Noah form the first group of five people. Their history is a picture of every believer. We are sinners saved by God to the extent that we become those who work together with God.

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To continue from last post on an overview or bird's eye view of God's economy in the OT ...

ABRAHAM, ISAAC, AND JACOB WITH JOSEPH

After Noah, there are four more persons—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with Joseph. They form one group. They typify the called believer’s threefold experience of the Triune God from his selection to his reigning.

As the Father, Abraham Being Called by God and Justified by Faith, Living by Faith and Living in Fellowship with God

If we have the experience of the first group of five people, we will surely experience God the Father in the way of Abraham’s experience. Abraham was one called by God and justified by faith, who lived by faith and lived in fellowship with God. This is a type of the believer experiencing the calling and justification of God the Father and by faith living a life of fellowshipping with Him. Our experience of the Triune God is similar to that experienced by Abraham. God the Father first called us. Then we walk by Him, living by faith and living in fellowship with Him.

As the Son, Isaac by Faith Inheriting All the Promised Blessings

After we have the experience of Abraham, we enjoy all the riches of the Father deposited in the Son. This is the experience of Isaac. Isaac by faith inherited all the promised blessings. This is a type of a believer who lives in fellowship with God experiencing the inheritance of all the grace in God the Son for the enjoyment in satisfaction and rest. Abraham left everything to Isaac. We who belong to Christ are the descendants of Abraham. We also have inherited an inheritance according to the promise for the enjoyment in satisfaction and rest.

As the One Inheriting from His Grandfather and His Father, Jacob Being Chosen by God Experiencing Trials to Become the Israel of God, Bringing God’s Blessing to Everyone

After we experience the riches of the Son, God the Spirit will lead us to experience Jacob’s portion. Jacob was chosen by God to experience trials to become the Israel of God, bringing God’s blessing to everyone. This is a type of the believer chosen by God who enjoys the love of God the Father and the grace of God the Son and experiences the transformation of God the Spirit through trials in his environment to become a mature man to bestow God’s blessings to others. When we who are in Christ enjoy His riches, the Spirit will lead us to pass through all kinds of trials in our environment to be transformed by the Spirit to become Israel, the prince of God.

As the One Who in Experience Forms a Part of Jacob, Joseph Reigning and Dispensing Widely the Riches of God to Everyone

Joseph in experience forms a part of Jacob. He reigned in Egypt for God, dispensing all the rich food to the whole world. This is a type of the transformed, overcoming, and mature believer reigning for the Lord, dispensing the riches of God in Christ to everyone.

Hence, from the experience of the first group of five people, we go on to experience the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In the end, we all become Israel, the prince of God, reigning for God and dispensing the riches of God in Christ to everyone. This is what the second group of four people typifies. The experiences of these nine people tell us how God accomplishes His economy in us, the believers. Today, although every one of us is different in our spiritual experience—some being higher, while others are lower—we have to look to God’s mercy that we would go on and advance further and further in the process of God’s economy.


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THE CORPORATE TYPE

The experiences of all these nine persons in Genesis are part of God’s economy. God worked Himself into every one of them and worked every one of them into Him. They were joined and mingled with God and were transformed, even to become the prince of God, reigning for God on earth and distributing to others His riches. This experience was high enough. But it was only on the individual side. God had not yet obtained a corporate dwelling place. He still did not have a place on earth in which to dwell.

The Corporate Israel

God’s intention is to have a corporate body. The nation of Israel was a type of this body. For this, God went on from Genesis to Exodus, working Himself into the corporate Israel that they would become the house of God, which is God’s habitation on earth as typified by the tabernacle in the midst of the Israelites. This corporate Israel was a type of the church as the Body of Christ to be God’s dwelling place on earth among men.

Experiencing the Passover, Having God’s Judgment Pass over Them

At that time, the Israelites went down into Egypt and were enslaved by the Egyptians. In order to deliver them from the bondage of Egypt, God had to judge Egypt and smite the firstborn of the Egyptians. To spare the Israelites from the same smiting, God gave them a way of salvation. He commanded them to slaughter the Passover lamb and strike the blood on the lintel and the side posts. Under the covering of the blood, the destroying angel would pass over them and would not smite them (Exo. 12:21-23). But all the firstborn of the land of Egypt were judged by God and were smitten by the destroying angel. In this way, the Israelites were delivered from the enslaving hand of Pharaoh and were freed from Egypt.

Leaving Egypt and Crossing the Red Sea

After the Israelites experienced the Passover, they left Egypt the same night and crossed the Red Sea. This is a type of all the believers in the New Testament, that is, the whole church, experiencing Christ as the Passover and being baptized to be delivered from the world. For the Israelites the experience of the Passover, the exodus from Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea were not individual matters but were all corporate matters. They experienced the Passover as a corporate body, they left Egypt as a corporate body, and they crossed the Red Sea as a corporate body. In the eyes of God, we believers are not saved one by one individually. Instead, we enjoy Christ as the redeeming Lamb together, we are baptized together, and we are delivered from the world and saved from this age together. In God there is no difference in time and space. We the believers experience our Passover at the same time, and all of us leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea at the same time.

Passing through the Wilderness to Offer Sacrifices to God

The Israelites were led by God out of Egypt to cross the Red Sea and enter into the wilderness to serve God. Today it is the same for us, the saved ones. We are in the wilderness, away from the bondage of the world, having been released from the enslaving of man and having the true freedom. Here we learn to serve God.

Experiencing the Bitter Water Turned Sweet

In the journey through the wilderness, God led the Israelites to pass through many experiences. First, they experienced the bitter water turned sweet. The Israelites came to Marah. Because of the bitterness of the water, the people complained to Moses. Jehovah commanded Moses to cast a tree into the water, and the water turned sweet (Exo. 15:25). The bitter water signifies a bitter situation. The tree signifies the cross of Christ. Christians are like the Israelites in the wilderness; often we are confronted with difficulties while journeying on earth. During these times, if we consider the cross of Christ and receive it into us, our bitter situations will turn sweet.

Enjoying the Manna from Heaven as the Daily Supply

The Israelites also enjoyed the manna from heaven as their daily supply. They did not plough nor did they reap in the wilderness. What they ate was the manna from heaven (Exo. 16:15). We who follow the Lord have God’s manna from heaven, which is the Lord Jesus. He is the bread of life. When we eat Him, we will not be hungry. He who eats Him will live by Him (John 6:35, 57).

Drinking the Living Water Which Flowed from the Rock

Not only did the Israelites need food in the wilderness; they needed water as well. God solved the problem of their need for food by sending manna, but there was still the need to solve the problem of drinking. For that, God commanded Moses to smite the rock. Out of the rock came water (Exo. 17:6), and their thirst was quenched. Today the Lord Jesus is our manna. He is also our living water. We can drink of Him and be satisfied.

Defeating Amalek

While the Israelites were journeying in the wilderness, Amalek came and fought with them (Exo. 17:8), hindering them from going on. Through the prayer of Moses, the Israelites defeated Amalek. In type, Amalek signifies our flesh. Our flesh is always hindering us from following the Lord. But through the intercession of the Lord Jesus in heaven and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to overcome the flesh. Hence, after we have left Egypt and are in the way of following the Lord in the wilderness, there are many needs. The Lord is able to meet all of our needs. He turns the difficulties into sweetness. He satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst. He overcomes the hindrance of the flesh for us. In this way we can go on fearlessly to the place God has appointed.

Coming to the Mountain Appointed by God, Receiving Revelation, and Erecting the Tabernacle

The Israelites came to Mount Sinai, which was God’s appointed place (Exo. 19:1). Here they received the revelation to build the tabernacle so that God would have a dwelling place on earth (Exo. 25:8). Later the tabernacle became the center of the move among the Israelites. This typifies that we the believers are led by the Lord to receive revelation and to build the church as God’s dwelling place.

Wandering and Dying in the Wilderness

The Israelites could very well have entered into the good land of Canaan through following the tabernacle had it not been for their evil heart of unbelief which offended God. For that, God was disgusted with that generation. In the end they all died in the wilderness. This typifies the believers wandering and failing in the soul.

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The secret ... "... in Him"

Continuing for Israel's type...

Crossing the River Jordan and Entering into Canaan, the Good Land

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until a new generation rose up. God brought the new generation through the river Jordan to enter into Canaan. He ordered Joshua to choose twelve men from the people to bring twelve stones from the river Jordan over to the other side. In addition, they set up twelve stones in the river (Josh. 4:2, 8-9). This was done as a symbol that the old Israelites were buried under the river Jordan and that the new Israelites were brought through the river into the good land. This typifies that the believers’ natural life passes through the death of Christ, and in resurrection they enjoy Christ as the good land.

Defeating the Enemy, Gaining the Land, and Building the Temple

When the Israelites entered Canaan, God delivered into their hands the people of that land. They were able to defeat the enemy, gain the land, and build the temple of God there. The temple was an enlargement of the tabernacle. It was a dwelling place of God. This typifies that we the believers defeat the spiritual enemies, gain the territory in Christ, and build up the church as God’s temple. When we follow Christ, we receive the feeding of the manna, we receive the supply of the living water, and we overcome our flesh by Him. Furthermore, we deny the natural life by passing through the death of Christ, dying and resurrecting together with Him, and enter into Him, being joined together with all the saints to be built up into a solid dwelling place of God in Him.

Becoming Desolate, Failing, and Being Carried Away to Babylon and Returning from Captivity to Jerusalem to Rebuild the Temple of God on the Original Foundation

After the temple was completed, the Israelites gradually became desolate, failed, and were eventually carried away to Babylon to be put under the rule of the Gentiles. After seventy years when the time was completed (2 Chron. 36:11-21), God called them out of Babylon to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple on the foundation of the original temple (Ezra 1:3). This typifies the history of the church after it came into being. From Revelation 2—3 we see that the church gradually became desolate, failed, and was carried away to the mysterious Great Babylon. Today we are like the returned Israelites, coming out of the mysterious Great Babylon and being recovered to the original ground of the church to rebuild the church of God.

Rebuilding the City of Jerusalem as the Circumference of God’s Temple, and Further Rebuilding the Temple and the City of Jerusalem during the Coming Restoration of the Nation of Israel

The Israelites returned, built the temple, and recovered the holy city. When the Lord Jesus comes back again, the nation of Israel will be restored. By then they will rebuild the temple again and will build a bigger Jerusalem. According to Ezekiel 48, the Jerusalem that they will build will have twelve gates and will be their dwelling place with God in the millennium. This typifies the overcomers in the church and the overcoming saints of the Old Testament who will eventually become the New Jerusalem in the millennium. They will be the heavenly part of the millennium and will be the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.

There they will exercise authority to rule with the Lord Jesus over the nations.

After the one thousand years, this heavenly Jerusalem will be enlarged to become the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth. She will include all the redeemed ones from all the ages to be the dwelling place and the expression of God in eternity future. She will also become the dwelling place of us, the redeemed ones. Hence, the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and the new earth will become the mutual dwelling place for God and man. God will dwell in the redeemed ones, and the redeemed ones will dwell in God their Redeemer. This New Jerusalem in eternity is the ultimate consummation of the church to be God’s eternal expression.

By now, we can clearly see that the history of the nation of Israel is a full type of the history of the church. The history of Israel begins with the Israelites corporately experiencing the Passover during the exodus from Egypt and goes on until the Lord comes back the second time when they will be restored to build the Jerusalem with the twelve gates. The history of the church also began with the Passover, which is the Christ who has been sacrificed (1 Cor. 5:7), and goes on until the millennium with its heavenly Jerusalem which also has twelve gates. Hence, whether it is the Old Testament or the New, in type or by revelation, the whole Bible speaks of the same thing, which is God’s economy. The economy of God is the Triune God working Himself into us, the tripartite men. He desires to be man’s life, content, and complete supply that man would become God’s representation and expression. In the beginning God gained individuals, from Adam through Abel, Enosh, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Then God gained a corporate Israel. When we were first saved, seemingly we were individuals; but gradually we feel that we need a corporate Body, which is the church. Because of this we begin to come together for the church life. Today, we are the genuine, real nation of Israel, expressing God as His dwelling place on earth.

First He gains individuals; then He gains a Body. Today we all have our individual experiences; but we are also living a life in the church. It is a life in which the Triune God is joined to the redeemed ones as one spirit. He is our life and content, and we are His rest and habitation. He is our enjoyment, and we are His expression. All these begin with His Spirit mingling with our spirit, continue with the uplifting and the transformation of our soul, and consummate with the uplifting of our body, which is the redemption of our body. Eventually all the redeemed ones will become the New Jerusalem as the mutual dwelling place of God and us and as God’s eternal expression. May we all see this vision of God’s economy so that we would know how to live in the church and walk in a proper and bright way.

hello people!

Christ, on the one hand, is in the third heavens. But on the other hand, He lives within us. Christ became the life-giving Spirit in order that He might live in us. Without being the life-giving Spirit, it would not be possible for the heavenly Christ to live in us. According to the New Testament revelation, Christ is both the ascended Lord and the life-giving Spirit. As the ascended Lord He is sitting in the heavens at the right hand of God, and as the life-giving Spirit He lives within us. Now we have Christ not only as our life but also as our person. Because He lives in us, we should take Him as our person and live Him.

In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, "Christ lives in me." We need a proper understanding of what it means for Christ to live in us. It is rather easy to understand that Christ lives, but it is difficult to understand how Christ lives in us. For Christ to live in us does not mean that He lives instead of us. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says, on the one hand, "no longer I," and on the other hand, "Christ lives in me." The phrase "in me" is of great importance. Yes, it is Christ who lives, but He lives in us.

In order to understand how Christ can live in us, we need to consider John 14. Before His death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus said to the disciples, "Because I live, you shall live also" (v. 19). Christ lives in us by causing us to live with Him. Christ does not live alone; He lives in us and with us. He lives in us by enabling us to live with Him. In a very real sense, if we do not live with Him, He cannot live in us. We have not been altogether ruled out, and our life has not been exchanged for the divine life. We continue to exist, but we exist with the Triune God. The Triune God who now dwells within us causes us to live with Christ. Hence, Christ lives in us through our living with Him.

In John 6:57 the Lord Jesus said, "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me shall also live because of Me." The Son did not live by Himself. However, this does not mean that the Son was set aside and ceased to exist. The Son, of course, continued to exist, but He did not live His own life. Instead, He lived the life of the Father. In this way the Son and the Father had one life and one living. It is the same in our relationship with Christ today. We and Christ do not have two lives. We have one life and one living. We live by Him, and He lives in us. If we do not live, He does not live; and if He does not live, we cannot live. On the one hand, we are terminated; on the other hand, we continue to exist, but we do not exist without Christ. Christ lives within us, and we live with Him. Therefore, we and He have one life and one living.

Paul's word in Galatians 2:20 about Christ living in us is definite and emphatic. There is no ambiguity here. Paul clearly says that Christ, as a person, lives in us. This Christ who lives in us is the pneumatic Christ, the Christ who is the Spirit. Now that He dwells in us as the Spirit, we need to learn how to let Him live in us and how to live together with Him. A normal believer is a person who has one life and one living with Christ. We are one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17), we have one life with Him, and now we should be one person with Him. Sooner or later, those who seek the Lord realize that Someone divine, heavenly, eternal, and spiritual lives in them as a person. If we see this, we shall also see that just as He lived because of the Father, we should now live because of Him, taking Him as our person.

Paul could say not only that Christ lived in him, but also that to him to live was Christ (Phil. 1:21). On the one hand, Christ lived in Paul; on the other hand, Paul lived Christ. Inwardly Christ was Paul's life, and outwardly Christ was Paul's living. Paul and Christ thus had one life and one living. Christ's life was Paul's life, and Paul's living was Christ's living. The two, Christ and Paul, lived as one. First Corinthians 6:17 refers to such a living. In this verse Paul says that we are one spirit with the Lord. The organic union that has taken place between us and Christ causes us to be so close and intimate with Him that we are even one spirit with Him. If we would live Christ, we must take Him as our person and be one person with Him. He and we must be one in a practical way.

To live Christ is not merely to be holy, spiritual, and victorious. To live Christ is to live a person. In our daily living we should simply live Christ. We should live a life that is Christ Himself. The Gospel of John reveals that, as those who believe in Christ, we need to live Christ. We have seen that, according to John 6:57, we should live because of Him. Furthermore, according to John 14:19 and 20, we live in Christ in the way of coinherence. He lives in the Father, we live in Him, and He lives in us. We not only coexist with Christ; we coinhere with Him. This means that He lives in us and we live in Him. We have such a life of coinherence with Christ because He is the pneumatic Christ, the life-giving Spirit.

Christ lives in us so that we may live Him. We need to practice living Christ in all the details, particularly in the small things, of our daily life. I believe that this was Paul's experience and practice. The books of Galatians and Philippians indicate that Paul was a person who practiced living Christ in all the small things. His desire was to be found in Christ by others (Phil. 3:9). This indicates that in all things, in every detail of his life, he practiced living Christ. For Paul, this was not a mere doctrine; it was also a fact. It should also be real and practical to us that Christ lives in us and that we live Him.

From a post I enjoyed:

What’s so significant about the birth of Jesus Christ? And what does it really mean to us today?

I’m afraid, to some, it’s just one of the trappings of the holiday season—a nativity scene and some songs. Others may regard it as a historical event, yet with little thought as to, “what’s the real meaning of the birth of Jesus?”…and, “How does it apply to me today?”

Before we consider the Word though, I’d like to mention Charles Wesley’s famous hymn, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing…” Look closely at its lyrics, especially those in stanza two. You’ll be impressed with something of the real meaning of the birth of Jesus. This stanza says:

Christ, by highest heav’n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord:
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail th’ incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with man to dwell,
Jesus our Immanuel.

First, it says that Christ was “the everlasting Lord…come, Offspring of a virgin’s womb”—Isa. 7:14

This stanza refers to Isaiah 7:14 which says,

“Behold the virgin will conceive and will bear a son, and she will call his name Immanuel.”

How awesome that this “son” born of the virgin Mary was the everlasting Lord!

Part of footnote 1 on this verse, in the Recovery Version, says,

“…He was a child of a dual nature, the divine nature and the human nature issuing in Immanuel, i.e., God with us, for the salvation of God’s people…”

Second, Wesley’s hymn points out that He was “the Godhead veiled in flesh”—John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9.

Colossians 2:9 supports this point by saying,

“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

Footnote 3 on this verse says,

“This points to the physical body that Christ put on in His humanity, indicating that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ as the One who has a human body…”

Third, Wesley boldly stated that Christ was “the incarnate Deity!”

We need such a clear view that the Christ in whom we believe is the eternal God incarnated to be a finite man—the “incarnate Deity.” His birth was the conception of the Holy Spirit in a human virgin to bring forth our Savior who is both the complete God and a genuine, perfect man.

Matt. 1:18 and 20 say,

“Now the origin of Jesus Christ was in this way: His mother, Mary, after she had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together, was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit.”… But while he pondered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that which has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.”

Part of footnote 2 on Luke 1:35 explains these verses by saying,

“…Matt. 1:18 and 20 tell us that Mary “was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit,” and that “that which has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.” This indicates that the divine essence out of the Holy Spirit had been begotten in Mary’s womb before she delivered the child Jesus. Such a conception of the Holy Spirit in the human virgin, accomplished with the divine and human essences, constituted a mingling of the divine nature with the human nature, which produced a God-man, One who is both the complete God and the perfect man, possessing the divine nature and the human nature distinctly, without a third nature being produced. This is the most wonderful and most excellent person of Jesus, who is Jehovah the Savior.”

Fourth, He is “Jesus our Immanuel”—Matt. 1:21, 23!

The angel continued in verse 21 saying,

“And she will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”

Then verses 22-23 present the birth of Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 mentioned earlier in this post. Matthew referred to it by saying,

‘Now all this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which is translated, God with us).’

Jesus was, is, and will eternally be our “Emmanuel”—not only in His birth, but also now, much more, in His resurrection. He is now “God with us,” as the resurrected One, the life-giving Spirit, with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). He is with us in this way from the moment with believe into Him into eternity.
Finally, be impressed that the meaning of “incarnation” is simply the mingling of God with man.

The meaning of the birth of Jesus Christ was the mingling of God with man. In this mingling there was both divinity and humanity mingled together, without a third nature being produced.

This is what it means to be a real Christian. Not only was Jesus such a mingling of God with man, but every true believer in Christ is mingled with God, to be a God-man.

To be born again, or regenerated, is to experience such a divine birth in which God is mingled with man!

The best way for us to enter into the real meaning of Christ’s birth is to invite Him to mingle Himself with us. When we call on Him—“Lord Jesus, our Emmanuel!”—we not only get saved from hell, we get mingled with this God-man, the One who is the “Incarnate Deity.”

So may we no longer just consider the birth of Jesus as an event to commemorate but as God’s gift of a wonderful Person for us to receive and be mingled with. To be thoroughly mingled with the Lord Jesus is the best remembrance we can ever give Him.

school break yet?

That just show that man was created with a spirit to contact and contain God

Only when man is reduced to such a state when he has no way out, then he consider God. What a pride or arrogance we have

After the fall, the conscience became activated and they start to feel condemned within ...

Can't find one of my old posts .... only fragments

In the end, God will use everything from our friends, boss, family, husband, wife, environment, sufferings etc just to gain you to be a matured son of God in the divine life. Everything is in the Father's hand.

Jacob was like that. Paul was too. And many more in front of us.

It is evident that Job and his friends did not see the positive aspect of God's economy in dealing with His holy people. That is, God wants to strip, not to judge, His holy ones that He might gain them so that they might gain Him more.

Job's friends thought that what he was suffering was a matter of God's judgment. However, Job's sufferings were not God's judgment but God's stripping. The Sabeans took away Job's oxen and donkeys, the "fire of God" devoured his sheep, the Chaldeans took his camels, and a great wind caused the death of his sons and daughters (Job 1:13-19). All these things were God's stripping, but Job and his friends regarded them as God's judgment. Throughout the centuries, many readers of the book of Job have had the same concept, thinking that Job suffered because of God's judgment.

Have you ever had the thought that quite often God does something to strip you? Even though you may not be wrong, suddenly certain things happen to you, and God uses these things to strip you. It is through His stripping that God dispenses Himself to those who love Him and seek after Him. Job lost all that he had, but ultimately he gained God Himself. God stripped his all in order that He could be his all for his full transformation and conformation to the glorious image of God in His Son (Rom. 8:29). Job and his friends did not have the adequate revelation of the divine truths. As godly men, they expressed their sentiments within the limits of the revelation they had received.

Proverbs 9?

The book of Proverbs is a particular book among the books of the Bible. It has a particular character; that is, it presents to us the words of wisdom by many ancient wise men, which is unanimously considered good by all the people who read it. But whether it is really good or not depends upon what kind of reader you are.

If you are an ethical person with a strong mind and have a desire to be perfect as a genuine moral person, surely this book would help you to make a success in your pursuit of perfection. But it helps you to cultivate yourself, that is, to cultivate the human "bright virtue" created for man by God according to His attributes, that is, according to what He is. However, it does not help you to be a person who lives in his spirit according to the Spirit of God who dwells in you for the accomplishment of God's eternal economy, that is, to produce and build up the Body of Christ which consummates the New Jerusalem as God's heart's desire and ultimate goal. In the Old Testament Job was exactly such a person. He was satisfied with his integrity, with his pursuit of human perfection. But that was not what God wanted of him; rather it replaced what God wanted of him and then it became an enemy of God frustrating him, a man created by God to fulfill God's purpose. God's purpose in creating man is to have man be filled with Him to be His expression, not an expression of human perfection. So the success of Job in human perfection was torn down by God. In this tearing down by God, God tore down Job also. Job was perplexed, not knowing what to do. Then God came in to reveal Himself to Job, indicating that He Himself is what Job should pursue, gain, and express. Then Job had a big turn from pursuing human perfection to pursue God Himself.

If you are a person who is a law-keeper, surely you will appreciate all the proverbs in this book as words of wise men, thinking that they could help you to be a good or even better law-keeper. If so, you just make all the proverbs many, many laws and fall into the snare of keeping the law as many Jews do, who do not know God's purpose in the dispensation of His law, that is, to expose fallen man's weakness.

If you are a person who loves the Lord and pursues Christ, not self-perfection, and who loves the Lord's word in the entire Bible and reads it with a praying spirit, not for the seeking of the doctrine of letters but for seeking the Spirit and word of life, not to get any help for self-cultivation but for the nourishment of your spirit that you may live a Christian life which is perfect not in human virtues but in the divine virtues which are the expressions of the divine attributes, then this book will render you nuggets and gems to strengthen your life of pursuing Christ for the fulfillment of God's economy in producing and building up the Body of Christ.

Furthermore, God does not want us just to seek the knowledge, doctrine, truth, theology, and so-called revelation in letters. God wants us to seek after Him that we may gain Him and that He may fill us up with Himself for His expression. He is the Spirit and we worship Him and contact Him in our spirit. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. The word spoken to us by the Lord should become the Spirit and the life to us (John 6:63). If we study the Bible by the way of letters, not by the way of the Spirit and of life, we make the Bible, regardless of what part, a book of letters. Most Christians today have made the New Testament of the Spirit and of life the Old Testament of letters. To Paul the apostle even the Old Testament was like the New Testament, of the Spirit and of life. Too many Christians have made the New Testament proverbs, precepts, exhortations, and instructions of letters. By this we have to realize that what the book of Proverbs would be to us depends upon what kind of persons we are and by what way we take it.

Aw ... ... you can go higher

Athanasius, who quite elegantly declared that the Son of God "became man that we might be made God" (On the Incarnation of the Word)

Hmm? Ah no ... it's not about creation but more, the purpose God became a man ... (Rom 1:3-4, 2 Peter 1:4)

Ah (you are asking the right question ) ...... but that was only redemption ... to restore us to the original position of Adam. Otherwise, we have no RIGHT to receive the divine life to grow as the sons of God. But salvation is not just redemption only.

I think most are clear that the Lord has no sin (Rom 8:3). But rarely do people see that although his humanity is perfect, it was not being glorified or brought into glory yet. Well ... to make it clear, our humanity requires 2 steps (fallen -> original (redemption) -> uplifted) through sanctification. But the Lord's humanity is sinless, yet His humanity needs to go through death and resurrection so that the divine life concealed in His humanity will be released.

This is clearly seen in Rom 1:3-4. Through His resurrection, Christ became the firstborn Son of God, full of the essence of God’s holiness, not only in His spirit, but also in His body. Before His death and resurrection the holiness of God was in Christ’s spirit, but this holy essence had not been manifested in His flesh. In other words, it had not permeated His flesh. It was through death and resurrection that God’s holy essence saturated the physical body of the Lord Jesus (glorification).

Concerning the Lord Jesus, the Spirit of holiness was within Him before His death and resurrection. This Spirit of holiness is the divine essence of holiness. Through the process of death and resurrection, this holy essence saturated and permeated the Lord’s humanity, including His flesh. As believers in the Lord Jesus, we also have the divine essence of holiness, which is the Spirit of holiness, the very Christ, in our spirit. Because this holy essence is still concealed within our humanity, we need to pass through a process under God’s sovereign arrangement that will enable this essence to saturate our entire being.

Now (in His resurrection) He is the Son of God in a way that is more wonderful than before, for now He has both the divine nature and the resurrected, transformed, uplifted, glorified, and designated human nature.

As the Son of God with both divinity and humanity, Christ is now the pattern and model for the mass production of the many sons of God. God does not want just one Son, the only begotten Son; He desires many sons, all of whom are the mass production of the Firstborn (John 12:24, Rom 8:29)

PS. Even if Adam didn't fell (and corrupted his perfect humanity) ... it didn't met God's purpose to be life to man (putting man in front of tree of life) .... God wants man to receive Him as the divine life into him ...

This post has been edited by pehkay: Dec 26 2012, 10:53 AM

Before another accuse me of "something" ...

"Sons of God" includes man and women
"Bride of Christ" includes man and women ... yeah .... manly brothers!!! ... we are all "female" in this love relationship. Get used to it

In the new creation ... no more man and woman ....

This post has been edited by pehkay: Dec 26 2012, 11:29 AM

Or you like to be more pedantic than what unknown mentioned ...

The church composed of a group of human beings coordinated together as a corporate Body with which He may mingle Himself in His divine nature, which becomes the Bride of Christ.

But then, what is more important is the Christ is preparing the Bride. Are we beautiful? The Lord is not coming back for a "child-Bride". No wonder He is waiting still.

The time is coming when He will present the Bride to Himself. Surely at the time of her presentation to Christ, the Bride will not have any wrinkles or spots. In His Bride Christ will behold nothing but beauty. This beauty will be the reflection of what He is. Do you know where the beauty of the Bride comes from?

It comes from the very Christ who is wrought into the church and who is then expressed through the church. Our beauty is not our behavior. Our only beauty is the reflection of Christ, the shining out of Christ from within us. What Christ appreciates in us is the expression of Himself in us. Nothing less than this will meet His standard or win His appreciation.

Firstly, Christ must come into us and then be assimilated by us. Then He will be able to shine out of us. This shining is the glory of the Bride, the manifestation of divinity through humanity. Real beauty is the expression of the divine attributes through humanity. Nothing in the universe is as beautiful as this expression. Therefore, the beauty of the Bride is Christ shining out of us. It is a matter of divinity expressed through humanity. Through our humanity there is an expression of the divine color, the divine appearance, the divine flavor, the divine nature, and the divine character.

Hmm .. not sure why sensitive ... it's not about our accepting .... but of God's choosing e.g. believers (reality of the type of Israel) are of God's choosing. They will be restored at the Lord's coming back. Some points to consider from Zechariah:

1. Hardness Coming upon a Part of Israel

Romans 11:25b says that a hardness has come upon Israel in part until the fullness of the Gentiles comes in. In the present time, God seemingly has forsaken Israel, and Israel has become somewhat hard. This hardness will continue until the age of the Gentiles has been fulfilled.

2. All Israel to Be Saved

When the fullness of the Gentiles comes in, all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:26-27). This will be Israel's household salvation. On the same day and at the same time, thousands of Israelites will be saved.

3. Perhaps Taking Place While the Great War of Armageddon Is About to End

It may be that this household salvation of Israel will take place while the great war of Armageddon is about to end (cf. Zech. 14:2-3). At the end of the war of Armageddon, Christ will come to earth, and the remnant of Israel will see Him whom they have pierced, will repent and wail, and will believe in Christ and receive Him (Rev. 1:7; Zech. 12:10). In this way all Israel will be saved. This will be the household salvation rendered to Israel by God.

4. Jehovah God Pouring Out on the House of David and on the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications

Zechariah 12:10a says, "I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplications; and they will look upon Me, whom they have pierced." In Acts 2 God poured out His Spirit upon all flesh (v. 17), and three thousand were saved. But when God pours out the Spirit of grace upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, many thousands of Israel, even the entire race of Israel, will be saved.

By the time of the Lord's second appearing, the remnant of Israel will have suffered all kinds of hardship. They suffered the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and were scattered to other countries. In these other countries they continued to suffer persecution. Today most of the Jews remain in dispersion, but many are returning to the nation of Israel. At the time of Antichrist, two-thirds in all the land of Israel will be slaughtered (13:8-9a). Half of the city of Jerusalem will go forth into captivity (14:2). The half which remains will no longer have any taste for human life or for acquiring possessions and high positions. They will realize that they are short of God and will exercise their spirit (12:1), not their mind. At this juncture they will repent, because they have lost their taste for everything. The Holy Spirit will be poured out upon them, and they will follow their spirit to be fully occupied with God. I believe that because they will have learned that everything apart from God is vanity and because they will exercise their spirit, the pouring out of the Spirit of God upon them will be intensified. The Jews on the day of Pentecost were stubborn and hard. Hence, the Spirit of power was poured out to inspire them to repent. But the inhabitants of Jerusalem in Zechariah 12:10 will have already repented; therefore, the Spirit of grace will be poured out upon them so that they can receive the Triune God as their enjoyment.

Zechariah 12:10a also tells us that they will look upon Him whom they have pierced. This means that they will look upon the Christ who was pierced by them. Revelation 1:7a refers to this: "Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him." The piercing of Christ is the foundation of redemption. Apart from Christ's being pierced, there would be no base for our redemption.

The repentant Jews will look upon the One whom they have pierced. Although it was their forefathers who pierced the Lord Jesus, God counts that as something done by these repentant ones. The reason for this is that in the sight of God the entire people of Israel is one person.

a. Wailing over Him with Wailing and Crying Bitterly over Him with Bitter Crying

Zechariah 12:10b goes on to say, "They will wail over Him with wailing as for an only son and cry bitterly over Him with bitter crying as for a firstborn son." An only son is most dear to his parents, and a firstborn son has honor among the many sons. Repentant Israel will wail over Christ as the only Son of God and will cry bitterly over Him as the firstborn Son of God.

b. There Being Great Wailing in Jerusalem

In that day there will be great wailing in Jerusalem. The land will wail, every family apart: the family of David and their wives apart; the family of Nathan and their wives apart; the family of Levi and their wives apart; the family of the Shimeites and their wives apart; all the families, the whole household of Israel, that remain (Zech. 12:11-14). Here we have three kinds of families: the royal family of David, the family of the priesthood (Nathan and Levi), and the family of an evil man (Shimei, who cursed David). Zechariah uses these families as illustrations. All those who look upon Christ, the pierced One, with a repentant spirit, will wail over Him.

This post has been edited by pehkay: Dec 26 2012, 01:09 PM