‹‹ WEEK 1 — DAY 2 ›› Morning Nourishment John 2:16 And to those who were selling the doves He said, Take these things away from here; do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise. John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many abodes; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. According to the natural concept, most Christians think that the Father’s house mentioned in John 14:2 must refer to the third heaven where God the Father dwells. But we must not interpret the Bible according to our natural concepts. Rather, we must interpret the Scripture with the Scripture. We must understand the Bible according to and with the Bible. The phrase My Father’s house is used twice in the Gospel of John. It is used the first time in 2:16, where it clearly refers to the temple, the dwelling place of God on earth. The temple is a type, a figure, of the body of Jesus (2:21), which, as we have seen, has in resurrection been enlarged into the Body of Christ. We must pay our full attention to this point. (Life-study of John, p. 354) Today’s Reading In John 2:16 My Father’s house is the temple on earth. It does not denote a place in the heavens, but God’s temple on earth. Since the temple is the type of the body of Jesus, the body of Jesus is the tabernacle (1:14), the temple, for God’s dwelling place on earth. This interpretation of the phrase My Father’s house is clearly shown in chapter 2. We must apply this definition to 14:2, where we have the same phrase. We should not take this phrase in 14:2 to have a different meaning from the same phrase found in 2:16, for that would be illogical.The second time that this phrase is used in the same Gospel it must have the same definition as the first time it is used. Thus, the Father’s house in chapter 14 must also mean God’s dwelling place on earth. It cannot mean the third heaven. In chapter 2 the Father’s house is eventually the Body of Christ, and in chapter 14 it must also be the Body of Christ. No one can deny this. Now we have the proper interpretation of the phrase My Father’s house: it is the Body of Christ, that is, the church. (Life-study of John, pp. 354-355) The Father’s house is a divine and human incorporation of the processed and consummated God constituted with His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed elect. The Father’s house is not only a constitution—it is an incorporation. (The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory, p. 32) In the Father’s house are many abodes (John 14:2). The Greek word for abodes in verse 2 is the plural form of the word translated abode in verse 23. What does abode mean? The many abodes are the many members of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5), which is God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17). The Lord’s Body has many members, and each member is an abode. That the many abodes are the many members of the Body is adequately proven by John 14:23, which says that the Lord with the Father will make an abode with the one who loves Him. Every lover of Jesus is an abode. We all are the abodes of God’s building. This building is the Body of Christ, and all the abodes are the members of the Body of Christ. The words I go in verse 2 mean that the Lord was going through death and resurrection to bring man into God for the building of God’s habitation. This is the building of the church mentioned in Matthew 16:18, where the Lord said, “I will build My church.” Here, in John 14:2, the Lord says, “I go to prepare a place for you.” Are these two separate things? It is impossible. The Lord has only one work. He is not going to prepare a place for us in heaven and at the same time building a church on earth. This is not logical. I go to prepare a place for you means that the Lord would prepare a place, accomplish redemption, open up the way, and make a standing for man to get into God. It means that the Lord would pave the way for us to be in God. This is the central thought of John 14. If we are going to allow God to dwell in us, we must firstly get into Him. If we do not get into Him, He will not get into us. Once we dwell in God, then He will dwell in us. Lee, Witness (2014-02-21). The Holy Word for Morning Revival - The Intrinsic Significance of the Church (Posición en Kindle251-252). Living Stream Ministry. Edición de Kindle.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 17:12:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015