#94 Union with God
From Meditations on the Epistles of John, by Samuel Froehlich
I John 3:1 ff.
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
Man’s designation is his union with God. This, however, has become impossible in Adam because of sin or the disposition of the flesh, which is enmity toward God. The old man is of no account and cannot be made new and good. No matter how much one mends and patches him up by human artifice, education and culture, he still remains the old man, a villain and a hypocrite. He must die and be put off with Christ on the cross and, in place of him, we must put on Christ, the New Man and Other Adam, and be found in Him as children of God and a new creation, besides which nothing is acceptable in God’s sight.
The law and circumcision do not amend the harm in Adam. (Philippians 3; II Corinthians 5; Galatians 5 and 6). If the man in Adam were right and could be saved, the Son of God would not have had to come in the flesh and would have died in vain and, accordingly, the entire Gospel would be a lie. But if we, in Adam, have lost our sonship-right-in God, we must be and abide in Christ until His manifestation; we must have put Him on in the Spirit and be minded as was He as a Child of God. Then we may no longer look to the first Adam or we shall deny the Second One, Who is mightier and One with the Father. We must learn to know Him well as the Son of God if we shall have a correct knowledge of our sonship of God, not a false and carnal one as have men of the world, who understand nothing at all of the Spirit of God and think God is like the devil if we, as sinners and children of Adam, should be children of God; whereas only the saints and elect are they, who have become a light in the Lord, and may truly boast of Him, not conceitedly and falsely, but because they are in Him and He by His Spirit is in them.
The sonship of God has two degrees however, one of the present time and one in eternity; namely, it is now hidden and in eternity is revealed with Christ in glory. Yet, even now, the children of God, as a light in the world, are not so obscure that men should not see and recognize them: it is only that they are not recognized in the world for what they are, as little as Christ was recognized as the Son of God. The Jews really thought they knew Him and knew whence He was—namely the son of Joseph, was of Nazareth—and took offense at this lowly veil of disguise, His human appearance, and yet did not know Him.
(John 7:27 ff.) Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when Christ cometh, no man knoweth whence he is. Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not. But I know him: for I am from him, and he hath sent me.
(John 9:29 ff.) We know that God spake unto Moses: as for this fellow, we know not from whence he is. The man answered and said unto them, Why herein is a marvelous thing, that ye know not from whence he is, and yet he hath opened mine eyes."
and so all children of God in this world are also unknown, "and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live;" — "as deceivers, and yet true." (II Corinthians 6). But whoever, now in this time, does not attain to conformity with Christ in mind and spirit will not attain to it later in eternity.
Thus, it is clear that our earthly body is not the hindrance to a godly life, for not only has Christ appeared in the same flesh and blood that we are in and still did not sin, but we ourselves, as children of God, must glorify the Father with our body also (I Corinthians 6) and work the works of God. One does not enter into the kingdom of God so easily through Christ the Crucified as men imagine, but with the living Christ in our heart, whereby we are united with the Father also, as is the Son; and unless our righteousness should infinitely exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (Matthew 5).