The Harp of God: Proof Conclusive That Millions Now Living Will Never Die
John Stuart Mill · en
[336]Any one thus presented by Jesus to the Father, Jehovah, justified,
accepted and begotten, is designated in the Scriptures as a new
creature. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
There is now a newness of life, which does not result from being
transferred to another climate, but from being given a new dominating
factor in our lives, namely, the will of God. Honest Heart, or whoever
takes this step, now has new hopes, new aims, new ambitions, new
aspirations, and new ideas. He is not looking for earthly honor and
glory; but he is looking forward to the time when he might be forever
with the Lord in his kingdom and be a part of the seed of Abraham
according to the promise, through which the blessings of mankind will
come.
[337]This one is now dead from the standpoint of a human being, as the
apostle Paul puts it: "Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in
God". (Colossians 3:3) The new creature now must be renewed, refreshed
and invigorated and strengthened by knowledge, not by ordinary
knowledge; but by an acquaintance with God's will and a deep
appreciation of his plan. (Colossians 1:9) The world cannot know
anything about this; only those who are in the relationship with the
Lord. The whole world lies in the wicked one. (1 John 5:19) But now the
new creature in Christ is admonished to be not conformed to this world,
but to be transformed by the renewing of his mind, that he might prove
what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.--Romans 12:2.
[338]The one begotten is begotten by the spirit of God, the holy
spirit. He is also anointed. This anointing is received by reason of
coming into the body of Christ. He is baptized into Christ's death;
therefore baptized into Christ's body. To be baptized means to be
immersed. To be baptized into Christ's death means to be immersed into
the death of Christ. And so the Apostle puts it: "Know ye not, that so
many of us as are baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life." (Romans 6:3,4) Baptism in
water is merely a symbol of the real baptism. It would do no one any
good to be baptized in water unless he had first undergone the real
baptism by being immersed into Christ.