OUT OF THE ORDINARY

      In my struggle and search for the meaning of position and identity in Christ I was enlightened by first knowing its meaning in a doctrinal sense. While I have come to see personally the importance of gaining understanding by this studious approach I have come to realize its not for everybody. God will not fail to form His image in all who truly believe. For me however by my studies, I gained a platform from which to launch a more meaningful life as a Christian, and I would dearly wish the same for all my friends; to God be the glory! Lately I am seeing that while the doctrine served me well and even changed my life, which I badly needed, there was left a deficit. For one I still woke up to myself each morning and had to face my sin, but by the assurance I had from my new knowledge of my presence in Christ, and knowing I indeed died to the sin nature with Christ on the cross, my quilt was much less of a heavy burden. Thank you Lord! I begin to see secondly that while standing on the positional doctrine is a firm ground, and that I have been drawn with great joy much closer to my Lord by my learning it, a new sense of desire begin to form in me. I required more intimacy in and with Him, which needed to be cultivated. A fresh approach to my new found Christian nature. The positional doctrine was the perfect launch pad. This new adventure presented to me by our Father was to learn to apprehend and appropriate the beauty of my presence in His Son's Body.  For me a more intimate softer side to positional doctrine.

      On the night of the wedding the bride knows the groom in a certain and important way. But much more is to be revealed, as we all know. But what if her dreams really came true, and the new revelations of her mate  serves to bring a closer intimacy? She finds no fault in him and therefor allows herself to not just be his wife in association looking to him for guidance, but becomes completely trustful and dependent upon the groom for all her needs. Not a mere partnership but a actual part of him; he becomes her life. Paul prayed for The Church, by the revelation of The Father: "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation of the full knowledge of Him" Eph. 1:17. The bride first came to love the groom by his gentle touch, handsome appearance and the relief she found by his presence. Soon she came to see the depth of her man in his true identity and the more she learned of his ways the greater her happiness and intimacy. Her prayer was answered; she was gaining a full knowledge of her lover, and it was always good. We the church are seen by The Father in the same type of relationship with His Son Jesus. We are likened to the most intimate love affair between a man and a women possible, that of marriage. We The Church corporate body are now the fully consummated bride of Christ. The Door to the love which awaits us is opened by knowing our identity in the Life, Death, Burial, Resurrection and Ascension to heaven of our Lord, and of our place identified in those events. We may now enter into the bed chamber with our eye's wide open and begin the intimate life with our lover that the Father always intended; with full knowledge and faith of our place as His true love.

      Adam was given dominion over all the earth. Eve, in the bible image given by God, came directly from the side of Adam, this was shown in the Word in this way for good reason. By that biblical illustration it shows that Eve also has dominion equally with her husband. She is bone of his bone flesh of his flesh. Yes the dominion was given to Adam, but Eve shared in it as she was created in him the first Adam; and of course all of mankind holds that same status. Jesus Christ came into the world as a man and is called The Second Adam, also for good reason. The second is likened to the first because His descendants; which are to be of a completely new nature by the will of God; which is spiritual, are directly taking their place in a new life with Him as Eve was with Adam. We the spiritual descendants by virtue of being born again are referred to in the Scriptures as "hidden in God in Christ" The Father loves and delights in Jesus as a Man and we because of our spiritual birth now are entered into the exact same association The Father has with The son. When we look upon the Lord Jesus in heaven we see there the very life The Father has given us. We are in Christ seen in glory. We have entered into His inheritance, His fullness and His calling. We have been merged into one spirit with Him. This is why my friends we are called the bride of Christ. There can be no other illustration as intimate as this. We are in union with Him. Now in our present place we have the honor, if it can only be realized, to move and breath in this place as His Body knowing our groom in the most intimate way possible.We the Church, do not merely represent Him, nor is He a legal example to emulate, but He is the source of our life, our very being and personality, in the Church Body, as the Church Body here and now.

      The Sovereign God and His Son reign supreme in glory. The place Jesus holds there is also our place. He holds it there for us and we are there by association. Like Eve was with Adam in dominion. We are partakers of the Divine. The God of Heaven has all power and may use that power as He sees fit. The Father honored a Man by His own desire. In His incarnation Jesus became a New Adam, one who had never appeared before, different from all others. One we could never be capable of being: but one we must be in The Fathers estimation and economy. One who in the Eye's of the Sovereign by His will was to be associated with us in the spirit as Eve was to Adam in the flesh, then merged, and dispensed into us, to be made one with us. He was made to be the representative for the life of all brothers and sisters to follow in spirit. He choose to make us, His human creation, one with Him, by His Holy power. We are in the Body of Jesus Christ. Not members looking up. Not subject's who just have a happy emotional experiences. Not workers for God in service, merely waiting for instructions to go forward to the next assigned task. No my friends we are nothing less than one with Him, in all that we have and are and all that He is in His Fathers sight! The only reason we may not perceive this is because we are ignorant of this as a true truth, "for lack of knowledge my people perish" and because our faith has been so often been institutionally held in check. We have been saved, forgiven, then tucked away in comfort by a complacent worldly church. Please remember this my brothers and sisters it is not in the doing of Christ but in the being of Him where we will find rest and pleasure in our Fathers love, becoming a intrinsic part of His Body. Just as His Son at His side. There simply is no other way to please God. We were made to be partakers of all that is in His Son by faith. But to have faith in a truth we must know it to be true!

      In Eph.1:22 it says "The Father gave Him [Jesus] to be head over all things to the church." It is important to note here the words "all thing to". This is a Word of God statement which connotes a direct personal entrance into the believer by Jesus Christ Himself. It does not say "all things for." It was as a man in His humanity with divinity that Christ was raised from the dead and was seated in the heavenly, all things "became subject to Him" and he was given "head over all things". However it does not say head over the church, but "to the church", which indicates a inclusive shared position. By this God's word we can enter into confidant oneness as His Body in our humanity as coming from Him, in inseparable union with Him. We by the Holy Spirit have been made one with Him The exalted Man, and became His Body. Just as Eve received life and position in dominion over the earth in Adam. This my friends is why in order for the Church to function in God's perfect will it must be entirely separated from the world in our Church Body's mind full concept of its self! " Set you mind on things above, not on things of the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God Col. 3:2,3.

      Jesus Christ, as Son of God is totally sufficient and requires nothing in His Glory. But in His Manhood He is not complete in His place in His ascension-glory without the Church; no more so than Adam would have been without Eve. The Father planned for His Son from the beginning that He should share His ascended Glory with sinful man who by the new birth would be delivered from sin, and made one with Jesus in Heaven. This truth of the oneness of man and God has been communicated to us by The Spirit through the Word and its knowledge. We are displayed as fully entered into son ship in the most intimate place of identity with Jesus Christ Himself. He has given us this sacred position and knowledge of it in this world that we might be entirely above it all, becoming out of the ordinary. I wish to thank Mr Wm. Kelly of old for inspiring this blog writing.