Book 2 of Musings The Divine Nature

The adamic nature is filled with lies and deceit.

The Life of Christ which has been born in us is truth, honesty, faithfulness, lasting forever. It replaces worthlessness with value and significance.

It is my opinion that numerous Christian people do not realize Divinity has been born in them.

We speak of Christ in us, of growing in Christ. We may not think about the fact that Christ is Divine. The Scripture refers to Him as "God." God the Father refers to the Son as "God."

Since Christ is God, being of the Divine Substance and Nature, when we say Christ is in us we are stating there is Divinity in us, that we are growing in Divinity.

This is exactly correct.

We have been born of God. Our inward nature truly has been born of God. In the Day of Resurrection our body will be adopted. But our inward Nature has been born of Divinity.

None of the angels, not even the most exalted, has been born of God. The angels have been created by God. But when we receive Christ we are born of God in the truest, fullest sense of the Word.

I know it may sound almost blasphemous to claim that part of our personality as Christians is of the Divine Nature. But until we realize that while we yet have a human nature we also have a Divine nature-until this fact is fully received and comprehended-we will remain religious humans. God is not forming religious humans. God is forming sons in the image of Christ so that Christ may have brothers and the Lamb may have a wife.

Everything in nature reproduces after its kind, whether animal or plant. There is a seed in the living organism that contains within itself the personality of the parent. Isn't it so?

This is true of God. What is born of God has within itself the personality of the parent.

A human being can never be a son of God. Only that which is born of God can be a son of God. A human being can never be a brother of Christ. Only that which is born of God can be a brother of Christ. A human being can never be a member of the wife of the Lamb. Only that which is born of God can be a member of the wife of the Lamb.

I am belaboring this point because it is the essence of salvation. Until we understand that Divinity has been born in us and we are growing in Divinity we never will attain to that which our Father has in mind for us.

It is true also that until we understand that Divinity has been born in us we may never be able to overcome our sinful nature.

Our sinful nature is part of our adamic nature. Our adamic nature includes our entire personality, not just our sinful nature. God has condemned our entire adamic nature to the death of the cross so that the sinful nature might be destroyed.

Christ is Son of God and Son of Man. We, if we have been born again, also are son of God and son of man.

Our adamic nature is passing away. Nothing of our adamic nature, that which was born of our human parents, will enter the Kingdom of God, until it has been made new in Jesus Christ.

Each day the Holy Spirit leads us into problems. The purpose of each problem is to drive us further into Christ. When we continually pray our way through each problem, instead of reacting in fear or anger, more of Christ, more of Divinity, is formed in us.

Do we remain human? Absolutely. In fact, we become truly human.

The adamic nature is a debased humanity. Religious efforts produce a warped humanity. Only the Life of Christ can produce in us a true humanity. In this manner we become a true human.

Do we develop a Divine nature? Absolutely. When it can be said of us that we have been crucified with Christ, and now Christ is living in us in place of our old nature, it then is true that we have a Divine nature. How could it be otherwise?

When we understand that the purpose of our discipleship on the earth is to remove the old adamic nature and bring into being the new human-Divine nature, we are more apt to cooperate with the Holy Spirit instead of reacting in fear or anger when we are in painful situations.

If we lose our peace it is not the fault of people or circumstances, it is because we are not being diligent in prayer.

The Book of Hebrews is one long exhortation to Jewish believers who actually, according to the text, were further ahead in Christ than we are today.

Why were they being rebuked? Because after having been saved and filled with the Spirit they were not pressing toward the goal that God had in mind for them.

Hebrews refers to the goal as "His rest," and "perfection."

What is God's rest? What is perfection?

God's rest and perfection include two major elements: first, our change into the image of Christ; second, our entrance into untroubled rest in the center of God's Person and will.

To grow up as a son of God is to be changed into the moral image of Jesus Christ and to dwell in the center of God's Person and will.

This is God's goal for us-that we become a son of God, a brother of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In order to grasp the fact that the goal is yet ahead of most of us American Christians, let us think for a moment of the level of attainment of the Jewish believers who were being rebuked for not pressing into God's goal for them.

Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, Instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. (Hebrews 6:1,2)

Now consider how much doctrine they were acquainted with:

The foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death.

Faith in God. Baptisms. The laying on of hands. The resurrection of the dead. Eternal judgment.

It is just now that God is restoring to the churches in America the doctrines of the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.

Notice also:

It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, Who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, (Hebrews 6:4-5)

They had been enlightened. They had tasted the heavenly gift. They had shared in the Holy Spirit. They had tasted the goodness of the Word of God. They had experienced the powers of the coming age.

The text of the Book of Hebrews informs us also that these Jewish believers had been taught by those who had heard from Jesus personally. In addition, God had borne witness to them with signs, wonders, various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

They had suffered persecution, experiencing the confiscation of their goods. They had borne this tribulation joyfully.

The Jewish believers to whom the Book of Hebrews was addressed were more knowledgeable and more seasoned in Christ than most of us today.

Yet, they were being rebuked and warned sternly.

What were they doing that was so bad? They were drifting away. They were neglecting to press on to their calling as the sons of God who are to govern the world to come.

Here is the point! They assumed what they had learned and experienced to that point was all that God had for them in the plan of salvation. Now they were returning to their ordinary life as Roman citizens-eating, sleeping, playing, working, and reproducing. They were certain that when Jesus returned they would be able to enter the Kingdom of God.

They had the "ticket." Now it was a matter of waiting for the Kingdom to come.

This is where we are today. We have the "ticket." We have put our faith in the atonement. We received the Holy Spirit of God. Now we are waiting, not for the Kingdom to come (which was the original Gospel) but to die and go to Heaven. Thus the error has been compounded.

So the Book of Hebrews speaks to us Christians in America: "How shall you escape if you neglect such a great salvation?"

To be saved through the blood atonement and to have the Spirit of God is only to begin the program of salvation. We have not been fully "saved" until we have been changed into the moral image of Christ and are living in untroubled rest in the center of God's Person and will.

What is the next step toward sonship, the next aspect of redemption we are to experience?

It is the conquest of the sinful nature. God has called us to be the rulers of the world to come; and before we can govern with Christ we must govern our sinful nature.

If you are reading these words it is likely that the Holy Spirit during this past week pointed out to you some word or action that you know was not pleasing to the Lord. This is the beginning of the conquest of your sinful nature.

You have come across an enemy in your land. You are to confess your word or action as sin. Then you are to renounce it, stating you never want to say or do that again, trusting that Christ will help you overcome this sinful behavior. You are to confess it, denounce it, renounce it vehemently!

Then continue to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ diligently. Be sure that at all hours of the day you are interacting with the Living Jesus, talking to Him about every problem you encounter.

As you live in close contact with the Lord, the Holy Spirit will help you put to death the actions of your sinful nature. There is an end to this process. Believe it or not, your sinful nature is not infinitely large, in spite of Satan's suggestions to the contrary. The day will come when you are in control of yourself, although you always must remain on guard that Satan does not find another entrance into your personality.

The goal is to become a full-fledged son of God and brother of Christ.

I think we may come short of the Glory of God concerning our calling as sons of God and brothers of Christ. We may picture some sort of elevated or spruced up human.

One time I had a vision of Christ. He was as large as a galaxy of stars. I was amazed at the very size of Christ.

However, size is not an issue with God. He is well able to make you or me as large as a galaxy of stars. It is the inner character that is of the utmost importance.

The Lord Jesus is forming our inner character so it will be like His. When we have advanced far enough to satisfy Him (I think we will continue to be formed in His image for eternity!) He will make our outward form like His. And this form can be as large and as glorified as He cares to make it.

Size and strength, authority and majesty, are not at issue. God can make us any size, of any strength, as authoritative, and majestic as He cares to. He can do this in a moment of time.

These are only externals. The problem is our moral image, our love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity; our patience; our compassion; our courage; our faithfulness; our self-control, our freedom from idolatry. These traits must be perfected in us before we can be entrusted with an outward form like that of Jesus Christ, and be placed in authority over some part of God's creation.

Jesus is the First of a great family of sons. Each of these sons is to have the Family image. They have been made fully human and fully Divine. They obey the Father sternly and promptly. They worship God alone, having been freed from idolatry.

They are genuine brothers of Jesus Christ. They have not been with the Father from eternity, as was true of Jesus. They were not the Lord of Israel. They are younger brothers.

But they are true brothers in every sense of the word.

Jesus said to Mary, "Go tell My brothers that I am returning to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God."

How glad the Lord was to be able to say this! What a joy it is to Him to know that He has younger brothers who are growing into His image. As they grow up He increasingly will be able to share with them the good things of the Kingdom.

First He calls us slaves. Then He calls us friends. Then He calls us brothers.

The sons of God will be seated with Him on the highest throne of the universe. That throne is higher than any other. It is so high, so exalted, that we cannot comprehend it. The angels minister to the heirs of salvation, to those who are destined to sit on the Throne that governs all the creation of God.

God plans on restoring Paradise to the earth. But if He is to do so He must have sons who are able to govern the nations of saved people on the earth. This is why we suffer as we do. It is that we might learn obedience to the Father, and also develop a ruling character as we struggle against our sinful nature and against Satan and the other wicked spirits.

It is a plan as great, as wise, as powerful, as the God who set it in motion. All that remains for you and me to become mature sons of God and heirs of salvation is the exercise of our faith, courage and obedience. God already has provided all that we need to make a complete success of our salvation.

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29)