Morning Nourishment - Brothers of Christ as the Firstborn Son of God
← Back to Home | View Outline
Day 1
Verses: 2 Sam. 7:12-14a …I will raise up your seed after you, which will come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. It is he who will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his Father, and he will be My son… Second Samuel 7 is a prophecy predicting that the church will be built up by God Himself among His people in the New Testament. Christ is the One who actually builds God’s house, God’s temple. Christ is also the element in which and with which the church as God’s house is built. In this chapter God seemed to be saying to David, “David, thus far you are still vacant and empty. Do not think that you should do something to build a house for Me. You need to realize that you need Me to build Myself into you as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Then you will have a house, and that house will also be My house.” The intrinsic significance of 2 Samuel 7 is that the Triune God is working Himself in His processed and consummated Trinity into His chosen people. Therefore, 2 Samuel 7 is a chapter on the Triune God working Himself into us to make us His home (Christ with the church) and to produce a seed (the all- inclusive Christ)…Christ is the house, and Christ is also the seed. Christ is the element, and Christ is also the issue. Christ is everything. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 165-166)
Christ is both God’s house and our house. Hence, we and God have a mutual abode. Christ abides in us, and we abide in Him. He and we, we and He, are mingled together as one entity. The universe is waiting for this. Romans 8 tells us that the whole universe is eagerly awaiting the expression of the Triune God mingled with the tripartite man through His building, which is by Himself, with Himself, in Himself, and for Himself. [The] organic building up of the church as the Body of Christ through the process of spiritual metabolism is actually what Jehovah prophesied to David in the way of typology in 2 Samuel 7:12-14a…It is only through this process that something human—the human seed—can become divine—the sons of God. In typology God prophesied to David regarding this when He told David that his seed would be God’s son. This indicates that a human seed would become a divine son. This is what we are experiencing today. Therefore, we, the believers in Christ, are a very particular and peculiar people. We are a precious treasure in the eyes of God. In 2 Samuel 7:12-14a…the word concerning “your seed” and “My son” indicates that the seed of David would become the Son of God, that the seed of a man would become God’s Son. This thought is continued very strongly in the New Testament, particularly in Romans 1:3 and 4. Here Paul says, “Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.”…These verses reveal, on the one hand, that Christ is the seed of David and, on the other hand, that He, the seed of David, has been designated the Son of God. When we compare these two portions of the Word, we see that both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament we have the matter of the seed of David becoming the Son of God. David had the heart to build a house for God, but God indicated to David that this was neither what he needed nor what God needed. God told David that He would build One to be David’s seed and that this seed would be called God’s Son. This seed would be both divine and human. Hebrews 1:5 indicates that this refers to Christ as God’s firstborn Son. Furthermore, as we have seen, Romans 1:3-4, which corresponds to 2 Samuel 7:12-14a, tells us that in resurrection the seed of David was designated the Son of God. In their intrinsic significance 2 Samuel 7:12-14a and Romans 1:3-4 reveal to us a human and divine person. (Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, pp. 166, 176, 167-169) Further Reading: Life-study of 1 & 2 Samuel, msgs. 24—26; CWWL, 1993,
Day 2
Verses: Acts 13:32-33 And we announce to you the gospel of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fully fulfilled this promise to us their children in raising up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, “You are My Son; this day have I begotten You.” As the Firstborn of God, [Christ] is the holy and faithful things of David. Through such a One, forgiveness of sins is announced, and whoever believes in Him is justified from all things. In Acts 13:32-33…we see that Christ as the Firstborn of God was promised to the fathers, and God fulfilled this promise to their children in raising up Jesus…He was begotten by God in His resurrection to be the firstborn Son of God among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). He was the only begotten Son of God from eternity (John 1:18; 3:16). After incarnation, through resurrection, He was begotten by God in His humanity to be God’s firstborn Son. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, p. 2993)
Paul was able to see the Lord’s resurrection in the word in Psalm 2: “You are My Son; / Today I have begotten You” (v. 7). Paul applied the word today to the day of the Lord’s resurrection…Jesus, the Son of Man, was born to be the Son of God through being raised up from the dead. Therefore, God’s raising up of Jesus from the dead was His begetting of Him to be His firstborn Son. The Lord Jesus had two births. First, He was born of Mary to be the Son of Man. Then thirty-three and a half years later He was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. Through resurrection He had a second birth, for as a man He was born in His resurrection to be the Son of God. Therefore, in His first birth He was born of Mary to be the Son of Man, and in His second birth He was born in resurrection to be the Son of God. According to the New Testament, He is the Son of God in two aspects. First, He was God’s only begotten Son; second, He is now God’s firstborn Son. The words only begotten indicate that God has only one Son. John 1:18 and 3:16 speak of the only begotten Son of God. Eternally speaking, Christ is the only begotten Son of God. This is His eternal status. But through resurrection He, as a man, was born to be the firstborn Son of God. The word firstborn indicates that God now has many sons (Heb. 2:10)…We who believe in Christ are the many sons of God and the many brothers of the Lord, the many brothers of the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 8:29). As the only begotten Son of God, the Lord is the embodiment of the divine life. The Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that as the Son of God He is the embodiment of the divine life (1:4). Through resurrection Christ became the firstborn Son of God as the life-dispenser for the propagation of life. First, He was the only begotten Son as the embodiment of life; now He is the firstborn Son for the propagation of life. Through His becoming the firstborn Son of God in resurrection, the divine life has been dispensed into all His believers to bring forth the propagation of the life that is embodied in Him. In Acts 13 Paul was not preaching Christ as the only begotten Son of God, as the Gospel of John does. Rather, here Paul was preaching Christ as the firstborn Son of God for propagation. For this reason, he preached the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as His second birth. Through His second birth, His birth in resurrection, Christ became the firstborn Son of God for the propagation of the divine life. In Acts 13:34 Paul speaks a further word regarding the resurrection of Christ: “As to His having raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to corruption, He spoke in this way, ‘I will give you the holy things of David, the faithful things.’” Verses 33 and 34 are concerned with the resurrected Christ. Verse 33 indicates that Christ’s resurrection was His second birth to bring Him forth as the firstborn Son of God. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, pp. 2993-2995) Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 293
Day 3
Verses: Rom. 1:3-4 Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. The person of Christ is of two aspects…In this one person there is divinity and humanity…mingled together. Now let us consider Christ’s humanity…The seed of David refers to Christ’s humanity (Matt. 22:42-45). Christ as the seed of David is a human seed belonging to the old creation (the old man—Rom. 6:6) of God (Col. 1:15b). In His humanity He was “according to the flesh,” “the flesh of sin” in its likeness but without sin (Rom. 1:3; 8:3b). Both Satan and sin (the inward sin in our nature) are involved with this flesh (Heb. 2:14; John 3:14; Rom. 8:3b)…Since sin is now in our flesh, and Satan is linked with sin, Satan and sin are involved with the flesh, even with the flesh of Christ indirectly. There is also the involvement of the world in this flesh through Satan, the ruler of the world (John 12:31). The flesh of this seed of David is an old man of the old creation involved with Satan, sin, and the world. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He brought all these items with Him to be crucified there. His all-inclusive death cleared up the entire universe. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 215-216, 235)
Hebrews 9:14 shows that Christ did not die on the cross merely as a man. He also offered Himself to God by the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit was with Him and strengthened Him to die. Jesus in His humanity, in that part, was not the Son of God. He was of the old creation, the old man, having the flesh, which is involved with Satan, sin, and the world. So this part had to be made divine, to be sonized, designated, that it might become a part of the Son of God. Christ is a wonderful person. He has two parts: the man-part, the part of man, and the God-part, the part of God. The part of man is human. The part of God is divine. The human part is in the flesh, involved with the negative things, and the divine part is marvelous…It was in His resurrection that Christ made His humanity divine. His resurrection uplifted the humanity of Jesus into the level of divinity. Here is the essence of the person of Christ. This is very, very deep. Jesus’ divinity is the Spirit of holiness, having the divine power and the divine element to transform Jesus’ humanity, making it divine. This is what it means to designate, and this is to sonize. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy in typology in 2 Samuel 7:12- 14. In this fulfillment we have seen the essence of Christ’s person as the seed of David in His humanity. He was the Son of Man in the flesh. How could He be the Son of God, so divine? It was by designation in resurrection. This designation was in power according to the Spirit of holiness. The Spirit of holiness is the divinity (Rom. 9:5) in the seed of David—a man of humanity (5:15, 17b, 19). Romans 9:5 shows that Christ is God. As God, He had divinity in Himself to be the seed of David, a man of humanity. Christ’s divinity had the power to uplift His crucified humanity, to resurrect that humanity. When Paul says that Jesus Christ was designated the Son of God, this means that Christ’s resurrection uplifted His humanity and put His divinity into this humanity. So by this resurrection, His humanity was born to be a part of the Son of God. This is why Acts 13:33 tells us that in resurrection Christ as the Son of Man was born to be the Son of God. As the Son of God with humanity, He is the God-man. This composition of divinity and humanity becomes a God-man, and this God-man is a prototype to produce something. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 235, 216-217, 236) Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the
Day 4
Verses: 1 Pet. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us unto a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Rom. 8:29 Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers. In [Christ’s] resurrection all His believers were born, regenerated, with Him as His millions of “twins” to make all these twins the same as He is (1 Pet. 1:3)…The prototype is the firstborn Son of God, and the reproduction is the many sons of God…When Jesus as the Son of Man through death and resurrection was born to be the firstborn Son of God, the millions of God’s chosen people were born in the same birth… These millions of God-men are the mass reproduction who are exactly the same as the wonderful person Jesus Christ. This mass reproduction of the prototype becomes the members of the prototype to be His Body, the Body of Christ, and this Body of Christ consummates in the New Jerusalem, which is the corporate expression of the Triune God, processed and consummated in Christ and becoming the life-giving Spirit. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 236-237)
As the only begotten Son of God, in His resurrection He became the life- giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b)…This life-giving Spirit is the very germinating power to germinate every part of the new creation of God. The new creation of God is the Body of Christ, and the Body of Christ will consummate in the New Jerusalem, which is the unique expression of God’s mingling Himself with man for eternity. This shows the all-inclusive and all-extensive involvement of Christ’s divinity in His wonderful person. The life-giving Spirit is the consummation of the Triune God and the Consummator of the tripartite man as Christ’s Body, which ultimately consummates in the New Jerusalem. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” p. 237) God does not intend that we lose our humanity. On the contrary, we will bear our humanity for eternity. But our humanity in eternity will not be natural; it will be resurrected, glorified, and uplifted…Today our physical body is like a seed. But one day this “seed” will be resurrected and glorified. Through incarnation Christ put humanity upon Himself and thereafter had two natures—the divine nature and the human nature. Through His resurrection and through coming into us as the Spirit, Christ has brought divinity into us. Therefore, we also have two natures—the human nature and the divine nature. By being born of the Spirit, we have become partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). We can say, “Lord, just as You have two natures, so we have two natures also. You are divine and human, and we are human and divine. Hallelujah, we are the same as You!…You are the Head of the Body, and we are the members of the Body. Lord, You are the Son of God, and we are sons of God also.” The Lord appreciates it when we speak to Him in this way. He enjoys it when we declare the fact that God no longer has just one Son, the only begotten Son, but many sons, Christ as the Firstborn and us as the many sons of God. Christ has already been designated the Son of God, but we are still in the process of designation. One day this process will be completed, and for eternity we will be the same as Christ, God’s firstborn Son. Romans 1:3 and 4 contain many key words. Verse 3 has the phrase according to the flesh, and verse 4, the phrase according to the Spirit. In 8:4 Paul speaks about walking “according to the spirit” and not “according to the flesh.” This is one example of how the key words in 1:3 and 4 are used again by Paul later in this book. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 535-536) Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the
Day 5
Verses: Rom. 6:5 For if we have grown together with Him in the likeness of His death, indeed we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection. 8:11 And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. Christ was designated the Son of God “out of the resurrection of the dead” [Rom. 1:4]. In 6:5 Paul says that “we will also be in the likeness of His resurrection.”…As we share Christ’s resurrection, we undergo the process of being designated the sons of God. We are designated, in fact, by resurrection. (Life-study of Romans, p. 536)
As sons of God, we are designated by resurrection, that is, by a change in life. Let us use a carnation seed as an illustration…According to the way of life, the carnation seed is designated by being put into the earth so that it can grow into a blossoming carnation plant. When a carnation plant is still a tiny sprout, it is very difficult to recognize that it is a carnation, for it looks the same as other kinds of sprouts. But the more the carnation plant grows, the more it is designated. Eventually, by its blossom we all can recognize that it is a carnation. In the same principle, we are designated the sons of God by a change in life through the process of resurrection. The day is coming when we will reach the stage of “full blossom.” That will be the time of the redemption, the glorification, of our body, which is the full sonship (Rom. 8:23). The life of the Son of God has been implanted into our spirit. Now we, like the carnation seed that is sown into the earth, must pass through the process of death and resurrection. This causes the outward man to be consumed, but it enables the inner life to grow, to develop, and, ultimately, to blossom. This is resurrection. The entire creation is waiting and groaning for this. We also groan because we do not yet have the appearance we should have. We know that we are still short in so many respects and wrong in many things, and we still have failures. But under the Lord’s sovereignty, even our failures are used as part of the process…By our failures our ugly self is torn down, and the Lord has a greater opportunity to work within us. In this process of resurrection there are four aspects: sanctification, transformation, conformation, and glorification…Sanctification, the process of being made holy, brings us into the enjoyment of eternal life [6:22]. In 12:2 Paul speaks of transformation, saying that we should not be fashioned according to this age but that we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind. In 8:29 Paul speaks of conformation, and in the next verse, of glorification. Our future glorification will be the ultimate step of resurrection; it is resurrection as applied to the body. Because our bodies are still subject to death, we are sometimes weak and even physically ill. Thus, we need the redemption of our bodies; we need resurrection applied to our bodies. As those who are in the process of resurrection, we have as the last step of resurrection, the transfiguration, the glorification, of our bodies. We all have the sense within that today our sonship is not yet full. However, it will get fuller and fuller until it reaches the peak at the time of our glorification, when we will be fully resurrected and designated the sons of God in nature and in appearance. Both in name and in reality we will be the sons of God in spirit, in soul, and in body. Just as a carnation seed grows from a seed into a full-grown blossoming plant, so we will be processed through resurrection until we are fully glorified and designated as the many sons of God. We are now in the process of resurrection so that we may be sanctified, transformed, conformed, and glorified…This is the central aim of the gospel. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 536-538, 540) Further Reading: Life-study of Romans, msg. 52; The Conclusion of the
Day 6
Verses: Heb. 2:10-11 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers. Hebrews 3:1 speaks of the believers as “holy brothers.” This verse indicates that the believers are Christ’s brothers. We are the brothers of Christ because He and we are of the same source. He has come from God the Father, and we also have come out of the Father. Christ is the firstborn Son of God, and we are the many sons of God (Rom. 8:29; Heb. 2:10). When God created Adam, Adam was sinless and pure. However, through the fall Adam and all his descendants were constituted sinners (Rom. 5:19). Yet in God’s salvation we have become the sons of God, the brothers of Christ. He as the firstborn Son of God and we as the many sons of God are of the same source, God the Father. (CWWL, 1993, vol. 1, p. 127)
God’s firstborn Son is the prototype, and we are the mass production. Christ is the model, mold, and pattern. God has put us all into Him that we may be molded into the image of His firstborn Son. Eventually, we all will be conformed to the mold. Sometimes when the sisters make cakes, they put dough into a mold. By being put into the mold, the dough assumes the pattern and image of the mold. Furthermore, the dough must also be baked so that the cake may bear the pattern of the mold without any change…Likewise, Christ, the firstborn Son of God, is the prototype, pattern, and mold, and we are pieces of dough. We all have been put into the mold and are now being kneaded by the hand of God. We have been predestinated to be conformed to the image of God’s Son, that He may be the Firstborn among many brothers. This is God’s purpose. God’s purpose is to produce many brothers of His firstborn Son. When Christ was the only begotten Son, He was unique, but God desired to have many sons who will be the many brothers of His Son. In this way the only begotten Son of God becomes the Firstborn among many brothers. He is the firstborn Son, and we are the many sons…Without the many sons God could never have a kingdom, and without the many brothers Christ could never have a Body. Thus, the many sons of God are for the kingdom of God, and the many brothers of Christ are for the Body of Christ. The kingdom of God is simply the Body life, and this Body life in the church is God’s kingdom where He is expressed and where His dominion is exercised on the earth. This is God’s purpose. Why does God arrange our environment, surroundings, and situations in such a way that we experience suffering? We should not explain this according to our natural concept, saying, “The whole earth is filled with sufferings, and everyone undergoes hardship. Why should we be an exception?” This is a natural concept, and we should not accept it. We must realize that God’s purpose is to make us full-grown sons, not little children. We should not be content to remain children enjoying His cherishing and loving. God intends to make us full sons, completely grown up to be legal heirs that we may inherit all that He is in this universe and that we may express Him and exercise His dominion over the earth. Since God’s intention is to bring us into full sonship, we need to grow. There is no doubt that growth comes from inward nourishment, but this inward nourishment needs the coordination of the outward environment. According to our feeling, most of the outward environment is unpleasant. Thus, the outward environment becomes a suffering as far as we are concerned. I do not say that the outward environment is not good; it is always good, but it may not appear good to your feeling. (Life-study of Romans, pp. 234-235) Further Reading: CWWL, 1993, vol. 1, pp. 127-128