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At rebirth believers are complete in salvation (we will never be more saved in our spirit than we are now), and in our spirit being we have been fully “conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom 8:29) via being “partakers of His divine nature” (2Pet 1:4), which in my understanding exists via the “new nature”; which new nature (“new man”) is created by the Spirit and in Whose image is Christ (Rom 8:29; Col 3:10).
Completely conformed in our spirit, but progressively conforming in our walk. The walk alters not the conformation but the comprehension of our conformation alters our walk!
This of course does not design the intention that the creature (man) becomes divine, but only as it is written—taking our part in being recipients of the provisions from the divine nature and not becoming divine, i.e. being holy, righteous, justified and sanctified—but never “divine.”
Being divine is reserved solely to the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit), for possessing divinity requires never having had a beginning but has existed “from everlasting (eternity past) to everlasting” (eternity future).
The longer believers live in this life, the more they manifest this completeness—by their walk, which is unceasingly progressive in learning and appropriation (applying). The sole relation which the walk of the believer has with salvation is that of “justifying,” which in this sense means to manifest or display, and this parallels “by works a man is justified” (Jam 2:25), e.g. works show (manifest or display) one has been made righteous.
The other sense of “justify” is that which only the Lord Jesus effects (produces—Rom 3:24; 5:9; 8:30; 1Cor 6:11; Tit 3:7), which believers can only manifest but never produce (same as the branch only “bears” - Jhn 15:8, for only the vine produces). The manor of our walk will always be commensurate with the level at which is our understanding concerning our faith in Christ’s expiation, and of our comprehension concerning the completeness of our Father’s acceptance in Him!
Therefore, everyone born-again has been perfected in their spirit being, which will be fully manifested at the “Resurrection of the just” (Luk 14:14), due to the absence of the corruptible body and the sinful nature (“old man”). All that remains for believers here is to continue to mature in our “walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:25), which God uses to glorify Himself and His Son, via strengthening the saved and drawing the lost!
Completely conformed in our spirit, but progressively conforming in our walk. The walk alters not the conformation but the comprehension of our conformation alters our walk!
This of course does not design the intention that the creature (man) becomes divine, but only as it is written—taking our part in being recipients of the provisions from the divine nature and not becoming divine, i.e. being holy, righteous, justified and sanctified—but never “divine.”
Being divine is reserved solely to the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit), for possessing divinity requires never having had a beginning but has existed “from everlasting (eternity past) to everlasting” (eternity future).
The longer believers live in this life, the more they manifest this completeness—by their walk, which is unceasingly progressive in learning and appropriation (applying). The sole relation which the walk of the believer has with salvation is that of “justifying,” which in this sense means to manifest or display, and this parallels “by works a man is justified” (Jam 2:25), e.g. works show (manifest or display) one has been made righteous.
The other sense of “justify” is that which only the Lord Jesus effects (produces—Rom 3:24; 5:9; 8:30; 1Cor 6:11; Tit 3:7), which believers can only manifest but never produce (same as the branch only “bears” - Jhn 15:8, for only the vine produces). The manor of our walk will always be commensurate with the level at which is our understanding concerning our faith in Christ’s expiation, and of our comprehension concerning the completeness of our Father’s acceptance in Him!
Therefore, everyone born-again has been perfected in their spirit being, which will be fully manifested at the “Resurrection of the just” (Luk 14:14), due to the absence of the corruptible body and the sinful nature (“old man”). All that remains for believers here is to continue to mature in our “walk in the Spirit” (Gal 5:25), which God uses to glorify Himself and His Son, via strengthening the saved and drawing the lost!
