Gospel of John [16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 61 - The World. Col 1:13-18; 2Pe 1:4; Eph 3:18.

Title: Gospel of John [16:12-15]. The Doctrine of the HS, part 61 - The World. COL 1:13-18; 2PE 1:4; EPH 3:18.

 

 

The new creature is a whole new being that is not of this world and the kingdom that he belongs to is of the same kind.

 

A perverted view respecting the relation of Christ to deity and to creation had infiltrated Colossae. Paul clarifies this in this passage. In His dual nature, Christ has the role of mediator between God and creation as God and man. 

 

COL 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

 

COL 1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

COL 1:15 And He is the image [exact manifestation] of the invisible God, the first-born [preeminent One] of all creation.

 

COL 1:16 For by Him [locative - "in Him"] all things were created [aorist tense], both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities [elect and fallen angels] —  all things have been created [perfect tense] by Him and for Him.

 

COL 1:17 And He [personal pronoun emphasizes the person of Christ] is before all things [eternal existence], and in Him all things hold together [have their unity and cohesiveness].

 

COL 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

 

Again, the personal pronoun is used for emphasis. The emphasis of the eternal Creator of the universe who has come in the flesh is now emphasized in relationship to every member of the Church. The Creator who holds the universe together, comprising its every part, is also holding the Church together.

 

The Creator of the world is also the Head of the Church. He is the inspiring, ruling, guiding, combining, sustaining power, the mainspring of its activity, the center of its unity, and the seat of its life.

 

In view of this, in view of who you are as a new creature in Christ, as who Christ is in His relation to deity, creation, and as the Head of the Church, does it make sense that the believer should be walking of the world system? For example, should we violate our relation to Him in the hope of promotion and blessing in the world system? There is nothing wrong with promotion and blessing so long as it is the Lord who is doing it and not because we have sought for it in a way that violates our walking in His light.

 

COL 1:18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead; so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything.

 

The phrase "He is the beginning" is in relation to the Church.

 

"beginning" - avrch,[arche] = a beginning and a ruler. He is the beginning and the Prince Ruler of the Church.

 

"Firstborn" is again protokokos, meaning preeminent and sovereign over. His resurrection was the beginning of a new spiritual life, a resurrection life, a life of victory and inheritance.

 

"firstborn from the dead" - He is preeminent and sovereign over a new spiritual life, a resurrection life, a life of victory and inheritance.

 

EPH 1:20

which [election, inheritance, power] He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places

 

He is the first-fruits from the dead. We are the harvest that He waves before the Father as both His offering and His gift. He is the power and life behind all resurrections. Do you see how the world system holds nothing of value to you and that you can enjoy the things in the world that are not in the manner of sin while valuing Christ and His Way far more?

 

This is why Paul stated in Php 3:10 that he wanted to know the power of His resurrection. This is the power of the divine life that is lived by the new creature in time in the manner of the resurrected Christ, the arche of resurrection life. When Christ walked the earth for 40 days after His resurrection was He in any way under the power of divine opposition?

 

Paul [in COL 1:18] emphatically shows that Christ is the beginning of the new spiritual life in the Church, by His resurrection.

 

ACT 2:24

"And God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony [literally - having loosed the pains] of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.

 

"first place in everything" - preeminence in everything as deity, as Creator, as Head of the Church, and as resurrection life.

 

Once understood the old world holds nothing of value for the believer. This does not mean that he does not enjoy the things of the world that are not in the manner of sin, but it does mean that he does not value them as anything more than of the old and lower dimension of life. One world will be destroyed by fire the other eternal. One world is full of lies and many wills while the other is full of truth and only one will. One world has had complete victory over the other world through Christ and the other world fears that world. The world system fears the spiritual world.

 

The natural world is fearful of the spiritual world. The spiritual world shows the natural to be small and petty. They hate what they fear.

 

1JO 4:16

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

 

This is why the opposite of fear isn't peace but love. There is no fear in love. God is love and when a person of this world accepts Christ he is wrapped in God's love and his natural fear of God and His kingdom is gone. Those who have rejected Christ increase their fear of God's kingdom and so hate it all the more.

 

We don't become Christs or gods. We don't become begotten, which is impossible, since begotten of God means no beginning and is unique to Christ, but we do become new creatures of a divine nature and so the old man and the old world just don't fit us anymore.

 

The regenerate believer does not become a christ or god but a new creature of a divine nature and so the old man and old world just don't fit anymore.

 

2PE 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

 

2PE 1:3 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 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.