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Heavenly Things

"If the things earthly I have told to you and you believe not, how will you, if I tell you of heavenly things, believe?"1

Jesus tells Nicodemus, a member of the Pharisee, a teacher of the people, that he must be born from above to see the Kingdom of God. How can this be? responds Nicodemus. Jesus asks him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things? Nicodemus had seen the earthly things, signs, wonders, healing... so he went to Jesus, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him."3 These signs did not instill an understanding of Jesus as the Son of God, only that He was a teacher or prophet. But Jesus responds, "if not anyone be born from above not is he able to see the kingdom of God."4

Believing is a spiritual thing, one must be born of the Spirit, "the wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”5 But how can this be, Nicodemus questioned, Jesus questioned him, "you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony."6 We speak of these things we see.

No one can go up into heaven if not the one out of heaven having come down.7 It is true that we can not enter the Gate, into the Kingdom without Jesus. This word for "see" is horáō, I see, look upon, experience – properly, see, often with the meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see, perceive with inward spiritual perception). It is by Faith in the Author of Faith that we spiritually see the heavenly thing. "Moreover, the natural man not accepts the things of the Spirit of God, foolishness indeed to him they are and not he is able to understand (ginóskó, to know, spiritually see) them, spiritually they are discerned."8

Paul writes that this seeing happens by faith, when we hear the gospel and when we believe in Jesus then we are sealed by the Spirit of promise.10 We know there is a carnal state and a spiritual one. We "see" a meaning to being born of the flesh, "that having been born of the Carnal, flesh is, and that having been born of the Spirit, spirit is." This word for flesh is sárksproperly, flesh ("carnal"), merely of human origin or empowerment. I can't understand the heavenly things in the carnal. Carnal is understanding of the flesh not Spirit, done apart from faith thus I can only have understanding, spiritual seeing, when born of the Spirit, born again, born from above.

"For by Grace are you saved through Faith..." When we believe in Jesus, our spirits are born from above, redeemed, but we still await the redemption of our bodies. "Having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?"11 At the redemption of our spirit, the spirit of bondage is replaced with a Spirit of Adoption, in which we cry Abba Father!12 We are sons, no longer a slave to the carnal, and we are sealed by the Spirit as a guarantor of our inheritance. But we are not fully redeemed, the fullness of it being the redeemed body, in this Hope we abound by the power of the Spirit.13 The Spirit itself is testimony of the heavenly things, it is of God and is greatest of the three that testify; water, blood, and spirit.14

This understanding of heavenly things starts with the Spiritual and continues with Spiritual understanding. Faith is authored and perfected. "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."15 This believing involves obedience, but it is properly the result of God's persuasion, looking unto the serpent (being obedient) is futile without faith (understanding, divine persuasion). When we put the horse before the cart we cause people to stumble. What did the people have to do to be saved? what God said was true, look unto the serpent lifted up and believe for salvation. What do we have to do to be saved? what God said is true, look unto Jesus and believe for salvation. If we are to look unto Jesus then the gospel is about looking unto Jesus.

By faith Abraham believed, the gospel was preached to Him, Moses wrote of such faith, lifting up the serpent, a shadow of things to come. Jesus was lifted up that whoever looks to Him and believes, sees will have eternal life, "the things earthly I have told to you and you believe not, how will you, if I tell you of heavenly things, believe?" Only that which is born of the Spirit can see heavenly things, "if not anyone be born from above not is he able to see the kingdom of God"16 And such faith is given by Jesus, the author of Faith, author of Salvation, by faith we can see and eat of heavenly things.

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