“You’re Destiny – God’s Will and Purpose”

Chapter 2: Our Bodily Right

It has been confirmed by God, through Jesus, the firstborn Son, that the glory we have in Him is ours by inheritance. Jesus prayed that those elected by God before the foundation of the world would each come into that foreordained glory. This is a glory which shall enable a people to subdue and have dominion over God’s creation. God’s purpose is to express Himself through us that we might be fruitful, multiply and replenish the earth. This glory is ours by rights, because we were, by God, “predestinated” unto the adoption (placed as sons) of children by Jesus Christ to Himself. “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will”. (Eph. 1:5). Does this not mean that beforehand God purposed for a people to become His sons, whereby He might declare Himself in and through them? This declaration is according to His good pleasure as He enjoys and takes joy in this work of pleasure.

If it is the Father’s good pleasure to bring us into adoption, it would be well for us to know just what it is that adoption consists of. Rom. 8:15 says, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry Abba, Father”. The contrast of this verse states or reveals that once we were in bondage to the spirit of this world, we dwelt under the elements of this world and the spirit of worldliness held its sway over us. But, now we are no longer under that bondage, for we have been born anew, we have been begotten of the Spirit of God and are therefore, sons of God by spiritual regeneration. As sons we now have all the privileges of the family, with God as our Father. This makes us a people who have received the gift of His Divine nature. II Peter 1:3-4 declares, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”. This gift includes all the spiritual blessings of the heavenlies, which also includes the redemption of our body. “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body”. (Rom. 8:23).

The definition of “redemption” from the dictionary means, “1. The act of redeeming or the condition of being redeemed. 2. A recovery of something mortgaged; a repurchase. 3. Salvation from sin through Christ’s sacrifice”. Therefore, when speaking of the act of the redemption of the body, at the time of our adoption, we can expect to see that which was lost or mortgaged, being repurchased by the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross. This means, the condition which was needed for the act of redeeming, even to the redemption of our bodies, has been met. That which was lost, so to speak, has now been found. The price has been paid to the fullest. It will never have to be paid for again. The sons must simply, through the maturing acts and leading of the Holy Spirit, be brought to their time of adoption, the redemption of their bodies.

The scriptures from Eph. 1:5-7 share with us the certainty of this truth, that we, a people, “Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace”. Thus, our redemption is steadfastly secure in something He has done for us. Just as forgiveness and redemption is a fact for the sins of the soul and spirit, likewise it also includes the body. This means that the security of completion for the whole man is ours by grace, a grace that is greater that all our sins.

What is sin? Sin is a transgression, which means to miss the mark, to miss or wonder from the right path. It means to go and do wrong. We are told in Rom. 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. All have sinned, all have missed the mark, and man has fallen down when he should have stood upright. He has fallen aside from truth and equity. He is at fault, in trespass. But, when sin did abound, grace did much more abound. Man, in his fallen state, by the act of his existence, is in transgression. He is overstepping the divine boundary between good and evil. Man’s way is iniquity, a wrongful act before God. Man is in a place of error, he stands in a place of departure from that which is right. In missing the mark, man fails to meet the divine standards of God. In man’s position of trespass against God, he has allowed the intrusion of self-will to enter into the sphere of divine authority. Thus, in all his ways man is a lawless vessel that moves in spiritual anarchy. One who stands in unbelief which is an insult to the Divinity of God.

In further describing the fallen man, we must consider this fact, that he is wicked in all his ways. In a place of depravity man is in the place of the wicked acting out of the evil nature. The vicious disposition and desires of that which is evil belong to him. Evil, the fallen man’s way, is full of labors and pains in working mischief. In being lawless, man has contempt for God’s law, a breaking through of all restraints, divine or human, to gratify one’s own lust. In this fallen nature, man wondered, he went astray, and now supports himself by instituting doctrinal error and religious deceit. He stands at fault, diminishing that life, which from God, should have been rendered in full measure. Man has deviated from his intended purpose.

Man’s sinful nature causes him to sin in all his ways, which means in all his acts he remains cursed. Regardless of how the world beholds the man, without Christ’s sacrifice, all his acts are outside God’s flow. Sin is a nature, the position of being at enmity towards God. But through Jesus’ blood, by grace, sin is forgiven. As John 1:11-13 says, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received (accepted) Him, to them gave He power (authority) to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: Which were born (begotten), neither of blood, nor of the will of man, but of (the will) of God”. This little word “of” in this verse is a preposition denoting “motion for the interior. It is used of time, place, and origin. It means out from”. Therefore, these ones who accept Him as Savior receive authority to become His sons. They are the begotten, those born “out from” God, according to His will.

Despite the completely depraved condition of the fallen man, God has never deviated from His intended will and purpose. That is, to have for Himself a creation made in His image and after His likeness. This is the work that He continues to do by the power of the Holy Spirit. “For the creature (creation) was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope”. (Rom. 8:20). The sacrifice was already given, even before the foundation of the world. God, in His infinite wisdom, purposed for His creation to become the expression of His love. A work of redemption shall be completed and all the redeemed shall worship Him. The sacrifice came, but for the most part, thus far, has not been received. But, unto all who receive, authority is given to become that for which God intended. Through His blood, by grace, sin is forgiven. Grace works in the vessel until redemption is known in the whole man, spirit, soul and body. Yes, we shall be like Him. For has not He, God, purposed? Has He not called? Has He not chosen? Shall He not complete that for which He purposed?

Declaring in I John 3:2 God tells us, “Beloved, now are we the sons (children) of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see Him as he is”. In this verse the word “appear” is the Greek word “Phaneroo” which means, “To bring to light, make manifest”. Also in this verse the word “see” is the Greek word “Opsomai” and has the meaning of, “has regard to the object presented to the eye, and to the subject which perceives at the same time: It denotes, not so much the act of seeing, but the state and condition of the one to whose eye the object is presented. Hence, to truly comprehend”. Could this verse be telling us, that in the process of our redemption, as light or understanding are given, concerning the Christ, and as he is revealed to us, we are changed. The more we are changed, the more we behold Him, until we become the likeness of His image, even to the whole man. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified”. (Rom. 8:28-30).

Notice the progression of God’s work in the called vessel. God’s purpose is revealed in that the called are processed until they become the chosen glorified ones. “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly”. (I Cor. 15:46-49). The promise of God’s fulfillment is to bring a people into His likeness here on the earth. Confirming this truth by the realization that the assurance is as we have borne the image of the earthy, which we are, we shall also bear in image of the heavenly. “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:21).

The promise fulfilled, a people being changed. The truth of this fact that we have gone about bearing the image of the earthy is the assurance, that God will also mature a people to the place of bearing the image of the heavenly. The fulfillment of the law of God is when God and Christ take up their abode in the heart and soul of the Christian overcomer. The ultimate expression of the law or nature of God occurs when the Father and the Son, through the Holy Spirit rules absolutely in the soul of the saint. The completion of the harvesting of the Christian by the Lord is the redemption of the human body. The redeeming of our body is a very important part of salvation by faith in Christ Jesus. We Christians have not been adopted as sons until our body has been redeemed. In fact, the redemption of the human body is our adoption as a son of God. Most Christians have taken the death of the physical body too lightly. Physical death is not the “natural” state of man. Physical death is a curse upon mankind and is the perpetual, direct and certain consequence of sin. Death, both spiritual and physical is an enemy which is to be destroyed on the basis of Jesus’ finished work on Calvary whenever the overcoming body of Christ reaches the necessary level of maturity.

The people of God shall be redeemed, by the adoption, which is the redemption of our bodies, we shall be changed as Phil. 3:21 states, “Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto Himself”. The word “change” means “transform, or change the fashion of”. Therefore we shall be transformed from our “vile body” (body of humiliation), to His “glorious body” (the body of His glory). We are and shall be fully redeemed. Nothing shall be left out and that which had it’s beginning in Christ shall also be finished in Him. For this cause, God set within His people that which was and is needed for the fullness of Him to be manifested. “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”. (Eph.4:13). All things shall and are being fulfilled, and all things shall and are being made complete. “….Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God”. (Rev. 21:3). To this we say amen. The soul of man shall be filled with the glory of God. Man’s soul, his mind, his will, his emotions and his desires shall become God’s dwelling place to manifest the nature of God from within. Thus, to see these sons’s walking among mankind with spirit, soul and body manifesting the nature of God is His purpose. For this reason, that all may behold Him and the Christ appearing in them.