| Christian Life and Doctrine | August 1961 |
God’s New Creation
“We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before prepared that we should walk in them.” —Ephesians 2:10, margin
OUR imperfect and finite minds are quite incapable of understanding the creative powers of our Heavenly Father. We simply stand in awe as we behold the marvels of creation which daily and nightly are on display before our mystified vision. David wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge.”—Ps. 19:1,2
The glory of the heavens above, and the beauties of the earth all around us, alike testify to the wisdom, the love, and the power of our God, the great Creator. This is true of the blades of grass upon which we tread, to the countless millions of worlds and planets which extend into space far beyond the reach of the astronomer’s powerful telescope.
It is true also with respect to the myriad animate creations of God, which, the Bible reveals, are not limited to those designed to live in the atmosphere of our planet Earth. One of the intriguing questions confronting humans today, laymen and scientists alike, is whether or not there is intelligent life in other parts of the universe. The Bible has contained the answer to this question ever since it was written. That answer is, Yes!
The Bible informs us that man was created “a little lower than the angels.” (Ps. 8:3-5) This implies that creatures called angels had been created prior to man, and that they are on a higher plane of life than the human. The Bible reveals that the angels serve as God’s messengers, and that in this role they visit this planet, unseen by humans except as they miraculously reveal themselves in human form in order the better to accomplish some particular objective of their mission. Whether or not the angels occupy one or more of the other planets as their “home” the Bible does not reveal. Certainly they would be able to live where humans could not.
While man was created a “little power” than the angels, the Bible reveals that there are other orders of creation above the angels, how many we do not know. There are cherubim and seraphim. The Apostle Paul speaks of “principalities, and powers, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named.”—Eph. 1:21
Paul informs us that when Jesus was raised from the dead he was exalted “far above” all these other creations, to the right hand of the throne of God. (Eph. 1:21-23; Heb. 12:2) Since his resurrection Jesus is described in the Bible as being the “express image” of his Father’s person, “dwelling in the light which … no man hath seen, nor can see.”—Heb. 1:3; I Tim. 6:16
Prior to Jesus’ resurrection and exaltation, our Heavenly Father was alone on this highest of all planes of life, the divine. The significance of this is mentioned by Paul. He explains that for the church at Ephesus he prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”—Eph. 1:17-20
God’s Inheritance
THE Apostle Peter wrote of an “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you [margin, for us] who are kept by the power of God.” (I Pet. 1:4,5) But Paul explains that the resurrected and exalted “saints,” which includes Jesus, will be God’s inheritance, the acquiring of something by him which he did not possess before. Every text of Scripture bearing on the subject reveals that God’s “inheritance” will be Christ and his faithful followers exalted to the divine plane of life, all being the express linage of the Heavenly Father’s person. This will be God’s “new creation,” the first one of which was Jesus Christ.
Thus, when the Apostle Paul wrote, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creature,” he is not saying merely that here is a man who has been cleansed by the blood of Christ, but also one in whom a new mind has begun to be developed. This new mind, in the resurrection, will be clothed upon with immortality and the divine nature, and be among those who will be God’s inheritance on his own plane of life.—II Cor. 5:17
To be immortal means to be indestructible. To create immortal beings, therefore, called for a different procedure than was followed in the creation of other intelligent beings. Man was created, and then placed on trial to demonstrate whether or not he was worthy of continuing to live. This was true also of the angels, and the other heavenly creatures, among whom were Lucifer, who failed; and also many of the angels who fell.
But to create beings on the plane of immortal, indestructible life required that they be tested in advance of reaching such a high estate. The wisdom of the Creator designed that this be done by starting with new minds in earthly bodies, developing and testing those minds, and finally, when proved worthy, giving them a new immortal body, which is done in the resurrection. Thus these fully developed “new creatures” will have proved their absolute fidelity to God and to his laws prior to receiving their indestructible bodies.
Appropriate Language
BECAUSE the work of God in the lives of his faithful people throughout the Gospel Age is for the purpose of producing this new creation to be his inheritance, many of the Bible’s references to it are couched in language that is in keeping therewith. Our text is a sample of this. “We are his workmanship,” Paul wrote, “created in Christ Jesus.”
We are being “created,” Paul wrote, “unto good works.” Not only are the saints to be an inheritance for God, but they are to conduct the work of God. Doubtless this will be true throughout all the endless ages of the future; but first there will be the work God has promised to do on behalf of the sin-cursed and fallen race of mankind. This will be the work of restoring the people to their lost earthly dominion, the heritage that became desolate because of transgression.—II Cor. 6:1,2; Isa. 49:8,9
Co-workers
JUST as Jesus, the Logos, was associated with his Heavenly Father in the original works of creation, so we now have the privilege of being co-workers with God in bringing forth his new creation. The work of grace in every “new creature’s” life is accomplished by the Holy Spirit through the Word of truth, and it is our privilege to minister this Word. Paul describes it as the “ministry,” and “Word of reconciliation.”—II Cor. 5:17,18
It is in this way that we are “workers together with him.” (II Cor. 6:1; I Cor. 3:9) Divine wisdom is displayed by this arrangement, for our Heavenly Father has designed it to be one of the tests by which we prove our worthiness of exaltation to the divine nature. We might suppose that it would always be a delight to communicate the truth of God’s Word to others, but seemingly for some it is not. It is much easier simply to believe the message, and rejoice in it for ourselves, than to sacrifice time, strength, and means in proclaiming it to others.
If we are looking for excuses, they can always be found. Solomon wrote: “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” (Eccles. 11:4) Some say the “four winds” are blowing, others that the “clouds” of the great time of trouble are hanging low; and these signs are used as excuses not to continue faithfully proclaiming the Gospel of the kingdom, the Gospel that begets and develops new creatures in Christ Jesus.
How unwise it is to yield to such excuses! After all, our part is merely to communicate the Word of truth. The Lord in his wisdom knows how to use it in the lives of those whom he is preparing to share his divine glory. Solomon explained this also. In the next verse we read: “As thou knowest not what is the way of the Spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.”—vs. 5
God is the great Master Designer, Builder, and Creator. We cannot explain how he created even the ordinary things with which we are surrounded. How much less do we understand the manner in which his Word of truth, working in the lives of his consecrated people, is producing a new creation which ultimately will possess his own divine nature and glory.
We do not need to understand “the works of God” in bringing forth his new creation. Our responsibility is to be faithful to that which he has given us to do in connection with it, which is, in part, to sow the seeds of truth which he will direct and use in channels and ways of his own choosing. So Solomon continued, in verse 6: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”
Our Own Salvation
PAUL wrote, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Phil. 2:12,13) So far as we are concerned, God’s “good pleasure” is that we be prepared to enter into our inheritance of immortality and the divine nature, and thus, together with Jesus and the other saints of this Gospel Age, become his inheritance.
In this great project we work, and God works. We work out our own salvation, and he works in us. We work out our salvation by obedience to the Word of truth—obedience in proclaiming it to others, and obedience to its precepts and its molding influences in our own hearts and lives.
Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy Word is truth.” (John 17:17) God’s Word cannot be a, sanctifying power in our lives except as we humbly yield in obedience to its righteous influences. This requires a lifetime of effort, for while we dedicate ourselves wholly to the doing of God’s will, we do not succeed all at once in carrying out the terms of our consecration.
God’s Thoughts
THE Word of God is, in reality, the written thoughts of God, his thoughts pertaining to his new creation, and also respecting his grand design for the blessing of all the families of the earth. The psalmist David wrote, “How precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!”—Ps. 139:17
How great indeed is the sum of all God’s thoughts pertaining to his divine plan for us and for the whole world of mankind. God has revealed them to us through his Word. It is the influence of these thoughts that develops the mind of the new creature. How inspirational they are!
The Apostle Peter wrote that there are “given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature.” (II Pet. 1:4) From the gold of the tabernacle, symbolic of the divine nature, to the precious promises of the Book of Revelation concerning the hope of association with the Lord on his throne, the Bible presents one promise after another assuring us of that glorious inheritance which will be ours if we are faithful.
But these promises, revealing the thoughts of God pertaining to his new creation are not unconditional. While they are recorded in our Heavenly Father’s Word for our inspiration and encouragement, there are conditions attached to them which must be met if they are to be translated into reality for us as individuals.
The Apostle Peter emphasizes this, for in the next verse he adds, “And beside this [there is something for us to do, which is], giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly-kindness; and to brotherly-kindness charity [love]. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren [margin, idle] nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”—II Pet. 1:5-8
So when we think of the promise that if we are to live with him we must die with him, may it spur us on to self-sacrifice in the Lord’s service. May we remember also that if we are to be exalted to reign with Christ, and to partake of the glory of God, we must first prove our worthiness by humbling ourselves under his mighty hand.—I Pet. 5:6
The thoughts of God recorded in his Word reveal to us the privilege of sacrifice, the sacrifice of all that we have and are as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Revelation 14:1 speaks of those who are with the Lamb on Mount Zion. This is the new creation class, exalted to glory, honor, immortality, and the divine nature. We know that the Lamb has already thus been exalted, and we are informed in verse 4 that the ones with him are those who follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. Are we following the Lamb in sacrifice, and will we continue to do so even unto death? Only if we do, will these precious thoughts of God continue to apply to us.
The recorded thoughts of God reveal his loving care and guidance in all the affairs of our consecrated lives. They assure us that when we are weak he will give us strength; that when we make mistakes he will forgive us. He has promised to give us his Spirit, his Holy Spirit, which is the “Spirit … of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”—II Cor. 12:9; Ps. 103:13,14; II Tim. 1:7; I John 2:1
We need these assurances. We have given our minds and wills wholly over to our Heavenly Father. We would not dare to trust ourselves thus in the hands and to the mercy of the best friend we have on earth. But we have done so with our Heavenly Father, and in return he has assured us that no matter what our day by day experiences may be, he will guide and direct us in the path of righteousness, and will cause all things to work together for our good.—Rom. 8:28
Our Father may find it necessary at times to discipline us for our good, but even this, his Word assures, is an evidence of his love. (Heb. 12:6-11) The Heavenly Father’s chastenings are in order, Paul explains, that we might be “partakers of his holiness.” Such experiences are not “joyous,” but, if we are rightly exercised by them, they will yield in us “the peaceable fruit of righteousness,” thus helping to make us worthy for the “inheritance of the saints in light.”—Col. 1:12
All Mankind
THE thoughts of God toward his entire earthly creation are also vital to our growth as new creatures in Christ Jesus, for they reveal one of his loving purposes in preparing us to live and reign with Christ. God has not revealed all the joys in which his new creation will participate throughout eternity. This would be too much for our finite minds to grasp, but he has revealed his purpose to use us for the restoration of mankind to health and life on the earth, and what an incentive to faithfulness this should be!
What a joy it would be today to be able to go into just one hospital and restore its patients to health! But this is to be our glorious work in the kingdom—not in one hospital merely, but to restore the sick and dying to health and life everywhere throughout the earth. Such are the loving thoughts of God toward his human, but fallen, creatures. If we are to be exalted to his divine nature we must first be like him in our loving interest for mankind.
And if we enter into the spirit of what our Heavenly Father purposes to do on behalf of all mankind, we cannot be restrained from telling others about such a loving plan. Indeed, God has so designed it that our desire and determination to tell these blessed tidings to as many as we can is one of the tests of our genuine interest in them, and of our love for God who is their Author.
I Peter 2:9 reads, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the virtues [margin] of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” How many, and how glorious are the virtues of our Heavenly Father! And he is working in our hearts to make us like himself, that he may exalt us as new creatures to his own glorious image, not only in mind, but in body also.
One of the evidences of our present growth into his image is the zeal with which, on every suitable occasion, we show forth his virtues. How do we do this? It is not merely by saying in so many words that our Heavenly Father is just and wise and loving and powerful, although he is all these, and more. These expressions are, of course, the “sum” of what is revealed by all the thoughts of God pertaining to his plans and purposes on behalf of mankind as they are recorded in his Word.
If we were acquainted with a specially talented architect whose virtues we desired to extol, we might well say that he was brilliant and eminently capable. But this would not be too impressive to those who were not acquainted with him, and did not actually know of his accomplishments.
But suppose we showed our friends through some massive building designed by an architect whose virtues we wanted them to know and appreciate?
We would call attention to the design of each floor, and to the value of all the special features of the building. If it were truly a great building our friends would at once be impressed, and all we would need to do would be to mention the person who was responsible for its beauty and advantages. They would then know that he was truly an accomplished architect.
So it is with our Heavenly Father. He is the Architect of the divine plan for human salvation, and the Master Builder in carrying forward every detail of the plan to completion. One of the grand features of his plan is the “new creation,” the bringing into existence of 144,000 new creatures on the divine plane to be associated with the exalted Jesus in the work of restoring mankind to health and life on the earth.
And there are so many other wonderful features of this plan! As we explain them to our friends, we are automatically showing forth the virtues of our Heavenly Father who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. What a privilege and honor this is for all who appreciate the heights of glory to which they have been called!
Our text states that we are “God’s workmanship.” This is true from the very beginning of his work of grace in our hearts. Peter mentions that we have been called out of darkness, and into his marvelous light. We could not escape the darkness of the world and open our own “eyes” to the glorious light of divine truth by our own wisdom. It was the work of God in calling us and giving us “eyes” to see and “ears” to hear.—Matt. 13:16; John 6:44
And so it is with respect to all that the Lord is doing in and for us. We are his workmanship. We do not understand the ways of the Spirit of God. We do know that our part is to yield to the blessed influences of that Spirit as its power is radiated in our lives by the precious thoughts of God which are recorded in his Word.
Yes, this is our part, and true yielding implies obedience. It means an active, daily dedication of our all to the doing of the Creator’s will as he works in us to accomplish his good pleasure. If the good pleasure of his will is now the daily rejoicing of our hearts, we can look forward with joy to being with him and like him, sharing the glory of the divine nature, and participating in his exalted works throughout eternity.