1912 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

these men means that so far as their heart attitude wasconcerned they had been very near to the Lord underthe Law as their schoolmaster (Greek, pedagogue,) sothat when brought to Christ they could quickly learn ofHim. So it appears to be with us now. The differencesin our natural education in right and wrong, in truthand error, are such that we cannot tell just how long itwill take for each to attain to the character-likeness ofour Lord and thus to prove worthy of eternal life."PUT YE ON THE LORD CHRIST"We have suggested that the Lord's people, at thetime of their consecration and begetting of the HolySpirit, are not ready for the Kingdom, but require development,which time alone can accomplish. Notwithstandingthis suggestion, is there not a sense in whichGod's people are regarded perfect at the time of theirconsecration--at the moment of their acceptance? Ouranswer is, Yes; they are counted so, but are not soactually. The flesh is reckoned perfect so that God canaccept their offering.R5082 page 258But at this time the New Creature is merely a babein Christ and has not yet attained to the stature of manhood.Therefore, the necessity exists for entering theSchool of Christ and for "putting on Christ," as theApostle expresses it. We begin to put on Christ afterconsecration, and after our begetting of the Holy Spirit.The babe grows into a child, and the child into a man.(Eph. 414,13.) The work of growing up into Christ isnecessary before the child of God would be fit for theKingdom. The difference between a babe in Christ andone fit for the Kingdom is that the latter has been triedand tested and has proved himself to be an overcomer.When our Lord Jesus was at Jordan He was an overcomer.(Heb. 109.) He was perfect and had correspondinglya larger appreciation of what He did than we haverespecting our course when we consecrate. But He tellsus, "Fear not, little flock," "be of good cheer; I haveovercome the world."--Luke 1232; John 1633.Yet even in our Lord's case, while He was an overcomerat the moment of His consecration, He really didnot win the prize of the divine nature until the end ofHis race-course, until there had been demonstrated a sufficiencyof worthiness for that high exaltation; and weknow that the Father continued tests of obedience evenunto the death on the cross. It was not until after thisthat our Lord was fully accepted as an overcomer, towhom it was granted to sit with the Father in HisThrone.THE GREAT TEST IS TO REMAIN AT THE MARK