"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life,
      2 "The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal (divine) life which was with the Father and was manifested to us," 1Jn 1:1-2.
      16 "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.
      17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new," 2Co 5:16-17.
      What Paul and John, through inspiration, had in mind is demonstrated below.
      8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. SO IS EVERYONE WHO IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT," Jn 3:8.
      Two of Jesus' disciples were walking along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of Jesus' resurrection. They appeared to be sad, somewhat excited, but very much perplexed.
      15 "So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
      16 "But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him," Lk 24:15-16.
      Jesus asked them why they were so sad and what they were talking about. They asked Him if He were a stranger in Jerusalem and had not heard what had happened there the last few days. They explained how Jesus had been crucified and buried, but this was the third day since and there was a rumor that He was alive from the dead.

      25 "Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
      26 "'Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?'
      27 "And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
      28 "Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
      29 "But they constrained Him, saying, ‘Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.' And He went in to stay with them.
      30 "Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
      31 "Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight," Lk 24:25-31.
      Suddenly Jesus vanished out of their sight. Where did He go? They could thoroughly search the house, the yard, the community, but Jesus had just plain vanished. They could search all they wanted, but they would not find Jesus, because He had suddenly and completely vanished. Jesus now had a deified, spirit, heavenly body. His human body had been born of God from the dead, and it was now a supernatural, divine body, born of the Spirit of God.

      8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.
      After His resurrection Jesus had ascended to heaven to present Himself before the Father on behalf of this new creation of His firstborn sonship, Jn 20:17. Then Christ descended back to earth and spent forty days with the disciples:
      3 "To whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," Act 1:3.
      These two disciples to whom Jesus appeared in Emmaus were very excited, and rushed back to Jerusalem to tell the others.
      32 "And they said to one another, ‘Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?'
      33 "So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
      34 "Saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!'
      35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread, Lk 24:32-35.

      36 "Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, ‘Peace to you,'" Lk 24:36.
      Jesus suddenly appeared again, fully visible to the whole group. Jesus did not come through the door and walk past some of them to get into the "midst of them." He did not come through a window or through the roof. He just suddenly appeared right in the midst of them, as we say, "out of nowhere."
      8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.
      John 3 speaks of the resurrection birth of the human body, showing the kind of body it is. It is not the birth of man's spirit, but the second birth of both body and spirit, with emphasis on the body. Observe as we continue:
      37 "But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
      38 "And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
      39 "'Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have FLESH AND BONES as you see I have.'
      40 "When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
      41 "But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, ‘Have you any food here?'
      42 "So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
      43 "And He took it and ate in their presence," Lk 24:39-43.
      8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.

      39 "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have," Lk 24:39.
      John 3 is explicitly speaking of the resurrection birth of the body – "flesh and bones." A spirit does not have flesh and bones, as Jesus' resurrection body has. Jesus' human body was born of the Holy Spirit, and thereby was born into a divine (spirit, heavenly) body from above as 1Co 15:44-50 describes.
      This is not a birth of the human spirit at first faith. There is nothing in John 3 that indicates a birth of the human spirit. Quite to the contrary, verse 8 convincingly establishes a perfect and beautiful harmony with the resurrection birth of Christ's human body, as described in 1Co 15:44-50 and in Christ's resurrection appearances. Our forefathers in the faith were cunningly deceived by Satan into accepting a born again at first faith Protestant doctrine, which is not the doctrine of Christ. As a result we are about to abort the firstborn sonship and lose the Father and the Son, 2Jn 9.
      24 "Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came
      25 "The other disciples therefore said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.' So he said to them, ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.'
      26 "And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, ‘Peace to you!'
      27 "Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.'
      28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!"' Jn 20:24-28.
8 "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is every one who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.

      After eight days the disciples were together again, and Thomas was with them – he was not with them the first time. The other disciples told Thomas how Jesus had appeared to them, but he said,"Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe," Jn 20:25.
      Then with, "the doors being shut," Jesus again suddenly stood in the midst of them. "Then said He to Thomas, "Reach hither your finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into My side: and be not faithless, but believing," Jn 20:27.
      Nails cannot pierce the hands of a spirit, nor can a spear pierce the side of a spirit. Jesus's spirit left His body while the body was still nailed to the cross. Now, however, Jesus' body had been raised (born again) from the dead into a deified body. That born again, divine body could take on a physical, tangible form with flesh and bones, or be invisible and intangible.
      A divine (born again) body can be:
      1. Tangible and visible or invisible, as in the scriptures above.
      2. Intangible and visible or invisible, as in the scriptures above.
     3. Pass through walls and other physical objects, as in the scriptures above.
      4. Shine like a light, like the sun and the stars of heaven, Dan 12:3; Mt 13:4.
      5. Burn with blazing fire without injury of any kind, 2Th 1:8. Fire is an attribute of God, Dan 7:9-10: Heb 1:7.
      6. Traverse space faster than light (Dan 9:23) – an attribute of God.
      7. Will be telepathic, as Jesus often demonstrated (Mt 12:25; Lk 6:8), an attribute of God – plus all the divine attributes of God, except infinity
.       "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.

      When Jesus ascended back to heaven, He stood before His disciples teaching and comforting them in a born again, deified body. When He finished talking to them, He began gracefully to rise into the air and ascended into heaven in a cloud as the disciples gazed at Him, Act 1. Neither gravity, nor oxygen, nor distance, nor anything else had any power over His divine born again body.
      Likewise, when Jesus comes again in His born again, deified body, He will come in flaming fire, 2Th 1:9; Heb 1:7. Fire is one of God's attributes (Dan 7:9; Heb 12:29), an attribute of angels (2Th 1:9; Heb 11:7) and will be an attribute of the saints after the resurrection birth into the fullness of God's divine essence, Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 2:9-10; Jn 17:21-23.
      "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit," Jn 3:8.
      This verse (Jn 3:8) reveals unequivocally that John 3:3-8 is addressing the resurrection birth of the bodies of the faithful covenant people, which is credited to us in water baptism, and will be actually experienced in the resurrection when Christ returns, IF indeed we are faithful and hold fast to the end, 1Co 15:1-2; Heb 3:14 (6-19); et al.
      During those 40 days between His resurrection and His ascension, Christ showed by many convincing proofs (Act 1:3), not only that He was alive, but also demonstrated what the divine kingdom of God is like.

      "To whom He also showed Himself alive after His suffering, days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God," Act 1:3.
      "In the twinkling of an eye," the body of Christ was "born again" in His resurrection. His body instantaneously experienced an astronomical metamorphosis from an earthy human body into a glorious (divine, spirit) heavenly body, 1Co 15:44-52. This divine new birth of the body is what the faithful covenant people will experience when Christ returns. We have this new birth now only in a metaphor of being the body of Christ which body is no longer a mere human body, 2Co 5:16-17.
      How else can we understand John 3:3-8? Jesus said, "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?" Jn 3:12.
      Nicodemus and all the Jews were looking for an earthly kingdom and for an earthly Messiah who would sit on the earthly throne of David, Lk 19:11.
      Nicodemus said, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" (Jn 3:4), – as a physical being.
      Nicodemus did not understand the heavenly, divine application of the whole person (spirit and body) being divinely "born again" of the Spirit. Although Nicodemus was trying to think of a new birth of the body, he did not understand the heavenly new birth application to John 3:8. He was thinking of flesh being born of flesh, but did not understand that the flesh body can be born of the Holy Spirit and become both spirit and divine – a new kind of heavenly body raised in Christ's resurrection likeness.

      The Lord's covenant people since the Reformation have adopted a Protestant interpretation of John 3:3-8 with the spirit of the believer being born again at first faith and the deification of the body when Christ returns not being called a birth at all. Tradition has the body glorified when Christ returns, but not born again at that time. That would create three births: 1) The birth of both body and spirit from our parents, 2) A birth of our spirit at first faith, and 3) A birth of our body when Christ returns. The Bible addresses the resurrection of Christ's body as a birth, Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13-29-33; Ps 2:7; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; et al.
      Indeed, there is a symbolic (metaphoric) birth of the body at the time of water baptism, and there are many types and ceremonial representations and scriptures in both Old and New Testaments of "partaking of Christ" (a divine birth) when Christ returns. John 3:3-8 is speaking of the new birth of the whole person, body and spirit, which will take place in the resurrection for the faithful covenant people.
      With this introduction to John 3, we will now look at the beginning of the chapter verse by verse.

      "There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews," Jn 3:1.
      Nicodemus was a member of the Sanhedrin and should have known the Scriptures better, but like most all the Jews he understood little of the mysteries of the kingdom of God, Mt 13. Even the disciples (apostles) of Jesus after working very closely with Jesus and being daily taught by Him for over three years, did not understand many things they should have understood, Jn 16:12. The crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, for instance, were demonstrated many times every day in the offering of animal sacrifices. This lack of spiritual understanding of the Scriptures did not preclude Nicodemus from being a true believer and therefore a saved person in covenant standing with God.
      2 "This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him," Jn 3:2.
      Nicodemus believed God to be the God of Moses, a God of great miracles in Egypt, at the Red Sea, at Mount Sinai, and in the wilderness – the God who delivered Israel so many times with great miraculous works, the God of Noah, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Joseph, Moses, and Joshua, of Samuel, David, and Daniel. He said "we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these miracles that you are doing unless God is with Him."
      Nicodemus believed in God as the God of great miracles, as the God of godly men through whom He worked great miracles. He believed that Jesus was such a man of God, and that God was working through Him as a mighty servant of God. He was firmly convinced that no one could do such great miracles that Jesus was doing unless God was using that man.
      Nicodemus also knew the animosity the Sanhedrin had toward Jesus. He was well aware of the religious and political power the Sanhedrin had, therefore he came to Jesus by night. What little the Scriptures have to say about Nicodemus portrays him as an honest, God-fearing, and devout man. As a result, though Nicodemus feared the power of the Sanhedrin, he rose to the occasion and came to Jesus by night. His spirit moved him to seek out Jesus in the face of great danger and talk with Him personally. What righteous man or woman would not do so?
      The two disciples of John (Jn 1:36-41) did so, and they were already saved and already baptized by John. A covenant woman with an issue of blood for twelve years did so as she struggled through a large crowd to get to Jesus, Mk 5:25-34. A Roman centurion did so and Jesus marveled at his great faith, Mt 8:5-10. Two blind men did so as they followed Jesus crying out to Him for help, Mt 9:27-29. A Gentile woman did so as she continued to cry after Jesus to cast the demon out her daughter, and Jesus said "great is your faith," Mt 15:21-28. At what point did these people have true, genuine faith? Nicodemus had faith in God and faith that Jesus was a proper servant of that God. At what point was Nicodemus' faith sufficient for him to be saved?
      3 "Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,
      4 "Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jn 3:3-4.
      Very simply, there are two Adams: the first Adam, and the second Adam. Likewise, there are two bodies: the body of the first Adam is an earthy, mere human body, while the body of the second Adam is an heavenly, spirit, divine body from above, 1Co 15;44-50.

      There is an initial and necessary similarity: they both have human bodies; the first Adam was created with a human body, while the second Adam was necessarily born into the human body of the first Adam in order to provide redemption for the first Adam and his descendants. This redemption has two very different and final applications:

      On the new earth there will be many nations of saved people who will never be permitted to enter the New Jerusalem, Rev 22:14.These nations will be descendants of the first Adam who (these nations) failed to qualify for the firstborn sonship of Christ. These nations will be made up partly of saved people who were never in covenant standing with God. However, these nations will also include the slave sons or illegitimate (non-covenant) sons who were in covenant standing but who failed to endure the covenant disciplinary training and hence failed to qualify for the firstborn sonship of Christ (Gal 4:19-31; 5:1-4; Heb 12:8) – see earlier articles on the firstborn sonship of Christ. Furthermore, the people of those nations on the new earth will never receive glorified new birth bodies – a later article will be devoted to the subject of glorification. These people will forever be mere human beings – a race of the first Adam's descendants only, who will be forever enslaved to the physical laws of the universe.

      In His resurrection, Christ created a "new man" – a new (kainos) race of mankind, a divine man, filled with all the fullness (all the attributes) of the divine essence of God.
      10 "For we are His workmanship, created IN Christ Jesus (in the body of Christ) for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.....
      13 "But now IN Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
      14 "For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one (in one body) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,
      15 "By abolishing in His flesh the Law (Covenant) with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create IN Himself one new man of the two, thus making peace (between the two in the one new body),
      16 "And IN (within the sphere of, as members of) this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility," Eph 2:1-,13-16.
      The "new man" is created "IN Christ Jesus," "in one body," not outside of Christ, not outside the body of Christ. People outside the body of Christ are not reconciled to God because the middle wall of partition between the first Adam and the second Adam is not broken down outside the body of Christ. Saved people are still "Gentiles" outside the body of Christ, Mt 18:17; Rom 11:11-22; Rev 21:23-26. The middle wall of partition also represents the curse and condemnation of the old man All the flesh limitations and offensive obstacles are erased in the new deified body, Gal 4:19-31; 5:1-5; Col 2:20-21; 3:1-10; Heb 10:19.
      The "new man" is created "IN Christ Jesus," "IN His flesh," "IN Himself," "IN one body," Eph 2:10-16. Christ is currently the only one who possesses the "new man." We must still "put off" the old man, and "put on" the new man. If we were already really born again, we would not have to be "putting off" the old man, and "putting on" the new man daily. Conversely, if we are constantly putting off the old man and putting on the new man by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:1-10-32); if we are progressively feeding and growing on Christ's flesh and blood (Jn 6:27-68); and if we with unveiled face, are constantly beholding the glory of the Lord (by feeding on His Word, Mt 4:4) and are thereby being progressively transformed in the same image (of Christ) from glory to glory (2Co 3:17-18); then we will be born again into the glorious divine image of Christ in the resurrection when Christ returns.

      "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus,
      20 "By a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh." Heb 10:19-20.
      The new and living way is by the new birth of the body (the whole person) into a deified state of being, which can traverse space and into the very presence of God in a moment of time.
      19 "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil,
      20 "Where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek," Heb 6:19-20.
      The slave sons, the illegitimate sons, the non-covenant sons, the other than firstborn sons, even the nations on the new earth in flesh bodies will not have access into the presence of God for they will not be firstborn sons in divine bodies. We must daily qualify through covenant disciplinary training for the new birth transformation (metamorphosis) into the deified resurrection likeness of Christ in order to have access into the presence of God. Again, this is done by being members of the freshly slain and living (deified) body of Christ, Heb 10:19-20; 2Co 5:16-17; Eph 2:16-22 (1-22).

      Please observe God's own description of the new birth of the second Adam in the following verses:
      44 "It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
      45 "And so it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
      46 "However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.
      47 "The first man (first Adam) was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man (second Adam) is the Lord from heaven.
      48 "As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly.
      49 "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man.
      50 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption," 1Co 15:50.
      But this will be true only of those who stand fast in the Word of the Gospel, 1Co 15:1-2; Heb 3:6-19; et al.
      Christ was born only twice: He was born first into the earthy body of the first Adam, and was born the second time in His resurrection into a divine body, and thereby creating another human race – a divine human race. God has not provided three births for His faithful covenant people: we have all been born first (both body and spirit) into the natural state of the first Adam. In the resurrection the faithful covenant people will be born again (both body and spirit) into the divine state of being of the second Adam. Possessing all the attributes of God requires the deification of the human spirit and body.
      The mind is an integral part of the spirit, as the brain is an integral part of the body. The mind and the spirit are one entity out of the body (Lk 16:19-31; Rev 6:9-11), and are one entity with the body when in the body. To say that the "soul" (psyche) is a third part of man, making man a threefold being, is equivalent to saying that the man's "heart," "soul,' "mind," and "strength" (Lk 10:27) require man to be a fivefold or sixfold being instead of a twofold being.
      The Son of God was born into the earthy body of the first Adam in order to:

      God's purpose was and is to take of the lowest of His intelligent creatures and elevate them to the highest state of created beings, and do so within the firstborn sonship of Christ. To do so, it was necessary for the Son of God to become "the Son of man" in order to be our Kinsman Redeemer. This was the first birth for Christ.

      The Son of God became the Seed of the woman, our Kinsman Redeemer, and Testator of the last will and testament. In introducing the Old Testament, a chapter will be devoted to the Kinsman Redeemer and Testator of the last will and testament. This will greatly enhance our understanding of the Scriptures.

      God permitted man to be tempted and sin in order to demonstrate His attributes of love, compassion, mercy, patience, holiness, justice, etc., otherwise we would never know the riches of the fullness and essence of God's divine nature.
      The attributes of God were somewhat manifested through the human flesh body of Christ, but will be manifest fully through the divine body He received in His resurrection birth.

      As the example for the faithful covenant people in human bodies, Christ learned obedience by the things He suffered. We must learn the discipline of holiness by the disciplinary training under God's covenants, Heb 12. This covenant training affects every facet of our lives every day of our lives. God is the Author of everything that happens to us, and His purpose is that we learn to handle all the problems of life and how to govern in such an environment.

      God's redemption plan obviously includes a new earth "wherein dwells righteousness," 2Pe 3:13. That would not be the case if Satan, all evil spirits, and evil men were permitted to live wicked, sinful lives forever all over the new earth. If sinful creatures fill the new earth, then sin and death are over all the face of the new earth also.
      Furthermore, Christ is to reign through the Millennium and put down all enemies, including sin and death at the end of the Millennium, 1Co 15:21-38. It would not appear that all enemies have been put down if the new earth should be filled with sin and death, evil spirits, and with sinful mankind.
      To say that the whole face of the new earth outside the New Jerusalem will be the lake of fire, and that Satan, fallen angels, the Antichrist, the False Prophet, and all unrepenting mankind will dwell everywhere outside the New Jerusalem forever is contrary to the Scriptures, 2Pe 3:13; Rom 8:19-22; 1Co 15:24-28.

      The purpose of God in the beginning was that the covenant people faithfully endure God's covenant discipline and thereby qualify for the glory and fullness of Godhood within the firstborn sonship of Christ. "This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praises," Isa 43:21; 1Pe 2:9.

      The first Adam and all his descendants have sinned and have come short of the glory of God, and thereby have initially aborted the divine firstborn sonship which God offered and is still offering through the covenants. When the first Adam sinned all his descendants sinned in him, and God has demonstrated through the covenants, especially the Law Covenant, that man in his natural state cannot qualify for the divine firstborn sonship created by Christ in His resurrection birth into a divine human body.
      It is true that a man cannot enter again into his mother's womb and be born a second time into a divine state of being. However, he can enter into the womb of the crucifixion, death, and burial of the old man (the sinful first Adam) and then be raised in a divine birth of this human body into the spirit (heavenly, divine) body in the second Adam.
      The human body that Jesus received from Mary in a human birth underwent a metamorphosis birth into a divine body in Christ's resurrection from the dead. According to the purpose of the Father and by the work of the Holy Spirit, the body of Jesus experienced a divine birth into a divine state of being, so that the body of Christ also now possesses all the essence of the divine fullness, Col 1:15,18; Rev 1:5; 1Co 15:44-50; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; Col 2:9. After this manner, the Father created the firstborn sonship of Christ, according to His purpose from before the foundation of the world, Eph 1:11; 3:11; 1Pe 1:18-20; Act 2:22-35.
      And from the time of Adam's creation, God has been offering this divine sonship through the covenants. Though the first Adam sinned and initially forfeited the divine firstborn sonship, God's purpose provided for a redemption plan through a revised covenant with the first Adam and his descendants. This redemption plan, included in the revised covenant with Adam (a last will and testament, which is the heart of all the covenants), provides the promise of a second Adam to be born out of the descendants of the first Adam. This Second Adam would perfectly fulfil all the covenant requirements, pay the sin debt of all mankind, and in His resurrection create and inherit the divine firstborn sonship initially forfeited by the first Adam and his descendants.
      The new birth lies in the resurrection birth of the body of Christ – a new kind of divine, spirit body from above. In His resurrection, Christ was born again – born a second time. His first birth as a human was the virgin birth as a human birth. Then Christ's body was born again into a divine state when He was raised out of the grave and became the Firstborn from the dead, Col 1:15,16; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5. We must be "born again" in the resurrection of our bodies as Christ was born again in the resurrection of His body. We must be born again in order for our body (and spirit) to enter and experience the divine kingdom of God made up only of divine beings.

      "Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God ," Jn 3:5.
      In the foregoing volumes on the firstborn sonship of Christ, we have repeatedly demonstrated that the "new birth" will take place in the resurrection when Christ returns. Water baptism is a picture (a figure, a symbol) of the resurrection of the body. It is in the resurrection that the bodies of the faithful covenant people will be glorified (deified, born of the Spirit). The glorification of the human body requires a birth of the body as described in 1Co 15:44-50 (Col 1;18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; 2:25-28; Ps 2:7; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; et al.
      No one is really born again at the time of water baptism, but God counts certain "things which be not, as though they were," Rom 4:17. Baptism is a picture (a figure, a symbol) of the new birth which will take place in the resurrection, and even though we were not really born again in baptism, God counts (reckons, credits) us as though we were born again in baptism. This metaphorically pictures us as being baptized together with and into the deified body of Christ. Therefore we were metaphorically baptized into the crucifixion, death, burial, and divine resurrection birth of the body of Christ, Rom 6:2-13; 7:4-6; 1Co 12;12-13; Gal 3:27; Col 2:11-13; 1Pe 1:3-5; 3:21.
      The church was organized before Christ was crucified and was counted metaphorically as being the body of Christ at the time Christ instituted the Lord's Supper, Mt 26:26-28. The unleavened bread of the Lord's Supper represents the Lord's body, but the bread also represents the church as being the body of Christ. And by taking the Lord's supper in the proper manner we "discern the body of Christ," 1Co 11:29 (17-34); 10:16-18; 5:1-13.

BORN OF THE SPIRIT IN BAPTISM

WASHING OF THE NEW BIRTH

WHOLE BODY WASHING

NO PART WITH ME

WHOLE BODY WASHING OF THE PRIESTHOOD

BODIES WASHED WITH PURE WATER

QUESTIONS AND WORK TASKS FOR CHAPTER ONE