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1881 Watch Tower - A2Z.org

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is. Paul gives us the key when he says: "Ye are not in the flesh,but in the spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you."(Rom. 8:9.) The ideal of the flesh is a perfect flesh man, but theideal of the Spirit is "the spirits of just men made perfect." (Heb.12:23.) If a perfect flesh man has a flesh body, a perfect spiritualbeing ought to have a "spiritual body"--and such Paul assures uswill be the case: "It is sown a natural [psukikon--animal] body; itis raised a spiritual [pneumatikon] body." The former, evenwhen perfect, is, and must be, according to the law of the flesh;and the latter is by the law of the Spirit. So Jesus, knowing bothlaws, says: "That which is born of [produced by] the flesh isflesh; and that which is born of [produced by] the Spirit isspirit."No wonder that those who deny the presence and yet believe theharvest is here, are anxious to ignore some of the parallels of theTwo Dispensations. Losing sight of the parallel causes them toignore also the contract; for the second coming is,R237 : page 7and should be, in harmony with the spiritual character of theGospel dispensation, even as the first coming was in harmonywith the fleshly character of the Jewish dispensation.That spiritual beings are naturally invisible to mortals, has oftenbeen proved; and that they have power to appear when it isnecessary. God is said to be invisible, and of Christ it is said:"Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of everycreature;" (Col. 1:15) clearly implying that as soon as creaturesare born of the Spirit they, too, become invisible. Angels arenaturally invisible to mortals, and yet on special occasions theyhave been seen, and men have the promise of being made likeunto the angels, and also like unto Christ.The invisibility of the new being to mortals is more than impliedin Paul's teaching in 2 Cor. 4:14-18.That the risen body of Christ was invisible to mortals, onlywhen for special reasons He appeared, should be admitted by allwho ever knew that truth, or who have read the account. That,though Christians are actually in the flesh until these bodies arechanged, (Phil. 3:21) God does not count them in the flesh, butin the spirit, (Rom. 8:9) and therefore as "risen with Christ"(Col. 3:1) "through the faith of the operation of God, who hathraised Him from the dead," (Col. 2:12) cannot be ignored withimpunity.As Christ risen is naturally invisible, as we have shown, so whenwe have attained His perfect state, we too will be naturallyinvisible to mortals; i.e., when we have actually attained that inwhich we are now counted, on account of our faith, and the newwork begun in us by the Spirit. That new nature is spoken of asChrist in you; (Rom. 8:10, and Gal. 2:20) Christ formed in you;

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