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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
The Word is th e transfigured Christ, _ revealed to all who are w illing to join the inner circle, who can say, “We see Jesu s.’’ Here we face th e most wonderful fact of revelation,— “The Word made flesh” ; God m ade m%n, no t simply united to flesh. W hat a chasm was bridged! Under th e old dispensation, He came as the A ngel,o f God and manifested Himself in form as a man. H ere He builds His tabernacle in human n atu re and so re stores it. He became th e new .Man of flesh and blood. (Heb. 2:14.) " F o ra sm u c h th e n a s th e c h ild re n a re p a r ta k e r s o f flesh a n d b lo o d , h e a lso h im s e lf lik e w ise to o k p a r t o f th e sa m e ; th a t th ro u g h d e a th h e m ig h t d e s tro y h im t h a t h a d th e p o w e r o f d e a th , t h a t is, th e d ev il.” He was made in the likeness of men. (R o il. 8:3.) “ F o r w h a t th e la w co u ld n o t do, in t h a t i t w a s w e a k th r o u g h th e flesh, God se n d in g h is o w n Son in th e lik e n e s s of sin fu l flesh, a n d f o r sin , co n d em n ed sin In th e flesh.” , , .. ' Made of a woman (Gal. 4 :4 ). “B u t w h e n th e fu ln e s s o f th e tim e w as com e, G od s e n t f o r th h is Son, m ad e o f a w om an , m ad e u n d e r th e la w .” He descended from David. (Acts 2:30.) “T h e re fo re b e in g a p ro p h e t, a n d k n o w in g t h a t God h a d sw o rn w ith a n o a th to h im , t h a t o f th e f r u it o f h is lo in s, ac c o rd in g to th e flesh y h e w o u ld ra is e u p C h rist to s it o n h is th ro n e .” He died as a man. (Phil. 2 :8 ). “A nd b e in g fo u n d in fa sh io n a s a m an , h e h u m b le d h im se lf, a n d b ecam e o b e d ie n t u n to d e a th , ev en th e d e a th o f th e cro ss. Of His fulness have all believers re ceived. He was full of grace and tru th . He was the Grace of God as well as the T ru th of God. Grace and tru th came by Jesus Christ. W hat a glorious combi nation! Grace w ithput tru th is a mere sentim ent and tru th w ithout grace is vengeance. He manifests all things, and in te rp re ts all things. The study of th is Gospel makes th is plain. He took our n atu re, bu t did not ‘cease to be God. (1 Tim. 3:16.) “ A nd w ith o u t c o n tro v e rs y g r e a t is th e m y s te ry o f go d lin ess« G od w a s m a n ife st in th e flesh, ju stifie d In th e S p irit, se e n o f a n g e ls , p re a c h e d u n to th e G en tiles, b e lie v e d o n in th e w o rld , re c e iv e d u p in to g lo ry .”
made by Him. The world is th e prod uct of m ind and th e world had a be ginning. The world was created by the Word. The Word spake it into existence. He said, “Let th ere be a world,” and th e re was a world. The world is not ail orphan; it has a Cre ato r, a Keeper, a Ruler. So men are in darkness; they are sinful (full of sin ); void of und er standing, as in Gen. 1, “Darkness cov ered th e face of the deep.” Men love darkness. The n atu re of man is d ark ened. (John 3:19.) “ A nd th is Is th e co n d em n atio n , t h a t " lig h t is com e In to th e w o rld , a n d m en lo v ed d a rk n e s s r a th e r th a n lig h t, b e c a u se th e ir d eed s w e re ev il.” Jesus was born in the n igh t and th is is typical of th e moral condition of the world. He was unknown in th e world He created. He came unto His own world and H is own people (th e Jews) received Him not. Some few received Him, and to them He gave H imself and also' th e au tho rity to proclaim them selves th e sons (o r children) of God, (v. 1 2 ), " B u t a s m a n y a s re c e iv e d h im , to th e m g a v e h e p o w e r to b ecom e th e so n s o f God, ev en to th e m t h a t b e lie v e o n h is n am e.” Those who |are His children are not born of blood, nor of th e flesh, nor of the will of man, b u t of God. Here is a threefold denial of the hum an origin of God’s children. H is children are born from above. (John 3:3.) " J e s u s a n s w e re d a n d sa id u n to h im , V erily , v e rily , I s a y u n to th e e , E x c e p t a : m a n b e b o rn a g a in , h e c a n n o t se e th e k in g d o m o f God.” (c) The Manifestation of th e Word and Its Fulness, vs. 14-16. He became a man and tabernacled in th e flesh. He was th e same th a t He was in the beginning, bu t He manifested Himself in human form, as the Shekinah glory was manifest to Israel by day and night, to g ath er to H imself, as the centre; to guide; to go before, as a Shepherd; to guard; to be a L ight in th e m idst of the world darkness; to glorify by revealing God’s glory, (v, 14.)
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