River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-08-27

gotten free from the sentence Of
Adamic death. No one has a standing
with God except those who have turn
ed from sin and have presented their
bodies in full conservation to Him
Those who have taken these steps have
been accepted by the Lord Jesus, in
harmony with the Fathers great Plan
Immediately after our Lord has ac-
cepted them, He counts them as His
| flesh; and then the Father also ac-
cepts that flesh; for, as the Scriptures
POINT out, the flesh of Christ has been
in offering throughout the Gospel Age.
Jesus first offered His own flesh. When
He had finished that work, He ap-
peared in the presence Of God and
made satisfaction for the sins of the
Church, beginning with the Apostles
Then the Father indicated His accept
ance of their sacrifices by giving them
the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the Gospel Age, the Pas
tor continued. all believers have re-
ceived the Holy Spirit just as soon as
they have been accepted OF the Father,
through the great Advocate. All through
the Age the members of the Body Of
Christ have been coming to Him: and
| the flesh of the Church, the consecrat4
ed ones. has been counted as the flesh
of Jesus. This flesh has been suffering
for nearly nineteen hundred years.
Christ suffering in the flesh.
Thus we see the fulfilment of the
Scripture which declares that the
Church is filling up that which remains
of the Affections of Christ. IF we suf-
fer with Him, we shall also reign with
Him." And ''the sufferings Of the pres
ent time are not worthy to be COM
pared with the glory which shall be re-
vealed'' In the Church which is the
Body of Christ. The Prophets of old,
says st. Peter, spoke Of the sufferings
of The Christ and of the glory that
shall follow. All who share the suffer
ingS will also share the coming bless
ings-glory, honor and Immortality.
The Three Bodies of Christ.
Then the Pastor pointed out that
those who are received Of the Lord are
in spirit all one as New Creaturesi
There is one Body Of Christ in the flesh
of the Church. Then there is the other
Body of Christ, the New Creature
Body, composed of the new natures of
all who are begotten Of the Holy Spirit
as New Creatures; and these New
Creatures inhabit this flesh Of Christ.
Here are two Bodies Of Christ then
the Body of Christ in the flesh, and the
Body of Christ spiritually. which is
dwelling in these earthly tabernacleS
and seeking to bring them to the sacri-
fetal point day by day in everything.
He also showed that the final Body Of
Christ beyond the veil will be COM
posed of the more than cOnQuerors"
only-Jesus, the Captain, and all who
voluntarily lay down their lives in
following His example.
Thus there are three Bodies Of Christ.
The final one is taken out Of the other
two Those who are left constitute
the Great Company and those who so
into the Second Death But those who
constitute these Bodies are the only
ones with whom God Is dealing-the
only ones whom He has yet received
And even these were not received until
secration and were begOtten Of the
Holy Spirit as New Creatures. There
fore it is the New Creature that is on
trial, not the flesh. Throughout the
entire Gospel Age. only the New Crea-
lures in Christ have been on trial for
life or death eternal
Who May Reject Christ.
The Pastor then explained that no
one can reject Christ in the full sense
of the word and go into the Second
Death unless he had fully come into
Christ and had become His disciple
While many have heard Of Christ and
have been drawn toward Him. yet I'M
til they offer themselves to God In
conservation and receive the begetting
Of the Holy Spirit, they do not really
hear Him who speaks from Heaven.
Those who are begotten Of the Holy
Spirit get q new understanding, a new
hearing, new ears as it were, and new
eyes. AS New Creatures they see, hear
and understand differently from what
they formerly did. AS st. Paul says,
1.-The natural man receiveth not the
things of the Spirit Of God; for they
are foolishness unto him; neither can
he know them, because they are spirit
ually discerned." No one can discern
spiritual things until he has been be
gotten of the Holy Spirit.
But there is such thing as rejecting
Christ after one has heard about Him.
One may turn his back upon the world,
and turn his face toward God and start
In the right direction. Every step Of
the way he will receive little bless
ing. But if, when he has progressed
to the place where he sees consecra-
ton clearly. he should turn back. it is
a question whether his former prog
ress in the right direction has not done
him harm.
The Pastor illustrated this point by
referring to the Tabernacle in the Will
Glerness. If one going toward the
Tabernacle had entered the Court. had
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