The Man of God

The Man of God

who is to be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Tim. 3:17. This is truly the Word manifested in the flesh.

IV

The Word manifested in the flesh is a precious gift from God. A greater imparting of God Himself to man cannot be imagined.

A soul who has walked with God and has learned to know His amazing salvation will joyfully exclaim: “Great is the mystery of godliness: He who was manifested in the flesh.” 1 Tim. 3:16.

As He was manifested to mankind in former days, so He must now be manifested in us. That is what He teaches us through His liberating truth.

When we walk with God, it frequently happens that God sends penetrating rays of light into our life, truths that cut through our secret and hidden thoughts and interests, portraying them to our inner eye in their proper perspective. Then the battles can become hard. It is as if God presented us with the truth, saying: “Eat it!” and you cannot see a way out. Eating it means death to a considerable part of our self-life; it means surrender on many points where you have been bound. Eat it, and you will eat the truth.

What happens now? The thing that was judged by the truth is now separated from you, and the truth becomes your life.

The same process takes place in the natural realm. We can eat a piece of bread, and at the end of the day we can ask ourselves: What has become of that piece of bread? It is inside you. And more than that! It has become a part of you. It has become muscles, hair, nails, nerves, and blood. It has been transformed into me. It can no longer be called by its own name. It has become flesh.

That is also what happens with God’s Word. We eat it. We assimilate it. What happens to it? It is not something I strenuously hold on to; it becomes me. It is the Word manifested in the flesh. It cannot be separated from me. Jesus says, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” John 6:56. “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven.” Vs. 57-68.

Many of His disciples now said, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it.” V. 60. Then many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

Eat it! Eat the truth! It costs you something. These are hard words; hard as death against all flesh, but full of Spirit and life for everyone who agrees with them.

God has given us exceedingly great and precious promises which He has bound to His truth, His Word, so that we through them may be partakers of the divine nature by fleeing the corruption that is in the world through lust. See 2 Peter 1:4.

Divine nature! Manifested in the flesh!

This oneness in God is a likeness in essence.

For if we have been united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection. Rom. 6:5. The word “likeness” in the original, omoiøma means to assimilate or to make like oneself. When we water a houseplant and after a few days ask, “What happened to the water?” we must answer, “The water is in the plant.” But that is not all; it has become part of the plant in the same manner as the bread becomes part of us.

What an amazing likeness with Christ in His flesh and in His life!

We are members of His body! “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Eph. 5:30-32.

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” 2 Cor. 3:18.

Take note! We are being transformed into the same image. We are not being changed. We are being transformed. Not after the same image so we become only a copy, but we are being transformed into exactly the same image—into a likeness in essence; and in this likeness we proceed from glory to glory.

So often we pray, “Jesus, let me be like You.” However, this is truly the deep meaning of being like Jesus.

Eat the truth! Eat the read of life. Drink His blood. Even though these are hard words, they are, nevertheless, Spirit and life.

Eat the truth! That requires the death of your self-life. Eat it; then you will lose your life and find it again.

Then Christ will become your life. The power of Christ will become your power, His virtues your virtues, His wisdom your wisdom; His sufferings your sufferings, His death your death.

What a glorious likeness with God’s Son! This is the man of God who is growing up. This is the bride who is becoming one flesh with Him.

When He fetches His bride, He will fetch the one who possesses His nature. And she is the one to whom it has been granted to array herself with works of righteousness. She makes abundant use of this right, for she is zealous in adorning herself for her wedding day, which is her day of rejoicing.

As the man of God appears, you are partaking of such a glorious salvation that you are willing to give your whole life in order to spread these truths to the joy of every seeking soul. This personal salvation with personally imparted power and virtues, gives us one life with Him. This is the salvation which we will continue to proclaim in Skjulte Skatter.

This life can be received only by losing your life. No one loses his life unless he denies himself, takes up his cross daily, and follows Jesus.

All false doctrines suffer shipwreck on the cross. All false doctrines always lead you around the cross.

There is an old saying about Satan that he goes around the cross when he encounters it. And when he is able to get God’s people to walk around the cross, he quickly adds a few false doctrines that are seemingly better than the hard words on whose account many disciples drew back and no longer walked with Jesus.

Paul says that “many . . . are the enemies of the cross of Christ.” It is impossible to have His life revealed in us unless we have given ourselves completely to die with Christ to everything—everything that He may expose in our life.

Eat the truth! Eat it, even though the words are ever so hard. It means death to your flesh, but life to your spirit.