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The two generations should be interpreted not only in a literal sense but also in a typological sense; the first generation typifies our old man, and the second generation typifies our new man:
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Paul’s intention in writing 1 Corinthians was to help the saints experience the dying out of the old man and the growing up of the new man—3:1 and footnote 11, 6-9; 5:7; 10:3-13.
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The good land in 2 Corinthians typifies Christ Himself as the very embodiment of the processed Triune God given to us as the divine grace for our enjoyment—1:12; 4:15; 6:1; 8:1, 9; 9:8, 14; 12:9; 13:14.
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We need to be those who grow in life into the full possession and enjoyment of the all-inclusive Christ, God’s promised land; to grow in life is to eliminate the old generation and to be renewed in our mind, emotion, and will for our transformation; transformation is the dying out of the old man and the growing up of the new man.
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God’s economy is to have our old man (the outer man) consumed and our new man (the inner man) renewed day by day—4:16.
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Transformation is the inward metabolic process in which God works to spread His divine life and nature throughout every part of our being, particularly our soul, bringing Christ and His riches into our being as our new element and causing our old, natural element to be gradually discharged—3:18; Rom. 12:2.
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By the Lord’s mercy and grace, since we have come into the Lord’s recovery, a metabolic change is taking place within us; this is the experience of being renewed for our growth in life and transformation in life to usher us into the enjoyment of Christ as our good land for God’s building and kingdom.
Morning Nourishment
2 Cor. 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart; but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.Rom. 12:2 And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.
With the children of Israel from the Passover to the entering of the good land, there were two generations. The first generation was made up of those who came out of Egypt, and the second, of those who entered the good land. This indicates that we believers have two generations….The first generation is our old man, and the second generation is our new man.
With the exception of Joshua and Caleb, who had another spirit, the first generation died out. Joshua and Caleb belonged to the new generation, not to the old generation. That is why they experienced a double baptism, the first baptism when they passed through the Red Sea and the second when they crossed the Jordan River. The old generation passed through the Red Sea, but it was the new generation that crossed the Jordan. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, p. 432)
Today’s Reading
Between the first baptism at the Red Sea and the second baptism at the Jordan River, the children of Israel were experiencing transformation….You may have wondered how they could be God’s people....They were fighting, murmuring, and criticizing. But during the forty years between passing through the Red Sea and crossing the Jordan River, there were many dealings related to transformation. This means that, spiritually speaking, during this time the children of Israel were transformed. Yes, the old generation was strewn in the wilderness, and this is a warning to us. But a new generation came forth. This is transformation. After they crossed the Jordan, they became a mighty army.If we consider the history of the children of Israel, we shall not be disappointed with ourselves. Instead, we shall realize that we can be compared to caterpillars in a cocoon undergoing the process of transformation. Do not be disappointed, but worship the Lord from within your “cocoon.”…The more this work progresses, the more we emerge from our cocoon. Some of the young ones may have only a small part free from the cocoon, whereas other saints have a greater percentage of their being outside the cocoon. Praise the Lord that the caterpillars are being transformed and that the cocoons are gradually disappearing! This is the real situation in the church life in the Lord’s recovery.
To grow in life is also to eliminate the old generation and to be renewed in our mind, emotion, and will. This involves transformation. Transformation is a matter of eliminating the old generation, the old man, and putting on the new generation, the new man. This is to fully come out of the cocoon and be released as a butterfly.
Today we are enjoying Christ, but we have not yet possessed Him as the all-inclusive land. If we would possess Christ in this way, our old man must die out, and the new man must come forth….Many of us can testify that since we have come into the Lord’s recovery, a change has taken place within us. This change is the dying out of the old man and the growing up of the new man. This is transformation, the growth in life.
Paul’s intention in writing this Epistle to the Corinthians was to help them to experience the dying out of the old man and the growing up of the new man. He uses the word grow in chapter 3, saying that he planted, Apollos watered, and God gives the growth. (Life-study of 1 Corinthians, pp. 433-435)
Further Reading: Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msgs. 47-48; CWWL, 1967, vol. 2, “An Autobiography of a Person in the Spirit, ” ch. 10