Chapter Three

I can also see where the church has come short in its understanding of the entire salvation process. Basically, it has stopped at reconciliation. Consider the following Scripture.

Romans 5:10

10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

The death of Jesus Christ was the atonement for all the sins of the human race. Thus, the sin issue was dealt with. For as many as were baptized in Christ were baptized into his death (Romans 6:3). You must be able to see this. It is the mystery that was hidden in God before the foundation of the world and is now being revealed to His church. The offspring of Adam were at one with the atonement of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the guilt of sin had received a just recompense. Jesus died for all mankind. However, Jesus made the statement, “If you do not believe that I am he, then, you shall surely die in your sins.” Those who believe on the sacrifice of the last lamb are not only partakers of the atonement but also have a right to eternal life. But even that is not the end of the story. It is the death of Christ that is our atonement, but it is the life of Christ that is our justification for living. Do not miss the implication here; as the Scripture above stated, it is by His life that we are saved.

Sisters and Brothers, this is the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. While we were enemies of God, alienated from the commonwealth of His righteousness, and dead in sins and trespasses, God provided a final sacrifice that would pay our sin debt and at the same time give us the right to live eternally. You must be careful to note that the entire creation dwelled in death. Remember, in Adam all died. But the opportunity to live has come on the planet and that opportunity is Christ. It is His life that is life. From God's perspective everything outside of Christ is dead. As John said in I John 5:11-13 eternal life can only be found in the Son of God.

The theology above does not seem to be a hard thing to accept. However, I do not think the church really understands the implication of the life of Christ being our salvation. Indeed if it is, then there has been another positional change in the race of man. Such a positional change would also merit a dispositional change and all that comes with it. Oh, and let us not forget about the nature of man. But it seems to me that it would be impossible to be baptized into the life of Christ without taking on His nature. The Scriptures bear witness to this as Peter writes; “We are partakers of the divine nature.” Paul also brings this change in nature to the forefront as he writes;For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:(Romans 2:14).

The opposite of condemnation is justification and righteousness. Because we are baptized into the life of Christ there is no more condemnation. We have the right to live free from the condemnation of sin and death. If this is not the case and we are still sinners by nature, then wherewith is the power of the gospel?

Romans 5:18

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

Jesus was implying that the Kingdom of Heaven was accessible to man. This means man would have to depart from the kingdom of Satan in order to enter the Kingdom of God. However, there was criterion set for entering the new kingdom.

St. Matthew 5:20

20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

How is it possible for the righteousness of Adam's generations to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees, especially since the Pharisees were supposedly keepers of the law? The problem was that the scribes and Pharisees did not fulfill the law; but then neither did anyone else for that matter. They were simply hypocrites. But, what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to condemn sin in the flesh (Romans 8:3).

In the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in the middle of the night, He said, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Now comes the unfolding of the mystery. In order to enter into the Kingdom of God the Adam man had to be born again. But how is this possible asked Nicodemus? How is it possible for man to be born again? The answer was simple; the man must die and be resurrected. Let us look further into this matter of the Kingdom of God.

St. John 18:36

36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: . . .

Then what is the kingdom, or better yet, where is the kingdom? Our brother Luke and the Apostle Paul are able to shed some light on this for us. The mystery continues to unfold.

St. Luke 17:20-21

20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Romans 14:17

17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Let us take a look at what God has really done here. He creates a world and a man to govern it. The man sins and the world is lost to Satan the enemy of God. This wonderful, sinless, perfect creation is now filled with darkness and death. Everything He created was perfect even Lucifer himself, for the Scripture says of him, Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee (Ezekiel 28:15).

But it is the heart of the Father to save His man and His earth. But is this process one of restoration? To restore means to bring things back to the way they were in the beginning. I dare to think the Lord has something greater in mind, reason being He starts with someone greater. The first man Adam was a living soul, the last Adam is a quickening spirit. Our God is indeed an awesome God. It is the good pleasure of His will to have a perfect, sinless world inhabited by perfect, sinless Sons. He starts with Christ in whom all the fullness will dwell. Jesus is the beginning of “Another Creation.”