To: Hebraic-Foundations@yahoogroups.com
From: "Pastor Buddy Martin" <Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org>
Subject: HF032 - The New Adam Race - Part 3
Date sent: Fri, 4 May 2001 14:48:09 -0500
Hebraics,
This is Part 3, of Study HF032 - The New Adam Race.
In these studies we are finding out that Christianity actually
encompasses a new race of people. Early Christian writers referred
to new covenant people as 'the third race.'
Our studies on the 'New Adam Race' have been to note the
distinguishing marks of Biblical Christianity. One of the
distinguishing marks is that Christianity was never designed to be
a religion among many other religions. Biblical Christianity is the
family of God.
Of the various things that I've attempted to share, a primary one
has to do with the kinship to God that new covenant people share.
People of the new creation are a 'heavenly' people, in contrast to
peoples who have not been born from above.
The apostles would have us understand that new covenant people
are the actual children of God, and that Jesus Christ is the head of
a new humanity. He is called 'the firstborn among many brethren.'
(Cf. Romans 8:29)
People of the new creation are people of the Logos, which is
another term that early Christian writers used. Of course they drew
from the apostle John's memoirs for this understanding.
John said, "In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was
with God, and the Logos was God." (John 1:1. I am substituting the
Greek term Logos for the word, 'Word.')
And this brings us to the mystical side of our walk with the Lord.
Clement, for example, wrote that the Church, that is, the ecclesia,
is "the gathering of the elect, an impregnable city ruled by the
Logos." It was taught that just as the soul animates the body, even
so the Logos is the life principle of the ecclesia.
I realize this sounds philosophical. Nor do I mean this teaching to
be technical in language. But there is an understanding we must
come to, if we are to appreciate the awesomeness of our walk with
the Lord.
Many Christians are stifled in their spiritual life, and they do not
understand why. Most often it is because they know so little about
their true life in Christ. There is a hunger in them that cannot be
satisfied. In this case they are living as an eagle in a chicken coop.
Then there are other Christians who are being driven to extremes
with what will prove to be a false spirituality. They are always
seeking, seeking, seeking, but never finding. These folk thrive on
experiences. But this is an unhealthy place to be. It creates a
restlessness that never leaves the believer. So, in both these
extremes the problem is bad teaching.
God's people were never designed to be chickens cooped up in
chicken pens. We are designed to be like eagles, who can soar
with the winds of heaven. But how many of God's people ever
escape their coop? I am not speaking of a coop in the sense of a
local gathering of believers, but, rather, as a form of non-Biblical
teaching that hinders the growth of the believer.
How so very easy it is to drift away from the awesomeness of true
Christianity. God's people need to be taught concerning their
sonship in Christ. Paul said, "For you are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ
have clothed yourselves Christ." (Galatians 3:26,27)
Again I need to make certain there is no misunderstanding. The
awesomeness of walking as a Biblical Christian has nothing to do
with whether you are denominational or non-denominational, or
whether you are charismatic, or non-charismatic. These terms are
of no importance to the matured Biblical Christian. The mature
Biblical Christian is able to flow in the divine counsels of God. He
will be at peace in whatever circumstance he may find himself.
Now lets come back to the divine counsels of God. I mentioned
earlier that the role of the prophet is a lessened role in the new
covenant. This is because every person who enters into the new
covenant is given a heavenly birth. Each of these also have the
mind of Christ. This means, in part, that every child of God has
been endued with a prophetic anointing.
But this is also a fulfillment of a wish expressed by the man of
God, Moses. When the Spirit that was upon him, was placed upon
seventy other elders, who had been selected from the tribes of
Israel, Joshua became jealous for Moses sake. But the gracious
man, Moses, simply said, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would
that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put
His Spirit upon them!" (Numbers 11:29)
This is exactly what happens in the new Adam people of God.
When a person is born from above, their inward man is filled with
God's divine spirit. John says that this anointing abides in all
believers continually. (1 John 2:20,27) But the aim of our prophetic
anointing is not so much the foretelling of future things, although it
can include such a foretelling. Rather it has to do with the
testimony of Jesus Christ. (Cf. Revelations 19:10)
Here is how early Christian writers understood Christianity. First of
all, they place a crucial importance on water baptism. Clement of
Alexandria spoke of water baptism as imparting regeneration,
enlightenment, divine sonship, immortality, and the remission of
sins. Other Christian writers closely identified water baptism with
entrance into the new covenant.
Origen said that in water baptism, the Spirit descends upon the
Christian as it did upon Christ at His baptism. It is at this point that
the believer becomes 'pneumatic.' (This is a term for a spiritual
being.) It was taught that in water baptism, the believer becomes
united with the Logos.
Hermas taught that when we descend into the water, we are 'dead.'
When we come out of the water, we are 'alive.' In coming out of the
water we receive a white robe. Barnabas said that prior to our
baptism, our heart was the abode of demons. Ignatius added to
this idea, in that water baptism supplied us with all the weapons for
spiritual warfare.
Water baptism carried different thoughts for the early writers, so
you will find a number of teachings, though similar. What they did
teach, however, is that water baptism is of no value unless true
repentance, sincere faith, and humility of heart were in place.
From this we can see how far removed much of the Church is from
early Christian beliefs. Today many Christians see water baptism
as sort of an option, to be done when and if you get around to it.
So what many Christians today see as of little importance, the
early believers saw as crucial to their Christian walk.
This does not mean that the early Christian writers were infallible in
what they taught. Most certainly they were not. There were some
areas where Christian theology yet needed to be more fully
developed. But when we study the early writers, we do in many
cases see how the earliest Christians understood their faith.
Lets come to a final thought on the 'eagle' Christian. I am using this
term only to suggest how Christians should learn to see
themselves. The number one struggle the apostles had in
instructing the early Church, was to give them understanding on
their new humanity in Christ. But they also understood the
difficulties involved.
Becoming a spiritually-governed person goes against the grain of
everything we learned before we met Christ. We were taught to be
self-sustaining, and to live by our wits, so to speak. The problem
was that as Adam men, this was a necessary way of surviving. But
as a new Adam man or woman, everything changes. We have a
new level of life available. And so we have to learn all over again,
how to live.
This is partly what Paul had in mind, when he said, "If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold
new things have come. Now all these things are from God." (2
Corinthians 5:17,18)
What about it? What do you think about your new humanity in
Christ? Are you interesting in learning how to develop your spiritual
life?
The teaching is open for discussion.
Shalom,
Buddy
Lawrence E. (Buddy) Martin, HF Host
email: Bro.Buddy@ChristianChallenge.org
Web: http://www.ChristianChallenge.org
"See to it that no one comes short of the grace
of God; that no root of bitterness springing up
causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." (Heb12:15)