Bride of Christ

      What did Jesus mean when He said, "I and My Father are ONE?" The Jews understood Him correctly. He meant He was the firstborn Son of God -- as the Father was divine, so was He. Here is a unique ONENESS between the Father and the firstborn Son, and this is the same ONENESS indicated in the statement, "They TWO shall become ONE flesh." This firstborn sonship is what God is qualifying us for, II Pet 1:4. Observe the flow as we continue.

      8 "Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.'
        9 "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
        10 "'Do you not believe that I am IN the Father, and the Father IN Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells IN Me does the works.
        11 "Believe Me that I am IN the Father and the Father IN Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." Jn 14:8-11.

      We need to look more closely at the expressions IN Christ, Christ IN us, IN the Father, The Father IN us, IN the Spirit, and The Spirit IN us. These expressions are very meaningful and explicit, and yet the intent and fullness of the matter is quite different from what tradition has conveyed to us.
       "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was NOT YET GIVEN, because Jesus was NOT YET GLORIFIED," Jn 7:39. The Holy Spirit could not be given until Christ's body (the body He received from Mary) was glorified. What does the body of Christ being glorified have to do with the giving of the Holy Spirit? PLENTY!

      3 "Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the ELEMENTS OF THE WORLD." (See also Gal 4:9; Col 2:8,20 for elements of the world).
        4 "But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law (Covenant),
        5 "To redeem those who were under the Law (Covenant), in order that we might receive the adoption as sons.
        6 "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, 'Abba, Father!'
        7 "Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ," Gal 4:4-7. See also 4:21-31--5:4.
      Both Israel and the church, as the covenant people, were and are in position to become FIRSTBORN sons of God, Ex 4:22-23; Heb 12:23; Rom 8:29. However, God put His firstborn sons (though they are not yet firstborn sons) --He put them under the SLAVE Law Covenant to emphasize their slave status under the elements of the world (the elemental forces of the physical universe).
      One of the major functions of the Law Covenant was to emphasize the enslaved state of the material universe (and therefore of all mankind) in view of the freedom of Christ (the freedom of the divine nature) represented by the New Covenant. Though we are still enslaved to the physical universe and the freedom will not come until the resurrection (providing we qualify), under the New Covenant we are reckoned to already have a glorified, spirit body.
      Under the New Covenant the church is counted as being the glorified body of Christ, therefore we are counted as being glorified members of the glorified body of Christ. Christ is already the Firstborn out from among the dead (Col 1:18; Rev 1:5; Act 13:30-33); and being the members of the glorified Christ, we are reckoned also to be glorified, and therefore we have received the firstfruits of the Holy Spirit, Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-6; Rom 8:23-30.
      In God's reckoning we came into the status of mature sons (huioi, firstborn sons, therefore heirs) by virtue of being the members of Christ (members of His glorified body), and on the basis of this we received the Spirit of the Son into our hearts crying, Father, Father, Jn 7:39; Gal 4:4-7; Rom 8:23.
      The fullness of God dwells in the human body of Christ making it also a divine body (Col 2:9; Acts 13:30-33), and the next verse says we are or we have that fullness in Christ (Gr), Col 2:10. How else could it be? The fullness of the divine nature now dwells in the human body Mary gave to Jesus. And as the members of that body we also are reckoned to have that fullness of the divine nature in our bodies according to our "by grace through faith" faithfulness, Eph 1:22-23; 3:19; II Pet 1:4; Rev 21:7; II Cor 6:16-18; Mt 5:9,44-45; 12:47-50; Lk 6:35; Jn 10:30-36; 14:8-11; 17:21-23; Rom 8:29; 9:4,7-8,26; Gal 4:21-31; Heb 12:23; Ex 4:22-23.

      20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for the ones constantly believing into Me through their word;
        21 "That they all may be ONE, as YOU, FATHER, are IN ME, and I IN YOU; that they also may be ONE IN US, that the world may believe that You sent Me.
        22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be ONE as WE are ONE:
        23 "I IN THEM, and YOU IN ME; that they may be made PERFECT IN ONE, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me," Jn 17:20-23.

      Jesus prays that His bride people (faithful covenant people) may be ONE with the Father, with Himself, with the Holy Spirit, and with each other. It should be obvious that this ONENESS is precisely what is meant by the expression, "They TWO shall become ONE flesh," or ONE BODY, or ONE IN KIND.
      Jesus also prayed that His bride people would all be made ONE IN EACH OTHER -- YOU IN ME, I IN YOU, YOU IN THEM, I IN THEM, THEY IN US. This, of course, means the divine nature being in each of them and the Holy Spirit indwelling each of them.
        This, again, is what is meant by the expression, "And because you are sons (huioi), God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts crying, Abba, Father," Gal 4:6. The Holy Spirit dwells only in those who have the divine nature.