“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.’
“Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'” (Joh 18:35-37)
Journal,
For the past few days I’ve had this feeling that I was to write a blog on the other world Jesus spoke to Pilate about. Then I remembered a blog I shared last year entitled, ‘Made in the Divine Image.’ So I decided to use that blog as a backdrop and share more insights that hopefully will bless my readers.
Here is the bottom line issue. While the angels of God continue with their nature intact, our spiritual nature and personal identity with God was displaced in the fall of Adam. We forfeited our unique relationship with all of creation. We lost something of our original nature.
I realize that the idea of humans having something of the divine is difficult to grasp. Yet a restoration of Adam’s lost glory is at the very heart of our
redemption in Christ Jesus. And this restoration includes something of the divine nature.
Pay attention to these Scriptures —
“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom3:23)
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Heb 2:10-11 NASB)
“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:4)
Jesus entered the fallen world of Adam
Jesus took to Himself the fallen human race. Satan’s authority over all humanity was broken at the cross. From that moment on any person who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Calling on Jesus relates to His becoming Lord and Savior to the one calling on Him.)
But it doesn’t stop there. Peter gave more insight:
“… seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” (2Pe 1:3 NASB)
That which was lost in the fall of Adam, has been restored in Jesus Christ.
The point is that Satan was able to take advantage of Adam’s fallen state and build his earthly kingdom around this aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ All that changed with the coming of Jesus Christ.
The two worlds and the two kinds of humans…
So now there actually are two kinds of humans on this planet. You have the ‘in Adam’ human. And you have the ‘in Christ’ human. Those who are in Christ, have turned to Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. They belong to a new creation. Those who have not turned to Jesus still yet remain under the domain of the old creation. They are still under Satan’s jurisdiction.
Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:
“[We all] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest.” (Eph2:2,3)
In speaking to the Jewish leaders in the temple, He said,
“‘I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.’ So the Jews were saying, ‘Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, “Where I am going, you cannot come’?”‘ And He was saying to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.‘” (Joh 8:21-23)
Again,
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8:44)
Here is the description of those who have turned to Jesus Christ:
“For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.” (Eph2:10)
Again,
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, new things have come.” (2Co5:17)
To the disciples and by extension to all believers through the age.,
“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (Joh 15:19)
See the distinction?
You have humans in disrepair and you have humans who have been restored to their proper nature and in right relationship with God.
Once the human nature has been repaired this brings the principle of godliness back in place, and that which most closely relates to the divine. We now have a heart that is very much like God’s heart.
This does not mean that the repaired Christian cannot sin. No person on this planet has as sensitive a conscience as that of a person who has been born again. It is the nature of a Christian to seek cleansing from sin.
Born from above…
With that being said let’s take a closer look at the believer’s new status with God. Jesus said,
“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)
The true believer is born from above. When a person is born from above their human nature has undergone a spiritual repair, and is in the process of being restored to its proper purpose.
The born again person is now a very child of God. The child of God once again has something of the divine within him. He belongs to the family of God.
The heavenly Father spoke life to him. This is what Jesus meant when he said,
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the word that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)
Through our journey in this world, the Lord gives us life words. He speaks to us as our Father. But He also brings healing where healing is needed.
Repairing the broken…
The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It is found in the working principle of the cross. Jesus alone is the One who repairs us. It is to Him alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says,
“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [repaired].”
The word salvation [soteria] in Greek speaks of preservation and deliverance. The word ‘save’ [sozo] means, to bring safely, get well, to restore, etc.
Listen to angel’s message to Joseph about Mary having a Son:
“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mark 1:21)
Being saved from our sins is not a one time event. It is the maxim of the cross. Being saved from our sins is a process of life. The Lord saved us, He is saving us, He will save us. Jesus came to save us from all our sins, past, present and future.
“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit 3:5 NASB)
The glory to be revealed…
Here is the Scripture that troubles some folk:
“What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!“ (Psa 8:4-5 NASB)
Yes, Adam did share in the divine nature, that is, in those godly traits that are found in God Himself. Adam was God’s very child and he carried in his person something of the nature of his Father.
I hope you are seeing the picture. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you also are God’s very child.
We have yet to receive our full glory, but it will happen.
Paul said this:
“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30)
In all this always keep in mind that you do have authority over Satan. How to use this authority properly is a way of learning the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Think about these things. In the meantime here is a song what will minister to your heart, “The Glorious Impossible,” by the Gaither Band:
May the Lord ‘s richest blessing overflow your life as you seek His face,
Buddy
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