How you and I are co-incarnated in Jesus
Series: Like you and me | Bible text: Romans 12:2
God has offered us a new covenant through Jesus. Using Hebrews 3 and 5, I want to talk about what the Father’s thoughts are about us and what it means for us as Christians, as followers and imitators of Jesus. I want to talk about how much we are co-incorporated in Jesus and belong to his family and what it means to grow up as his followers.
A few months ago I went through a process of questioning what is actually true. Several statements made it clear that certain teachings I was following – Bible translations, both of which are linked to basic beliefs – are bad and wrong and occult and missing the truth. I strongly questioned whether what I thought was good was wrong after all. I stopped reading the Bible, watching teachings and sermons. For some days my quiet time was only time with Jesus. Once when I was jogging, he spoke to me and said: «Do you remember what I said? I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.» Then it became clearer to me: It is not important which sermons I listen to and which Bible translations I read. What is important is that I follow Jesus, because he is the truth. I became very aware of how important it is to have Jesus as our goal in everything we do.
The aim of reading the Bible is to get to know Jesus better. The goal in worship is to worship him, not to put on a smooth show. The goal in church is to celebrate a feast for him as a community. So in some way I have to be able to test. To check whether, for example, this sermon is good or bad or this Bible translation is okay. That means that there has to be growth. In order for us to be able to examine, we must first become mature, and that is what I would like to talk about today. I don’t want to give the impression in the least that I am aiming at «be of age» I have achieved. Rather, I am striving in this direction and I would like to share a part of my process with you.
God’s temple, participation in the heavenly world
In this process, it has become increasingly clear that at least two concrete steps are needed.
- A realisation of what our condition is. God, through Jesus, has introduced a new covenant that he offers us. It is a revolutionary new thing that differs significantly from previous conditions. It goes from «You have to do this and abide by these laws» over too «my grace is all you need». It is something new.
– Take active steps. An active approach and acceptance. Go towards it and consciously accept it.
Today I would like to highlight one small fact about the new covenant. One sermon is not enough to talk about the new covenant and I myself have not been dealing with it for long. I would like to highlight a small fact from Hebrews 3, which is very important for the first step. At the end we move on to Hebrews 5. Before we dive in, a bit of back story: Chapter 2 of Hebrews is about how Jesus suffered the temptation of all humanity and death itself, thus qualifying as a representative with immediate effect. This is important for understanding in chapter 3: «Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, turn all your attention to Jesus. You too belong to those who are sanctified and called to participate in the heavenly world. Look to him, the true Apostle and High Priest, to whom we confess … » (Hebrews 3:1 NGÜ).
What have we read? You too belong to those who are sanctified and called to participate in the heavenly world! Jesus is the representative of humanity. Because, as God’s Son, he went through everything you can ever go through and ultimately laid down his life as a bill-payer for your life, you now have the opportunity to be co-incarnated in his life. You are sanctified and called to share in the heavenly world. Because you are included in Jesus» life, you are blameless in this context. You are part of his heavenly identity. There are two verses in Ephesians that express this well:
«Together with Jesus Christ he raised us from death, and together with him he has already given us a place in the heavenly world because we are united with Jesus Christ» (Ephesians 2:6 NGÜ). An important emphasis here is on the «already now». It is not something that is yet to come, that we hope will come. It is possible right here and now because Jesus gives you a new life. However, it involves concrete action on your part: «Put on the new life as you put on new clothes. You have now become new people, created by God himself in his image. Let everyone recognise that you now belong to God and live as it pleases him». (Ephesians 4:24 HFA).
You have to consciously accept this new life. I like the analogy with the clothes. Sometimes new clothes feel a bit strange and inappropriate at the beginning. But when you realise that you are co-incorporated into the death and resurrection of Jesus, you realise your blamelessness in this context. You are sanctified and called to participate in the heavenly world.
From the prophetic model to today’s reality
Let us continue reading at the Epistle to the Hebrews. There are other facts that point to the present state of the new covenant. «… and keep in mind how faithfully he serves the one who appointed him! In this he is comparable to Moses, of whom Scripture says that he proved faithful in all God’s house. Moses, however, belonged to this house himself, while Jesus is its builder. (After all, every house has a builder, and the one who created everything is God). And because it is not the house but its builder that is truly honoured, the honour and glory of Jesus is also greater than that of Moses. When Moses, as that scripture says, proved faithful in all God’s house, it refers to his service as a steward – a service that pointed beyond himself and his time to God’s speaking through Christ» (Hebrews 3:2–5 GNT).
Do you remember the story of Moses and the Israelites in the desert? God gave Moses a very detailed order to build a holy tent. Moses carried out everything exactly according to plan. In relation to this chapter, Moses is the prophetic model. It shows what God thinks about his temple and how much effort and love he put into the detail. It is compared to Moses being the builder of the house and Jesus being the caretaker. «Christ, on the other hand, proves his faithfulness as the Son of God and thus as the Lord over God’s house. This house is us – provided we confidently hold on to the hope God has given us, which fills us with joy and pride». (Hebrews 3:6 NGÜ).
Jesus is responsible for his own household, not as a servant, but as a son. These verses from Hebrews 3 show us how much we are a part of this family. We are not a part at play, or in a dress rehearsal for the main game. It is not an event that takes place in the future. It is now! We have a place in the heavenly world. We have a royal identity here on earth. You are the temple of God, his house. You are his address here on earth.
One of the differences that the new covenant brings is that we no longer speak in prophetic figures and analogies. Where once the Holy Spirit was on chosen people from time to time, today he lives here in the world in you. Many prophecies in the Old Testament pointed to the coming time when the Messiah would come. What was longed for over generations for a long time is now a reality in full fruition. This fills us. Filled with self-confidence, joy and pride.
Let yourselves be transformed
During this process I have not only learned a lot about the new covenant, which will probably continue for a long time. I have also become aware of how much I am still in the old covenant. I have been searching frantically for something that has long been a reality in my life. I was looking for the living God, the work of the Holy Spirit, manifestations like healings, prophecies and speaking in tongues as described in the Bible. All this I have sought with the mindset of the old covenant: I must seek more, perform more, do more, go to church more, do more good, be more of an example to others.… The common denominator here is performance. It’s the old «I do it myself law.» The more you do, the more you receive. Yet Jesus, through his ministry on earth, made a mockery of the old law because he introduced grace. In the Letter to the Romans I found a little hint how we can become aware of this new reality. «And do not conform yourselves to this course of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God» (Romans 12:2 SCHL2000).
I deliberately chose this translation because it says very well: «Let yourselves be transformed». Other translations sometimes say that we should learn to think in a new way. This implies that we come to this transformation by cramping into the head. But, it does mean that we are to be transformed. It means to set our hearts on Jesus, to enter into a friendship with him. Everything God wants to do through us, every revelation he gives us, never comes from performance on our part, but always from a friendship with him.
From milk to solid food
I believe that after a certain initial period where we get to know Jesus, there has to be growth. There is a good image of growing up in Hebrews 5. It is an analogy that as a fresh follower of Jesus you are like a little child being fed with milk. You learn the basic aspects of the gospel. Over time you grow and you have to move on to solid food. Why is this so important? «Anyone who can only tolerate milk is not a child and does not understand what adults talk. An adult can eat solid food. Only those who have trained their judgement can distinguish between good and evil». (Hebrews 5:13–14 HFA).
We must allow ourselves to be transformed by the renewal of our minds so that our discernment can be trained. We were never called to do this, to community. We are called to lead the congregation To be. We are not called to have a cool time in our church. The church is a place where we are nourished and strengthened to carry out the mission Jesus gave us. Maybe at first it feels a bit strange to go from milk to solid food. But we are called to be a part of his heavenly identity, to make an impact as children of the king here on earth.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read the Bible text: Romans 12:2
- What did you remember from the sermon?
- Have you ever thought about what the new covenant means for your life?
Life has? - Are you living in the new covenant?
- What are your thoughts on growing up spiritually?
