The Daily Word of Righteousness

Two Beginnings, #14

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. (Hebrews 1:10-12)

The Second Beginning

The old, the product of the first beginning, is passing away.

It is time now for the second beginning.

The resurrection. The resurrection of the Logos, the Lord Jesus Christ, marks the beginning of the new creation—the creation into which we are saved by the blood of the Lamb of God.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

He (Christ) is the firstborn from the dead. This is the beginning of the new creation and Christ is the Author of it.

We notice also the only begotten has now become the "firstborn."

The resurrection from the dead is the fundamental nature of the new creation, of the Kingdom of God. Nothing is to remain of the first creation. Everything that is to be saved into the new creation must die and then be born again in Christ.

It has pleased the Father that all of the creation contain in itself Christ and reveal Christ's Person and ways.

Every human being must make this decision. Will I maintain my own life, my adamic personality, or will I voluntarily assign my adamic personality to the cross and enter the new creation of God?

Will I enter the "it is finished" of the cross of Christ and reckon myself dead or will I clutch my present personality and life? Will I enter the resurrection of Christ and take my place in Him at the right hand of God far above all other rulers and lords or will I strive to maintain my own way on the earth?

To share in Christ's death and resurrection requires a long, patient process of cross-carrying obedience. It is death to our first personality and desires. But it is the only path to the new, eternal creation of Christ.

Paul was seeking to attain the first resurrection from the dead.

If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection [Greek, out-resurrection] of the dead. (Philippians 3:11)

The first resurrection from the dead is the resurrection of the holy priesthood, the resurrection that will take place when Christ appears. We do not participate in the first resurrection on the basis of being saved but on the basis of coming to know Christ, participating in His resurrection Life and sharing His sufferings.

The forming of the Church.

And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. (Colossians 1:18)

"He (Christ) is the head of the body, the church." Christ is the beginning of the new creation. Along with Him and an integral part of Him is His Church, the Body of Christ.

We spoke previously of Adam and Eve being the two witnesses of the first massive Day of God, the Day of Form.

Abraham and Sarah are the two witnesses of the second Day of God, the Day of Separation. From the moment that God informed Abraham that his Seed would be as the stars of the heavens—from that moment all mankind was divided into the Church, which is composed of the called-out people of God, and the nations of mankind.

To be continued.