Why are believers more of God's kind than Adam?
Genesis 1:26 - "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"
John 1:12-13 - "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God."
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Aspect |
Why are believers more of God's kind than Adam |
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Reason |
Believers obtain God's life and nature through regeneration, while Adam only had God's outward appearance |
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According to |
God's image and likeness |
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By means of |
Regeneration, divine life, transformation process |
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Explanation |
1. Adam only had God's outward appearance, without the inner reality 2. Believers have the reality of divine life, and their whole being is being transformed and conformed to the image of the Lord 3. Believers enter God's kingdom through regeneration, becoming God's species 4. Believers are God's children, within the realm of the divine species |
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Examples |
1. The plant kingdom is the realm of plant species 2. The animal kingdom is the realm of animal species 3. God's kingdom is the realm of the divine species |
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Relevant Scriptures |
John 3:3, 5-6 - "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.'... Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.'" 2 Corinthians 3:18 - "But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." Romans 8:29 - "For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren." 6. 1 John 3:1 - "See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." |
This table synthesizes the key points from the provided information, explaining why believers are more of God's kind than Adam. The core concept is that believers, through regeneration, obtain God's life and nature, entering into God's kingdom (i.e., the realm of the divine species), whereas Adam only had God's outward appearance. Believers not only have God's image but also possess the inner reality of divine life and are undergoing a continuous process of transformation.
This table includes the specific content of each relevant scripture passage. These scriptures elaborate in detail on God's purpose in creating man, the process of believers becoming God's children, the necessity of regeneration, the process of believers being transformed into the Lord's image, and the identity of believers in God's family. These scriptures collectively support the view that "believers are more of God's kind than Adam," demonstrating how believers, through regeneration and the transformation process, become closer to God's essence in life and nature (but not in Godhead).
*Please refer to the International Training for Elders and Responsible Ones, October 2024 General Subject: Living in the Reality of the Kingdom of God Message One: The Kingdom of God—The Realm of the Divine Life and the Realm of the Divine Species
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