Who Are We, When We Have Been Made Alive, In Christ?
(1 Cor. 15:22)
By Jonathan Mitchell

Jesus told Nicodemus that he and his people needed to be born again:

"You should not be amazed (or: begin to marvel; at some point be filled with wonder; suddenly be astonished; or: Don't be surprised) that I said to you, 'It is necessary and binding for YOU FOLKS to be born back up again, to a higher place (or: for you people to be given birth from above)." (Jn. 3:7)

We connect this to Paul's disclosure in 1 Cor. 15:22-23a,

"Thus, just as within Adam all humans keep on (or: everyone continues) dying, in the same way, also, within the Christ, all humans will keep on being made alive (or: everyone, or all, will one-after-another be created and produced with Life, in union with the Anointed One) [cf Rom. 5:18; Rev. 21:5] - yet each person within the result of his or her own set division, or position [in line] (or: effect of ordered placement; appointed class; proper rank; arranged time, or order, in the procession [cf 2 Cor. 2:14]; or: = place in a harvest calendar, the season of maturity)."

So, when we are brought to birth and made alive, who are we?

In an Unveiling (Revelation) which was given to John, he was told to write to the called-out community of Philadelphia, and to tell them that a person who overcomes (is victorious) will have written on him or her,

"My God's Name (or: The Name from My God) and (or: even; that is,) the Name of the City of My God: 'The New and different Jerusalem'" (Rev. 3:12).

Now this seems to be quite a change of identity, and of designation. In the Scriptures, people were occasionally given new names. Jesus told Simon that he would be called Peter. Abram's name was changed to Abraham. New, or different, names had a significance. But we will not, here, pursue this topic, and will only consider what the above changes might signify (Rev. 3:12 is symbolic language in an apocalyptic, Jewish-style book).

We, who have been joined to Christ (1 Cor. 6:17) are those who have been born of God, Who is Love. Therefore, God (Love) is our basic, primal nature in the new creation. Now we, ourselves, love, because He first loved us (sought union with us; 1 Jn. 4:19). We have been impregnated by God (from being joined to Him - note that the context of 1 Cor. 6:16 is sexual union with a prostitute, in the flesh realm, contrasted, in vs. 17, with the spiritual union with God.

Therefore, we are expected to bring to birth expressions of God. What is born of the Spirit is spirit, just like abiding in the Vine (Jn. 15) results with bringing forth Fruit of the Vine (i.e., of the Spirit of Christ). Like produces like. We are meant to fill the universe with Him, in this new creation. Being, ourselves, born of God (Jn. 1:12-13) is how we come to bear His image (Gen. 1:26). We are born, and then through union with Him, we give birth to (or: produce) His offspring. This is how we become brothers and sisters of Christ (Rom. 8:29). As Paul said to the Athenian philosophers, in Acts 17:

28. "For you see, within the midst of, and in union with, Him we continuously live (or, as a subjunctive: could be constantly living), and are constantly moved about and put into motion, and continue existing (experiencing Being). Even as certain of the poets down among you people have said,'You see, we are also a family of the One (or: we even continuously exist being a race whose source is the One; or: we also are His species and offspring; we are even a family which is composed of the One and which is the One).' [a quote of Aratos, and of Keleanthes]

29. "Therefore, continuously and inherently subsisting from under a beginning, being God's family (a species of God; a race whose source is God; [the] kind of being having the qualities and characteristics of God; [the] offspring birthed from God)..."

In Eph. 3:14b-15, Paul speaks to us about:

"the Father [other MSS add: of (or: Who is) our Lord Jesus Christ], forth from Where (or: out of the midst of Whom) every family (lineage; kindred; descent; paternal group) within heaven and upon earth (or: in [the] sky or atmosphere, and on [the] land) is one after another being named (or: spoken of, or to, by name; or: designated)."

Now if we consider these verses from Acts 17 and Eph. 3, we conclude that God is the Father of all human beings. Yet we all need to be born again, back up from above (Jn. 3:7) to be in the new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). Our first birth is into the first Adam, as a living soul. Our second birth is into the Last Adam, Who is a Life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:44-49).

We have to be reborn, because,

"you see, you folks died, and your life has been hidden accompanied, so that it is now concealed together, within the midst of the Christ, in the sphere of, and within the midst of, God (or: centered in union with God)." (Col. 3:3; [cf Rom. 6:8, 11])

Our new and higher life is part of the body of Christ, which Paul Tillich called, "the New Being." In Rev. 21:5, the One sitting on the throne communicated to John that,

"Consider this! I am presently making all things new (or: habitually creating everything [to be] new and fresh; progressively forming [the] whole anew; or, reading 'panta' as masculine: I am periodically making all humanity new, and progressively, one after another, producing and creating every person anew, while constantly constructing all people fresh and new, i.e., continuously renewing everyone)!" [cf Isa. 43:19; 65:17-25; 2 Cor. 5:17]

In Mat. 22:30, Jesus disclosed this:

"You see, within the resurrection folks are neither repeatedly marrying, nor are they constantly being given in marriage. To the contrary, they constantly exist as agents (or: messengers) - centered within the atmosphere (or: in union with the sphere of the heaven)."

Although this gave answer to those who were trying to trap Jesus, it still leaves us with questions!

Consider what Jesus said to Mary, right after His resurrection:

"I am progressively stepping back up again (or: now ascending) toward My Father - even the Father of you folks - and My God: even [the] God of you people!"

[note: this would be Yahweh] (Jn. 20:17b)

And then Paul tells us that we are God's Temple (1 Cor. 3:16) - and since a "temple" was the home of a deity, that means that we are His Home.

With all of this in mind: Who are we? All of the above.

Christ within us transforms us by renewing our minds (Rom. 12:2). We conclude this essay with the admonition for Eph. 4:

22. to put off from yourselves [as clothing or habits] what accords to the former entangled manner of living (or: twisted up behavior): the old humanity (or: the past, worn-out person) - the one continuously in process of being corrupted (or: progressively spoiled and ruined) down from and in accord with the passionate desires (the full-coveting, swelling emotions) of The Deception (or: those desires from The Seduction; [Gen. 3]) -

23. and then to be continuously renewed (or: from time to time, or, progressively made young again; [cf Rev. 21:5]) by (or: in; with) the spirit (or: attitude; breath-effect) of your mind (or: from the mind which is you folks; or: by the Spirit which is your [collective] mind), [cf Ezk. 18:31; Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:10]

24. and thus, to enter within (or: sink in; clothe yourselves with) the New Humanity (or: the Person that is different and innovative in kind and quality; [cf Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27]) - the one in accord with, corresponding to, and following the pattern of, God (or: the person in the sphere of the Divine level, and commensurate with God [Himself]) - being formed (framed, built, founded and settled from a state of disorder and wildness; created) within the flowing-together Way pointed out (or: in union with fair dealings in rightwised relationships, justice, rightness and covenant participation; centered in [His] eschatological deliverance) and reverent dedication (or: sacred observance in a benign relationship with nature) pertaining to the Truth (or: in intrinsic alignment with Reality, which is the Truth; or: from this factual State of Genuineness).

Jonathan

Return To Jonathan Mitchell's Page