"E pluribus unum." It means, "Out of many, one." It's a motto of the United States. It describes how many people have come together to make one people. It works just as fine for Christianity. Out of every people, one people (REV. 5: 9).
Oddly, the opposite is also true in Judeo-Christianity.
"E uno plures." It means, "Out of one, many." I refer to Abraham, the father of many nations (GEN. 17: 5). But not just the father of many nations, the father of us all who are in Christ (ROM. 4: 16).
Where am I going with this? I think many people forget Abraham is the father of Christians, too. They pay it lip service, but they don't really let it have its full effect. There is a lot packed in here that is worth discussing.
This blog is primarily geared towards Armstrongism, but to be honest there is a confusion about Abraham in most denominations. In Armstrongism, the tendency is towards using Abraham as some kind of back door into the Old Covenant law. That is entirely misguided, in my honest opinion. Paul goes out of his way to negate this very idea in Romans 4, especially verse 16.
But, today's post is more than unity with Abraham - because unity with Abraham is, if you will excuse this phrase, a symptom of a larger condition. It's really about unity with Christ.
UNITY WITH CHRIST HAS CONSEQUENCES
Out of one, many, and out of many, one.
(GAL 3: 28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
One of the consequences of unity with Christ Jesus is what applies to Him also applies to us. The husband and wife share in all things.
Take just a while to contemplate this. Consider what Jesus is and what He has been given by the Father. Let those many ideas roll through your mind. Who is He? What is He? Where is He?
We are one in Him. So, we share, or will share, in all of these.
This is surprisingly difficult to accept. We are sinners and we know we do not, in ourselves, deserve any of this. Good thing 'deserve' has got nothing to do with it. Our job is to believe it and to let it have its effect within us.
(COL. 3: 10-11) 10 and have put on the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all, and in all.
There is no escaping the idea that all Christendom, if indeed we are Christ's, are one in Christ. After all, how else can Paul speak about Abraham being the father of the faithful if not through Jesus?
Out of Abraham came many nations, and in Christ, the seed of Abraham, all nations come back again to one.
But if Abraham is the father of us all through our unity with Jesus, then what other conditions apply to us because of our unity with Christ?
WHEN?
In Armstrongism, they teach that we are currently waiting for Jesus to return and then, at that time, people will start to realize all the things Jesus spoke about at His first coming. I refer to things like being part of His Kingdom, and being one with Him, and such.
But when does the Bible say we are one in Christ, is it now or at His return? Is it not now? Yes, it is now! What about Paul's writings implies we are waiting to be one in Christ? Bear in mind he lived almost 2,000 years ago.
"Ahh, xHWA," someone might say, "we cannot be fully one with Christ yet because we are still male and female and we are still flesh and blood."
True! You say well. Clearly, this oneness is partly figurative. There really is still male and female and Jew and Gentile. The Bride of Christ is only yet betrothed not fully wed. Yet, at the same time this oneness is also quite literal. All who are His are spiritually one in Him. Now. Today. So, it's both.
Once again, we see that things are a little now but a whole lot more in the future.
Yet, don't discount the partial now because of the fullness later. All of these things are very much intended to be understood as being right now. We are not waiting to be one with Christ. We are one with Christ. We are merely waiting for what has come already to have its full effect.
Let's take a look at how the now affects us.
THE LAW
Many, many times in past articles, As Bereans Did has reviewed how our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees (for more, read our post "Are The Ten Commandments Removed?"). The only way to achieve this is for Christ's righteousness to be our righteousness (II COR. 5: 21). He takes on our sin and we take on His sinlessness. How can His righteousness be ours? It can be because we are one in Him. If we are in Him and He is in us, then His righteousness can be counted to us. This is the only way.
The pattern of Jesus' life is a reiteration of the history of Israel. He went to Egypt. He spent 40 days in the desert and was tempted. He miraculously fed the people. Etc, etc, etc. In all of these things, He succeeded where Israel failed. He was the perfect servant. The perfect prophet. The perfect king.
Why is that important?
Because of one thing I did not list but must not be skipped over. That is, where Israel failed to keep the law, He succeeded. He kept it as it was intended. The spirit of the law. Perfectly.
Who was the law-keeper? Jesus. Do you keep the law? You may try, but you will fail (for more, read our article "Do Post-Armstrongists Keep The Law?"). You know what I say is true. How can you keep the law? By being one with Jesus. If you are one with Him, His success is credited to you. Jesus is the commandment keeper. This is the only way.
LIFE
I said at the start, "They pay it lip service, but they don't really let it have its full effect." And this is true. I will show you one reason why I say this.
We saw how we must be one with Jesus through faith, and the time for that is now. Today.
We saw how He is the law-keeper and commandment-keeper. If we are in Him, then His righteousness is credited to us.
And now, I would like to remind you that He is life.
John 1: 4 says, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (JON. 14: 6)
If He is in us and we are in Him, then life is in us. Now. Today.
(JON. 14: 19b-21) "19b Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.”
There is a problem in Armstrongism and other churches like it. They put all of their hopes on some day in the future. Some day when Jesus returns. At that time, they will be in His Kingdom. At that time, they will have life. But that is simply putting a view of prophecy ahead of the relationship we have with Jesus. It misses the mark of what we already have in Him. Now. Today.
I received an email recently. The reader was wondering how we can be certain one way or the other about soul sleep or immediate conscious life after death. That's a big topic! We have several articles that can help. Part of my response was,
"A very helpful thing that assisted me was to understand that we are the body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. This is not just some metaphysical point. It speaks to how we are one with Him. How are our sins laid on Him and His righteousness credited to us? Because we are one with Him. How are we inheritors of all things? Because we are one with Him. Right now. Since this is so, that we are one with Him, why do we turn right around and separate ourselves again? He said, 'Where I am, there you will be, too.' (JON. 14: 3) We will be with Him where He is, as He is with us where we are. This goes along perfectly with what Paul said in II Corinthians 5: 1-8."
(II COR. 5: 1-8) For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
6 So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.
And, thus, the Armstrongist will say, "This is referring to the Millennium." But I say, they pay their relationship with Jesus Christ lip service, but they don't really let it have its full effect.
In Him is life. If you are in Him and He in you, then life is in you.
I know this will not be enough to persuade you from the doctrine of soul-sleep. We have other articles that may help.
CONCLUSION
We saw how we can be inheritors of the Abrahamic covenant through faith. Now. Today.
We saw how we must be one with Jesus through faith, and the time for that is now. Today.
We saw how He is the law-keeper and commandment-keeper. If we are in Him, then His righteousness is credited to us. In Him, we have kept the spirit of the law. Now. Today.
And we saw how in Him is life. If we are in Him, then His life is given to us. Life is in us. A life we don't have to wait for some far future day to grasp hold of.
This topic is much bigger yet than we have discussed. I cannot hope to get into all of it today. Keep studying and praying. Keep contemplating this. Keep on considering what Jesus is and what He has been given by the Father. Let those many ideas roll through your mind. Who is He? What is He? Where is He?
He is in us. We are one in Him. So, we share in all of these things. Because of Him. Despite ourselves. Good thing 'deserve' has got nothing to do with it. Our job is to believe it and to let it have its effect within us.
E uno plures. E pluribus unum.
God bless you, dear reader.
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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; )
Acts 17:11
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