Jesus, Our Forerunner

Jesus, Our Forerunner

We can ask ourselves: What was the Fall, or of what did it consist? It consisted of pride, of wanting to be like the Most High. With this, the serpent tempted Eve. Gen. 3:5. This is also the way along which Satan and the Antichrist have labored since the Fall.

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14:14. “Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:4. All those who are not apprehended of Jesus as their forerunner live and labor in this spirit, whether they are religious or worldly, whether they are aware of it or not.

“Again, I saw that all toil and every skillful work is the product of one man being more ambitious than the other. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.” Eccl. 4:4.

If we are to be specific about our sin, we can call it anger, impatience, fornication, love of money, etc. However, all of it can be summarized in one word: pride!

Pride is our sin. It is the reason for all strife and division, whether religious or political. It is the cause of all corruption in the world, beginning with the Fall. Pride is the nature of the flesh—its desire—which is death and enmity toward God. Those who live according to the flesh will die. Rom. 8:5-7, 13.

Jesus is the light of the world. He says, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12. And Paul exhorts us as follows: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself of His privileges, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men.” Phil. 2:5-7. We cannot follow Jesus on this way of not considering it robbery to be equal with God and being “in the likeness of men,” for we have never been like God. In this we do not need a forerunner. But when He came in the flesh of the seed of David, He began His race and became our forerunner as the light of the world. Rom. 1:3. Then He consecrated a new way through the flesh—the veil—for mankind to become like God, or, to partake of divine nature. Heb. 10:19-20. And through the knowledge of Him who has called us and who has consecrated this new way, we have received “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.” 2 Pet. 1:3-4; Phil. 3:8.

It is precisely because people have no knowledge of this new way that they speak only of Jesus’ death on Calvary for our sins and believe only in the forgiveness of sins and not in partaking of divine nature. They say that we cannot partake of divine nature as human beings here on earth; it is something we will have once we get to heaven. Yet Peter writes that we shall partake of it, “having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” We are not going to do that in heaven, are we?

When Jesus began His race as a man, it was not in the form of a king, because then not many could have followed Him; He began His race in the form of a servant. Therefore it is possible for everyone to follow Him. His race was in humbling Himself—the exact opposite of Satan and Antichrist “who opposes.” When a person begins to follow Jesus on this new way of “humbling himself,” he will meet with opposition from people.

The work God did in His Son in “the days of His flesh” was awesome. During this time Jesus learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and “having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.” Heb. 5:7-9. We run after our forerunner on the new and living way by obeying Him—by humbling ourselves.

This was truly a new and living way for people in which Jesus became our forerunner—the way of humility. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Phil. 2:8-9. “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name . . . .” V. 10. Jesus did not exalt Himself; it was God who did it. Yes, this matter of humbling Himself was truly a new way for people to be exalted, and very few people have faith to follow Him on this way. “He was the most despised.” Isa. 53:3 (German tr.). It wasn’t just that He was condemned to die on the cross together with two robbers, but even there He was humiliated. The two robbers exalted themselves above Him and mocked Him. Matt. 27:44. He humbled Himself and did not come out of love; therefore He could forgive the one robber who repented and did not charge the others with sin who mocked Him. Luke 23:34-43.

The way that Jesus consecrated went “through the veil, that is, His flesh.” On this way of humiliation all pride, the sin that dwells in man’s flesh, was condemned. Now the way is open for us who walk according to the Spirit, to fulfill the requirement of the law and partake of divine nature. Rom. 8:3-4. On this way, all of us become one just as the Father and the Son are one. On this way all partisanship comes to an end. However, Jesus makes it clear that we cannot follow Him into this glory unless we forsake everything and hate even our own life. Luke 14:26-27, 33.

Jesus did not consider it “robbery” to be equal with God. This means that He did not want to be the only one. Therefore He consecrated this way for us, so that we could share this glory with Him—the glory of being heirs of God. Rom. 8:17.

When God gave us His Son, He was the “only begotten,” but when He returned, He was called “the firstborn.” John 3:16; Heb. 1:5-6; Rom. 8:29. If it doesn’t succeed for any man to partake of divine nature as it did for Jesus in the days of His flesh, then Jesus’ race was in vain. And if no one wanted to follow Jesus on this way which He consecrated, why then did He consecrate it?

In connection with the race that Jesus ran—humbling Himself in the days of His flesh—the apostle exhorts us to work out the salvation of our soul, for it is God who is working. In other words, God’s workings go in the direction of humbling ourselves. We could think that we would be very glad when God is working and that we wouldn’t need this exhortation that follows right after: “Do all things without murmuring and doubting.” However, it is evident how difficult it is for us to obey and humble ourselves. So we are in dire need of this exhortation. Only by running after Jesus in this humiliation can we be a light in this world. Phil. 2:12-15.

As soon as we consider something a robbery, for example, being a leader, there is strife and division. But by following Jesus in being a servant and a slave of all, there is unity and peace and a heavenly glory.