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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The New Covenant, #3
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:18—NIV)
The new covenant, however, utilizing all the grace of God given us under the covenant, is able to change us from glory to glory into the image of Christ. The new covenant does not depend on our sinful nature to do this. It does require of our sinful nature that we keep the commandments of Christ and His Apostles. We must come to the Throne of Grace that we might receive help in order to do what is written in the New Testament.
But the actual transformation occurs as the Holy Spirit leads us step by step, in the meanwhile feeding us with the body and blood of Christ, with the Divine Nature. Thus we become a new creation in the moral image of God.
The second aspect, that of male and female, has to do with our willingness to forsake our independence of thinking and action in favor of being married to Christ. Image is extremely important. So is becoming one with God through Christ. Image and union taken together compose what man is to be. Fruitfulness and dominion compose what man is to do.
The Law of Moses if obeyed with a good heart leads the worshiper into daily fellowship with God. But since God is of Divine Nature and we are but the dust of the ground, our fellowship at best becomes that of friend to friend.
Under the new covenant we pass far beyond the relationship of friend to friend. We are actually married to Jesus Christ until we are one person with Him. Both He and we lose our individuality in order to gain the absolute oneness of the Divine marriage.
In the economy of God, like must marry like. The dust of the ground cannot marry God. Jesus Christ is Son of God and Son of man. We also must be born of a human and then born again of God if we are to become a helper suitable for the second Adam.
Adam and Eve are not really a portrayal of human marriage but of the Divine marriage, in that Eve was taken from Adam. In like manner Christ died on the cross, just as a deep sleep fell on Adam. From Christ was drawn His body and blood that on these the Bride might be fashioned.
Our marriage to Christ is taking place right now as we keep exchanging our life for His; as we learn to live by His body and blood. The marriage of the Lamb announced in the Book of Revelation is actually a manifestation of the union that is accomplished as we follow Christ during our discipleship on the earth.
Total image and total union. Neither of these can be accomplished by the Law of Moses. Both are accomplished perfectly through the grace given under the new covenant.
That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so the world may believe you have sent me. (John 17:21—NIV)
To be continued.