The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-06-22


He desired membership In the Body OF
Christ
The word Christ means anointed
Jesus is the Head of The Christ, and
the Church are the members. God is
raising up a great Amounted One. He
raised up Jesus first, and gave Him to
be the Head over the Church which is
His Body. Throughout the Gospel Age
God has been raising up the members
Of The Amounted; and through the
Apostle He has said that all things are
to be counted as loss and dross In COM
parison to that wonderful privilege of
being members of The Christ; for to
Christ God promised the Kingdom and
glory, honor, Immortality.
Jesus has already entered into His
glory and sat down with the Father.
This does not signify that literally He
has sat down In Heaven, but that He
has entered into that glorious rest OF
which the Apostle speaks. (Hebrews
4:0.) He is at the Fathers right hand
the place Of chief favor with God
Next to the Father Himself Is our
Lord Jesus Christ. The Master has
promised that His faithful followers
shall sit at His right hand, and share
In His glory as joint-heirs In His In
heritance.-1 Peter Ia, s.
After mentioning these matters and
declaring that he counted all earthly
things az loss and dross, the Apostle
explains that he was looking forward
to a resurrection with Christ, that he
might share In Christ's glory. philip
plans 3:1O) What deprivation will not
men endure in order to attain earthly
honors- political, financial and social
They do not concern themselves par
ticularly about the amount Of labor
and money expended If only they can
get the honor The Apostle, taking
the viewpoint Of God, says, How small
all these things look when compare
them with the privilege OF becoming
joint-heir with Jesus Christi
Then st. Paul declares that he does
all this that he may win Christ. and
be found In Him-a member of the
Body of Christ, the Church. Just as
we speak Of board of directors or Of
the body Of Congress, 80 the Church is
such an organized body. The Apostle
was anxious to be member Of that
Body of Christ. He saw that Jesus
had fulfilled the Fathers win I'm all
His experiences; and knowing thus
what the Father Is pleased with and
seeing that the Father had exalted our
Lord, the Apostle desired to follow the
Master. So he says, THAT / may know
Him and the power Of His resurrec-
tion"- experience that grand resurrec-
ton, be changed In moment, in the
twinkling of an eye." Since flesh and
blood cannot inherit the Heavenly
therefore all the Body of
Christ must undergo the wonderful
power of the First Res
urrection.-1 Corinthians 15:4e-55.
Fellowship of Christ's suffsrings.
St. Paul knew that he could not en-
ter into Christ's resurrection unless
he entered into Christ's death. Only
those who would suffer with Christ
could reign with Him. This knowledge
was what made St. Paul SO different
from others. of his day. We look back
and see what a wonderful man he was
how Christ's character shone In his
words and deeds, how much he was
filed with the Masters words and dis
position.
The same admonition is given US,
that we should follow His steps," In
as we become dead to the
world. dead with ChH&t. in that pro-
portion we become risen with Him
But there is a difference between our
case and that Of Jesus. He was es-
pecially born, as the Bible emphasizes;
and He could not have been our Savior
II He had not been. To deny this fact
would be to deny the Ransom Who
world perfect human being is de-
nying the whole Plan of Salvation.
Bis life did not come from Father Ad-
am, but was transferred from a higher
plane. He left the glory which He
had with the Heavenly Father, and
humbled Himself to become man.
He was able to do the Fathers will. No
SIN debarred Him from Divine favor.
But all OF us were born In sin; God
had declared Adam and his posterity
unfit for everlasting life and Divine
fellowship.
At the age of thirty years our Lord
presented Himself to the Father In
conservation. The Father accepted the
sacrifice, and manifested His accept
ance In the importation of the Holy
Spirit Then. having received the be-
getting Of the new nature, our Lord
was counted New Creature. There,
at Jordan, He died, In the sense OF
giving up His life as human being;
and there He began the new life.
From the time He made His Covenant
Of Sacrifice He was New Creature.
During the three and one-half years
Of His ministry, which eliminated at
Calvary, Jesus was not living accord
Ing to the world. He was living a
higher life. During that time His sac
rifice was satisfactory to the Father;
and because Of this. the incense Of His
Offering entered into the antitypical
Most Holy and covered the Mercy
Seat Therefore, when He died at Cal
vary. there was laid up for Him the
blessing which He received ON the
third day thereafter. Because He had
proved faithful during the three and
years Of His Amounting Of the
Holy Spirit, the Father raised Him
from the dead, and exalted Him far
above angels.
The experiences OF the Church are
somewhat similar. From the time that
We surrender our Wills and begin the
sacrtAcial life, we are dead with Him
Then 1t Is for us to live the new life
lead according to the flesh and alive
oward God. dying daily and living
laily. Our resurrection Ia going on
moment by moment, year by year, I'M
IL our trial Is finished Then we shall
DO rewarded according to our faithful
hess from the time we came into Gods
the time we received the
'egetting Of the Holy Spirit and were
recognized as sons Of God, risen with
thirst, to walk In newness Of life.
Before We came into the family OF
]od we were merely outcasts. But
when we heard that God had provided
or the redemption Of our race through
he death Of HIS Son and was willing
o receive us, 1t was Good Tidinas to |
ls. God has arranged that when we i
make q full conservation Of our hearts
o Christ He accepts us. imputes to us |
lis merit and advocates for US This |
III continue until the full number of |
be Elect shall have been found; for |
a thoro 10 n d<finf<a rtanhor r,f hone.