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Church as Kingdom of God in Embryo
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Ephesians 3:14-15  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The Family of God is located both in heaven and on earth. In heaven there are two Beings of spirit who are part of the Godhead. This flies right in the face of the concept of strict monotheism! But even more startling is that God considers true Christians to be part of the Godhead already! It has been said that the church is the Kingdom of God in embryo. Currently two members of the Godhead are spirit. But God—Elhoim—said, "Let Us create man in Our image" (Genesis 1:26), and what is evident from the beginning of the Bible all the way to the end is that Elohim is expanding! God is increasing what Elohim is. God is increasing the number of those who are in the Godhead. This is not hard to understand. Now we are already children of God. We are in His Family. To us, monotheism indicates that one is worshipping one distinct and unique almighty personality, and if anyone claims anything more than that, that person is considered to be a polytheist—worshipping many gods. This is hard to accept here in this Western world, and this resistance to accepting what the Bible clearly reveals about the Godhead has in large measure led to the introduction of the "Trinity." People just cannot accept the simple truth of the Bible, that God is expanding. He is increasing His number. We will be part of that Godhead. John W. Ritenbaugh The Nature of God: Elohim

Colossians 1:13  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Everyone of us knows that we are in the church. Are we aware that we are already in the Kingdom of God? We are! It is not here in fullness, nor as a physical reality. This verse says very clearly that we are already in the Kingdom of His dear Son. This is a spiritual reality that we must consider in relation to the church to grasp the importance of the church. The church is a portion of the Kingdom of God. It is not its fullness but a part. John W. Ritenbaugh Unity (Part 8): Ephesians 4 (E)

2 Peter 1:4  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) By analogy each adult human life can be compared to an "egg" or "ovum." This "ovum" has a very limited life span—an average of about 70 years—compared to eternal life. But spiritual, divine immortal life may be imparted to it by God the Father. As the physical male sperm finds its way to and unites with the nucleus in the ovum, so God's Spirit enters and combines with the human spirit in man! This happens upon receipt of the Holy Spirit—after real repentance, baptism, and the laying on of hands of a true minister of God. One thus begotten by the Spirit of God is now a "babe in Christ" (I Corinthians 3:1). He is already a child of God, though yet unborn. By direct analogy the embryo in a mother's womb is already the child of its parents, though not yet born. A spirit-begotten child of God now has the presence of eternal life—God life—through God's Spirit, but he is not yet an immortal spirit being—not yet born of God—not yet an inheritor and possessor. He is merely an "heir" with Christ (Romans 8:17). The divine life of God has merely been begotten. This divine life and character starts so very small in one it is doubtful if much of it is in evidence—except for the glow of that ecstasy of spiritual "romance" which one may radiate in that "first love" of conversion, spiritually speaking. But so far as spiritual knowledge and developed righteous character goes, there is not much—yet. Once spiritually begotten, we are merely a spiritual "embryo." Now we must be fed and nourished on spiritual food so we can grow spiritually! Jesus said man shall not live by bread (physical food) alone, but by every word of God (spiritual food)! This we take in from the Bible. Our spiritual growth and development of God's righteous character also comes through personal, intimate, daily contact with God through prayer, through Christian fellowship with other Spirit-begotten children in God's church, and also by the spiritual teaching imparted by the church. What and Why the Church?

 

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