1. Resurrection, a Birth
November 1998
2. Jesus Christ, Born Again
December 1998
3. Travailing in Birth
January 1999
4. Slave Sonship
February 1999
March 1999
6. Hebrew Dichotomy
April 1999
7. You have Come to Mount Zion,
May 1999
8. Partaking of Christ, a Birth,
June 1999
9. Eating Christ's Flesh & Drinking His Blood,
July 1999
RAISED IN HIS LIKENESS, A BIRTH,
PARTAKING OF CHRIST'S RESURRECTION LIKENESS IN DIVINE BIRTH
5 "For IF we have been united together (and have grown together) in the likeness of His death, we shall be also IN THE LIKENESS OF HIS RESURRECTION," Rom 6:5.
We must first be united together with Christ in the likeness of His death through water baptism into a true local church (metaphorically, the body of Christ).
Secondly, as members of the church (the body of Christ) we must be tenaciously faithful in church attendance and positively active in all scriptural church activities. The whole church is metaphorically the human now deified body of Christ, and as every member, joint, and part of the physical body is constantly working first and foremost for the effectual function of the whole body, so must every member of the church be constantly striving to perform his or her part as a member of the body of Christ, Eph 4:11-16; Col 2:11–3:25; Rom 12.
Thirdly, every member of the church must be daily and steadfastly feeding on the Word of God. This will result in our constantly presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God by not being conformed to the world but by being transformed into the resurrection image of Christ in all our thoughts, words, and deeds. We will thus be constantly bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord that the resurrection life of Christ be also manifest in our mortal bodies, Rom 12:1-2; 2Co 3:18; 4:7-12.
This putting to death the "old man" is done by denying the passions and works of our sinful flesh nature, Rom 8:13; Gal 5:19-21; Col 3:4-10. The bearing about in our bodies the resurrection life of Christ is done by daily and steadfastly feeding on the Word of God, meditating on the Word of God, obeying the Word of God, and properly teaching the Word of God, 2Jn 9-11; Jn 8:31-32; Gal 5:1-5; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:1-10.
Only if we are daily being transformed into the image of Christ in our heart (mind) and in our manner of life, then we will be transformed into the same likeness and image of Christ's resurrection when Christ returns. This transformation (metamorphosis) can take place only in those who are in proper covenant relationship with God (in a true local church). Christ created the new man by His being born again (the new birth, born from above) in His resurrection, 1Co 15:1-2,44-50; Phi 3:7-14,21; Col 1:21-23; Heb 2:1-3; 3:6–4:11; 5:8-9; 12:1-29.
Symbolically and metaphorically, we were baptized by water into the likeness of His death and raised out of the water in baptism in the likeness of His resurrection. This is the testimony of scriptural water baptism. By this baptism we were metaphorically baptized into Christ – into the human (now deified) body of Christ, and thereby our bodies are counted to be deified members of Christ's deified body, Rom 6:3; 1Co 12:13; Gal 3:27. God is metaphorically speaking of things which be not, as though they were, Rom 4:17. This is not true with saved people outside the church.
Christ was truly and factually born again (born from above) in His resurrection (Col 1:15-18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50), and metaphorically the bodies of everyone in the body of Christ were born again together with Christ (in the body of Christ) in His resurrection, and are thereby called the sons of God (firstborn covenant sons), 1Jn 3:1-3; Ex 4:22-23; Rom 8:29; Heb 12:23. We must keep in mind that God's purpose includes other sons who are slave sons, Gal 4:21-31; 5:1-5; Heb 12:1-17.
Let us examine the context of a very important passage that is pertinent to this article and to the general theme, 1Jn 2:28--3:10.
28 "And now, little children, abide (remain, continue) in Him; that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be put to shame from Him in His coming," 1Jo 2:28.
a. This letter of the apostle John was written to saved covenant people in true churches. It was written to saved and scripturally baptized church members who were metaphorically counted as being crucified together with and in the body of Christ, dead together with and in the body of Christ, buried together with and in the body of Christ, raised back from the dead together with and in the body of Christ, and raised back to deified life together with and in the body of Christ, Rom 6:2-13; 7:4-6; Gal 2:19-20; 5:24; Eph 2:5-6.
b. These people to whom First John was written were already "in Christ." They were not commanded to get into Christ, or to abide (continue, remain) in salvation from hell, but were commanded to abide (continue, remain) in the body (bride) of Christ, from which covenant position the unfaithful saved will be put out or cut off, Jn 15:1-11; Rom 11:11-22; 1Co 9:27–10:12; Gal 5:1-4; Heb 3:6-19; 6:4-8; 10:25-39; 12:15-17; 2Jn 9-11; Mt 25:1-30.
c. Abiding in Christ (in the body of Christ) is done by bearing the proper fruit, Jn 15:1-11; 2Jn 9-11. The covenant people were and are commanded to abide (continue, remain) in Christ by bearing the proper fruit; and bearing the proper fruit is done by believing and obeying according to the Scriptures, Jn 15:1-11; 2Pe 1:5-10. Sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, and other forms of alien baptism are not the doctrine of Christ, and the Scriptures state explicitly that such people do not have the Father and the Son, See following discussion which includes 2Jn 9, 1Jn 5:6-13; 2:23-25.
Both Jn 15 and 1Jn 2:28 are written to saved people in the body of Christ who are therefore in covenant relationship with Christ. Both passages include the command (imperative voice) to abide in Christ. This is so because, though these saved covenant people were already "clean" by the words of Christ and by their covenant standing, they could nevertheless cease to abide in Christ (be cut off from the body of Christ) because of unfaithful conduct.
d. Those who do not faithfully abide in the body of Christ, will be put to shame from Christ when He returns. We are urgently warned and commanded to give "all diligence" to continue in Christ by bearing the proper fruit or we will be cut off from Christ and fail to make our calling and election sure, Jn 15:1-6; 2Pe 1:5-10; Gal 5:1-4. A part of the punishment for failing to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure is that such saved covenant people will be put to shame from the Lord in His coming, 1Jn 2:28.
29 "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who is practicing righteousness is born of Him," 1Jn 2:29.
Those who "are practicing righteousness" are counted as having been metaphorically crucified, dead, buried, and raised (born again) together with Christ into divine life, Rom 6:2-13; 7:4-6; Col 2:9-21; 3:1-10; 1Co 15:1-2,44-50.
Those saved covenant people who "are not practicing righteousness" will abort the firstborn sonship of Christ, and will be other than firstborn covenant sons, as happened with Ishmael and Esau, Gal 4:19-31; Heb 12:15-17. As for saved people outside the covenants, they do not have the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit, because they do not have the doctrine of Christ:
9 "Every one who is transgressing, and is not remaining in the doctrine of the Christ, does not have God; he who is remaining in the doctrine of the Christ, this one has both the Father and the Son;
10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
11 ‘For he who greets (has fellowship with) him shares in his evil deeds," 2Jn 9-11.
Observe a few things about this and related passages:
a. The saved person must be in and remain in the doctrine of Christ in order to have the Father and the Son. This is stated both positively and negatively in verse 9. Those who freely fellowship such saved people are also not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, because this passage says so.
b. Having the Father and the Son means having Their "life" – having Their divine nature, or sharing in all the fullness of God's divine nature Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 1:19; 2:9-10. For instance:
10 "He who is constantly believing into the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who is not constantly believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
There are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are One. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three agree to the same witness (testimony, record).
This chapter (1Jn 5) puts great emphasis on the "witness" of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the water, and the blood. That emphasis is demonstrated by the constant (progressive, transitional, metaphoric) believing INTO Christ by the faithful covenant people. The unfaithful saved in their conduct are demonstrating that God is a liar. They are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, and either have been or will be cut off from Christ. They will not share in the divine life that is in the Son.
11 "And this is the testimony: that God has given us age (divine) life, and this life is in His Son.
This "life" is "IN the Son," and those who do not continue in the doctrine of the Son do not have the Son, therefore they do not have His divine resurrection life.
12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1Jn 5:12.
Those saved people who do not have the doctrine (or are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ) do not have the Father, nor the Son, nor the divine life that is in the Son. That is what these verses explicitly teach.
13 "These things I have written to you to the ones constantly believing into the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe into the name of the Son of God," 1Jn 5:10-13.
a. As earlier emphasized when discussing Jn 6, a progressive, persevering faith is under consideration – a directional, transitional, metaphoric BELIEVING INTO the crucified, dead, buried, raised, and deified body of Christ in order to share in Christ's divine firstborn sonship.
The "faith" that is overcoming the world is the constantly abiding faith demonstrated throughout this chapter, not the faith demonstrated by those who are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, Jn 15:1-6; 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:7-10; 6:4-8; 10:25-31; 12:15-17; 1Pe 1:9; et al.
b. Divine life is in the Son, and we must have the Son (be in the body of Christ) to have the divine life of the Father and of the Son.
c. We must first have the doctrine of Christ (be in the body of Christ) and continue in the doctrine of Christ (continue in the body of Christ) in order to have the Father, have the Son, and thereby have their divine life, 1Jn 9-11.
d. Sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, and other forms of alien baptism are not the doctrine of Christ. Saved people who practice these things and claim to be the Lord's churches do not have the doctrine of Christ and therefore do not have the Father nor the Son, and therefore do not have divine life.
23 "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 "And this is the promise that He has promised us -- eternal life," 2Jn 2:23-25.
e. We acknowledge (or deny) the Son by being sure that the doctrine of Christ abides in us, which means faithful obedience according to the covenants, 2Jn 9-11; 1Jn 5:10-12; 1Jn 2:23-25. The unfaithful saved deny the Son by not bearing the proper fruit.
f. Likewise, we abide in the Father and in the Son by being sure the doctrine of Christ actively abides in us, 1Jn 23-25. We must faithfully teach and practice the truth.
g. If the doctrine of Christ abides in us, we have the Father and the Son, 1Jn 2:23-25. Only those who faithfully teach and practice the doctrine of Christ have the Father and the Son.
h. If we have the Father and the Son, we have divine life, 1Jn 5:10-12; 2Jn 9-11. Divine life is IN the Son, that is, in the crucified, dead, buried, raised, and deified body of Christ, which the church is metaphorically credited as being.
i. Many saved people do not have the doctrine of Christ. For instance: sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, fellowshipping with Catholics and Protestants, not bearing the proper fruit, lack of diligence, etc., are not the doctrine of Christ. However, there are many saved people in churches which do not have John's baptism and therefore not have the authority to baptize or to serve God at all because they do have the doctrine of Christ and are false churches. There is no way that they can practice righteousness before God. They are not firstborn sons, but are illegitimate, non-covenant sons as Ishmael and Esau were, Gal 4:21-31; Heb 112:15-15.
2 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is," 1Jn 3:2.
Christ, as God, was with the Father before creation, but for a while He as God dwelt in a mere human flesh body, Jn 1:1-3,14; Phi 2:6-11. In His resurrection, His human flesh body was born into a new state of existence – into a divine (deified) human or flesh body. Though Christ, for a while was known (experienced) in a flesh body, He is no longer known (experienced) in or after a mere flesh body, but rather after a new kind of deified flesh body, 2Co 5:16-17; Col 2:9; 1Co 15:44-50.
The unfaithful saved will not see Christ as He is because they will not share in the resurrection new birth, because they have not "held fast" to the gospel, 1Co 15:1-2. They have not "held fast to the end," Heb 3:14; Col 1:21-23; Phi 3:7-14,21. They have not been transformed into the image of Christ in their lifetime of qualifying for that divine birth. They have transgressed the doctrine of Christ and do not have the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, 2Jn 9-11. They have not borne the proper fruit and have been or will be cut off from Christ, Jn 15:1-6.
They have mixed the New Covenant with the Law Covenant, or otherwise mixed the holy covenants with an unfaithful and unholy life, Gal 4:19-31; 4:19-26; 5:1-4; 5:7-9; Heb 3:7-19; 12:15-29. They will not share in Christ's new birth resurrection and will not see Him as He is, because they have not practiced righteousness, 1Jn 2:29–3:10. Only those who share Christ's death and resurrection likeness in doctrine (scriptural baptism) and grow into His resurrection likeness in their daily lives will share in that resurrection likeness and see Him as He is when He returns, 2Co 3:17; 4:7-12; Col 2:9–3:15; Phil 3:7-14,21.
3 "And everyone who is having this hope in Him is purifying himself, just as He is pure," 1Jn 3:3.
It is obvious that we must have that hope of the new birth of the body resurrection in us and by grace through faith purify ourselves by bearing the proper fruit and abiding in Christ, or we will not share in the likeness of Christ's new birth resurrection. We must be holy in our daily lives as God and Christ are holy in order to partake of their holiness in the resurrection, Heb 12:9-11
We must not be conformed to the world but be transformed into the image of Christ's resurrection likeness by the daily renewing of our minds in order to be transformed into the image of Christ's divine birth of His body in the resurrection, Rom 12:1-2; 2Co 3:18; 1Jn 2:28; 3:2-3.
6 "Every one who is remaining in Him is not sinning; every one who is practicing sin, has not seen Him, nor known Him," 1Jn 3:6.
Is the unfaithful saved bearing the proper fruit and thereby practicing holiness, or are they failing to bear the proper fruit and are thereby practicing sin? 2Pe 1:8-9. Were the Israelites whose carcasses fell in the wilderness practicing holiness or rebellion? 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:7-19. Was Paul's excruciating self-discipline (1Co 9:27) needless? Do we need to pay any heed to these severe warnings? 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:6-19; 2Pe 3:14-18. How about those disciples who went back and walked with Jesus no more? Jn 6:66. Were they practicing righteousness after they went back and walked with Jesus no more? What is the resurrection hope and its results for those who do not purify themselves as Christ is pure? 1Jn 3:3. What is the resurrection hope for those who do not practice righteousness and do not hold fast the true gospel, the doctrine of Christ? 2Pe 1:5-6; 10; Jn 15:1-6; Rom 11:11-22; 1Co 10:1-12; Gal 4:21–5:4; Col 1:21-23; 15:1-2; Phi 3:2-14; Heb 3:7-19; et al.
8 "He who is practicing sin (living in sin) is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil," 1Jn 3:8.
The one who is bearing the proper fruit and is abiding in Christ is practicing righteousness, but the one who is not abiding in Christ by bearing the proper fruit and keeping Christ's commandments by grace through faith is practicing sin, 1Jn 2:28–3:10. The unfaithful saved covenant people (and all saved people outside true churches) are not adding the godly virtues, 1Pe 1:5-8. They are therefore blind and cannot see afar off, and many have forgotten that they were once purged from their old sins, 2Pe 1:5-10. These saved people are practicing sin and are not practicing righteousness, 1Jn 2:28–3:10.
The Scriptures say these saved people are of the devil, 1Jn 3:8. That is what the verse says of those who are not practicing righteousness. We must harmonize these statements that appear to contradict each other. Mishandling the Word of God amounts to adding to and diminishing from the Scriptures, which will bring the Gehenna judgment with all the unfaithful saved, Rev 22:18-29. "He who is practicing sin is of the devil," 1Jn 1:8.
9 "Whoever has been born of God is not sinning, for His seed is remaining in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God," 1Jn 3:9.
We must not try to lift this verse out of its context or try to interpret the context in light of the verse, but interpret the verse in light of the context. The person who is really born of God cannot sin, because he is born of God. But we do sin and that is clear proof that we are not yet born of God. Jesus had only two births, and both were real births: one was from his human mother (Lk 2), and the other was in His resurrection, Col 1:15,18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50.
Likewise, we will have only two real births: one from our human parents, and one in the resurrection – in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. Jesus was symbolically born of God in His baptism which represented His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection birth, Mt 3:15. We were likewise symbolically and metaphorically born of God in scriptural water baptism, on the basis of which we received the Holy Spirit, as the earnest of the promised divine firstborn sonship of Christ, Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-7; Rom 8:14 (14-23); 2Co 4:7-12,17; 5:1-5; Titus 3:5; Jn 3:5; 1Pe 1:3-5.
The person who is born of God cannot sin, and therefore cannot practice sin. The saved person who persists in practicing sin is of the devil (2Pe 1:9; 1Jn 3:8,10) and does not have his name written in the book of life, because he does not have the Father, nor the Son, and therefore cannot have divine life, 2Jn 9-11; 1Jn 2:23-25; 5:10-13.
10 "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: everyone who is not practicing righteousness is NOT of God, nor is he who is not loving his brother," 1Jn 3:10.
No one outside a true church is practicing righteousness acceptable to God. Those who have refused John's baptism have rejected the counsel of God against themselves, Lk 7:29-30. Likewise, saved people who have refused scriptural water baptism have rejected the circumcision of Christ, Col 2:11-12. Those who have refused scriptural water baptism have rejected the doctrine of Christ and do not have the Father or the Son, 2Jn 9-11. Those who have refused scriptural water baptism cannot walk in the light as God is in the light and therefore cannot scripturally hold fast to the end, 1Co 15:1-2; Heb 3:6-10; Rom 11:11-22; Col 1:21-23; Phi 3:7-14.
Saved people who have been made "clean," but who have been cut off from the vine (Jn 15:1-6), cannot practice righteousness acceptable to God. Jesus said "without Me (cut off from me) you can do nothing," Jn 15:1-6. Paul told the churches of Galatia if they persisted in trying to keep the Law Covenant, "Christ will prophet you nothing" within the covenant relationship, Gal 4:21-31; 5:1-4. They would thereby abort the firstborn sonship of Christ and its resurrection likeness, which is the new birth into the divine family of God, Eph 2:10-22.
We return now to the baptismal (symbolic, metaphoric) death of the old man, and the baptismal (symbolic, metaphoric) resurrection into the new man in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. This metaphoric death in baptism must be followed by daily bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, 2Co 4:7-12. Bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord is done by denying the desires of the flesh of the old man, and thereby not being conformed to this world, Rom 8:5-6,13; Col 3:1-10.
As we bear about in our bodies the dying of the old man, both death and life are working in us: death to the old man and life for the new man. As we diligently strive to be conformed to the image of Christ, death to the old man is more and more obvious in our manner of life while life for the new man is also more and more obvious. As this life of the new man increases more abundantly in our manner of life, it increases life in us within the resurrection image of Christ into the ages of ages to come, Jn 10:10; 1Th 3:8; 2Co 4:7-12.
In most cases the words life, glory, righteousness, holiness, etc., are generic for all the attributes of God. ore abundant life equals more abundant glory equals more abundant righteousness equals more abundant holiness equals more abundant knowledge equals more abundant power, equals more abundant authority equals more abundant excellence equals more abundant joy equals more abundant happiness, equals a greater abundance of every attribute of God to be experienced throughout the myriad ages of future eternity.
As we faithfully serve the Lord, all the fullness of God is being increased on our behalf in God's record books, Jn 10:10; 1Th 3:8; 2Co 4:12,17; 9:10; Heb 12:9-11. Conversely, as we conform to the fashions of this world, the resurrection fullness of Christ is decreased against us in God's record books, and will not be received by us in the resurrection or ever thereafter, 2Jn 8; 2Co 5:10; Rev 3:11; 22:12; Ecc 12:13-14; Eze 3:20; 18:24; 33:12-13; Mt 13:12; 25:29; Mk 4:25; Lk 8:18; 19:26.
It is the image or likeness of Christ in His resurrection (Rom 6:5) which God is offering to us by covenant promise and has confirmed the same with His oath, Heb 6:11-20. In like manner, God has confirmed the oath of His wrath against the unfaithful saved because they have refused and are refusing His covenant offer of His fullness in the firstborn covenant sonship of Christ, Heb 2:1-3; 3:11; 4:3; 12:25-29.
4 "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end," Heb 3:14.
In God's reckoning and in the measure of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have become partakers of Christ, who is the precise0 image of the Father, Col 1:15; Heb 1:3. In Christ's deified body all the fullness of divine deity is dwelling (Col 1:19; 2:9), and each faithful member of Christ's deified body will receive of the fullness of deity to the extent of the faithfulness of that member, Mt 25:14-23; Lk 19:11-19; 2Co 5:10; Rev 22:12.
Eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood is a symbolic partaking of what Christ's body became in His resurrection as the second Adam, 1Co 15:44-50. In His resurrection Christ became the firstborn from the dead, Col 1:15,18-19; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5. In His resurrection birth Christ's human body was born into a heavenly, spirit, divine body, 1Co 15:44-50; Col 2:9. In His resurrection birth Christ created a new kind of man (the "new man"), possessing all the fullness of God's divine nature in a human body, Col 2:9; 2Co 5:1-5,16-21; Eph 2:10-15. In Christ's resurrection birth Christ created a new race of mankind of which He is the head as the second Adam, 1Co 15:44-50; Rom 5:14-19. In Christ's new divine body dwells all the fullness of deity, which divine nature was not inherent in the body which Christ received from Mary until His resurrection birth – it was a "flesh and blood" body that had to be born again in His resurrection, 1Co 15:44-50.
All those in "the body of Christ" (a true local church) are counted as being metaphorically the members of Christ's human (now divine) body. As the members of Christ's body, we are joined to His body, and are therefore counted to be as much a part of His body as our feet, legs, hands, arms, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc., are members of our individual bodies. All the members of our flesh body are one and the same flesh, and constitute one and the same flesh body. In this same way, we, as the members of the body of Christ, constitute one and the same kind of divine (deified human) body, Rom 12:4-5; 1Co 6:15-17; 11:23-29; 12:1-27; Eph 4:15-16,25; 5:30-31. God who calls things which be not as though they were, counts the members of the body of Christ to be metaphorically crucified, dead, buried, raised, and born again into one and the same deified body of Christ, 1Co 5:7; Col 2:9-10-17; Eph 2:10-16.
In scriptural water baptism we were metaphorically baptized into Christ:
27 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ," Gal 3:27.
3 "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 "For if we have been united together (and have grown together) in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin," Rom 6;3-6.
It is God's purpose to conform the bodies of the faithful covenant people into the likeness of the resurrected body of Christ. We (metaphorically) have been baptized into the body of Christ, and have thereby been joined to the body of Christ. The Greek word "sumphutos" carries both the fact of being united together and also the process of growing together after being united together. This is with a view to our growing up into the glory image of the resurrected body and mind of Christ:
13 "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," Eph 4:13,15-16.
18 "But we all, with unveiled face, constantly beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2Co 3:18.
God's purpose is that the faithful covenant people not be conformed to this world, but throughout each day be being transformed into the resurrection image of Christ from glory to glory.
15 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ (of Christ's deified human body)? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,' He says, ‘shall become one flesh.'
17 "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (body)with Him," 1Co 6:15-17.
The one who is joined to Christ's body is one deified, spirit body with Him. It could hardly be put clearer than this, and of course the language is symbolic in the context of a metaphor. The church is called the human (now deified) body of Christ which Christ received from Mary. However, in reality the church is not the body of Christ (His flesh and bone) at all. God is speaking of things which be not as though they were – a meta phor, Rom 4:17.
The word su,mfutoj (Rom 6:5) means to be united together with Christ and to grow together as one body – grow up into Christ who is the Head: 15 "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, that is, Christ," Eph 4:15.
13 Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," Eph 4:13 (11-16).
9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
10 "And in Him you are made that fullness....." Col 2:9-10.
5 "For if we have been united together and have grown together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection," Rom 6:5.
God has chosen the faithful covenant people in Christ to be con-formed to the resurrection image of Christ – to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ in the current and permanently divine state of His human (now deified) body, filled with all the fullness of deity, Col 1:19; 2:9.
18 "But we all, with unveiled face, steadfastly beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being constantly transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2Co 3:18.
19 ".....that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 2:19-10; Jn 17:21-23), and thereby be partakers of Christ," Heb 3:14.
1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it," Heb 4:1.
9 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 "For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His," Heb 4:9-10; 4:4; Gen 2:1-3.
Those in true local churches are in covenant relationship with God, and are metaphorically reckoned to be crucified, dead, buried, and raised together in Christ's heavenly, spirit, deified body. The faithful covenant people are currently and metaphorically in this "rest." This simply means we are counted (credited, reckoned) as having already been glorified (deified) together with Christ, and are in the qualifying position to really enter that "rest" in the resurrection, IF we hold fast the beginning of our confidence to the end.
11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience," Heb 4:11; 3:6-19; 4:1-10.
Let "US" who are holy brethren (Heb 3:1) of the house of Christ (Heb 3:6) – "let US therefore be diligent," lest WE "fall according to the same example of disobedience." The unfaithful saved will NOT be partakers of Christ. They will not be partakers of His "rest." The doctrine of their unfaithful lives which they preach by their conduct is not the doctrine of Christ, and therefore they do not have the Father and the Son, and will not share in the likeness of Christ in the resurrection.
We must first be united together with Christ in the likeness of His death through water baptism into a true local church (metaphorically, the body of Christ).
Secondly, as members of the church (the body of Christ) we must be tenaciously faithful in church attendance and positively active in all scriptural church activities. The whole church is metaphorically the human now deified body of Christ, and as every member, joint, and part of the physical body is constantly working first and foremost for the effectual function of the whole body, so must every member of the church be constantly striving to perform his or her part as a member of the body of Christ, Eph 4:11-16; Col 2:11–3:25; Rom 12.
Thirdly, every member of the church must be daily and steadfastly feeding on the Word of God. This will result in our constantly presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God by not being conformed to the world but by being transformed into the resurrection image of Christ in all our thoughts, words, and deeds. We will thus be constantly bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord that the resurrection life of Christ be also manifest in our mortal bodies, Rom 12:1-2; 2Co 3:18; 4:7-12.
This putting to death the "old man" is done by denying the passions and works of our sinful flesh nature, Rom 8:13; Gal 5:19-21; Col 3:4-10. The bearing about in our bodies the resurrection life of Christ is done by daily and steadfastly feeding on the Word of God, meditating on the Word of God, obeying the Word of God, and properly teaching the Word of God, 2Jn 9-11; Jn 8:31-32; Gal 5:1-5; Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:1-10.
Only if we are daily being transformed into the image of Christ in our heart (mind) and in our manner of life, then we will be transformed into the same likeness and image of Christ's resurrection when Christ returns. This transformation (metamorphosis) can take place only in those who are in proper covenant relationship with God (in a true local church). Christ created the new man by His being born again (the new birth, born from above) in His resurrection, 1Co 15:1-2,44-50; Phi 3:7-14,21; Col 1:21-23; Heb 2:1-3; 3:6–4:11; 5:8-9; 12:1-29.
Symbolically and metaphorically, we were baptized by water into the likeness of His death and raised out of the water in baptism in the likeness of His resurrection. This is the testimony of scriptural water baptism. By this baptism we were metaphorically baptized into Christ – into the human (now deified) body of Christ, and thereby our bodies are counted to be deified members of Christ's deified body, Rom 6:3; 1Co 12:13; Gal 3:27. God is metaphorically speaking of things which be not, as though they were, Rom 4:17. This is not true with saved people outside the church.
Christ was truly and factually born again (born from above) in His resurrection (Col 1:15-18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50), and metaphorically the bodies of everyone in the body of Christ were born again together with Christ (in the body of Christ) in His resurrection, and are thereby called the sons of God (firstborn covenant sons), 1Jn 3:1-3; Ex 4:22-23; Rom 8:29; Heb 12:23. We must keep in mind that God's purpose includes other sons who are slave sons, Gal 4:21-31; 5:1-5; Heb 12:1-17.
Let us examine the context of a very important passage that is pertinent to this article and to the general theme, 1Jn 2:28--3:10.
28 "And now, little children, abide (remain, continue) in Him; that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be put to shame from Him in His coming," 1Jo 2:28.
a. This letter of the apostle John was written to saved covenant people in true churches. It was written to saved and scripturally baptized church members who were metaphorically counted as being crucified together with and in the body of Christ, dead together with and in the body of Christ, buried together with and in the body of Christ, raised back from the dead together with and in the body of Christ, and raised back to deified life together with and in the body of Christ, Rom 6:2-13; 7:4-6; Gal 2:19-20; 5:24; Eph 2:5-6.
b. These people to whom First John was written were already "in Christ." They were not commanded to get into Christ, or to abide (continue, remain) in salvation from hell, but were commanded to abide (continue, remain) in the body (bride) of Christ, from which covenant position the unfaithful saved will be put out or cut off, Jn 15:1-11; Rom 11:11-22; 1Co 9:27–10:12; Gal 5:1-4; Heb 3:6-19; 6:4-8; 10:25-39; 12:15-17; 2Jn 9-11; Mt 25:1-30.
c. Abiding in Christ (in the body of Christ) is done by bearing the proper fruit, Jn 15:1-11; 2Jn 9-11. The covenant people were and are commanded to abide (continue, remain) in Christ by bearing the proper fruit; and bearing the proper fruit is done by believing and obeying according to the Scriptures, Jn 15:1-11; 2Pe 1:5-10. Sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, and other forms of alien baptism are not the doctrine of Christ, and the Scriptures state explicitly that such people do not have the Father and the Son, See following discussion which includes 2Jn 9, 1Jn 5:6-13; 2:23-25.
Both Jn 15 and 1Jn 2:28 are written to saved people in the body of Christ who are therefore in covenant relationship with Christ. Both passages include the command (imperative voice) to abide in Christ. This is so because, though these saved covenant people were already "clean" by the words of Christ and by their covenant standing, they could nevertheless cease to abide in Christ (be cut off from the body of Christ) because of unfaithful conduct.
d. Those who do not faithfully abide in the body of Christ, will be put to shame from Christ when He returns. We are urgently warned and commanded to give "all diligence" to continue in Christ by bearing the proper fruit or we will be cut off from Christ and fail to make our calling and election sure, Jn 15:1-6; 2Pe 1:5-10; Gal 5:1-4. A part of the punishment for failing to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure is that such saved covenant people will be put to shame from the Lord in His coming, 1Jn 2:28.
29 "If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who is practicing righteousness is born of Him," 1Jn 2:29.
Those who "are practicing righteousness" are counted as having been metaphorically crucified, dead, buried, and raised (born again) together with Christ into divine life, Rom 6:2-13; 7:4-6; Col 2:9-21; 3:1-10; 1Co 15:1-2,44-50.
Those saved covenant people who "are not practicing righteousness" will abort the firstborn sonship of Christ, and will be other than firstborn covenant sons, as happened with Ishmael and Esau, Gal 4:19-31; Heb 12:15-17. As for saved people outside the covenants, they do not have the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit, because they do not have the doctrine of Christ:
9 "Every one who is transgressing, and is not remaining in the doctrine of the Christ, does not have God; he who is remaining in the doctrine of the Christ, this one has both the Father and the Son;
10 "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him;
11 ‘For he who greets (has fellowship with) him shares in his evil deeds," 2Jn 9-11.
Observe a few things about this and related passages:
a. The saved person must be in and remain in the doctrine of Christ in order to have the Father and the Son. This is stated both positively and negatively in verse 9. Those who freely fellowship such saved people are also not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, because this passage says so.
b. Having the Father and the Son means having Their "life" – having Their divine nature, or sharing in all the fullness of God's divine nature Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 1:19; 2:9-10. For instance:
10 "He who is constantly believing into the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who is not constantly believing God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.
There are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are One. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood. These three agree to the same witness (testimony, record).
This chapter (1Jn 5) puts great emphasis on the "witness" of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, the water, and the blood. That emphasis is demonstrated by the constant (progressive, transitional, metaphoric) believing INTO Christ by the faithful covenant people. The unfaithful saved in their conduct are demonstrating that God is a liar. They are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, and either have been or will be cut off from Christ. They will not share in the divine life that is in the Son.
11 "And this is the testimony: that God has given us age (divine) life, and this life is in His Son.
This "life" is "IN the Son," and those who do not continue in the doctrine of the Son do not have the Son, therefore they do not have His divine resurrection life.
12 "He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1Jn 5:12.
Those saved people who do not have the doctrine (or are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ) do not have the Father, nor the Son, nor the divine life that is in the Son. That is what these verses explicitly teach.
13 "These things I have written to you to the ones constantly believing into the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe into the name of the Son of God," 1Jn 5:10-13.
a. As earlier emphasized when discussing Jn 6, a progressive, persevering faith is under consideration – a directional, transitional, metaphoric BELIEVING INTO the crucified, dead, buried, raised, and deified body of Christ in order to share in Christ's divine firstborn sonship.
The "faith" that is overcoming the world is the constantly abiding faith demonstrated throughout this chapter, not the faith demonstrated by those who are not abiding in the doctrine of Christ, Jn 15:1-6; 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:7-10; 6:4-8; 10:25-31; 12:15-17; 1Pe 1:9; et al.
b. Divine life is in the Son, and we must have the Son (be in the body of Christ) to have the divine life of the Father and of the Son.
c. We must first have the doctrine of Christ (be in the body of Christ) and continue in the doctrine of Christ (continue in the body of Christ) in order to have the Father, have the Son, and thereby have their divine life, 1Jn 9-11.
d. Sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, and other forms of alien baptism are not the doctrine of Christ. Saved people who practice these things and claim to be the Lord's churches do not have the doctrine of Christ and therefore do not have the Father nor the Son, and therefore do not have divine life.
23 "Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 "Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 "And this is the promise that He has promised us -- eternal life," 2Jn 2:23-25.
e. We acknowledge (or deny) the Son by being sure that the doctrine of Christ abides in us, which means faithful obedience according to the covenants, 2Jn 9-11; 1Jn 5:10-12; 1Jn 2:23-25. The unfaithful saved deny the Son by not bearing the proper fruit.
f. Likewise, we abide in the Father and in the Son by being sure the doctrine of Christ actively abides in us, 1Jn 23-25. We must faithfully teach and practice the truth.
g. If the doctrine of Christ abides in us, we have the Father and the Son, 1Jn 2:23-25. Only those who faithfully teach and practice the doctrine of Christ have the Father and the Son.
h. If we have the Father and the Son, we have divine life, 1Jn 5:10-12; 2Jn 9-11. Divine life is IN the Son, that is, in the crucified, dead, buried, raised, and deified body of Christ, which the church is metaphorically credited as being.
i. Many saved people do not have the doctrine of Christ. For instance: sprinkling for baptism, baptizing babies, fellowshipping with Catholics and Protestants, not bearing the proper fruit, lack of diligence, etc., are not the doctrine of Christ. However, there are many saved people in churches which do not have John's baptism and therefore not have the authority to baptize or to serve God at all because they do have the doctrine of Christ and are false churches. There is no way that they can practice righteousness before God. They are not firstborn sons, but are illegitimate, non-covenant sons as Ishmael and Esau were, Gal 4:21-31; Heb 112:15-15.
2 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is," 1Jn 3:2.
Christ, as God, was with the Father before creation, but for a while He as God dwelt in a mere human flesh body, Jn 1:1-3,14; Phi 2:6-11. In His resurrection, His human flesh body was born into a new state of existence – into a divine (deified) human or flesh body. Though Christ, for a while was known (experienced) in a flesh body, He is no longer known (experienced) in or after a mere flesh body, but rather after a new kind of deified flesh body, 2Co 5:16-17; Col 2:9; 1Co 15:44-50.
The unfaithful saved will not see Christ as He is because they will not share in the resurrection new birth, because they have not "held fast" to the gospel, 1Co 15:1-2. They have not "held fast to the end," Heb 3:14; Col 1:21-23; Phi 3:7-14,21. They have not been transformed into the image of Christ in their lifetime of qualifying for that divine birth. They have transgressed the doctrine of Christ and do not have the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, 2Jn 9-11. They have not borne the proper fruit and have been or will be cut off from Christ, Jn 15:1-6.
They have mixed the New Covenant with the Law Covenant, or otherwise mixed the holy covenants with an unfaithful and unholy life, Gal 4:19-31; 4:19-26; 5:1-4; 5:7-9; Heb 3:7-19; 12:15-29. They will not share in Christ's new birth resurrection and will not see Him as He is, because they have not practiced righteousness, 1Jn 2:29–3:10. Only those who share Christ's death and resurrection likeness in doctrine (scriptural baptism) and grow into His resurrection likeness in their daily lives will share in that resurrection likeness and see Him as He is when He returns, 2Co 3:17; 4:7-12; Col 2:9–3:15; Phil 3:7-14,21.
3 "And everyone who is having this hope in Him is purifying himself, just as He is pure," 1Jn 3:3.
It is obvious that we must have that hope of the new birth of the body resurrection in us and by grace through faith purify ourselves by bearing the proper fruit and abiding in Christ, or we will not share in the likeness of Christ's new birth resurrection. We must be holy in our daily lives as God and Christ are holy in order to partake of their holiness in the resurrection, Heb 12:9-11
We must not be conformed to the world but be transformed into the image of Christ's resurrection likeness by the daily renewing of our minds in order to be transformed into the image of Christ's divine birth of His body in the resurrection, Rom 12:1-2; 2Co 3:18; 1Jn 2:28; 3:2-3.
6 "Every one who is remaining in Him is not sinning; every one who is practicing sin, has not seen Him, nor known Him," 1Jn 3:6.
Is the unfaithful saved bearing the proper fruit and thereby practicing holiness, or are they failing to bear the proper fruit and are thereby practicing sin? 2Pe 1:8-9. Were the Israelites whose carcasses fell in the wilderness practicing holiness or rebellion? 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:7-19. Was Paul's excruciating self-discipline (1Co 9:27) needless? Do we need to pay any heed to these severe warnings? 1Co 10:1-12; Heb 3:6-19; 2Pe 3:14-18. How about those disciples who went back and walked with Jesus no more? Jn 6:66. Were they practicing righteousness after they went back and walked with Jesus no more? What is the resurrection hope and its results for those who do not purify themselves as Christ is pure? 1Jn 3:3. What is the resurrection hope for those who do not practice righteousness and do not hold fast the true gospel, the doctrine of Christ? 2Pe 1:5-6; 10; Jn 15:1-6; Rom 11:11-22; 1Co 10:1-12; Gal 4:21–5:4; Col 1:21-23; 15:1-2; Phi 3:2-14; Heb 3:7-19; et al.
8 "He who is practicing sin (living in sin) is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil," 1Jn 3:8.
The one who is bearing the proper fruit and is abiding in Christ is practicing righteousness, but the one who is not abiding in Christ by bearing the proper fruit and keeping Christ's commandments by grace through faith is practicing sin, 1Jn 2:28–3:10. The unfaithful saved covenant people (and all saved people outside true churches) are not adding the godly virtues, 1Pe 1:5-8. They are therefore blind and cannot see afar off, and many have forgotten that they were once purged from their old sins, 2Pe 1:5-10. These saved people are practicing sin and are not practicing righteousness, 1Jn 2:28–3:10.
The Scriptures say these saved people are of the devil, 1Jn 3:8. That is what the verse says of those who are not practicing righteousness. We must harmonize these statements that appear to contradict each other. Mishandling the Word of God amounts to adding to and diminishing from the Scriptures, which will bring the Gehenna judgment with all the unfaithful saved, Rev 22:18-29. "He who is practicing sin is of the devil," 1Jn 1:8.
9 "Whoever has been born of God is not sinning, for His seed is remaining in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God," 1Jn 3:9.
We must not try to lift this verse out of its context or try to interpret the context in light of the verse, but interpret the verse in light of the context. The person who is really born of God cannot sin, because he is born of God. But we do sin and that is clear proof that we are not yet born of God. Jesus had only two births, and both were real births: one was from his human mother (Lk 2), and the other was in His resurrection, Col 1:15,18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5; 1Co 15:44-50.
Likewise, we will have only two real births: one from our human parents, and one in the resurrection – in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. Jesus was symbolically born of God in His baptism which represented His crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection birth, Mt 3:15. We were likewise symbolically and metaphorically born of God in scriptural water baptism, on the basis of which we received the Holy Spirit, as the earnest of the promised divine firstborn sonship of Christ, Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-7; Rom 8:14 (14-23); 2Co 4:7-12,17; 5:1-5; Titus 3:5; Jn 3:5; 1Pe 1:3-5.
The person who is born of God cannot sin, and therefore cannot practice sin. The saved person who persists in practicing sin is of the devil (2Pe 1:9; 1Jn 3:8,10) and does not have his name written in the book of life, because he does not have the Father, nor the Son, and therefore cannot have divine life, 2Jn 9-11; 1Jn 2:23-25; 5:10-13.
10 "In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: everyone who is not practicing righteousness is NOT of God, nor is he who is not loving his brother," 1Jn 3:10.
No one outside a true church is practicing righteousness acceptable to God. Those who have refused John's baptism have rejected the counsel of God against themselves, Lk 7:29-30. Likewise, saved people who have refused scriptural water baptism have rejected the circumcision of Christ, Col 2:11-12. Those who have refused scriptural water baptism have rejected the doctrine of Christ and do not have the Father or the Son, 2Jn 9-11. Those who have refused scriptural water baptism cannot walk in the light as God is in the light and therefore cannot scripturally hold fast to the end, 1Co 15:1-2; Heb 3:6-10; Rom 11:11-22; Col 1:21-23; Phi 3:7-14.
Saved people who have been made "clean," but who have been cut off from the vine (Jn 15:1-6), cannot practice righteousness acceptable to God. Jesus said "without Me (cut off from me) you can do nothing," Jn 15:1-6. Paul told the churches of Galatia if they persisted in trying to keep the Law Covenant, "Christ will prophet you nothing" within the covenant relationship, Gal 4:21-31; 5:1-4. They would thereby abort the firstborn sonship of Christ and its resurrection likeness, which is the new birth into the divine family of God, Eph 2:10-22.
We return now to the baptismal (symbolic, metaphoric) death of the old man, and the baptismal (symbolic, metaphoric) resurrection into the new man in the likeness of Christ's resurrection. This metaphoric death in baptism must be followed by daily bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord Jesus, 2Co 4:7-12. Bearing about in our bodies the dying of the Lord is done by denying the desires of the flesh of the old man, and thereby not being conformed to this world, Rom 8:5-6,13; Col 3:1-10.
As we bear about in our bodies the dying of the old man, both death and life are working in us: death to the old man and life for the new man. As we diligently strive to be conformed to the image of Christ, death to the old man is more and more obvious in our manner of life while life for the new man is also more and more obvious. As this life of the new man increases more abundantly in our manner of life, it increases life in us within the resurrection image of Christ into the ages of ages to come, Jn 10:10; 1Th 3:8; 2Co 4:7-12.
In most cases the words life, glory, righteousness, holiness, etc., are generic for all the attributes of God. ore abundant life equals more abundant glory equals more abundant righteousness equals more abundant holiness equals more abundant knowledge equals more abundant power, equals more abundant authority equals more abundant excellence equals more abundant joy equals more abundant happiness, equals a greater abundance of every attribute of God to be experienced throughout the myriad ages of future eternity.
As we faithfully serve the Lord, all the fullness of God is being increased on our behalf in God's record books, Jn 10:10; 1Th 3:8; 2Co 4:12,17; 9:10; Heb 12:9-11. Conversely, as we conform to the fashions of this world, the resurrection fullness of Christ is decreased against us in God's record books, and will not be received by us in the resurrection or ever thereafter, 2Jn 8; 2Co 5:10; Rev 3:11; 22:12; Ecc 12:13-14; Eze 3:20; 18:24; 33:12-13; Mt 13:12; 25:29; Mk 4:25; Lk 8:18; 19:26.
It is the image or likeness of Christ in His resurrection (Rom 6:5) which God is offering to us by covenant promise and has confirmed the same with His oath, Heb 6:11-20. In like manner, God has confirmed the oath of His wrath against the unfaithful saved because they have refused and are refusing His covenant offer of His fullness in the firstborn covenant sonship of Christ, Heb 2:1-3; 3:11; 4:3; 12:25-29.
4 "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end," Heb 3:14.
In God's reckoning and in the measure of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have become partakers of Christ, who is the precise0 image of the Father, Col 1:15; Heb 1:3. In Christ's deified body all the fullness of divine deity is dwelling (Col 1:19; 2:9), and each faithful member of Christ's deified body will receive of the fullness of deity to the extent of the faithfulness of that member, Mt 25:14-23; Lk 19:11-19; 2Co 5:10; Rev 22:12.
Eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood is a symbolic partaking of what Christ's body became in His resurrection as the second Adam, 1Co 15:44-50. In His resurrection Christ became the firstborn from the dead, Col 1:15,18-19; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33; Heb 1:5-6; 5:5. In His resurrection birth Christ's human body was born into a heavenly, spirit, divine body, 1Co 15:44-50; Col 2:9. In His resurrection birth Christ created a new kind of man (the "new man"), possessing all the fullness of God's divine nature in a human body, Col 2:9; 2Co 5:1-5,16-21; Eph 2:10-15. In Christ's resurrection birth Christ created a new race of mankind of which He is the head as the second Adam, 1Co 15:44-50; Rom 5:14-19. In Christ's new divine body dwells all the fullness of deity, which divine nature was not inherent in the body which Christ received from Mary until His resurrection birth – it was a "flesh and blood" body that had to be born again in His resurrection, 1Co 15:44-50.
All those in "the body of Christ" (a true local church) are counted as being metaphorically the members of Christ's human (now divine) body. As the members of Christ's body, we are joined to His body, and are therefore counted to be as much a part of His body as our feet, legs, hands, arms, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, etc., are members of our individual bodies. All the members of our flesh body are one and the same flesh, and constitute one and the same flesh body. In this same way, we, as the members of the body of Christ, constitute one and the same kind of divine (deified human) body, Rom 12:4-5; 1Co 6:15-17; 11:23-29; 12:1-27; Eph 4:15-16,25; 5:30-31. God who calls things which be not as though they were, counts the members of the body of Christ to be metaphorically crucified, dead, buried, raised, and born again into one and the same deified body of Christ, 1Co 5:7; Col 2:9-10-17; Eph 2:10-16.
In scriptural water baptism we were metaphorically baptized into Christ:
27 "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ," Gal 3:27.
3 "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
4 "Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 "For if we have been united together (and have grown together) in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 "Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin," Rom 6;3-6.
It is God's purpose to conform the bodies of the faithful covenant people into the likeness of the resurrected body of Christ. We (metaphorically) have been baptized into the body of Christ, and have thereby been joined to the body of Christ. The Greek word "sumphutos" carries both the fact of being united together and also the process of growing together after being united together. This is with a view to our growing up into the glory image of the resurrected body and mind of Christ:
13 "Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect (mature) man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," Eph 4:13,15-16.
18 "But we all, with unveiled face, constantly beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2Co 3:18.
God's purpose is that the faithful covenant people not be conformed to this world, but throughout each day be being transformed into the resurrection image of Christ from glory to glory.
15 "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ (of Christ's deified human body)? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!
16 "Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,' He says, ‘shall become one flesh.'
17 "But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (body)with Him," 1Co 6:15-17.
The one who is joined to Christ's body is one deified, spirit body with Him. It could hardly be put clearer than this, and of course the language is symbolic in the context of a metaphor. The church is called the human (now deified) body of Christ which Christ received from Mary. However, in reality the church is not the body of Christ (His flesh and bone) at all. God is speaking of things which be not as though they were – a meta phor, Rom 4:17.
The word su,mfutoj (Rom 6:5) means to be united together with Christ and to grow together as one body – grow up into Christ who is the Head: 15 "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, that is, Christ," Eph 4:15.
13 Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ," Eph 4:13 (11-16).
9 "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
10 "And in Him you are made that fullness....." Col 2:9-10.
5 "For if we have been united together and have grown together in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection," Rom 6:5.
God has chosen the faithful covenant people in Christ to be con-formed to the resurrection image of Christ – to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ in the current and permanently divine state of His human (now deified) body, filled with all the fullness of deity, Col 1:19; 2:9.
18 "But we all, with unveiled face, steadfastly beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being constantly transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord," 2Co 3:18.
19 ".....that you may be filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; Col 2:19-10; Jn 17:21-23), and thereby be partakers of Christ," Heb 3:14.
1 "Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it," Heb 4:1.
9 "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
10 "For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His," Heb 4:9-10; 4:4; Gen 2:1-3.
Those in true local churches are in covenant relationship with God, and are metaphorically reckoned to be crucified, dead, buried, and raised together in Christ's heavenly, spirit, deified body. The faithful covenant people are currently and metaphorically in this "rest." This simply means we are counted (credited, reckoned) as having already been glorified (deified) together with Christ, and are in the qualifying position to really enter that "rest" in the resurrection, IF we hold fast the beginning of our confidence to the end.
11 "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience," Heb 4:11; 3:6-19; 4:1-10.
Let "US" who are holy brethren (Heb 3:1) of the house of Christ (Heb 3:6) – "let US therefore be diligent," lest WE "fall according to the same example of disobedience." The unfaithful saved will NOT be partakers of Christ. They will not be partakers of His "rest." The doctrine of their unfaithful lives which they preach by their conduct is not the doctrine of Christ, and therefore they do not have the Father and the Son, and will not share in the likeness of Christ in the resurrection.