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child being OELIVEREO from its
mother's womb.
The resurrection - thc time when
we are changed to BE spirit and to
INHERIT the Kingdom - will be a
time of OELIVERY FROM the bondage
of corruptible flesh and from this
worJd OfSIN - AREAL BIRTH!
Chrlst Born a Second Time
by
the Resurrectlon
Continue in Romans 8:
"For whom he did foreknow, he
also did predestinate to be con–
formed to the image of his Son, that
he [Jesus] might be the
firstborn
among many brethren" (verse 29).
Now compare with Romans 1:3-
4 : "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ
our Lord, which was made of the
seed of David according to the
flesh; and declared to be the Son of
God ... by the resurrection from the
dead."
Jesus was. in the human flesh -
His first birth - a descendant of
David, and, by the resurrection
from the dead - (born AGAIN} - the
Son of God, now no longer human,
but composed of SPIRIT - a Spiril
Being. He thus became the FIRST so
BORN of many brethren who
sha/1 be
BORN AGAIN at the time of the resur–
rection of those who are Christ's.
Of course we understand, and so
did Paul in writing the above, that
Jesus was a lso the Son of God while
in the human flesh. Though
born of
a human
woman, He was sired by
God. But this is comparing the two
births - the one from the human
Mary, as descended from the
human David
the other, by His
resurrection to glory, as Son of God
by His resurrection, in the same
manner we may be.
Emphatically this does NOT imply
that Jesus was a sinner needing sal–
vation. He was the pioneer, setting
us the example, that wc, too, may be
BORN ofGod.
When Born Agaln What Shall We Be
Like?
When we are born again, what shall
we be like?
Here is the answer: "For our con–
versation [citizenship] is in heaven;
Jrom whence
also we look for the
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who
32
"Thou crownedst him
[kingship] with glory
and honour, and didst set
him over the works
of thy hands . .
.' ' -
that
is, God's creation
(Hebrews 2:7).
shall
change
our vile body [FLESH),
that it may be fashioned like unto
his glorious body ..." (Phil. 3:20-
21). And what is Christ's GLORIOUS
body like? His eyes are as flames of
fire - His face bright as the sun at
full strength- Revelation
l:
14- 16.
A TIME When Begotten But Not YET
Born
Thus, 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. Just
as being born of the human flcsh is
a
process.
At the
time
when the father
begets
and the mother
conceives
-
of the
uníon of sperm cell and ovum - the
fertilized ovum becomes an
embryo.
But ít ís not yet delivered from the
womb- not yet
born!
And will not
be for níne months. A pregnancy is
in progress.
Yet during this period of
physical development and growth, it
is the unborn child of its parents.
In like manner, at the
time
whcn
the Spírit Father, God, begets a
human with the Spirit (the spiritual
counterpart of the physical
sperm) –
the Holy Spirit - he becomes a
son
of God! He is then already a
son
of
God.
But he is still human - he is still
material ftesh and blood. He must
now undergo a period (until death,
the resurrection) of spiritual devel–
opment and growth. He is in the
gestation
state in the PROCESS to–
wa rd being born. He is in the
CHURCH of God, but the Church is
not
the K tNGDOM of God.
The Church is composed of
human, fiesh-and-blood
children of
God. And, fiesh and blood cannot
see, cannot enter into, cannot inherit
the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom
of God is made up of spirit-com–
posed children of God. T he Spirit–
begotten human in the Church is in
the
process
of being born of God,
BUT he has not yet entered the
Kingdom of God. He has not yet
been BORN of God.
He is in the
gestation
state
toward
spirit-BIRTH, but not yet BORN of the
Spirit. He yet has a lot of spiritual
developing and growing to do - ac–
quiring the spiritual
character-im–
age ofGod.
POWER Greater Than Energy of
Wind
There is another passage, under–
stood by almost none, that reveals
our astonishing
transcendeni
poten–
tia!!
lt
begins in Hebrews 2, verse 6.
But first, notice about Christ, in
chapter 1:
"God ... hath in these last days
spoken unto us by his Son, whom he
hath appointed heir of
al/ things
[Moffatt and others,
the universe].
by
whom also he made the worlds;
who, being the brightness of his
glory, stamped with God's own
character (Moffatt) and upholding
[sustaining] the universe by the
word of his power ..." (Heb. 1: 1-3).
ALL POWER in heaven and earth
(Matt. 28: 18) has been given to
Christ. He is now Chief Executive of
God's Government of the UNIVERSE.
Now begin with Hebrews 2:6; a
citation from Psalms 8:4-6:
"What is man, that thou art
mindful ofhim?"
Yes, why should the Great God
be concerned about us mortals?
WHY did He put us here on earth?
What is the PURPOSE of life - what
is our transcendent potential?
It
is
so fa.r above and beyond anything
you have thought or imagined, it
seems shockingly incredible!
Can you believe it? Are you will–
ing to believe what ís now plainly
stated? Here comes the astonishing
answer. beginning verse 7:
"Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels." Sorne translations
have it, "for a little while lower than
the angels." Continue: "Thou
crownedst him [kingship] with
GLORY and honour, and didst set
him over the works of thy
The
PLAIN TRUTH February 1977