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Let’s have another look at John 1: 11-13: -
John 1:11-13 (CJB)*
11. He came to his own homeland, yet his own people did not receive him. 12. But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power, he gave the right to become children of God, 13. not because of bloodline, physical impulse, or human intention, but because of God.
Jesus came to ‘his own’, that was the Jews. These were the remnant of the People of Israel. Ten tribes that live in the north were removed by invading armies. The two tribes Juda and Benjamin were taken to Babylon but came back after 70 years. When Jesus came to ‘His Own’, The Jews, those who were in authority did not accept that Jesus was to answer to the Promise to Abraham but many of the common people did.
Those who did place their ‘trust’ in Jesus were given the right or received the power to be come ‘Sons’, children of God. This happened not because of their ‘blood line’ – physical inheritance, not by ‘physical impulse’ – an action taken in bodily form, not by human intention – their willing it to happen, but by God. This action on God’s part was only possible because principles or laws had been set in place through Man’s actions in obedience to God’s Law, the Torah.
The Laws and Ordinances that God gave to Moses when Israel came out of Egypt were all a pre shadowing of what Jesus was going to fulfil through His Life and Death in the redemptive work that culminated at the Crucifixion. Jesus was also called the Last Adam.
1 Corinthians 15:45 (CJB)*
45. In fact, the Tanakh says so: Adam, the first man, became a living human being; but the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit.
So this is part of the ‘mystery’ referred to earlier. Let’s look at the process. How do the believers become “Sons of God”? {Children of God}. Jesus is the Son of God. Now if Jesus had children in the normal human way, then these would also be considered Child of God since as far as the way the Scriptures view heritage all grandchildren are considered ‘children of the grandfather’. We know that Jesus did not have any children in the human sense so how can believers become Children of God?
To answer this question we need to go back to the foundations. You should recall when talking about Abraham that he was considered ‘righteous’ because he trusted what God had declared in that his descendants would become very numerous. Not only this but somehow the Gentiles were also going to become part of his generations. How was this going to occur? Through his Seed, not seeds. Who was that, Seed? Galatians 3:16, states, “and this “one” is the Messiah” who is Jesus.
Galatians 3:16 (CJB)*
16. Now the promises were made to Avraham and to his seed. It doesn’t say, “and to seeds,” as if to many; on the contrary, it speaks of one—“and to your seed”—and this “one” is the Messiah.
This is where it get very interesting. You see God’s Plan was not only to gather His Children from Abraham’s descendants. God wanted to have all the people that had placed their Trust in God from Adam up until the Final Day, the return of Christ. This could only be done in a supernatural way. Note back in Verse 15 of 1 Corinthians, “the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit”, Jesus was going to do this in a Spiritual way. Jesus was totally human, else His Sacrifice on the Cross would not have been “legal”. A human had to die so the penalty of sin was cleared.
We need to take a slight detour here, back to Abraham so what has been stated above make sense. Paul in referring to Abraham in Hebrews is stating something that will make things a little clearer.
A little background. Abraham had just returned from a battle to bring back what and who had been captured from Sodam, where Lot had been living. Because of Lot’s capture along with the inhabitants of Sodom Abraham had gone to war with the capturers. On Abraham’s returning he met a priest, Malki-Tzedek {Melchizedek}. Part of the exchange between Abraham and Melchizedek was that Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe {a tenth} of the spools of war.
Hebrews 7:4-10 (CJB)*
4. Just think how great he was! Even the Patriarch Avraham gave him a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5. Now the descendants of Levi who became cohanim have a commandment in the Torah to take a tenth of the income of the people, that is, from their own brothers, despite the fact that they too are descended from Avraham. 6. But Malki-Tzedek, even though he was not descended from Levi, took a tenth from Avraham. Also, he blessed Avraham, the man who received God’s promises; 7. and it is beyond all dispute that the one who blesses has higher status than the one who receives the blessing. 8. Moreover, in the case of the cohanim, the tenth is received by men who die; while in the case of Malki- Tzedek, it is received by someone who is testified to be still alive. 9. One might go even further and say that Levi, who himself receives tenths, paid a tenth through Avraham; 10. inasmuch as he was still in his ancestor Avraham’s body when Malki-Tzedek met him.
Notice in Verses 9 and 10, Levi paid a tenth through Abraham because Levi was in the Body {loins} of Abraham. Here we see how God considers the generations that follow any human being. So Jesus as “The Seed” of Abraham was also in his body or loins as some translations reads. Here is the authority that allows Jesus to take this unique position in standing in the place of mankind through His Death and Resurrection.
As Abraham was considered Righteous because of his Trust, Faith in God’s promise, so Jesus as the Seed is able to a perfect substitute. Also because He was totally human but without sin because of His unique birth, this fulfillment of the Law of the Sin Offering. Joesph and Mary were descendants of Abraham also of David the King of Israel. Jesus earthly connection had to be naturally derived but supernaturally engineered. {This is dealt in more depth here - This Link Not Active Yet}.
I hope you understand this as it is most important as I continue.
Since the first Adam was considered both Male and Female then Jesus as the last Adam needs to have a similar attribute. In Jesus’ earthly life He acted just like any other Human but without sinning. He always did and spoke what he saw and heard what His Father did and spoke. After His Resurrection as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:45, “the last “Adam” has become a life-giving Spirit.” These next few steps need you to take time to think them through slowly.
Paul in many of his epistles refers to the group of believers as the Church and other times as the Body of Christ. How can the believers be His Body when His Resurrected Body is seated in Heaven alongside God the Father. That Resurrected Body although solid like an earthly body is Spiritual and is eternal. So Adam’s body before the Fall was also eternal. Hence Jusus’ Body now has the capacity to coexist with another being, which is His Bride, the Church. Just hold this thought as I see your head spinning.
When Paul talks about the New Believer being a New Creation, Paul is stating a wonderful transformation that takes place. In this transformation something really remarkable occurs. The spirit we got from Adam with its fallen nature is removed and the Spirit of Christ comes in to take its place.
Once the spirit is released death occurs, but remarkably as the Spirit of Christ comes, we are revived. It all happens in an instance. This is how Jesus, God Our Father, and the Holy Spirit can reside inside the believer and not have any issue with sin in the believer. It is in the environment of the newly regenerated spirit in a person that is free from the plague of sin.
So I will try to wrap this all up next: -
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(CJB)*
The Complete Jewish Bible" used with permission.
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