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Holy Spirit to dwell in him, that he
ÍS
aJready "BORN AGAIN."
First, then, notice the physical
type and comparison.
The TIME Element
In human physical reproduction,
there is a TIME ELEMENT. from im–
pregnation -
begettal
on the part of
the father - having
conceived
on the
part of the mother - to BIRTH, or
parturition,
or being delivered from
the mother's womb is a TIME ELE–
MENT of nine months.
That nine-month period is called
gesration.
Upon conception. the now
fertilized
ovum
is called an
embryo.
A few months later, it is called
a
fetus. But
during
this nine-month
period of
gesralion.
we do not speak
of the embryo-fetus as having been
born.
lt
is in the PROCESS toward
birth.
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is the child of its parents.
But it is then the
unborn
child of its
pa rents. The father has already be–
gotten it - sired it. But the mother
has not yet given
birrh
to it. Yet it is.
during the gestation period, the
un–
born
child of its parents.
Now in being " born again." the
PROCESS of this birth begins when
Goo' s divine SPIRIT-LIFE is im–
pa rted to us by the Holy Spirit, from
His very PERSON, entering to dwe!J
within us. Repeat. from Romans
8:
' '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 [change
to immortal spirit) your mortal bod–
ies by his Spirit that dwelleth in
you" (verse 11). This is describing
the same thing explained in
1
Corin–
thians
15:50-53,
the resu rrection.
M illions of sincere professing
Christians believe that when they
profess Christ (or receive His Holy
Spirit) they are "born again." What
actually happens is this:
The Church Our Mother
When one. after repentance, faith
and baptism receives the Holy
Spirit, the Spirit of God puts him
into - baptizes him into - God's
Church. The Church is called the
Body of Christ. So we read: "By one
s ·pirit are we all baptized into one
body"
(J
Cor.
12:13).
Again, the Chürch is called " Jeru-
The
PLAIN
TRUTH
February 1977
Scripture after scripture,
analogy after analogy,
comparison after
comparison, shows that
being born of God is a
process in which
there is a time element.
salem above," or "the heavenly Je–
rusalem" (H eb.
12:22-23).
Now
notice, in Galatians 4:26: "But Jeru–
salem which is above is free. which
is the mother of us all."
The analogy is this: When begot–
ten by God the Father by receiving
His Holy Spirit, we are put into the
Church, which during this gestatioo
period is our MOTHER.
The human mother of the fetus
within her womb serves the function
of feeding her unborn child with
physical food. so that it may de–
velop and grow physically. And also
she carries it where she may best
protect it from physical injury or
harm, untíl parturition - delivery
from her womb.
The spiritual mother - the
Church - is commissioned to "feed
the flock"
(I
Pet.
5:2)
through the
ministry which God has set in the
Church "for the perfecting of the
saints ... for the edifying 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 man ..." (Eph.
4: 11-13).
Just as the human fetus develops
and grows physically during the
PRE-birth gestation period, so WE,
after begettal by God's Spirit. de–
velop and grow SPIRlTUALLY in PRE–
birth state.
But not only is the Church to feed
the members on the Word of God –
spiritual food - but also to protect
these conceived but yet unborn chil–
dren of God from spiritual harm, as
the very next verse shows: "That we
henceforth be no more children,
tossed· to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine. by the
sleight of men. and cunning crafti–
ness, whereby they lie in wait to
deceive ..." (Eph.
4: 14).
Then, al the time of the resurrec-
tion, we in the Church - the spiri–
tual Mother - shaJl be DELIVERED
from her, and born into - brought
forth into - the Kingdom - the
spirit-composed FAMILYofGod.
Sons of God NOW
Now, further: "For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are
the sons of God" (Rom.
8:14).
The
unborn child in his mother's womb
is the child of his father and mother.
though not
yet
born - delivered
from the womb. So are we, if God's
Spirit dwells in us - if we are being
led by God's Spirit - children of
God. Yet. at
this rime.
we are in the
gestation
state, not yet that
parluri–
rion.
And only HEIRS. Not inher–
itors!
Continue: "And if children, then
heirs: heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer
with him, that we may be [future -
at resurrection] also glorified to–
gether" (verse
17).
Now see how this passage desig–
nates the resurrection into GLORY –
when we shall BE spirit - as a
BIRTH!
"For the earnest expectation of
the creature [creation] waiteth for
the manifestation of the sons of
God" - that is
!he lime
of Christ's
coming to REIGN. and of the resur–
rection to (being
bom
of)
SPIRIT
composition - "... because the cre–
ation [RSV] itself also shall be deliv–
ered [a
birth]
from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious Jiberty
of the children ofGod. Por we know
that the whole creation groaneth
and
travaileth in pain
together until
now" (v<;rses 19-22).
Here is another comparison: we
shall be delivered from
this world
(the Church is
in,
though not ofthis
world) into the glorious WORLD TO–
MORROW and the Kingdom which
shall rule it.
The CREATION is waiting for this
time of Christ's coming, the resur–
rection, and the Kingdom of God.
Because the ereation
shal! be DE–
L!VERED
from the bondage of
corruption. Not now delivered -
SHALL BE - at the resurrection time!
Although this is not referring di–
rectly to
our
being born again, it IS a
direct comparison to the BIRTH of a
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