The Great Company, continued
Now we understand that some may have difficulty in accepting the fact that the Great Company is a heavenly class (especially among our JW friends), it appears some do not fully comprehend the significance of the surrender of one’s restituional life rights.
We believe the answer lies in a proper comprehension of the “one baptism” in which all the fully consecrated participate.
What baptism is this?
“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom 6:3)
“The cup of blessing which we bless is it not our communion (our participation) in the blood (the sacrificed life) of Christ? (The filling up of the afflictions of Christ for the bodies’ sake)The bread which we break, is it not our participation in the body of Christ? (Do we not share in his sufferings; share in the breaking or sacrifice?) For we (the members of his body), through many are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” (1 Cor 10:16, 17)
Did not our Lord say, “You shall indeed drink of my cup (participate in the cup of my sufferings), and be baptized with the (same sacrificial death or) baptism that I am baptized with…” (Matt 20:22, 23)?
Were not those who were baptized into Christ Jesus begotten of a new nature, a spirit nature? Are they not now “new creatures in Christ Jesus”?
Is it not written?
“But you (the new creature, the natural body having been sacrificed upon the Lord’s altar, reckoned dead) are not in the flesh (human), but in the Spirit ("risen with Christ," a new creature, a spirit being although at present only in its embryonic condition), if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom 8:9, 10)
IT IS IMPORTANT TO FULLY GRASP THIS. Although it’s true that the new creature (the new mind) inhabits this human body, the body itself is not to be thought of as the new creature, the body is merely the servant of the new creature, “a living sacrifice” to be used up in the service of the Lord and the brethren, it is simply a vessel in which the new creature resides until it receives its new body, a spirit body. Understand you are not in possession of two nature’s one human and one spirit, one is dead and one is alive. The flesh having been reckoned dead in the eyes of the Lord from the moment your consecration was accepted. The idea of duel natures as you recall is considered an abomination in the eyes of the Lord.
Therefore seeing as the Great Company class have been begotten of the same new nature, a spirit nature, as there more faithful brethren and seeing as it is self-evident that spirit beings do not reside upon the earth, inhabit earthly conditions but rather reside in the heavens under heavenly conditions it is but a logical conclusion to surmise that the destiny of the Great Company is a heavenly reward.
The Pastor’s thoughts,
“As the first-born of Israel in Egypt were subject to death, but were passed over, escaped it, and losing the earthly inheritance became a priesthood, so the antitypical Church of first-born (comprised of all the fully consecrated) in the present time is subject now to Second Death, having their testing or trial for everlasting life or everlasting death in advance of the remainder of mankind, and passes from death unto life, through the merit of the Redeemer's blood-- death. Becoming participants in their Lord's grace, they renounce or sacrifice with him, the earthly inheritance, the earthly portion, the earthly life, that they may attain heaven and its "life more abundant." (F460)
Continued with next post.
Now we understand that some may have difficulty in accepting the fact that the Great Company is a heavenly class (especially among our JW friends), it appears some do not fully comprehend the significance of the surrender of one’s restituional life rights.
We believe the answer lies in a proper comprehension of the “one baptism” in which all the fully consecrated participate.
What baptism is this?
“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?” (Rom 6:3)
“The cup of blessing which we bless is it not our communion (our participation) in the blood (the sacrificed life) of Christ? (The filling up of the afflictions of Christ for the bodies’ sake)The bread which we break, is it not our participation in the body of Christ? (Do we not share in his sufferings; share in the breaking or sacrifice?) For we (the members of his body), through many are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” (1 Cor 10:16, 17)
Did not our Lord say, “You shall indeed drink of my cup (participate in the cup of my sufferings), and be baptized with the (same sacrificial death or) baptism that I am baptized with…” (Matt 20:22, 23)?
Were not those who were baptized into Christ Jesus begotten of a new nature, a spirit nature? Are they not now “new creatures in Christ Jesus”?
Is it not written?
“But you (the new creature, the natural body having been sacrificed upon the Lord’s altar, reckoned dead) are not in the flesh (human), but in the Spirit ("risen with Christ," a new creature, a spirit being although at present only in its embryonic condition), if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Rom 8:9, 10)
IT IS IMPORTANT TO FULLY GRASP THIS. Although it’s true that the new creature (the new mind) inhabits this human body, the body itself is not to be thought of as the new creature, the body is merely the servant of the new creature, “a living sacrifice” to be used up in the service of the Lord and the brethren, it is simply a vessel in which the new creature resides until it receives its new body, a spirit body. Understand you are not in possession of two nature’s one human and one spirit, one is dead and one is alive. The flesh having been reckoned dead in the eyes of the Lord from the moment your consecration was accepted. The idea of duel natures as you recall is considered an abomination in the eyes of the Lord.
Therefore seeing as the Great Company class have been begotten of the same new nature, a spirit nature, as there more faithful brethren and seeing as it is self-evident that spirit beings do not reside upon the earth, inhabit earthly conditions but rather reside in the heavens under heavenly conditions it is but a logical conclusion to surmise that the destiny of the Great Company is a heavenly reward.
The Pastor’s thoughts,
“As the first-born of Israel in Egypt were subject to death, but were passed over, escaped it, and losing the earthly inheritance became a priesthood, so the antitypical Church of first-born (comprised of all the fully consecrated) in the present time is subject now to Second Death, having their testing or trial for everlasting life or everlasting death in advance of the remainder of mankind, and passes from death unto life, through the merit of the Redeemer's blood-- death. Becoming participants in their Lord's grace, they renounce or sacrifice with him, the earthly inheritance, the earthly portion, the earthly life, that they may attain heaven and its "life more abundant." (F460)
Continued with next post.
