Before
you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you
have named your sins privately to God the Father.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)
You will then be in fellowship with God,
Filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.
"God is spirit, and those
who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth." (Joh 4:24)
Celebrity-Ship of Jesus Christ
THE OBJECTIVE OF
THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
There are many super-grace heroes in Christianity, but there is only ONE CELEBRITY. Every
Spiritually mature believer recognizes the Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ. He
is our Savior and our High Priest, as well as the King who will one day rule
the entire earth. Everything we have and
everything we will ever be is directly related to the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you have made the greatest of all decisions in life — to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ (Act 16:31) — you
are the possessor, once and for all, of eternal Salvation. This, however, does
not indicate that you love Christ or that you even have the capacity to love
Him. When you were born again, you began your Christian life as a Spiritual
baby and had no way of appreciating Who and What Christ IS. The capacity to love Him depends upon the amount of Divine
Thinking you have in your soul.
The Spiritually mature status, which is the
objective of the Christian life, is the place where you really begin to love
Christ and where you have the normal function of your priesthood.
Spiritual maturity is characterized by Occupation with Christ, and the
recognition of His Celebrity-ship. No believer has truly reached Spiritual
maturity in the Christian way of life until he functions under the Divine
Concept of Celebrity-ship, for this is the place where we have enough Truth so
that the Principle of vindicating His Word is fulfilled.
God vindicates His Word in only two places
today: by the preservation of the written Word, and in the souls of individual
believers. He vindicates the latter by super-grace capacity, which leads
to super-grace blessings. At this point, God begins to pour out blessings for
the believer who has a “cup” — the capacity that results from Bible Thinking in
the soul — and true happiness becomes a Reality in
his life!
GRACE-THINKING
(Php 2:3) contains one of the
greatest passages in the Word of God on the Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ.
Verse 3 introduces the background to our subject:
Do Nothing according to the standard of
lust-ambition (Preoccupation with self) or
according to the standard of ambitious pride; (Preoccupation
with others) but in grace-Thinking regard one another as more important
than yourselves. (Php 2:3)
Lust-ambition creates factions in the local church. Some of the most
ardent church workers are operating under the lust pattern of the old sin
nature. When people receive a great deal of praise, letters of commendation or
recognition of one kind or another, they often become intoxicated with
approbation or power lust. It’s like dope: they must have more and more praise
in order to satisfy this lust. The only way some people can keep their ego
intact is to play “king of the mountain” — to find the flaws in others, to
compare these with their own strong points and come out on top. In other words,
they try to build their happiness on the unhappiness of others.
But if you have bitter
jealousy and selfish ambition in your
heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the Truth.
This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. (Satan's thinking!) (Jas 3:14-15)
“The standard of ambitious pride” refers to the pastor who encourages
such practices and is therefore ignoring the great Principles of grace found in
the Word of God. Christ's-Thinking is the state of mind which submits to the Divine order and
does not exalt itself; it eliminates all human
viewpoint from the soul. Grace-Thinking is
regarding others better than ourselves. Now, how can you possibly Think
that some “clod,” who behaves like a moron, is better than you? It is not done
through some system of hypocrisy, hypnosis, group therapy, or the sensitivity
training of “cosmos diabolicus!” (Satan's world system) Grace-Thinking is accomplished by being so Occupied with the Person of
Jesus Christ and His Thinking, that in your
relationships with other people you do not judge, malign, criticize, hate, lust
for, ridicule or intrude on their privacy.
Each one not regarding the things of
himself, [His own personal interests] but each one also the personal interests
of others.
(Php 2:4)
This is the Concept of respect for the privacy of the priesthood of
other believers. You cannot learn Truth when someone is trying to run your
life. The key to verse 4 is respect for the privacy of other believers. This
verse excludes “operation long proboscis.” Minding
your own business, being considerate of others and having good manners are all
by-products of the Christian way of life. “Operation Grace” allows every
believer to live his own life as unto the Lord. This is the only bona fide
“sensitivity training.” You don’t have to try to love people or to gush over
them; you simply allow them their privacy.
The question is, how can you be so relaxed about other people that you
keep your nose out of their business and avoid curtailing their freedom in any
way? You must find Someone who is so much better than
anything or anyone else in life, that other people and other things will no
longer be an issue. Paul is setting up this Principle, under the ministry of
God the Holy Spirit, to present the Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ, and what He
Thought.
The Celebrity of Christianity demands the
attention of every believer! He is so wonderful and so marvelous that Occupation with
Him changes the entire picture! Many believers
are petty, bitter, jealous, vindictive, implacable and full of gossip and
maligning because they have no Concept of the Celebrity-ship of Christ. The
reason so many “Madison Avenue” substitutes and ridiculous practices and
programs have crept into the church, is that we have lost sight of Jesus Christ
as the only true Celebrity. This condition exists
primarily because pastors are not teaching Divine Thoughts filled with God the
Holy Spirit. (Isa 55:8-9)
Occupation with Christ means that you harbor
no mental attitude sins toward others. Whether or not they deserve your
respect is NOT the issue; just put them in the Lord’s hands and move on! We build our happiness on WHO AND WHAT CHRIST IS — not on who and what we and or people are.
There is no shortcut to this relaxed mental attitude. It requires the daily function of the “grace
apparatus for perception” (Operation Z)
— the pastor-teacher consistently communicating
Spiritual Thoughts and the believer learning Spiritual Thoughts on a daily
basis. (Psa
1:2-3)
The only purpose for the existence
of a pastor-teacher is to enable believers to advance to the highest stage of
Spiritual maturity — living in the sphere of the recognition of the
Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ. Other types of organizations are bona fide for
witnessing, but the local church, (And now also the computer) is God’s order
for learning the Word of Truth in the New Covenant Age.
THE
MENTAL ATTITUDE OF CHRIST
Keep on having this mental attitude in you which also in Christ Jesus.
(Php 2:5)
The Greek word PHRONEO means in the positive
use, “to Think Spiritually.” When our mental attitude” meets the Standards of
this word, we have arrived at the highest and noblest point in the Christian
life. Mental Attitude Divine Viewpoint — (The
Mind of Christ) (1Co 2:16) — is the objective and Command for every believer. The
only way you can obey this Command is to have
THE WORD IN YOU; in the right lobe. To do this, we must begin with Jesus
Christ and the true Concept of the Word.
THE PREINCARNATE
CHRIST
Who, although He existed in the form of
God, did not regard [Think] equality with God
a thing to be grasped. (Php 2:6)
HUPARCHO means that Jesus Christ always existed; there never was a time
when He was not God. He is eternal; He never grows old. What is a “celebrity”?
Someone who is glamorous, someone who has status in life, someone with great
ability or talent? What happens to celebrities in the human realm? They
deteriorate; they lose their ability and their popularity; they grow old; their
glamour fades; they die! Did you ever see a football player ten years after he
was washed up as a professional? Three hundred pounds of flab! Have you ever
seen a movie queen after her heyday? If she is working, she is playing
character roles! A true celebrity is perfect. A believer with any knowledge of
the Bible would never make a celebrity of a human being! (Jer 17:5) Our true
Celebrity is perfect; He has neither a beginning nor an end. (Rev 1:8)
The word translated “form” in the English — MORPHE — does not refer to
outward shape but to the essence. From eternity past, Jesus Christ possessed sovereignty, righteousness, justice, love, eternal life,
omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability and veracity. He
has never changed His essence for anyone or anything. His essence remains
intact and will continue to do so throughout time and eternity.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” (Heb 13:8)
The true Celebrity of Christianity knew
every person in the world from eternity past. He has always known every need, every problem, every heartache, every
frustration in your life. He has gone through the entire angelic
conflict without being inconsistent or unstable in any way. That’s our Celebrity!
“Of God” calls attention to the deity
of Christ. He IS and WAS and always will be God — coequal and coeternal with
the Father and the Holy Spirit.
In the beginning, there always existed
Jesus Christ, [HO LOGOS] the LOGOS was face to face with God; (THE WORD) WAS AND IS GOD! (Literal
translation of; Joh 1:1)
No one can enter into Occupation with
Christ or appreciate His essence or His Spiritual nature until he understands
that Jesus Christ is God and man. Therefore, the Doctrine of the
Deity of Christ is necessary at this point.
DOCTRINE OF THE DEITY OF CHRIST
1. Christ is a member of the Trinity. (Mat 28:19;
2Co 13:14; 1Pe
1:2)
2. Syllogism based on Trinity (Mic 5:2;
Joh 1:1-3; Joh
8:58; Rom 9:5; Tit 2:13; Heb 1:8-10;
1Jn 5:20)
THE TRINITY IS ETERNAL,
CHRIST IS A MEMBER OF THE TRINITY,
THEREFORE, CHRIST IS ETERNAL.
3. The pre-incarnate work of Christ necessitates His pre-existence and
Deity: Christ created the universe. (Joh 1:3;
Col 1:16; Heb
1:10)
4. Jesus Christ is identified with the Doctrine of Divine Decrees. (Psa 2:7-9; Psa 22:1-8;
Psa 40:1-11; Psa 110:1-7)
5. The Theophanies of Christ indicate His pre-existence; therefore, His
eternity.
a. Angel of Jehovah identified as Jehovah. (Gen
16:7-13; Gen 22:11-18; Gen 31:11-13; Gen 48:15-16;
Exodus 3:1-8; with Act 7:30-35; Exodus
13:21; Exodus 14:19; Jdg 6:11-23; Jdg 13:9-20)
b. Angel of Jehovah distinguished from Jehovah. (Gen 24:7; Gen 24:40;
Exodus 23:20; Exodus 32:34; 1Ch 21:15-18;
Isa 63:9; Zec
1:12-13)
c. Angel of Jehovah is Second Person of Trinity, visible God. After the
incarnation, the Angel of Jehovah no longer appears. (Joh 1:18; Joh 6:46;
1Ti 6:15-16; 1Jn 4:12)
6. Jesus Christ is called Jehovah. (Isa 9:6-7;
Isa 40:3; Jer
23:5-6; Zec 12:10)
7. All Divine attributes are ascribed to Christ.
a. SOVEREIGNTY (Gen 1:1; Col 1:16-19; Rev 1:5-16;
Rev 17:14; Rev
19:16)
b. ETERNAL LIFE (Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2; Joh 1:1; Joh 8:58;
Col 1:16-17; Eph 1:4; Rev 1:8)
c. HOLINESS - I.E., RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE (Luk 1:35; Act 3:14;
Heb 7:26)
d. LOVE (Joh 13:1; Joh 13:34; 1Jn 3:16)
e. IMMUTABILITY (Heb 13:8)
f. OMNISCIENCE (Mat 9:4; Joh 2:25; 1Co 4:5;
Col 2:3; Rev
2:23)
g. OMNIPOTENCE (Mat 24:30; Mat 28:18; 1Co 15:28;
Php 3:21; Heb
1:3; Rev 1:8)
h. OMNIPRESENCE (Mat 28:20; Eph 1:23; Col 1:27)
i. VERACITY (Joh 14:6 Rev 3:7)
Now, back to (Php 2:6) our Celebrity did some Thinking. Remember, the
meaning of a word is determined by its first use in context. “Thinking” was used
in, (Php 2:3) of this passage for “grace-Thinking.” Here we learn something else about
Jesus Christ: not only are His Thoughts infinite, but
He Thinks about us, you and me in terms of GRACE. This means that there
never was or ever will be one believer who has earned or deserved anything from
God. His grace-Thinking toward us indicates that He is the only source of
blessing. If you have anything that is wonderful,
worthwhile or valuable, it is because Jesus Christ is ultimately the source, no
matter what intermediate agency may be involved. This gives Him all the honor and glory. One
fact that characterizes the believer who has the capacity to appreciate the
Celebrity-ship of Christ is that to him the honor and glory of the Lord Jesus
Christ is more important than anything else in the world!
“In grace-Thinking He Thought it not a treasure or a prize
to be retained.” The treasure is Christ’s Deity His equality with God
the Father and God the Holy Spirit. There is nothing
greater or more valuable than the essence of Deity; yet He did not consider His Deity MORE IMPORTANT than our
souls! (2Co 5:15)
The very nature of Deity prevented the fact that ANY Member of the
Trinity could be judged for sin. Eternal life can neither be born nor die;
holiness cannot have anything to do with sin; omnipresence cannot be reduced to
one point — the Cross; immutability cannot change. Therefore,
since nothing can be subtracted from Deity, something must be added. To be able
to go to the Cross and pay the penalty for sin, Deity must also become true
humanity. Jesus
Christ was so occupied with us in eternity past that He did not consider His
equality with the other Members of the Trinity a treasure to be clutched and
retained so as to hinder the Father’s Plan.
There never was a time when Christ was not occupied with you. You were
“the joy” (Heb 12:2-3) that occasioned
His Incarnation and His substitutionary death on the Cross with all its shame
and pain. You were in His Thoughts when all the
grace blessings were provided in eternity past.
(Eph 1:4) Christ Considered God the Father's Thoughts (Promises, Doctrines and
Prophesies) and obedience to them, more important than Himself! So we must have the same
Thoughts to reach maturity! (Isa 58:13-14; Joh 6:38; Joh 14:24; Joh 7:18) It is important for you to realize that you now have the
privilege of Occupation with Him. (Col 3:9-10)
When you reach this stage, the Celebrity-ship of
Jesus Christ will be a Reality in your life. Although you will have
tremendous capacity to enjoy all the blessings that God will pour into your
“cup,” they will seem insignificant compared to the
One that gave them! But how can you become occupied with Him, and what
exactly is “Occupation with Christ”?
OCCUPATION WITH
CHRIST
1. The basis
for occupation with Christ is the consistent and or daily intake of the Word of
Truth through the function of Operation Z.
But let him who boasts boast of this, that
he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness,
justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,"
declares the LORD. (Jer 9:24)
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you,
being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints
what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of
Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness
of God. (Eph 3:17-19)
The mechanics of Operation Z are accomplished
through the communication of the Doctrines, Promises and Prophesies of the Word
of God, (The Bible) by the pastor-teacher. These enter the left or
perceptive lobe of the believer, and positive volition, (Belief) cycles Them
into the human spirit. There it becomes complete
knowledge, (THE
MIND OF CHRIST) — CHAKMAH (Hebrew) or
EPIGNOSIS. (Greek) The first Doctrine that goes into the frame of reference in
the right lobe acts as a primer for the “pump.” Once
the pump is primed, Divine Thinking goes into the frame of reference and memory
center and then begins to form new vocabulary and categories; your norms and
Standards agree with Divine Thoughts, (Amos 3:3) and you have a new
conscience filled with God Thinking. This puts Truth on the “launching
pad” for application and begins the construction of the Edification Complex of
the Soul. (Temple — Spiritual life) From here you move on to super-grace, the
normal Christian life.
2. With God's Word as the working object of faith, the believer has
maximum Category One love response toward God; hence, he is designated PHILOS
THEOU — “friend of God,” or literally, “lover of
God.”
You see that faith was working with his
works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was
fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO
HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the
friend of God.
(Jas 2:22-23)
3. Occupation with Christ is based upon the glorification of Christ —
that is, His resurrection, ascension and session. Therefore if you have been
raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things [Thoughts] above... [The above Things — Divine
Thoughts — God's One Reality] Not on things on
the earth (Satan's thoughts and human false
realities —
viewpoints) (Col 3:1-5)
4. Occupation with Christ is the standard operating procedure for the
Christian life. It is the normal super-grace life!
Therefore, since we have so great a
cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance
[Distraction] and the sin [Nature] which so easily entangles us, and let us run
with endurance the race [Agony] that is
set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith,
[Spiritual life] who for the joy [Us] set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, [Thinking little of the shame] and has sat down at the right hand of
the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2)
5. Occupation with Christ is beautifully illustrated by the Doctrine of
right man-right woman. (Eph 5:25-32)
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church [All
believers] and gave Himself up for her. (Eph 5:25)
6. The function of Operation Z is the believer’s response to Christ’s
love in Phase Two. In other words, Christ initiates love to the believer through
His Word. “We love, because He first loved us.” (1Jn 4:19)
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness
[Mental attitude sins] and all that remains of wickedness, [Sins of the tongue,
overt sins; Satan's thoughts] in humility receive the Word implanted, [Truth in
the human spirit] which is able to deliver your souls. [From the control of the
old sin nature] But prove yourselves doers [Thinkers] of the Word, [The whole
function of Operation Z] and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (Jas 1:21-22)
7. The sealing of God the Holy Spirit, which occurs at Salvation,
guarantees an eternal love relationship between Jesus Christ and the believer.
(Eph 1:11-14)
8. Occupation with Christ includes total dependence on grace provision.
Delight yourself in the
LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the
LORD, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. (Psa
37:4-5)
9. Stability, confidence, inner happiness and
capacity for life are related to Occupation with Christ.
I have set the LORD continually before
me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is
glad and my glory rejoices; [Super-grace] My flesh also will dwell securely. (Psa 16:8-9)
10. Occupation with Christ is the basis for blessing in suffering. (2Co 12:9-10)
And He has said to me, "My grace is
sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly,
therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ
may dwell in me.
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, [Sin
nature testing] with insults, [People testing]
with distresses, [Thought testing] with
persecutions, [Organization testing] with
difficulties, [Disaster testing] for Christ's sake; for
when I am weak, then I am strong. (2Co 12:9-10)
Reversionism intensifies suffering; Spiritual maturity minimizes it and
substitutes happiness. (Psa 77:1-14)
11. Occupation with Christ is based on the believer’s entrance into the
super-grace life: “My eyes are continually toward the LORD, For He will
pluck my feet out of the net.” (Psa 25:15;
Psa 141:8)
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a
heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our
confession. (Heb 3:1)
We are partners with God, and our vocation is
full-time Christian service. Therefore, we are to be Occupied with Him —
our Celebrity — so that our vocation becomes a Reality.
But Christ was faithful as a Son over His
house--whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our
hope firm until the end. (Heb 3:6)
Moses, in (Heb 3:5) was a hero
in his house, (Dispensation) but Christ is OVER the house. Christ is the
epitome of God’s plan” — the Chief Cornerstone, the Head of the Body, the only Celebrity of the
Church Age! All believers are in the “house”; but how we “live” in the
house depends on whether we “hold fast,” or maintain our course toward the
super-grace life through “confidence” — that is,
through the authority of God's Word. Our purpose in the Christian life
is to enter super-grace, to function to the maximum under our priesthood, and
to stay “firm” (Stabilized) in super-grace, (Spiritual maturity) until the end
of Phase Two.
THE INCARNATE
CHRIST
But he deprived himself of the proper
function of Deity, having assumed the form of a free-slave, having become in
the likeness of mankind. [Without the old sin nature but with the human spirit] (Php 2:7)
This verse sets up a contrast between the treasure of Christ’s Deity and
the sacrifice of its function. The word KENOO, from which we get the Doctrine
of Kenosis, means “to deprive oneself of a proper or
normal function,” (2Co 5:15) or
“to empty out” In becoming humanity, Jesus Christ had to deprive Himself of the
normal function of Deity; but His Deity could not change or lose its quality.
In the aorist active indicative here, KENOO describes a function in eternity
past. This was when Christ made His decision to make
the sacrifice. The actual fact did not occur until the time of the
virgin birth. The emphatic position of the reflexive pronoun “Himself”
emphasizes a voluntary action.
Some of you will never realize how important it is to understand that
Jesus Christ thought about you in eternity past. He did not suddenly say, when
He saw man’s sinful condition, “I think I’ll do something for man.” We think in
terms of time, but God is not confined to time. Part of Occupation with Christ
is to understand that problem-solving goes back to this Principle: Christ was
ALWAYS Cognizant of our problems. We yell “Help” in
time; Jesus Christ answered before time began!
Deity has certain functions which are totally incompatible with humanity.
There is no limitation in the function of Deity as a Christophany,
(Post-resurrection appearances of Christ) or a Theophany; (Pre-incarnate
appearances of Christ) but when Deity becomes a true Member-of the human race,
it is an entirely different Concept. Deity “assumed the form. . . .”
Here we have MORPHE again, which
indicates His inner Person. This word is in contrast to SCHEMA, “overt
essence,” which occurs in this same verse.
If you are ever going to understand the uniqueness of the Person of
Jesus Christ why He is the revealed Member of the Godhead, why God the Holy
Spirit glorifies Him today, why He is the only Celebrity of Christianity you
must be familiar with the Doctrine of Kenosis. The addition of humanity to
Deity is a technical Concept which must be explained.
THE DOCTRINE OF
KENOSIS
1. KENOSIS is derived from the verb KENOO, meaning “to deprive oneself
of proper function” — in this case, the function of Deity. This does not at all
suggest the loss of the characteristics or Person of Deity. It is blasphemous
to say that any characteristic of Deity, (I AM) can be limited, canceled or
removed.
2. In the incarnate state. (Christ on earth) He
was both undiminished Deity and true humanity
in One Person. (Hypostatic
union) Therefore, Christ, being both true God and
true Man, did not empty Himself of His Deity. To assume that He did so
is false. Deity was not changed; it was retained at the point of the virgin
birth.
3. Under true Kenosis, Christ did not surrender any attribute of His
Deity in coming to this earth. He voluntarily
restricted the independent use or expression of His Divine power in order to
comply with the Father’s Plan for the Incarnation. In becoming the
God-Man, He was in subjection to the Father’s Plan of the Cross. Although in
His Deity Christ is coequal with the Father, in His humanity he was submissive
to the Father. To accomplish this, He had to have free will (Mat 26:39) like all members of the human race. The entire issue in the angelic conflict is human volition,
which
coexists with Divine and
angelic volition.
In order to submit His will to the Father’s, Christ limited His
omnipotence. The only way He could do this was to refuse to use His
omnipotence, omniscience, etc., for His own benefit or His own glory. His Kenosis
was challenged in the great temptation of, (Mat 4:1-11).
The temptations by the devil were unique; they could have been leveled only at
the God-Man, the unique Person of the universe.
4. To execute the Father’s Plan for the First Advent, the humanity of Christ relied on the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who
indwelt Him from the cradle; (Isa 11:2)
also He relied on the Word of Truth. (Luk 2:40-52
Joh 4:24) By the time He was
twelve years of age, Jesus Christ was a super-grace Person.
5. Therefore, in this context, the expression of His Deity or the
independent exercise of His Divine attributes was not a treasure to be retained
and at the same time provide our so-great Salvation.
6.
For example: Christ had to become obedient till
death. (Php
2:8) While sovereignty is not subject to obedience, Christ did not
use His sovereignty in opposition to the Father’s Plan. Christ as God is
eternal life, but eternal life could not die on the Cross. The only way He
could die was to refrain from using His Deity to perpetuate His human life. As
perfect righteousness, the very Thought of coming into contact with sin was
abhorrent to Christ. When He bore our sins in His own body on the tree, (1Pe 2:24) He abstained from using His
righteousness, or else He would have rejected the awful judgment.
7. Consequently, Christ surrendered the independent use of His Divine
attributes during His Incarnation in order to provide Salvation for mankind,
8. That is why He voluntarily took upon Himself the form of a servant or
a free-slave. In completing the mission of the First Advent, He redeemed and
reconciled man, while at the same time He propitiated the Father. He could not
have done so if He had used His own Deity independently of the Father’s Plan. As Spiritually mature believers, we are free; (Gal 5:1) but in order
to purchase our freedom, Jesus Christ had to temporarily give up His freedom.
9. Summary of the factors of Kenosis.
Christ gave up the outward appearance of God (SCHEMA), but not the inner
Person (MORPHE). He took upon Himself the SCHEMA of a slave, but He did not
give up or change His eternal MORPHE. In other words; He
did not show His Deity, although it was present. Christ made Himself
dependent on the Plan of the Father and operated within the limitations of His
humanity, even though it was joined to Deity. There are many illustrations of
this in Scripture; e.g., (Heb 10:5-9) the Baby in the manger, (Feed trough) was holding the universe together. He was as much Deity in the manger as He was when He
created the universe. There never was or ever
could be a Celebrity like Jesus Christ! What
He gave up in restraining His essence is phenomenal and inscrutable.
Christ voluntarily, through an act of sovereign
volition, took upon Himself the form of man — true humanity. This was not glory or glamour but
great humiliation for Deity. Christ eternal God, who voluntarily hid His Deity
prayed for glorification in, (Joh 17:5).
Why? For our benefit! Christ had not emptied
Himself of His Divine glory; (As illustrated by the Transfiguration; Mat 17:2) hence, the
glory of Deity was veiled but not surrendered.
The union of Christ to un-glorified humanity was a factor in His
humiliation. There was nothing wrong with His humanity; it was perfect, and it
never changed. At the point of the virgin birth, Christ was minus the
imputation of Adam’s sin, minus the old sin nature; He had entered the world
through His own volition. These are the three unique Principles in the virgin
birth.
Even His lineage was unique. Mary descended from the line of David
through Bathsheba and Nathan. Joseph was also in the line of David, through
Solomon.
During His
thirty-three years on the earth, Jesus used His volition constantly. Even
though His temptations were greater than any we have ever had or ever will
have; even though they became greater as He came closer to the Cross, He never
committed one act of personal sin!
He left the world by an act of His own volition the only human being who
ever did so, apart from suicide. From His own soul He dismissed His human
spirit, and soul into Hades, (1Pe 3:18-19)
Abraham’s Bosom (Luk 16:22) or Paradise
(Luk 23:43; Psa
16:10) His body was the only part which He could dispose of.
Although the Father had said where His body would be placed, (Isa 53:9) its burial was not an act of Christ’s
volition.
Since Christ’s humanity was not glorified at the point of the
Incarnation, He was subject to temptation, pain, weakness, sorrow, limitation.
However, His attributes of Deity were not surrendered or used to benefit
Himself. For example, although Christ was omnipresent. He took long journeys on
foot. The omniscience of Christ was revealed in His prophetic ministry, but it
was never used to ease His path or gain something for Himself. Jesus
experienced physical and mental growth and suffered the inconveniences of His
day. He kept silent on matters not related to Doctrine such as electricity,
airplanes, gunpowder, etc.
Two other Doctrines are relevant to Kenosis. The first is important
because it relates to Spirituality in this dispensation.
THE SUSTAINING
MINISTRY OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT TO THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST
1. This ministry of the Spirit was Prophesied in the Old Testament. (Isa 11:2-3; Isa 42:1;
Isa 61:1-3)
2. The Holy Spirit was given without measure to the humanity of Christ.
(Joh 3:34).
3. The Holy Spirit sustained Christ during His earthly ministry. (Mat 12:18-28; Luk 4:14-18)
4. The ministry of God the Holy Spirit continued during the time when
Christ was bearing our sins on the Cross. (Heb 9:14;
Psa 22:1) — Prophetic; (Mat 27:46) — historical. When Jesus said, “MY
GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” He was addressing the Father and
the Holy Spirit. ( 2Co 5:21)
5. The Holy Spirit had a part in the resurrection of Christ. (Rom 8:11; 1Pe 3:18-19)
6. The present ministry of God the Holy Spirit and the filling of God
the Holy Spirit in the Church Age are related to the glorification of Christ. (Joh 7:39; Joh 16:14)
THE HUMILIATION OF
CHRIST IN RELATION TO KENOSIS
1. Veiling of the pre-incarnate
glory of Christ: in taking upon Himself true humanity, Christ gave up the
outward appearance of God.
2. The union of eternal God with un-glorified humanity in the hypostatic
union.
3. Christ did not use His Divine attributes independently of the
Father’s Plan, but relied on the ministry of God the Holy Spirit. (Mat 4:1-2)
4. The greatest point in the humiliation of Christ was bearing our sins.
(2Co 5:21; 1Pe
2:24) This anticipates, (Php 2:8).
Now we are ready for the last half of (Php 2:7)
“...Being made in the likeness
of men.” Although Christ was always Deity. He became true humanity. His two
natures are contrasted in, (Joh 1:1-14)
and (Isa 9:6) The child (Humanity of
Christ) is born; the Son (Deity of Christ) is given. “Likeness” (HOMOIOMA) has
the meaning more of “similarity.” This Greek word is used because Christ was
not absolutely like us. He was different in that He did not have an old sin
nature, and He possessed a human spirit at birth.
No man could see Jesus Christ in the flesh and tell that He was
different from any other human being. No man could see His Deity — it had to be Spiritually Understood through the Word of
Truth! This was the problem of the Pharisees and other religious Jews —
they saw only His humanity and refused to accept Him as Messiah. (Rom 1:1-5) Hence, the hypostatic union is a
pivotal Doctrine which must be understood and mastered before you can
appreciate the Celebrity-ship of Christ. While there is by necessity a certain
overlap in these Doctrines, this demonstrates their relationship and pertinence
to one another.
THE DOCTRINE OF
THE HYPOSTATIC UNION
1. Definition: In the Person of Christ are two
natures, inseparably united, without mixture or loss of separate identity,
without loss or transfer of properties or attributes, the union being personal
and eternal. (Joh 1:1-14; Rom 1:2-5; Rom 9:5;
Php 2:5-11; 1Ti
3:16; Heb 2:14) This means
that Christ is the God-Man now; He has been the God-Man since the virgin birth;
He will be the God-Man forever. He is the UNIQUE
PERSON OF THE UNIVERSE! The only Person EVER borne perfect, body, soul and
spirit with no sin nature!
2. The incarnate Person of Christ includes undiminished Deity. Jesus
Christ is God, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Spirit.
3. The incarnate Person of Christ also includes true humanity, with
body, soul and spirit. Through the virgin birth,
Jesus avoided both Spiritual death and the old sin nature. His humanity was different from any other because it
included Deity and because He did not sin personally. His Deity was different
in that it included humanity.
4. The two natures of Christ are united without transfer of attributes.
The attributes of Deity never became humanity or vice versa — the attributes
adhered to their corresponding natures. The essence of Deity cannot be changed;
it is immutable. The infinite cannot be transferred to the finite. To rob God
of a single attribute of His essence would destroy His Deity. To rob the
humanity of Christ of a single attribute of His humanity would destroy His
humanity.
5. In the Incarnation, no attribute of essence was changed. In
fulfilling the purpose of the Incarnation, certain attributes of Deity were not
used; but this does not imply that they were either surrendered, diminished or
destroyed.
6. Therefore, the union of the Divine and human natures of the incarnate
Christ must be considered HYPOSTATIC AND PERSONAL. The Greek noun HUPOSTASIS
means “substance, essence, standing under, taking a
thing upon one-self.” Christ took upon Himself
true humanity. HYPOSTATIC refers to the whole Person of Christ as
distinguished from His two natures Divine and human. The fact that Christ will
be true humanity forever indicates that a human soul CAN live forever — but not
in the original body which comes into the world through physical birth; that
body is subject to death. The resurrection body is
never subject to any kind of death — another unique characteristic of
Jesus Christ — and we will have the same kind of body. (Php 3:21) No believer has a resurrection body
yet. Christ is the First fruits of resurrection. PERSONAL refers to the
emergence of the unique Person of Christ. As God, He is coequal and coeternal
with the Father and the Spirit. As man, He is superior to all mankind, both
from the standpoint of human impeccability and Deity.
7. This union does not imply that Deity POSSESSED humanity or that Deity
INDWELT the humanity of Christ. The union was more than harmony or sympathy. It
was PERSONAL. Two natures were combined in one hypostasis or essence forever —
a unique hypostasis.
8.
The God-Man has one essence and Person forever. Therefore, the attributes of
both the Divine and human natures belong to the Person of Christ. The
characteristics of one nature are never attributed to the other. This means
that during the First Advent, Christ could simultaneously be omnipotent and
weak, omniscient and ignorant. However, the ignorance in His humanity was overcome by the
daily function of Operation Z and the construction of the Edification Complex — Temple — Spiritual life — in His soul. (Luk 2:40-52) cf. (2Pe
1:4)
9. The necessity for the humanity of Christ.
To be our Savior. (Luk 2:11; Php 2:7-8; Heb 2:14-15)
Deity cannot go to the Cross; Divine essence is not subject to death or change.
To be the Mediator. (Job 9:2; Job 9:32-33; Job 33:23;
1Ti 2:5-6) There is a gap between Deity
and humanity; therefore, only Someone who is equal with both parties can
mediate the reconciliation.
To be our High Priest. (Heb 7:4-5; Heb 7:14-28;
Heb 10:5; Heb
10:10-14) A priest must always be a human being, for he represents
human beings before God.
To be the King. (2Sa 7:8-16; Psa 89:20-37)
God the Father made a promise to David that he would have a Son who would reign
forever. God keeps His Word! (Luk 1:32-33)
10. Everything Christ spoke during the Incarnation came from one of
three sources. This explains why there are no contradictions in anything Jesus
said.
From Deity. (Joh 8:58) “Before
Abraham was, I Am”) From humanity (Joh 19:28)
— “I thirst”) Deity cannot thirst; and notice, Deity did not give His humanity
a glass of water. Here is an example of Kenosis.
From hypostatic union. (Mat 11:28 Joh 14:6)
11. Categories of attributes as related to the Person of Christ.
Attributes which are true or the result of His whole Person. All three
attributes, (God-Man-Hypostasis) are necessary for Christ to be our Redeemer;
therefore, Redeemer is an attribute, true of His whole Person.
Attributes true only of His Deity, but the whole Person is the subject.
(Joh 8:58) When Jesus said, “Before
Abraham was, I Am,” He was speaking from His whole Person; the attribute of
eternity applies only to Deity.
Attributes true only of His humanity, but the whole Person is the subject.
(Joh 19:28) When Jesus said, “I
thirst,” He was speaking from His whole Person; to be back in fellowship, but
only humanity can thirst in ANY way. This classification disappeared after
resurrection, ascension and session because of the freedom from the limitations
of Kenosis.
The Person described according to Deity, but affirmed of the human
nature. (Rev 1:12-18) The Deity of
Christ is in evidence; yet Christ is described as the One who was dead. (Rev 1:18) Death is an attribute possible only
for humanity. Unbelievers will taste death forever. (Joh 8:52; 2Co 5:8; Heb 2:9; Rev 21:8)
The Person described according to the human nature, but affirmed of
Deity. (Joh 6:62) The title, “Son of
Man,” belongs to the human nature; but “ascending up where he was before”
applies to the whole Person; for Christ is eternal, the God-man.
The Person described according to His Deity, but affirmed of both
natures. (Joh 5:25-27) Christ as the
Son of God spoke to those who were Spiritually dead, (Eph 2:1) and those who heard, (Positive
volition) lived. In the future, Christ will execute judgment as the Son of Man.
(God-Man in resurrection body) (Joh 5:27)
The Person described according to the human nature, but affirmed of both
natures: (Mat 27:46) “MY GOD, MY
GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” Christ was speaking from the viewpoint of
His human nature. Christ was being judicially forsaken as the God-Man because
He was bearing the sins of the world.
All these categories demonstrate what Jesus Christ had to accomplish in
order for us to be saved. He Thought it not a treasure to be seized to limit His
Deity in order to become true humanity and go to the Cross! We know He
had to remain in hypostatic union and there was no separation of the Deity and
humanity of Christ. His human soul was made the
offering for sin! (Isa 53:10-11)
The only Celebrity who ever lived suffered
the ultimate in humiliation and excruciating agony for you and for me. If you
don’t understand the implications of this, you will never understand the
Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ. Most believers are on a “blind date.”
They have no clue as to what the Person they are going with is like. They are
saved, but they have never bothered to KNOW their Savior. Instead, they pick up
emotional substitutes — through ritual, through music, through so-called
tongues, etc. — none of which constitute true love for Jesus Christ. This must
come through DOCTRINE,
DOCTRINE, DOCTRINE!
The last phrase of, (Php 2:7)
“in the likeness of mankind,” requires a knowledge of one more Doctrine in
relation to the incarnate Christ.
THE DOCTRINE OF
IMPECCABILITY
1. Christ did not have an old sin nature or imputed sin at birth, nor
did He commit sin during the Incarnation. (Heb 4:15;
1Pe 1:19; 1Jn
3:5) The only way Christ could have acquired a sin nature was the
same way Adam acquired one — through volition.
2. This does not imply that Christ was not tempted. He was tempted in
the area of His humanity (Heb 4:15) —
far beyond anything we could ever understand. That is why His temptations in, (Luk 4:1-13) were unique in trying to get His
omnipotence to perform a miracle. In His Spiritual
maturity he passed, the lust of the flesh, (Luk 4:3-4)
the lust of the eyes, (Luk 4:5-8) and the pride
of life. (Luk 4:9-12) The LORD won what
was lost in the garden, and overcame!
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the
eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to
make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to
her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Gen 3:6)
3. As with Adam in perfection or
sinless-ness, all temptation to the humanity of Jesus Christ came from without.
Neither had a sin nature: Adam was CREATED without one, but Christ was BORN
without one. Because we HAVE a sin nature, our temptations come from within and
without.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the
lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1Jn 2:15-16)
4. All temptations to Christ had to come through His human nature. The
human nature of Christ was temptable, but Deity was not temptable. (Jas 1:13)
5. Christ resisted the greatest of all temptations in Gethsemane when He
faced the Cross. (Mat 26:39; Mar 14:35-36; Luk 22:42)
The first Adam failed the volitional test; the Last Adam passed it with flying colors! Body, soul and
spirit, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY! (Rev 4:8)
6. In, (Mat 4:1-10) Christ
resisted the temptation to use His Deity and thus act independently of God the
Father. He could have turned the stones into bread through His omnipotence; but
His humanity, using the Spiritual life (Truth and
Virtue) under the filling of God
the Holy Spirit, (Mat 4:1) refused. The old sin nature's lust of the flesh is overcome by God's provision, of the Spiritual life, and
staying in fellowship. (Rebound, (1Jn 1:9) reception, retention,
recall, resist sinning
and repetition) The lust of the eyes by using, (THE MIND OF CHRIST). (2Co
10:5) The pride of life moral or immoral arrogance, through, (Humility) Divine Virtue, (Gal 5:22-23 2Pe 1:4).
He who overcomes, I
will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also
overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. (Rev 3:21)
7. Because of the hypostatic union, the
Doctrine of Impeccability demands categorizing:
The humanity of Christ — temptable and peccable.
The
Deity of Christ — not temptable and not peccable.
The hypostatic union — temptable but IMPECCABLE. And able
not to sin, by the power of the Spiritual life, empowered by the Holy Spirit
and Divine Thinking, (Joh 14:24)
Spirit and Truth! A supernatural life demands a supernatural way to fulfill it! For the
humanity of Christ, and for us!
But an hour is coming, and now is, when
the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit
and Truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. (Joh 4:23)
8. It was possible for the humanity of Christ during the Incarnation to
suffer physical limitations in aspects, such as weakness, fatigue, sorrow,
hunger, thirst righteous indignation or death. But none of these sufferings
presented complications that in any way affected His Spiritual life and whole
Person.
9. Hence, Christ was, according to Latin phraseology POSSE NON PECCARE,
(Able not to sin) and NON POSSI PECARRE, (Not able to sin). Christ is God, and
God is never the source of evil under any circumstance. Evil stems from both
angelic and human volition but never from Divine sovereignty.
THE UNIQUENESS OF CHRIST’S HUMILITY
And having been recognized in outward
appearance [SCHEMA] as a man, he humbled himself, having become obedient to the
extent of death, yes, the death of the cross. (Php 2:8)
The first phrase of this verse is the application of the Doctrine of
Impeccability. Though Christ had the outward appearance of a man, He did not
possess the old sin nature. The humbling of Himself has been greatly
misconstrued, particularly in this day of the “Jesus freaks.” Jesus Christ did
not look or act like a hippie — that is not “humbling oneself.” As the God-Man,
He is the Originator of the laws of establishment, and in the flesh He was the
personification of every Concept of establishment. (Free will, marriage,
family, nation; Neh 4:14)
It is amazing how people try to “humble themselves.” Most of their
efforts are nothing more or less than ascetic self-effacement. Asceticism is a
part of the old sin nature. Self-effacement is the energy of the flesh; at best
— legalism; at worst — reversionism. “He humbled himself” is the aorist
(Constantive) active indicative of TAPEINOO, with a reflexive pronoun. This
indicates that the entire time Jesus lived on the earth, from the moment of the
virgin birth to the resurrection and ascension, He was characterized by what is
called here “humility.” (THE MIND OF CHRIST)
But remember, the “meek and mild” Jesus threw the money-changers out of
the Temple — and that was also a part of His humility! Humility is not standing
round-shouldered, lowering your eyes, shuffling your feet. Humility concerns
neither appearance, dress, nor manner of speech. It is a mental attitude of
grace — Grace Orientation. It is the Word of Truth in
the soul; and this Divine Thinking causes the believer to Recognize that
everything depends on Who and What God IS and what He Thinks!
On the other end of the pole, pride is a mental attitude sin. The proudest people in Christianity are those who think they
can do something to gain the approbation of God or to be filled with God the
Holy Spirit; or those who think they must do something to be forgiven by God,
such as some system of penance or feeling sorry for their sins.
Jesus Christ had the true Mental Attitude of
humility. He was perfect in His humanity; and for perfect humanity to
come in contact with the sins of the world is maximum humiliation. So we have
another factor in the Celebrity-ship of Christ the uniqueness of His Grace
Orientation.
THE UNIQUENESS OF
CHRIST’S DEATH
The humiliation of Christ reached its peak at the Cross. “Obedient” in (Php 2:8) means that He recognized the authority
of the Cross and the Father’s Plan. The Cross is the place where Jesus Christ
had to submit or there would have been no Salvation. The Cross, therefore, was
His objective, and it represented authority. The
obedience was not to the Cross itself, but to His Spiritual death and judgment
on the Cross. Although Christ knew that there He would be judged for the
sins of the world, He was still willing to be submissive — “to the extent of
death.”
“Death” is THANATOS in the Greek, and almost without exception, this
word refers to Spiritual death. Most people think that when the Scripture says “Christ
died for our sins,” (Rom 5:8; 1Co 15:3) it refers to His physical death. If
you think this, you are still a long way from understanding the Celebrity-ship
of Christ! When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He
was ALIVE; He was speaking! (Joh 19:30) He kept saying, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU
FORSAKEN ME?” (Mat 27:46) The
answer: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we
might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2Co
5:21)
Upon the completion of bearing our sins in His own body, (1Pe 2:24) He said, TETELESTAI (Perfect tense of
TELEO) “It is finished in the past, with the result
that it keeps on being finished forever!” Salvation was completed BEFORE
He died physically. Physical death was no problem. He simply dismissed His
spirit; it was painless the horrible agony was Spiritual death. While many
thousands of people were crucified by the Romans during the history of
S.P.Q.R., (Senatus Populusque Romanus) no one ever died as Jesus died. He died twice on the Cross. The Person was unique; the
work was unique; His death was unique!
THE EXALTED CHRIST
For this reason also, God highly exalted
Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name (Php 2:9)
The physical death of Christ was necessary for His physical
resurrection, as He could not go back to heaven in a body of corruption.
Therefore, because of the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, God the Father, Author
of the Divine Plan of Grace, has highly exalted and glorified Christ. This is a
reference to the resurrection, ascension and session of Christ.
God the Father has also graciously bestowed the highest office on Jesus
Christ. “Name,” ONOMA, plus the definite article, is an idiom which means
“office, rank, dignity.” It is a maximum expression of the Celebrity-ship of
Jesus Christ. “The highest office above every office” is KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Rev 19:16)
The Doctrine of the Ascension describes the Celebrity-ship of Christ in
His resurrection body.
DOCTRINE OF THE
ASCENSION
1. The resurrection body of Christ was capable of space travel. The
humanity of Christ in resurrection traveled through all three heavens. (Joh 20:17)
2. The purpose of this space travel was to arrive in a human body at the
throne room of God the Father. Although covered with no protective space suit,
the resurrection body did not burn up as it traveled through the universe; it
did not suffer fatigue, but arrived in perfect condition. (Rom 8:34; Col 3:1;
Heb 1:3; Heb
8:1; Heb 10:12; Heb 12:2) Upon His arrival, the Father said, “Sit
down at my right hand.” (Psa 110:1;
Heb 1:13) Deity does not “sit”; only
Christ’s humanity sat down. This indicated the
acceptability of the humanity of Christ (Eph
1:20) and guarantees the acceptability of
regenerate
mankind! (Rom 4:25; Eph 1:6)
The seating or session of Christ declared Him superior to all angels,
fallen and elect. (1Pe 3:22) Today
believers are positionally higher than angels; but in the resurrection,
believers will be experientially superior to angels. This is why God gives
every believer at least one angelic servant — to some more — a down payment
that we will one day be superior to them. (Heb 1:14)
And who made all this possible? Jesus Christ, our
Celebrity, through ascension and session!
3. The ascension and session of the humanity of Christ produces a
strategic victory in the angelic conflict. (Heb 1:3-14)
4. The ascension begins a new sphere of the
angelic conflict. (Eph 1:20-23; Eph 4:7-10) Therefore,
the believer of the New Covenant Church Age is involved in the intensification
of the angelic conflict.
5. The ascension begins
“Operation Footstool” (Psa 110:1) and
is quoted in, (Luk 20:42-43; Act 2:33-35; Heb 1:13).
6.
The Second Advent of Christ will conclude Operation Footstool. (Dan 7:13-14; Zec 13:2;
Col 2:15; Rev
20:1-3)
7. The ascension completes the glorification of Christ in hypostatic
union. (Act 2:33; Php 2:9; 1Pe 3:22)
8. The ascension explains the uniqueness of the New Covenant Age, (Joh 7:37-39) as well as the Celebrity-ship of
Jesus Christ.
THE RECOGNITION OF
THE CELEBRITY-SHIP OF CHRIST
So that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE
WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth.(Php 2:10)
His
name or rank emphasizes the exaltation of the humanity of Christ. The Principle
is found in, (Joh 5:23).
So that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who
does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
(Rev 5:13) describes His
exaltation in heaven after the New Heavens and New Earth. (Rev 21:1) That “EVERY
KNEE WILL BOW” is the recognition of the Celebrity-ship of Christ by
believers and unbelievers who did not do it the easy way. The easy way is through
the communication of Truth by the pastor-teacher to his congregation, so that
they can reach super-grace and Occupation with Christ.
The hard way is described for believers in, (Luk 12:46-48) and the unbeliever will be
on his knees at the end of time. He has rejected
Jesus Christ. He has used the Name of Christ in profanity and derision;
he has ridiculed Him. But the time will come when the Celebrity-ship of Christ
will be manifest to all creatures in the universe. (Isa
11:9) There are three areas specified: (1) in heaven — believers and
angels; (2) on earth — believers and unbelievers; (3) under the earth —
unbelievers in Torments; as well as fallen angels in Tartarus.
And that every tongue will confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Php 2:11)
The quintessence of the expression-of God’s
Plan is the God-Man-Savior. A perfect Plan from a perfect Father
glorifies a perfect Son. His Plan was that all creatures would come to
recognize the Celebrity-ship of Christ, first of all by the Gospel, leading a
person to Phase One; (Salvation) next by reaching super-grace, (Spiritual
maturity) in Phase Two; (The believer in time) or through a rude awakening in
Phase Three. (Eternity) Where does this leave believers who are ignorant of the
Word of Truth and who do not recognize the Celebrity-ship of Christ? They are completely missing the Plan of God for their lives,
and thus they are losing out on the greatest and most wonderful blessing life
can offer!
Yet this need not be the case in any believer’s life. Christ CAN become
a Reality NOW through Truth. “Christ is all and in all” who believe in
Him. (Col 3:10-11) Beginning with
Doctrine, He is the grace source of everything we have of value. Were it not
for Jesus Christ, we would have nothing and be nothing!
Divine Thinking in the soul counteracts the
old sin nature, demon influence and every other adverse circumstance in life.
It is the basis for reaching Personal love for God;
and when we have maximum capacity for Category One love under super-grace living,
then we have a new focus, a new concentration, a new motivation, a new
happiness — in short, we have a fantastic life! God is infinite with an
infinite amount of Love and Truth. He can and will double it for all
eternity and we will never even come close to the end! So as our capacity increases, by the daily intake and use
of His Thoughts, so does our fellowship with God! There is no other way to know Him!
(Jer 9:24) Now or in eternity. There will be no
human thoughts in eternity, so we need to get rid of them now! (Mat 16:23-26) So that we will have a
soul that has the capacity to love and fellowship with Him! (1Co 2:9)
As for unbelievers, before they get to the Lake of Fire, they will
recognize and finally acknowledge, the hard way, that Jesus
Christ is the ONLY CELEBRITY of the universe. Unbelievers are going to
the Lake of Fire on their knees saying “JESUS IS LORD!”
There is nothing greater
that a believer can do during the course of Phase Two than to live in the
sphere of the Celebrity-ship of Jesus Christ the highest status in experiential
Christianity!
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's
daughter, choosing rather to endure
ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of
sin, considering the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he
was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing HIM
who is unseen. (Heb 11:24-27)
End
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