Sermon #12 by A.T. Jones (Continued…)
*******Atonement- At-One-Ment*******
And "so," and only so, peace is made.
So that in Christ, God and man are made as one; consequently, Christ is the at-one-ment between God and the man. At-one-ment, making at one.
Consequently, join the syllables together and He is the atonement. Oh, the Lord Jesus gave Himself and in Himself abolished the enmity to make in Himself of two--God and the man--one new man, so making peace.
******* My interjection*******
A new man. 3 verses in the KJV Bible containing 'new man'.
Eph_2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace
Eph_4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Col_3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him
Truly we need to comprehend the new man we become.
New creature. 2 verses in the KJV Bible containing 'new creature'.
2Co_5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Gal_6:15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior the miracle of what occurs is amazing. Allowing Jesus' sacrifice of His life in the flesh as a new and unique man- God with us, the Word made Flesh, a new being stepped in between the two realms of existence- man and God and became the ladder uniting them both. We are allowed to become a new creature too, a new man by accepting what our Savior has done- he destroyed all that would keep us from uniting with Him, destroyed the enmity between man and God. We align ourselves with Christ, leaving this flesh ruled world behind - in Spirit.
Let us read more from A.T. Jones…
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Now we come to the other "both" in verse 18: "That he might reconcile both [both Jew and Gentile] unto God in one body." But what body is it in which He, Christ, reconciles "both" into God? His own, of course. His own, in which the at-one-ment is made. "Having slain the enmity thereby and came and preached peace to you which were afar off" to the Gentile, "and to them that were nigh," that is, the Jews.
The Jews were nigh "for their fathers' sakes." As in themselves, on their own merit, the Jews were separated from God and were just as far off as the Gentiles. But God had made promises to their fathers and they were beloved for the fathers' sakes. And they had the advantage, for to them pertained "the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." In this sense, and for this cause they were nigh. And he preached peace to them that were nigh; they needed peace preached to them.
Thus "through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
Now let us follow this expression, that the enmity is destroyed in himself.
"Having abolished in his flesh the enmity"--having slain the enmity in Himself. In Himself of two, so making peace. It is all in Himself. No man can have the benefit of it except in Him. If there be those in the audience to whom this seems obscure and who would say, "I cannot see that" and would stand off and look at it as though it were something you would try to get hold of from without, I would say to such, You will never get it in that way. That is not the way it is done. It is in Him that it is done, not outside of Him. In Him only can it be known, not outside of Him at all. Surrender to Him, yield to Him, sink self in Him, then it will be all plain enough. Only in Him it is done, and only in Him can it be known. We are to study now how it was done in Him. And knowing this, we shall know how it is done for every one of us in Him.
First of all I would call especial attention to that expression "in Him." This expression is not used in the Scriptures and I shall never expect to use in any such sense as that it is in Him as in a receptacle or a reservoir to which we are to go and take out what we may need and put it upon us or apply it to ourselves. No, no, no! That is not it. It can never be gotten in that way. It is not there as in a receptacle to which we are to go and take out what we would have of him and enjoy it and apply it to ourselves and say, "Now I have got it."
No, it is in Him, and we ourselves are to be in Him, in order to have it. We are to sink ourselves in Him. Our self is to be lost in Him.
Then He has us. Only in Him it is. We find it only in Him. And even when we would get it in Him, it is only by being ourselves overwhelmed in Him. Never are we to think of going to get it there and take it out of Him and use it ourselves. Therefore where the Scriptures use the term "in Him," it means only that to all. All is in Him and we get it by being ourselves in Him.
Many people make a mistake here. They say, "Oh, yes, I believe on Him. I know it is in Him and I get it from Him." And they propose to take it from Him and apply it to themselves. Then soon they become quite well satisfied that they are righteous; they are holy, and they get so far along at last that in their estimation it is a settled fact that they are perfect and just cannot sin and are even beyond temptation. Such a view is certain to bring only such result, because it is out of Him. And it is themselves who are doing it.
But that is not the way. That is self still, because it is out of Christ. And "without Me," that is, outside of Him, "ye can do nothing," because ye are nothing. In Him it is and only in Him. And only as we are in Him can we have it or profit by it at all. The Scriptures will make that all plain. I thought best to set down this explanation so that in the studies that are to come of what is done in Him and what is given is in Him, we shall not make the mistake of thinking we are to find it in Him and take it out. No. We are to go to Him for it. There is where it is, and when we go to Him we are to enter into Him by faith and the Spirit of God and there remain and ever "be found in Him." Phil. 3:9.
Php 3:9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith
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My interjection-
We become a NEW creature, a NEW man only when we are IN CHRIST. Only when CHRIST is in us. IF we ever separate ourselves from Christ, we are NO longer this new creature, this new man. It is impossible for us to be so without Christ, impossible!
That great divide, that great separation that Satan caused to exist between man and God still exists for EVERYONE who refuses to be in Christ, who refuses to have Christ in them. The enmity exists unless Christ is chosen as a way of life, a way of living through Him, through the Spirit. Christ is our HOPE, forever our hope and we cannot think it is of us. It's because of what HE has done and continues to do for us. For ourselves to be lost in Christ is everything. We are choosing Christ over ourselves. Choosing our Redeemer to do for us what is impossible for us to do. He will not do it for us if we are not lost in Him, if He is not a part of our lives completely, in all things.
Please, Lord, we would be yours.. We would have You know us because You are in us, we live in You, we have Your mind in us, we are the new creatures being in You makes us.
Forgive us all the times we step out of You, away from You. Keep us from all evil, keep us in YOU now and forever.
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