The beginning and development of a divine “new creature” is compared to the beginning and development of a human life. The first impulse in the divine life comes through begettal by God through His Word. “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures” (James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:3). Then a new spiritual life begins to grow as our minds become “transformed” (Romans 12:1, 2). Yet we are not actually spirit beings, but merely reckoned as such by God. However, one begins to think and act spiritually as a “new creature,” all the while crucifying human desires and interests.
These two processes progress together from the time of our complete consecration to do God's will until the death of the human and the birth of the spiritual result. Human desires, plans, etc., fade in importance. Nourished by the Word of God the new creature grows in strength. As God’s children, His Spirit “shall also quicken your mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11)—make our mortal bodies the servants of the “new creature” until our resurrection when we become actual spirit beings in the “first [choicest] resurrection” (Revelation 20:6). “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). “As we have borne the image of the earthy, we [the Church] shall also bear the image of the heavenly”(1 Corinthians 15:49), unless we fall away, and our embryo New Creature is aborted (Hebrews 6:6).
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Different Natures
SpiritualGod's wonderful Plan for humanity is to restore mankind to the original human perfection that Adam lost by disobedience. An exception to this will be the Christian Church, whom God will change from human nature to spiritual nature. Some suppose that...
