"Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the
heavenlies in Christ: according as He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in
love: having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
Himself according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory
of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved." [Ephesians
1:3-6].
O my Father, Thou that
dwellest in a high and glorious place,
When shall I appear before
Thee, and again behold Thy face?
Day by day The Spirit
leadeth, ever onward into Thee,
Till at last I'll find
contentment in Thy pure reality!
He who is our God, our
Father, is the Father of spirits, we came from His bosom, and we shall not know
the utmost of contentment until we have returned again into the full reality of
His presence. He hath subjected creation to the bondage of vanity for a purpose,
and He also has fully planned for redemption, a glorious release which
rightfully belongs to the children of God. In the outworking of this purpose He
also hath chosen those who are to be the "firstfruits" of His grace, who in turn
shall be used to help bless the latter-born. The choosing and marking out of
these elect, election according to grace, is sovereignly His, with a view that
we should be HOLY.....
Holy, meaning, to be
separate, or set apart. Not only separated from something, such as from the
world, the flesh, etc., but also to be set apart into something. Sanctification
is not only FROM, but also an INTO― that we might be prepared to be partakers of
a new dimension and glory. "But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is
godly FOR HIMSELF." [Psalm 4:3].
Paul writes "to them that
are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints." [1 Corinthians 1:2]. Called
saints, or literally, called the separated ones, with the title signifying their
present position of being not only separated from the world, but also set apart
unto God, to become His peculiar treasure and inheritance.
The quality of this holy,
or separated state is further explained in that they are to be "and without
blame before Him in love." Without blemish, without fault, pure as He is pure.
This righteous state needs to be emphasized, not from the standpoint that they
are so removed from the sins of the world, and the lusts and passions of the
flesh, which gives too much attention to the negative side, but that we are to
become partakers of HIS HOLINESS, HIS PURITY, and the more we are placed into
this relationship, the more blessed will be our state of righteousness. I
repeat, emphasize what HE is, for it is into HIM that we are to be placed, that
He might become the sphere of our more abundant life.
BEFORE Him in love! The
word "before" is the Greek word "katenopion." The prefix "kata" means DOWN, and
"enopion" meaning IN THE FACE OF. Thus we would read, "set apart and blameless
down in the face of Himself." It is essential that the Spirit quicken this to
our hearts, for there is no place for pride in this walk of the believer.
"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and, He shall lift you up." [James
4:10].
"God resisteth the proud,
and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty
hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time." [1 Peter 5:5-6].
"And you, that were
sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He
reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and
unblameable and unreproveable in His sight ( down in the face of Himself)."
[Colossians 1:21-22].
The position is clear, we
are coming into HIMSELF, but we are coming DOWN, approaching that place in
humility, that He might raise us up and manifest us with the full glory of
Himself.
Then it is to be noted that
we are to be "unreproveable" or literally, unchargeable. "Who shall lay anything
to the charge of God's elect?" [Romans 8:33]. When God has finished His
justification process in us, so that we are fully dead to all sin,
carnal-mindedness, will of self, etc. and there will be nothing within that
another can point at, or charge us with guilt. Clothed with His righteousness,
the elect are unreproveable!
Of our Lord it is written,
"He stooped very low, having become obedient to the extent of death, even such a
death as that upon a cross." [Phil. 2:8, Wuest]. And then the holiness,
the purity, and the glory of the new resurrection life which belonged to our
Lord is beyond words to describe. But Paul had a revelation of his Lord, it
captivated him completely, until he was ready to "count all things loss for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord― that I may win Christ, and
be found IN HIM." [Phil. 3:8-9].
"That I may know Him, and
the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made
conformable unto His death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of (ek, out from among) the dead." [Phil. 3:10-11].
Consider the word "attain,"
being the Greek word "katantao." Again the prefix "kata" or DOWN, combined with
the word meaning to come, to arrive, hence it would literally read, "If by any
means I might come down low enough to arrive into the out-resurrection." Praise
God, when we are fully made conformable unto His death, coming down as He came
down, and HE STOOPED VERY LOW, until it is completely-"not my will, but THINE,
be done," and this obedience is brought to completion, then God declares them
right, and the old accuser of the brethren can make no further charge.
A free translation of Jude
24, "But to Him who has the power to keep them from stumbling, and to place them
down in the face of the glory of Himself blameless in rejoicing." Kept by the
power of God, kept from falling, from stumbling, and brought to this place in
Himself. But, not in sorrow, in tears, with long faces, but in gladness, in
rejoicing, with exultation, and they sing a new sing, "Blessing and honour and
glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne." [Revelation 5:13].
Weeping may endure for a
night, but joy cometh in the morning. We may have wept through the stripping
process, we may have wept as we walked the way of the cross, but when we find
ourselves in that position, down in the face of the glory of Himself, and HE
declares us as His sons, in full right standing with Himself, it will be with
great rejoicing and praise to Him.
Marvel of marvels, He has
marked us out beforehand, "having predestinated us unto the adoption...." The
Greek word for adoption literally means SON-PLACING. It bespeaks of that hour
when the father takes his son to the town-square or market place, and there
officially proclaims this boy to be his son, with all the full rights of
sonship. This is after all the years of schooling, training, development, until
the boy qualifies to bear the load of responsibility which belongs to a mature
son. Regardless of the impatience of the boy for this hour, and to be in this
position, there is no premature claiming of this place. The father knows when
the hour has come, and the proclamation is all his. How precious the thought,
therefore, that God has purposed to bring us to this hour, when He will place us
as sons into Himself.
The adoption is brought
to the full through, by the means of, or as the Wuest expanded gives, "through
the intermediate agency of Jesus Christ."
Now I say, "That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth
nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and
governors until the time appointed of the father." [Galatians 4:1-2]. Furthermore, while we were children we
were under the bondage of the elements of the world, and needed help for
overcoming, therefore God sent forth His Son to redeem us, and after He overcame
the world, leaving us an example, that we might follow in His steps (1 Peter
2:21), now "God hath sent forth THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON into your hearts..," [Gal.
4:6] which is working in us to bring us to the hour of adoption, and that full
maturity as we are conformed to His image, to the fulness of the measure of the
stature of Christ.
All that we are, and all
that we shall ever be, is because of the love, grace, and mercy of our Lord
Jesus Christ. There is "one Lord, Jesus Christ, through and by Whom are all
things and through and by Whom we (ourselves exist)." [1 Corinthians 8:6,
Amplified]. HE is our way into the Father!
Now the sphere of placement
is literally spoken of as "into Himself," for we are to become a part of that
whole composite body of HIMSELF. Even as we read, "He that is joined to the Lord
is one spirit." [1 Cor. 6:17].
Words are inadequate to
express the depth of truth which is quickened to the spirit. Revelation comes to
the inner man, the hidden man of the heart, and though we often try to convey it
to the minds of men, it must be received by, and understood by the spirit
within. Far too long we have been taken up with me, myself, and I. Yet there is
this process of losing our life, to find it anew in Christ. As one songwriter so
beautifully expressed it, "Let me lose myself, and find it, Lord, in Thee." And
though our identity with the old Adamic nature goes down into death, yet there
is a new life, the Christ-life which arises, and we become identified in HIM.
Being "conformed to the
image of His Son", we discover that we become a part of that FIRSTBORN COMPANY
OF HIMSELF. Many brethren all merged into one HIMSELF. A literal translation of
Romans 8:29 brings this out much more than most of our modern translations. The
"firstborn," and the word here denotes quality more than it does identity, is
the full composite body of Himself, of which Jesus Christ is the HEAD. In all
things HE shall have the preeminence, and He is The Firstborn from the dead, but
He is IN many brethren who are joined to the Lord, into Himself.
As The Head, all must be
conformed and joined to Him, for He is The Saviour of the body, both
figuratively, i.e. the mystical body, and also literally , for He "shall change
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according
to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself."
[Philippians 3:21].
A people with a purpose?
Yes, the purpose is to be fully transformed into the very same image of our
Lord, so that everything we are, say, and do will be a further manifestation of
HIS LIFE, and bring glory to His name. It is written, "I will write upon him the
name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, ... and I will write upon
him My new name." [Revelation 3:12]. And again, "I will declare Thy name unto My
brethren." [Hebrews 2:12].
The hour will come when we
shall know this name, our new name, when we have overcome, and are qualified to
bear His name, but until then, we find the scripture simply refers to this
composite, many-membered brethren first fruits as the body of HIMSELF. For the
present the title is sufficient, for it emphasizes that it must be HIM, and not
our old Adamic self which has rebelled against His will, and sought to go its
own way.
"And the glory which Thou
gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in
them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one." [John 17:22-23].
There have been many
man-oriented ecumenical movements, trying to gather everyone into some form of
oneness, but it will never work by man's program. Only as we become truly one
with HIM, each one firmly joined to The Head, to become one in His Spirit, will
we ever be one with one another, also.. Yet this prayer of our Lord shall be
fulfilled, it was more than a prayer, it is prophetic of that which shall be.
Furthermore, it is stated that the glory which He received from the Father, is
the glory which He also is now prepared to give to us. What was this glory which
He had with the Father?
"And now, O Father, glorify
Thou me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the
world was." [John 17:5]. Ah, here was the glory which He shared before the world
was. "WITH THINE OWN SELF," this was His glory, for it is written he was
"essentially one with God and in the form of God, possessing the fulness of the
attributes which make God God. [Philippians 2:6, Amplified]. "He is the sole
expression of the glory of God― the Light-being, the out-raying of the divine―
and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature." [Hebrews 1:3].
And now He, who was once clothed upon with the glory of "Thine own self" of the
Father, has purposed to share His glory with all of those who become one in
HIMSELF.
The same thought is
expressed in another way in Revelation 3:21. "He who overcomes (is victorious),
I will grant him to set beside Me on My throne, as I Myself overcame (was
victorious) and sat down beside My Father on His throne." Now , think not that
there are two thrones spoken of here, for that which He spoke of as "My throne"
is the same as that which belonged to the Father as "His throne." There is but
one throne, and now those who become overcomers are to share the very same
throne with Him. Merged into this glorious oneness, it befuddles the natural
mind, but it rejoices the spirit within us. To HIM be the glory and praise.
That there shall be just
such a company of "Himself" is very clear, and even Enoch, the seventh from
Adam, prophesied of these, saying, "Lo, comes the Lord in holy myriads of
Himself." [Jude 14, Literal translation]. The King James Version speaks of His
coming with "ten thousands of His saints." But the Greek gives it far better,
for they are "HOLY MYRIADS OF HIMSELF." His saints, His set apart ones, His
sanctified ones have literally become apart of Himself, one with their Lord. Nor
is this some figment of a vain imagination, but this purpose has been known by
God's chosen ones all through the ages, and even Enoch, who walked with God in
such intimate communion, knew of this purpose and prophesied of the day when it
would become reality.
"For as in Adam all die,
even so in The Christ shall all be made alive." [1 Corinthians 15:22]. It needs
to be pointed out here, that the identifying article "the" is used in the
original text before this word "Christ," making it THE CHRIST, with specific
reference to the identity of our Lord Jesus Christ. All are to be made alive IN
HIM. Then the passage goes on "But every man in his own order (rank, band),"
beginning with, "Christ the first fruits." [verse 23]. Here we do not have the
identifying article "the," and so it refers to quality, and since Christ means
ANOINTED, it speaks of the first fruits who are anointed with the same Spirit as
our Lord Jesus Christ. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of
His." [Romans 8:9]. But he that is Joined to the Lord IS one spirit. The
anointed firstfruits are the beginning order, rank, band which are to be made
alive in The Christ. And, after them, each order according to the continued
unfolding of God's purpose, until every man has been made alive, brought into
the kingdom of the Son, and then the whole delivered up unto the Father, that
God may be all in all.
"Now He which stablisheth
us with you is Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us,
and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." [2 Corinthians 1:21-22].
Anointed and sealed― "sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of His glory." [Ephesians 1:13-14].
When the fulness of
redemption is brought unto the firstfruits, and they receive of His more
abundant life and glory, then they share with Him the ministry of
reconciliation, to help gather in the next order, to save and bless the
latter-born. They shall have the gospel (good news) of the ages, and proclaim it
to every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue.
There is a realm IN CHRIST,
where out of your innermost being "shall flow rivers of living water." [John
7:38]. And this He was speaking of the Spirit, for it is the SPIRIT OF LIFE, His
life, which is to flow out of these prepared vessels, and become life to all who
receive of them. This Himself-company shall reign until all enemies are,
subdued under His feet, and the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
When all death is destroyed, first death, second death, all death, then it is
self-evident that none remains. But HIS LIFE shall fill the universe, to His
glory and praise.
It cannot be repeated too
often. He is preparing a people with a purpose, not a purpose that holds only
their own selfish gains, but that they might become so ONE IN HIM that they are
able to minister His life to others, until the universe shall be made anew, and
our God shall be all in all, or as one translation gives, "be everything to
everybody." Amen!
"What is man, that Thou art
mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visitest him? Thou madest him a
little lower than than angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and
didst set him over the works of Thy hands: Thou hast put all things in
subjection under his feet. For in that He put all in subjection under him, He
left nothing 'that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put
under him. BUT WE SEE JESUS..." [Hebrews 2:6-9].
All that He is, all that we
see in HIM, this is the destiny of those whom God apprehends and conforms to His
image. The glory, honour, dominion, the administration of the fulness of times―
we dare not allow the pride of self to turn our eyes from HIM who is our life.
What God has purposed to be fulfilled through, and for man, shall be realized,
but only as we keep the proper perspective, namely, to become one in Himself.
SON-PLACED INTO HIMSELF
Blessed
be our God and Father,
Jesus
Christ our Lord,
Who
blesses us with every blessing,
Love-the
binding cord.
According
as He chose His people
Ere the
world began,
Wrote
their names within His bosom,
Wisdom's
glor'ous plan.
Measured
out His grace abundant
For each
son to be,
Marked
their course for coming ages,
Planned
their destiny.
Then
subjected them to bondage-
Present
vanity,
While He
fit them to His purpose,
Dark
Gethsemane.
Till each
one in Him is blameless,
Fully
justified,
Separated
to His calling,
Self all
crucified.
In
Himself He then shall place them,
Firstborn
company,
One, all
one, in Christ their Saviour,
Wondrous
jubilee.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(1) Prinzing,
Ray and Doris. A PEOPLE WITH A PURPOSE. (now out of print), Boise,
Idaho 83705
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