Outline
Ⅲ
The seed of David becoming the Son of God speaks of the process of Christ's being designated the firstborn Son of God by resurrection—2 Sam. 7:12-14a; Rom. 1:3-4; Matt. 22:45; Rev. 22:16:
A
Paul says that he was separated unto the gospel of God concerning God's Son, which indicates that the gospel of God is a gospel of sonship for the reality of the Body of Christ—Rom. 1:1, 3-4; 8:28-30; 12:5.
B
Romans 1:3-4 is the fulfillment of the prophecy in typology in 2 Samuel 7:12-14a, unveiling the mystery of God becoming man to make man God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead:
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By incarnation, Christ, the only begotten Son of God in His divinity (John 1:18), put on the flesh, the human nature, which had nothing to do with divinity; in His humanity, He was not the Son of God:
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Jesus in His humanity was the seed of David, a human seed belonging to the old creation (the old man—Rom. 6:6) of God—Col. 1:15b.
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When Christ died on the cross as the seed of David in His humanity, He crucified the old man with the old creation, destroyed the devil, condemned sin in the flesh, and judged the world—Rom. 6:6; Heb. 2:14; Rom. 8:3; 2 Cor. 5:21; John 3:14; 12:31.
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In resurrection His humanity was deified, "sonized," meaning that He became the Son of God not only in His divinity but also in His humanity—Rom. 1:3-4:
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In resurrection He was designated the Son of God, made the firstborn Son of God, possessing both divinity and humanity—8:29.
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Crucifixion was the best way for Him to be designated, glorified, resurrected:
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If a seed dies by being buried in the soil, it will eventually sprout, grow, and blossom, because the operation of the seed's life is activated simultaneously with its death—John 12:23-24.
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The divinity, the Spirit of holiness, in Christ became operative in His death, and in resurrection He "blossomed" as the Son of God.
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According to His flesh, He was crucified, but according to His Spirit, He was made strong, very active, to put divinity into the humanity of Christ to make it divine; this is what it means to designate, and this is to sonize—1 Pet. 3:18.
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The humanity of Christ was designated, marked out, uplifted, by the Spirit of holiness, the divinity of Christ; in this way the humanity of Christ was uplifted into divinity; that is, Christ was begotten again in His humanity to be the firstborn Son of God—Acts 13:33:
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Christ was the first One regenerated in resurrection—Rom. 8:29:
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His humanity was born in His mother's womb; that was human and could not be considered the Son of God but the Son of Man.
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Christ's resurrection uplifted His humanity and put His divinity into this humanity; so by this resurrection His humanity was born again to be a part of the Son of God.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 1:3-4 Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.The person of Christ is of two aspects…In this one person there is divinity and humanity…mingled together. Now let us consider Christ’s humanity…The seed of David refers to Christ’s humanity (Matt. 22:42-45).
Christ as the seed of David is a human seed belonging to the old creation (the old man—Rom. 6:6) of God (Col. 1:15b). In His humanity He was “according to the flesh,” “the flesh of sin” in its likeness but without sin (Rom. 1:3; 8:3b). Both Satan and sin (the inward sin in our nature) are involved with this flesh (Heb. 2:14; John 3:14; Rom. 8:3b)…Since sin is now in our flesh, and Satan is linked with sin, Satan and sin are involved with the flesh, even with the flesh of Christ indirectly. There is also the involvement of the world in this flesh through Satan, the ruler of the world (John 12:31). The flesh of this seed of David is an old man of the old creation involved with Satan, sin, and the world.
When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He brought all these items with Him to be crucified there. His all-inclusive death cleared up the entire universe. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 215-216, 235)
Today’s Reading
Hebrews 9:14 shows that Christ did not die on the cross merely as a man. He also offered Himself to God by the eternal Spirit. The eternal Spirit was with Him and strengthened Him to die.Jesus in His humanity, in that part, was not the Son of God. He was of the old creation, the old man, having the flesh, which is involved with Satan, sin, and the world. So this part had to be made divine, to be sonized, designated, that it might become a part of the Son of God.
Christ is a wonderful person. He has two parts: the man-part, the part of man, and the God-part, the part of God. The part of man is human. The part of God is divine. The human part is in the flesh, involved with the negative things, and the divine part is marvelous…It was in His resurrection that Christ made His humanity divine. His resurrection uplifted the humanity of Jesus into the level of divinity. Here is the essence of the person of Christ. This is very, very deep. Jesus’ divinity is the Spirit of holiness, having the divine power and the divine element to transform Jesus’ humanity, making it divine. This is what it means to designate, and this is to sonize.
This is the fulfillment of the prophecy in typology in 2 Samuel 7:12-
14. In this fulfillment we have seen the essence of Christ’s person as the seed of David in His humanity. He was the Son of Man in the flesh. How could He be the Son of God, so divine? It was by designation in resurrection. This designation was in power according to the Spirit of holiness. The Spirit of holiness is the divinity (Rom. 9:5) in the seed of David—a man of humanity (5:15, 17b, 19). Romans 9:5 shows that Christ is God. As God, He had divinity in Himself to be the seed of David, a man of humanity.
Christ’s divinity had the power to uplift His crucified humanity, to resurrect that humanity. When Paul says that Jesus Christ was designated the Son of God, this means that Christ’s resurrection uplifted His humanity and put His divinity into this humanity. So by this resurrection, His humanity was born to be a part of the Son of God. This is why Acts 13:33 tells us that in resurrection Christ as the Son of Man was born to be the Son of God. As the Son of God with humanity, He is the God-man. This composition of divinity and humanity becomes a God-man, and this God-man is a prototype to produce something. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” pp. 235, 216-217, 236)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 1, “Crystallization-study of the Epistle to the Romans,” chs. 1—2