All posts tagged 1 John

Verses in this epistle used in these posts.

Light Constitutes Us into New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:11 tells us that New Jerusalem has the glory of God, and “Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.” New Jerusalem is the eternal lampstand shining to the whole universe.

God is the unique eternal light. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5). God in Christ is the light among men. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” (John 1:4). When we believe into Christ we have Him as our light of life and we become sons of light (John 12:36).

New JerusalemWe become light, as in Philippians 2:15, because we have The Light in us to shine through us. To have this shining we need to forsake all activities in darkness, to “cast off the works of darkness” (Rom. 13:12), and “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

By walking as children of light who have the light inwardly, we are further constituted with light. In God “is no darkness at all”. The more we let Him shine in us, the more the dark parts of our being will be enlightened and the darkness eliminated.

Eventually we will be full of God as light and have no dark parts. We will be “clear” and “transparent” to match the nature of New Jerusalem.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

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by Don on February 12, 2024  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 12, 2024

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2024/02/12/light-constitutes-us-into-new-jerusalem/

Jesus Christ, the Unique Life of New Jerusalem

New JerusalemAccording to the divine revelation, only God Himself is life in the entire universe. This God who is life is absolutely embodied in Christ (Col. 2:9). Christ is the tree of life, and in this tree of life is the full enjoyment of all the riches of life. Revelation 22:2 tells us that the tree of life yields its fruit each month.…This depicts that today our Triune God embodied in Christ is our enjoyment. The fruits of the tree of life, as our life supply, will be the food of God’s redeemed for eternity.*

In John 14:6 the Lord Jesus declares “I am…the life.” He is not the best nor the highest of many lives; He is the unique life because only this life is eternal. We are told in James 4:14 that our human life is “a vapor, which appears for a little while and then disappears.” Thus, “he who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

This is the life of New Jerusalem. This life is in us today— “it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). This life brings forth the glorious city and it will supply the entire New Jerusalem to express God eternally.

* From chapter 43, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986

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by Don on November 13, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on November 13, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/11/13/jesus-christ-the-unique-life-of-new-jerusalem-43-3-1/

A Triune Living with the Father, the Son, the Spirit

Our living should be a triune living, in which we live with the Father in the fellowship of His divine life, live with the Son for His magnification, and live with the Spirit for the bountiful supply of the Triune God. The entire New Jerusalem lives by the Father on the throne, by the Spirit flowing as the river of water of life, and by the Son growing as the tree of life….This should not be something merely in the future, but this must be our living today.*

New JerusalemThe Father’s life and its fellowship are seen in 1 John 1:2-3. Our living with the Son to magnify Him is in Philippians 1:20-21. And the bountiful supply of the Spirit is in Philippians 1:19. This life, living, fellowship, supply, and magnification are for the Christian life now as written by John and Paul in these verses.

New Jerusalem is eternal and our triune living today is with the eternal life. Each aspect of the triune living should increase in this age and will certainly blossom in full when New Jerusalem descends out of the new heaven.

* From chapter 42, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986

 

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by Don on October 20, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on October 20, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/10/20/a-triune-living-with-the-father-the-son-the-spirit/

The Father is Leading Many Sons into the Glory of New Jerusalem

New JerusalemJohn 1:12-13— “…children of God…who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
First John 5:11b-12a— “God gave to us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life.”
“The life” indicates that in God’s view only His life, the eternal life, is really life. In contrast, 1 Peter 1:24 declares about human life, “all flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass has withered, and the flower has fallen off.”

To say that we have been born of God and that we have the life of God and the nature of God is a divine, scriptural fact (John 1:13; 1 John 5:11-12; 2 Pet. 1:4). Since we all were born of a man, this makes us a man….In like manner, the fact that we have been born of God means that we have God’s life and God’s nature and that we are the sons of God.*

The New Testament often has the word “Father” and often speaks of us as “children of God” or “sons of God.” These terms indicate a life relationship. By this life God is “leading many sons into glory” (Heb. 2:10). This life is eternal so this relationship is eternal and is the essence of New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 42, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The text of this Bible is at text.recoveryversion.bible; this too is © by LSM

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com.

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by Don on October 2, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on October 2, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/10/02/the-father-is-leading-many-sons-into-the-glory-of-new-jerusalem-42-1-3/

The Flow of Life is Today and in New Jerusalem

John wrote in Revelation 22:1 that an angel showed him “a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its [New Jerusalem’s] street.”

In the New Jerusalem we see that the One sitting on the throne is the source of life. This refers to God the Father who is within the Lamb as the light and who is the source of life (John 5:26). Proceeding out of the throne is the river of water of life. John 7:38-39 indicates that the river of water of life denotes the Spirit of life. In this river grows the tree of life, which refers to the Son.*

New JerusalemThe One on the throne as the source of life is not unique to New Jerusalem. This is the whole New Testament. “God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him” (1 John 4:9).

And the Lord Jesus said in John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly.”

The life God the Father sends to us today is identical to what flows from the throne in New Jerusalem. But we, the receivers of this life, are not the same as in New Jerusalem. Today we have a mind that needs renewing (Eph. 4:23) and a mortal body (Rom. 8:13). But when we are in the fullness of New Jerusalem our entire being will be saturated with the life from the throne.

* From chapter 42, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986

Photo courtesy of US National Park Service

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by Don on September 27, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on September 27, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/09/27/the-flow-of-life-is-today-and-in-new-jerusalem-42-1-1/

God Shines in Christ the Lamp

New JerusalemRevelation 21:23 tells us, “the city [New Jerusalem] has no need of the sun or of the moon that they should shine in it, for the glory of God illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.”
First John 1:7 speaks in this way, “if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.”

God is our light both now and in New Jerusalem.

We need to ask why God, being the light, needs a lamp. Every electrical light needs a holder or a bulb. Without the bulb, our touching of the electricity may electrify and kill us. In like manner, without the Lamb being the lamp, God’s shining over us would “kill” all of us. However, the divine light shines through our Redeemer. This light has become so lovable and touchable, and we even walk in this light (1 John 1:7)….The Lamb as the lamp expresses the light in a very approachable and lovable way.*

Ephesians 5:8 encourages us to “walk as children of light.” This is to walk by God’s life because we are God’s children. If we walk by our natural life we are in darkness. Second and third John have verses about walking in the truth and walking according to His commandments.

The light, the truth, and the commandments are not three separate things. All are aspects of God in Christ who has come to us as the shining one, the reality, and the living word. This walk is the present inward realization of what will be so much stronger in New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 37, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

Photo courtesy of unsplash.com.

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by Don on May 15, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on May 15, 2023

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2023/05/15/god-shines-in-christ-the-lamp/

Transformation into the Glory of the Lord

“He who was sitting [upon the throne in heaven] was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance” (Rev. 4:3). “Her [New Jerusalem’s] light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal.” (Rev. 21:11)

The Spirit’s transforming work is with His bountiful supply of the divine element (Phil. 1:19) for the building up of God’s building (Gen. 2:12b; 1 Cor. 3:12a; 1 Pet. 2:4-5). Consummately, the transforming work of the Spirit issues in the New Jerusalem, which bears the image of God for His expression. God appears like a jasper stone in Revelation 4:3, and the New Jerusalem, having the glory of God, shines like a jasper stone (21:11)….Since jasper signifies God expressed in His communicable glory (4:3), the main function of the holy city is to express God in bearing His glory.*

New JerusalemTo express God we must be transformed into His image and radiate His glory. This is a gradual process, “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). The glory of the Lord is the glory of New Jerusalem which shines out from the city. The Lord shines through because the city is “pure gold, like clear glass” (Rev. 21:18).

In ourselves we are dark, opaque because of sin and death (Rom. 5:12). But transformation by the Spirit changes our nature so it also changes our appearance. The apostle John assures us, “We know that if He is manifested, we will be like Him because we will see Him even as He is” (1 John 3:2). We will be like Him and corporately as New Jerusalem we will express Him.

* From chapter 34, Witness Lee, God’s New Testament Economy, published by Living Stream Ministry, © Witness Lee, 1986.

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by Don on February 20, 2023  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on February 20, 2023

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The Transparency of New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:12-21 is a portion describing New Jerusalem, including the wall, the foundations of the wall, the gates, the street, and the city as a whole. This portion ends, “the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.”

New JerusalemHow much of our situation today is not transparent! But in the future, in God’s presence, we will all be transparent. Even so, today we should not have many hiding places and many veils. We should not pretend to be godly before men in order to win their praise…. When our actual condition is not so good and we pretend to be good, we are not transparent. Many times our words and our actions are quite unnatural….This is not being transparent. All artificiality and imitation are not transparent.

New Jerusalem’s street is “pure gold, like transparent glass.” The pure gold symbolizes the divine nature. Only this nature is transparent. In our natural being we are cloudy, vague, obscure. We should take two actions. First:

We need to confess many things. Among the brothers and sisters we need to learn to confess to each other and not to cover our sin. Whenever we have sinned against others, we should not try to rationalize it away, but confess it.*

To confess our sins is to “walk in the light.” In God’s light (not our own “light”) the blood of Jesus cleanses us and we have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7). Second, we need the divine life supply to transform us, to renew us from our old cloudy nature to God’s transparent nature. We need the renewing of the Spirit to transform us with the nature of New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 5 of The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, available at www.ministrybooks.org/ and www.livingstream.com/en/the-church/8012401-glorious-church-the.html.

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by Don on July 27, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 27, 2022

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Three Materials in God’s Eternal Purpose

Revelation 21:18, “And the building work of its wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold…”
Revelation 21:21a, “And the twelve gates were twelve pearls.”
Revelation only mentions three materials in the composition of New Jerusalem: gold, pearl, and precious stones. These signify God’s nature, Christ’s life, and the Spirit’s transformation. The Triune God is the constitution of the entire city of New Jerusalem.

New JerusalemFirst Corinthians 3:12 says that spiritual building should have materials of gold, silver, and precious stones…but in Genesis 2, in the garden of Eden, there were gold, precious stones, and pearl—there was no silver. In Revelation 21, in the New Jerusalem, there are once again gold, precious stones, and pearl; there is no silver. What is the significance of this? Gold, precious stones, and pearl—these three items—are found both in the garden of Eden and in the New Jerusalem. This means that gold, precious stones, and pearl are from eternity to eternity.*

Silver represents redemption. In Genesis 1–2 there was no sin and in Revelation 21–22 there is no sin. Hence there is no need of redemption and no silver is present. In contrast, from Genesis 3 through Revelation 20 there is sin causing the need of redemption.

Thank God that although we have sinned, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from every sin. However, God has shared the life of His Son with us, a life which forever needs no redemption. One day we will live completely by this life and the history of sin will pass away.*

How wonderful that Jesus died so that God could forgive our sins. As Christians we need to confess our sins and receive forgiveness (1 John 1:7). But even more we need to hold onto Christ to grow in His life in everything so that He can flow through us for the growth and building of His Body (Eph. 4:15-16) unto New Jerusalem.

* From chapter 5 of The Glorious Church by Watchman Nee, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, available at www.ministrybooks.org/ and www.livingstream.com/en/the-church/8012401-glorious-church-the.html.

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by Don on July 20, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on July 20, 2022

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We Become Children of God to Grow unto New Jerusalem

God in Christ is life, the divine, eternal life. In resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45) to impart this life into us. Through this age and the kingdom age this life brings forth and New Jerusalembuilds up New Jerusalem, God’s eternal goal.

John 1:12, “as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten…of God.”  This is our receiving Christ to be born of God as His children. “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God” (Rom. 8:16).

By our receiving Him as our life, He is able to move onward to His goal, His heart’s desire, with us. This life grows and spreads in us to constitute us with the essence of New Jerusalem, the city of life.

To become children of God is wonderful. First John 3:1 declares, “Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are.” Yet we need to grow. First John warns us, “little children, abide in Him, so that if He is manifested, we may have boldness and not be put to shame from Him at His coming.”

To abide in Him is to live by the divine life we received, not by our natural life. At present we must exercise to do this but by the time of New Jerusalem all hindrances will have been removed and we will abide in Him one hundred percent.

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by Don on March 18, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 18, 2022

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God’s Purpose is Accomplished by His Life in Us (2)

God created man with the intention to impart His life into the created man so that God could be expressed through man. God’s life and His expression, not saving us from sin, is God’s goal.

New JerusalemRedemption is necessary now because of the fall of man and it opens the door for God to impart life into us. The previous post presented this using Galatians 3 and 4.

Acts 2:38 records Peter speaking to the listening crowd, “Repent and each one of you be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Forgiveness results in the Spirit, who imparts life, being received by man.

Colossians 2:13 declares that God “made alive together with Him [Christ], having forgiven us all our offenses.” By His life lived out through us God will express Himself to the universe now and much more in New Jerusalem.

First John 4 also puts redemption and life together. “In this the love of God was manifested among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might have life and live through Him. Herein is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins” (v. 9-10).

God’s Son accomplished propitiation so that “we might have life and live through Him.” We have life and live it on the path to New Jerusalem and will continue to live this life for eternity.

Photo courtesy of NASA.

In 1 John 4 life is before propitiation. This sequence is not according to our time-line thinking. There are other examples in the Bible where God’s desire is stated before the supporting action. Contact me if you want examples.

Bible verses quoted in these posts are from The Holy Bible, Recovery Version, published and © by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim CA, 2003. The New Testament of this Bible, with its outlines, is at online.recoveryversion.org; this too is © by LSM.

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by Don on March 2, 2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on March 2, 2022

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2022/03/02/gods-purpose-is-accomplished-by-his-life-in-us-2/

Christ Can Be Magnified in Us (2)

Here are more verses about God’s expression through the believers in Christ. These all relate to our Christian life today. This is a preview of something much greater in the coming age and in in New Jerusalem.

In Matthew 5:16 Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.” The words Your Father indicate He was speaking to those who would be regenerated
by New Jerusalembelieving into Him.

In John 21 the Lord spoke many things to Peter, including “another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish to go. Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God.” Even in death it is possible to glorify God.

Peter instructs the believers to have “your manner of life excellent among the Gentiles, so that…they may, by your good works, as they see them with their own eyes, glorify God in the day of His visitation” (1 Peter 2:12). The day of God’s visitation could include both this age and the time of the Lord’s return. This visible display results in Gentiles, unbelievers, glorifying God!

In 1 John 3, John declares to us that all who manifest righteousness and love are children of God; we manifest these virtues by possessing and living out God’s life. This manifestation is at present and will surely increase when the Lord Jesus returns visibly and increase again in New Jerusalem.

Photo courtesy of PDphoto.org.

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by Don on December 17, 2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Don on December 17, 2021

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2021/12/17/christ-can-be-magnified-in-us-2/

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