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mind power to comprehend SPIRITUAL
KNOWUI:>GE - to understand the things
ofGod
(J
Cor. 2: 11).
This spirit-begonen ChJÍstian now
has. conditionaUy, the PRESENa OF
ETERNAL
UFii -
GOO
LIFE -
wilhin him
(or ber), but he
is
NOT
YET
an immortal
SPWT BEIHG - not yet composed whoUy
ofSPIRIT.
He
is
now an
heir
ofGod
as.
che
son
of
a
wealthy manis lhe heir ofhis father–
but HOT
YET
"boro again," - NOT
YET
an
inheritor or a possessor. But
IP
His holy
spirit dwells
in
us, God wi!L at Christ's
coming bacl< to eartb as King of kings.
"quickeo"
10
immonatity our mortal
bodies
BY
His spirit thal dwells in us
(Rom. 8:11:
1
Cor. !S:49-S3).
Now
see
how the astonishing analogy
contínues:
Jwt as in human reproduction, the
impregnated embryo, which later
be–
comes tbe fetus.
is
not yet aORN. but still
being nourished through lhe human
mother: so the begonen Christian
is
not
yet
BORN into lhe God family. Tbe di·
vine life has merely beco begollen.
Satan has maoaged 10 deceive most of
fundamental Christianity into believing
lhey already are "born again" on ac–
cepting
ChrisL
But just as in human reproduction
wben the HUMAN cbaracterisucs of form
and shape and the human.
~
and
brain gradually begin to form during the
period of gestatioo,
so
now lhe RJGH·
TEOUS and HOLY CHARA<:nR ofGod be·
gins
10
la}<~
form and GRc;>w. Actually in
ma-ny,
Ibis
divine OHARACTI!R may form
so slowly it
seems
hardly in evideoce at
first. exoepl that in sorne lhere will ap–
r,ear the glow of that ecstasy of spiritual
'romance" - wbich may radiate in lhat
"fint !ove" of spiritual convenion. 8ut,
SO
far
8S
growing in SPIRJTUAL KHOWL·
EDGE
(U
Pe
t.
3:18) and spiritual CHAR·
ACTER gOC$, most of that
is
still to be
learned and developed.
When newly converted, one
is
now a
spiritual "Eioluvo." Now be mwt be
nourished and fed On SPIRITUAL FOOD.
Jesus said man must not live by bread
(physicaJ
food) aJone, but ,by EVERY
wo11.o o• Goo.
The
8JBLB
is
lhe written
Word of God, just as Cbrist is lhe per·
sonal Word of God.
This
growth
is
the
cbaracter development that REQUtRES
'TIMS
and comes largely by llXPERIEHCE.
Above aJJ, it requires continua! BtBLE
STUI)Y 10 show OHE'S
SELF
a¡iproved of
God.
as
weiJ as much continua! and ear–
nest PitA
YER.
When you study the Bible,
Goo is TALKIHG TO YOU. Wheo you
PRAY, you are TALICINO
TO
JUM. You get
to really ro<ow God
in
Ibis manner,just
as you become better acquainled wilh
people by conversation.
Yet mucb of Ibis spiritual character
development comes lhrough Christian
fellowsbip with olher spirituaUy begot·
ten peoplé in God's churcb.
Further, just as lhe human pbysical
embryo and fctus are given pbys•cal
nourishment through the human
mother, God'J CHVRCH
is
lhe spiritual
womu of its members. God's cburch
is
cal!ed «Jerusalem above, which is the
MomER ofw a.ll" (Gal. 4:26).
Notice the
eA~
parlllc;l. God has set
called and chosen ministers in His
cburcb to feed tbe
flock.
"for the
per·
fectlng Of lhe saintS, for THE WOJI.Jt OF
12
THE MIHISTilY [proclaiming Christ's gos·
pe! of lhe kingdom of God in al! the
world], for the edifying of the body
[churcb] of Cbrist: till we al! come in Ihe
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of.God, unto a perfect mao,
unto the measure of tbe stature of lhe
fulness ofChrist" (Epb. 4:
12·13).
1t
is
the duty ofChrist's lrue ministers
(and how few today), to PROTECT the be·
gotten but yet unbom saints from false
doctrines and from false ministers!
Wbat a .wooderful pielure ofOod's re–
producing Himself
is
human reproduc.
tion!
And remember God intended human
reproduction to be a FAMILY mauer. lt
adds human cbildreo to tbe human
FAM·
ILY. Tbe HUMAN FAMILY is the exact
TYPE of the Goo FAMU.Y. God has
be–
stowed MARR1AGE
and
FAMU.Y life Oo
NO OTHER
form of life except on
HUMANS. whose potential it
is
10
enter
the FAlUL
v
o• Goo!
But
consider frmher!
As lhe physical
human fetus must grow
physically
large
Character is t he ability
to distinguish the true
values from the false,
to choose the true
and reject the false,
and, with the power of
wi ll , to do the right
and
reslst the évil. -
enough to be boro, so lhe begotten
Chrisúan must grow
spirltually
in grace
and koowledge of Christ
(JI
Pet. 3: 18)
- must overcome, develop in spiritual
cbaracter. duriog Ibis life, to be boro
into tbe kingdom ofGod
1
That
is
weU illustrated by tbe parables
of lhe pounds and lhe talentS. In lhe
parable of lhe pounds (Luke 9: 11·27),
Jesus pictured himself as a oobleman
going to a far country (heaven) to ""'
ceive a kingdom and later to retum..He
called bis ten servants and gave eacb a
pound. While He was gone, one of lhe
ten traded with the money and gaioed
ten pounds. He was commended and
made ruler over teo ciúes in the king–
dom of God. A second gained only five
pounds - he did half as well, staning
with EQUAL ability. He was giveo reign
over five ciúes.
A
third gained HOTHINO
- and had even that pound taken from
him.
In
the parable of the talen
!S
(Mat–
tbew 2S: 14-30), one
was
given five tal–
ents, anotber two taleots, and onother
one - each according
10
his own ability
(like handicap golf). Oo Christ's
retum,
the one who bad been given flvc talents
bad gained five more (representing spiri·
tual growlh and overcoming in this life).
He was commended as
a
good and failh·
fu! servant and giveo responsibilities ac–
cordingly in God's kingdom. The one
who bad two gamed anolher two - just
as
much in proportion lo ability. He.
tOO, received an equal reward. But the
one who ltad
been &iven the one
did
NOTHINO WITH IT. In Other words, in
his
Christian life here and now, be did not
overcome, be did not grow spirilua.lly -
be developed no cbaracter. He repre–
sents one who "RECEIVED
CHuST~
and
considered he was aiready "boro again"
but did not tlúnlt be necded 10 over–
come, grow spiritually, or develop spiri·
1ual character. He lhought he was
"alnady saved." He said be didn't
be–
lleve in salvation by "works." Whal he
didn'l
realize
is 1hat while salvation is a
FREE GIFT, we are REWAJU>ED according
10 our worlcs. Bul by doing NOmiNO. he
lost not ONJ.
y
the reward. but he losl out
on lhe free GtFT ofeternal life.
Christ's answer to sueh, when He re–
turns wilh the JUNODOM OP Goo, is,
"Thou wicl<ed and slolhful servant... .
Take therefore 1he talent from him . . . .
And casi ye the unprofitable servan!
into outer darkness: there shall be weep–
ing and gnashingof teeth."
Many have been deceived into a
FALSB --salvation.n
To oonclude the parallel:
As
tbe phys·
ical fetus gradua.lly develops the
phys/cal
features, organs and characteristics one
by one, even so lhe begotten Christian
mus! develop in SPJiliTUAL CKARA<:nR
during this life, one by one,
/ove, faith,
spiritual knowltdge, patltnce, gemlentss.
kindntss,
and
ttmptrtJnce.
He must be a
DOER of the Word ofGod.
8rldeiu&
the
Gap
FinaUy, HOW has God planned
10
"bridge the gap" from physical to spiri–
tual compositioo - 10 reproducé Him·
selfout of PHYSICAL HV>IANS mAT COME
fi<OM mE PHYSICAl. OROUNO. _
First, He put
IN
lhe pbysical
MAN
a
"human" spariL
h
is
NOT, bowever, lhe
human spirit that makes the decisioos,
oomes lo repentance. or builds lhe char·
acter.
As 1
have empbasiz.ed. this spirit
does nol impart life, cannot see, bear,
feel or lhink.
1t
empowers lhe PHYSJCAL
MAN,
tbrough bis BRAIH,
10
do these
things. But lhis spirit RECOROS every
lhought - every bit of knowledge r.,.
ceived
rhrough
the five senses.
The human
MAN
is made literally
from CJ.AY.
lt
is like lhe master potter
forming and shaping
a
vessel out of
da
y.
But if lhe clay
is
lOO
hard,
it will not
bend into the form and shape he wants.
lf
it is too
son
aod moist, it !acles 6rm–
ness to wSTAY PUT" wbere the poller
bends it.
Notice
in
lsalah 64:8: "But now, O
ETERHAL, tbou
art
our falher: we are the
clay, and thou our poner; and we al! are
tbe work of thy band."
Yet God has giveo eacb of
us
a MINO
OF HIS OWH. lfOne
REFUSES
lO acknowl·
edge God or God's ways- refuses
10
re–
pent of the wrong and turn 10 the right,
God canoot take him and create godly
cbaracter in him. But lhe human CLAY
must be pliable - must yield willingly.
lflhe human stiffens up,and resists, he
is
like clay that
is
too dry and stiff. The
poner can do nothing with it. lt
will
not
give and bend. lf be
is
so
laclting in wiU.
purpose, and determination that he
won't "stay pul" when God molds him
panly into what God wants him to be
and be is too wishy-washy, weak, and
lacking root of c;haracter, he will never
endure 10 Ihe end. He
wiD
looe out.
We are, in trutb, the WORK OF Hts
HAHDS. Yet WE ourselves must do our
pan in Ibis spiritual development. lfwe
lazily neg!ect Bible study and prayer -
j
---~-·
or if
we
Jet olher matenal interests be·
come more importan! and we NEGLECT
such great salvation, we lose out.
But ifwe have the strength
o!
charac·
ter to YIELD - of our own
WILL
put our–
selves in Ood;s hands - He will instill
within
W
HJS SPIRIT and by it HIS righ·
teousness - Hts cbaracter - open our
minds to H1s spiritual knowledge. We
bave
lO
WA'NT tT! We have
10
WOR.K AT
IT! We bave
lO
PUT
IT
FIRST, above all
e!se.
1t
must be Goo's righteousness. for a.ll
of OITkS is like filthy rap 10 H1m. He
conlinually instills His
knowled~e.
His
righteousness, His cbaracter withio us–
tF we dil•geotly seek it and want
11.
BUT
WB
HAVI!
OUR VERY IMPORTA'NT PART IN
tT. Then all credit goes 10 Goo.
As
we receive the CHAMCTEil OF Goo
through the holy spirit of God, more
and more God is REPRODUCING HtM·
SEU IN
US.
FínaUy. in the resurrection, we shaU
be as God - in 'position where we can·
not sin, because we ourselves have set it
so and have turned FROM sin and bave
strugg,led und struggled AGAINST sin and
overcome sin.
God's PURPOSE
W/LL
be accom–
plishedl
WHY
Made From
Material Substaoce!
Once again, STOP
ANO THJNK!
WHY did God choose to malee MAr<
out of physical matter instead or spirit?
He made angels out ofspirit.
Remember God's PURPOSE is
10
repro–
duce Himse!P. His diviDe childreo are to
be
b~oll~n
of Him aod lhen BORN into
Hls God family. Christ, our pioneer, was
begotten by the Fatber in a manner no
one else ever was, when conceived by
the holy spirit in the virgin Mary. He
was lhe begotten (lhe ONI.Y begoueo, in
lhat manner) Son of God from human
conoeption and birth. He is already the
FtltSTBOltN of many bretbren
(Rom. 8:29), bom
a
Son of God by a
resurrectioo from lhe dead (Rom. 1:4),
as we may be later.
To show the pteeminence above an–
gels lhat
is
already Cbmt's aod also
is
our potentiaL rcmember we are joint–
heirs wtlh Christ, and God says of
Christ, "being made
so
much bctter tban
the angels, as he halb by inheriUJnce ob–
tained a more excellent name Iban they.
For unto whicb of the angels sa1d he at
any time, Thou art my Son, this day
bave
I
begotten lhee?" (Heb.
1
:4-S.)
In
the book of
Job
angels
are
spolcen of as
sons of God in chapters 1,
2.
and 7. but
only as created
"sons."
StiU,
as
in He·
brews
1,
God oever said 10 lhem, "You
are m
y
own
begotten
sons." But when
we
humans receive the boly spirit of God.
we do become His
bególltn
soos t.nd His
heirs, to receive by inberitance His HAME
- just
as
my begotten sons inherited my
na
me.
When we are BORH of God. we sbaU
86
spirit. Theo why did Ood form man
in lhe first plaee of material substance -
out ofthe eartb?
1
have partially answered lhat ques·
tion already. Angels, being spirit, are
immonal.
lbooe wllo
smncd
shall go on
bearing their punishment forever. Tbeir
punisbment
is
HOT dealh. Their punish·
ment
is
loss of lhe g!onous opportunity
God gave them to accomplish His pur·
WEEK ENDINO SEPTEMBER 6, 197S