How holy is Jesus?
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Jerusalem Blade
Puritan Board Professor
He is the source—and paragon—of holiness, of pureness of being, and there is infinite depth to His moral perfection, so that it can never be plumbed. We, on the other hand, although we have been made pure by the cleansing of His blood, and the imputation of His righteousness, are but recipients of His holiness. We shall be—in glory—each according to his or her capacity, and by the working of His Spirit in us, partakers of His holiness. I daresay we shall, throughout eternity, increasingly grow in likeness to our divine Husband. For as we lay eyes upon Him, we shall receive His presence into us and incorporate it into our own beings. This wondrous dynamic shall be without end, as He reveals His majesty to our worshipful and desirous hearts in the never-ending honeymoon on Paradise New Earth, even as He has prepared it for those He loves.
earl40
Puritan Board Professor
This touches on exactly what I was asking about, thank you. I see Him exactly in such a way that we will never be like Him, as described in your post, in that In my most humble opinion the glorified Jesus will be set apart (holy) by His divinity but also in His humanity for all eternity. Can one put a value of our ontological perfected humanness of us in glory that is indeed different or unlike Jesus' ontological perfect resurected humanity? Which I guess is my main question. Just as our righteousness is imputed by an alien righteousness Our Lord righteousness is His own which we only posses by being in Him.
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C. Matthew McMahon
Christian Preacher
I think all you can do is make the distinction. John says, "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." (1Jo. 3:2). The idea John uses here is "resemble" for "we shall be like him." It stems from the concept of people coming to be assembled together in unison. We are going to resemble Christ, possibly reflecting his glory in that way. His perfected glory is point by which we would reflect what he is, though not identical. The Lamb and God give light to the city, "and the Lamb is the light thereof." (Rev. 21:23). Our intake of that light, and its subsequent outworking is the continuation of bliss the saints enjoy in seeing Christ, and serving him, in heaven.
Jonathan Edwards talks extensively about the capacity of glory we reflect corresponding to the measure of our "makeup" as an individual Christian. I've likened it to the sea, and different capacities per container. Each Christian is like a 1 ounce container, or a 1 gallon jug, or a 50 gallon drum. Throw each into the sea and each one fills up according to their capacity, and each of them are full, and each of them partake in the glory of Christ in that way. But they are all different.
Christ, though, has the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily, is given the Spirit without measure, and is completely reflecting God's glory without measure. He doesn't have ounces or gallons. "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2Co. 4:6). "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. 2:9). "Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost" (Luk. 4:1).
Jonathan Edwards talks extensively about the capacity of glory we reflect corresponding to the measure of our "makeup" as an individual Christian. I've likened it to the sea, and different capacities per container. Each Christian is like a 1 ounce container, or a 1 gallon jug, or a 50 gallon drum. Throw each into the sea and each one fills up according to their capacity, and each of them are full, and each of them partake in the glory of Christ in that way. But they are all different.
Christ, though, has the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in him bodily, is given the Spirit without measure, and is completely reflecting God's glory without measure. He doesn't have ounces or gallons. "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2Co. 4:6). "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. 2:9). "Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost" (Luk. 4:1).
Individually we are a part of the body which is His fulness. The dimensions are only apprehended "with all saints." At the same time, while the church is His fulness, it remains true that He filleth all in all. So even while He is the sum of the parts we have to recognise in this case that the whole is greater than its parts. Given the incomprehensibility of it we can begin to understand why the apostle could speak of a knowledge that passeth knowledge.
earl40
Puritan Board Professor
Which brings to mind your comment of how God communicates in three ways.
#1 Before glory we recieve by revelation.
#2 In glory we receive by sight.
#3 Jesus by participation, which is beyong comprehension and has been correctly defined in the church as a mystery. Thus that we will not be "like Him" in this respect.
Jesus the ultimate ectype.
That would be impossible. In the respect He is the Son of God by nature we cannot be like Him.
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