Page 17 - Laying Down the Law

Ephesians 4:11-14
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists,
and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ...

It is in failing to comprehend the truth of Yahweh’s plans for man to come forth
as a perfect image and likeness of His own self that has caused such confusion
regarding the Law. Yahweh does not need a Law to restrain Him. The Law is merely
a reflection of His own innate holiness, justice and goodness. The Law was given to
a chosen people who did not yet have His divine nature formed in them. None of
those men, women and children who stood at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Law
was given had yet been born of the Holy Spirit. They were living souls, but were not
yet spiritual men and women. They were of the earth, earthy. They were not yet
heavenly creatures in their innermost nature.

I Corinthians 15:45-49
So also it is written, "The first man, Adam, became a living soul." The last
Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the
natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second
man is from heaven. As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as
is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly. Just as we have borne the
image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Paul acknowledges in these words once more that this conformity to the full
stature of Christ is a progressive work. We become partakers of the divine nature
when we are born of the Spirit, but we are not yet fully formed at that time.

John 1:12-13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children
of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Notice that John writes that when we receive Christ we are given the right “to
become” children of God. The work is not complete when we receive the seed of Christ
into our being. It is a work begun. A great transformation has occurred. Those who
were formerly living souls have become spiritual beings. Those who were dead
spiritually have been made alive. Those who were formerly slaves to the flesh and its
sinful nature, were set free into the glorious liberty of the sons of God.
From the moment of our spiritual birth we are to embark upon a transformation
process. We are still as the caterpillar which is outwardly clothed in a fleshly body.