The Mystery of Godliness

The Mystery of Godliness

“To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” Rev. 3:21.

This is what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, and He says the same to us today. Overcome as He overcame! If we are going to talk about the same victory, we also have to talk about the same battle. What was this battle that Jesus fought and by which He became an example for us? He fought against the things that hinder us from obeying God. And what is that? It is our self-will—the desires, or will, of the flesh and of the mind. Eph. 2:3. This is what used to have power over us, and perhaps still has power over us to some degree. The law was powerless against it, and every man is powerless against it. God saw our need, and so He sent His Son to overcome this will and liberate us from the bondage in which we were held. Jesus did this voluntarily. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; therefore He came in the likeness of men. Rom. 8:3; Phil. 2:6-8. He was found in appearance as a man and partook of flesh and blood as the children. Heb. 2:14-18. He did not come to aid the angels, so He did not have to become like them; neither was He supposed to help Adam before the Fall, because there was no one like that. But He was to give aid to the descendants of Abraham; therefore He had to become like them in all things. He had to partake of the same battle and do what the descendants of Abraham could not do, which is to “overcome.” By partaking of flesh and blood, He of course met the same will of the flesh and of the mind. As the Son of Man He calls this will His “own will” when He says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 5:30; 6:38; 8:28; Matt. 26:39. These two wills met in Jesus: the will of man and the will of God. But in Jesus the will of man was put to death, and God’s will was done to perfection. “To him who overcomes . . . as I also overcame . . . .”

He could be tempted like us by this will of the flesh and of the mind that He had partaken of as the Son of Man. But in contrast to us, He overcame and remained without sin. Heb. 4:15. He suffered being tempted and came to our aid who are being tempted. He suffered because His will had to die. “Therefore, since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin . . . .” 1 Pet. 4:1. Read also verse 2. In this way we partake of the sufferings of Christ and the death of Christ—with the result that we cease from sin, and the life of Christ can be manifested in our mortal flesh. 2 Cor. 4:10-11.

Jesus learned obedience by the things He suffered. He was to do the Father’s will. When He was perfected He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Heb. 5:7-9. “To him who overcomes . . . as I have overcome . . . .”

Jesus began, and He finished. This is the way of obedience. On this way we notice that the flesh is a veil for us. However, Jesus consecrated the new and living way through the veil because He Himself partook of flesh. Heb. 10:20. According to the flesh He was of the seed of David, but according to the Spirit of holiness He was declared to be the Son of God with power. Rom. 1:3-4. He suffered death in the flesh but was made alive in the Spirit. 1 Pet. 3:18. This is a great mystery of godliness, which we need to make use of if we are to be conformed to Christ’s image. 1 Tim. 3:16.

By acknowledging my sin, I receive peace with God, and the blood of Jesus cleanses me. However, salvation is to be conformed to the Son through obedience. Then the same work has to take place in us as it did in Him in the days of His flesh. This was not a game; the battle He fought was not play-acting. He offered up prayers and supplications with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death. He fought until His sweat fell like drops of blood, praying, “Not My will, but Yours, be done.” If His own will had been done, the result would have been death—Jesus’ body would have seen corruption. But His prayers were heard. God’s will was done perfectly in and through Jesus’ body, and death could not hold Him. Jesus said, “You will indeed drink My cup.” When this cup, (death over our self-will), is handed to us, we dread it, but then we are to glorify the Father’s name by doing His will. John 12:27-28; Luke 12:50. Here we find consolation in Christ, comfort of love, fellowship of the Spirit, affection, and mercy. Phil. 2:1.

Jesus offered Himself in the power of an eternal Spirit. Heb. 9:14. He had this Spirit from His birth since He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was not born by the will of man. In this Spirit Jesus overcame all flesh and put to death all self-will. This was the same Spirit He sent into the world on the day of Pentecost. If we walk in this Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Gal. 5:16. “To him who overcomes . . . as I have overcome . . . .”

We will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and we shall be His witnesses. Acts 1:8. Therefore Jesus could say, after He had promised to send the Holy Spirit, “If you keep My commandments . . . just as I have kept My Father’s commandments . . . .” He sent out the disciples just as His Father had sent Him. Now the disciples and those who believed their word could be one as the Father and the Son are one—even perfectly one. John 15:9-10; 17:16, 21, 23.

This is a great salvation: to be as He is in all things; to be one just as the Father and the Son are one. Who believes this? It is those who believe that Christ came in the flesh. They also believe that He can be manifested in the flesh in these days. Satan has robbed this precious faith from God’s people in our days. This is why there is so much sin and so many denominations. This is the spirit of Antichrist at work. This spirit denies that Jesus has come in the flesh; this is a deceiver. 2 John 7. The spirit of Antichrist was already active in John’s days. This spirit began to deceive the believers in those days; and this work has steadily and constantly increased. In our days the people of God have been deceived to such an extent that the Spirit of God who confesses that Jesus is Christ manifested in the flesh, is considered to be the deceiver by them. 1 John 4:2.

You who long to overcome as He overcame, wake up and test the spirits whether they are of God! Be not deceived by sweet words, but receive the word of the cross. Then you will suffer death according to the flesh just as Christ did and be made alive according to the Spirit just as Christ was. Then you will also inherit together with Him and sit on thrones together with Him. Let no one rob you of your reward. Drink the cup which He drank, and you will be given a place by His side. Mark 10:39-40.

“Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?— ‘I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.’” Isa. 63:1. Edom was descended from Esau. Gen. 25:30. Esau is a picture of the flesh, as it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” Rom. 9:13.

“Who is this who comes from Edom? . . . I . . . mighty to save.” All of us have been prisoners in Edom—in the flesh. Therefore Jesus had to go there to redeem us and save us. “I . . . mighty to save.” He trod the winepress alone; no one was with Him. He had nowhere to lay His head. The day of vengeance was in His heart, and the year of redemption had come. He was to deliver us from the hand of our enemies, that we might serve Him without fear in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. Luke 1:74-75.

He trod down the peoples in His anger. He put to death sin in the flesh. Rom. 8:3. He who is mighty to save came from Edom; and after Him comes a people—children who will not fail. So He became their Savior. Isa. 63:8. Now we do not need to be in the flesh any longer. All those who are without guile can follow Him. They can come out of Edom to serve God in holiness and righteousness. However, if they harbor guile, and if their heart is divided, they remain in the flesh. They will never gain victory over sin. They cover up Esau. They get angry when God’s Spirit who reveals Esau’s secret hiding places is working. They call it hard words; too little love; etc. Esau has many secret hiding places, and he will remain alive if you are not wholehearted. But God will uncover his secret places to those who are without guile; He will destroy his descendants, his brethren and his neighbors, and he will be no more. Jer. 49:10.

Let us follow Him who speaks righteousness, who is mighty to save. Let us accept this salvation and follow Him out from the flesh to a walk in the Spirit.

God has given Jesus authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. Therefore He also knows how to judge people. And all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. John 5:27-29; 1 Tim. 2:4-7.