Lesson Two – Called

From Eternity to Eternity - Called

From Eternity to Eternity – Lesson Two

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Adam was the first living soul; therefore, his characteristics became the standard for all living souls. We bear his mental and physical image. The Apostle Paul said, “As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.” In this role Adam stands as the head of natural man (1 Cor. 15:45-49; Rom. 5:14).

Adam is a type of Christ in that Jesus Christ also stands as the head of a certain people. He is the head of a spiritual realm and a spiritual people who have been born again while in this present world. Christians have been seated “… in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:6.

Adam got into trouble and caused all living souls born in his nature to suffer both physical and spiritual problems. In order for God to continue with His plan to have us as His children our physical death is necessary.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. I Corinthians 15:22

Here is how things went wrong. God did not create Adam and Eve with the knowledge of good and evil as a part of their mental faculties. God did not want us to have this knowledge while in our physical bodies. We cannot choose good every time. The alternate is evil and that is sin. Satan convinced Adam and Eve that God was withholding awareness from them; consequently, they obtained the knowledge of good and evil by disobeying God’s direct command. Read Genesis 3. Since Adam is the head of all people born of natural birth, every normal child is born with the potential to develop the knowledge of good and evil.

From Eternity to Eternity - CalledAdam sinned when he disobeyed God and his sin separated him from God. Death means a separation, and then it defines a low quality of life which is lived separate from God’s plan (Eph. 2:1-3). Sin and death came into this world through Adam. Death spread to all men, not because we were born sinners, but “because all sinned.” All men born in the nature of Adam eventually become sinners and die spiritually because we have the knowledge of good and evil. If we mature we will surely exercise this knowledge in conjunction with our conscience for self condemnation. Paul explains this to the Roman Christians in the following Scripture.

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned – for until the Law sin was in the world; but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s offence, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:12-14

The problems of mature people “in Adam” in the world are sin and death. Eventually the Law of Moses was added which convicted people of their sin and brought them further under the wrath of God. The four big problems for mature people in Adam in the world are sin, death, Law and the wrath of God. Please read Romans 5:12-21. God was aware of the problems; therefore, when the time was right He sent Jesus into this world to prepare a new realm where God could maintain His children.

From Eternity to Eternity - CalledJesus was also born in the nature of Adam. He had the knowledge of good and evil and lived under the Law of Moses; however, He never chose evil – no, not once. For this reason, He was given the choice to be the sacrifice for the sins of the rest of us who have been born in Adam’s nature. Jesus made the choice to let the Jewish leaders persuade the Romans to kill Him by nailing Him to the cross (John 10:18). He died as a sinner, not for His own sins, but for ours. He died and was buried, but God raised him up (II Cor. 5:21).

Oh, how God raised Jesus up! He raised Him all the way up to His right hand and made Him head over a new spiritual realm called “in Christ” (Eph. 2:6). It is within this realm that Jesus Christ now reigns as king and priest over God’s kingdom on earth (John 18:37; Acts 2:32-36). Since the word church means the called out, and Christ called us out, Christians are the church of God in Christ (I Thess. 2:14).

Although Christians have the earthly nature of Adam, we can now develop the divine nature of Christ (II Pet. 1:4). We can conform our personalities to His because of the spiritual blessings “in Christ” after we accept the new covenant (Heb. 10:16-17).

To best sum up what God offers the mature people in the world realm the Apostle Paul used the word “called.” He said, “and whom He predestined, these He also called.” Rom. 8:30. God calls to those under Satan’s reign in the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.  II Thessalonians 2:14

The story of the kingdom of God and the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is the gospel, or good news, that produces faith in people in the world (I Cor. 15:1-5). Their faith in the kingdom of God and the story of the cross will lead them into a new birth (Acts 8:12; 20:21). It is accomplished when they repent and join Jesus in His death, burial and resurrection in baptism (Acts 2:38). Every mature person must be born again in order to enjoy life in God’s kingdom (John 3:3-6). They must be transferred to Jesus’ kingdom now (Col. 1:13).

Repentance is a change of mind that can happen only after people hear and believe the message about their potential role as sons in the kingdom of God. People must decide if they want to be what they were created to be. After repentance takes place in the mind of the people in the world, the remainder of the process of the new birth happens for them in baptism. Paul said, “Therefore we have been buried with Him (Christ) through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” Please read Rom. 6:1-11. Baptism is for the remission of sins. Even the Apostle Paul had to submit to this burial in water in order to be free from his past sins (Acts 22:16).

Those who are old enough to read and understand this lesson are probably mature enough to have already exercised the knowledge of good and evil. They have chosen good, but they have also chosen evil, that is sin, and that brought about their spiritual death. God calls to these people with the gospel because they were created to be His children. He is not willing that any should perish (II Pet. 3:9).

From Eternity to Eternity - Called

The two greatest phenomena of our time are the facts that God offers us a new realm and that a person can be born again. The new realm is the “in Christ” realm and the transfer from the world realm is accomplished by a new birth. You are being called right now by the gospel if you are not a Christian.

In our next lesson we will consider the new covenant.

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