DAY 92
神的崇高呼召
雷克-喬納

因為萬有都是靠他造的，無論是天上的，地上的；能看見的，不能看見的；或是有位的，主治的，執政的，掌權的；一概都是藉著他造的，又是為他造的。（歌羅西書1:16）

這段經文清楚地表明，我們是由聖子創造的，也是為聖子創造的。這在羅馬書8:29中得到了進一步的闡述：

因為他預先所知道的人，就預先定下效法他兒子的模樣，使他兒子在許多弟兄中作長子。

由此，我們必須問一個終極問題。如果沒有墮落，耶穌會來到世上嗎？我想是的，因為儘管十字架的救贖很光榮，但主明確表示，祂來不僅僅是為了救贖地球--祂來是為了開始新的創造，在我們被救贖之後，我們成為其中的一部分。請看以弗所書1:3-4。

願頌讚歸與我們主耶穌基督的父神！他在基督裡曾賜給我們天上各樣屬靈的福氣：就如神從創立世界以前，在基督裡揀選了我們，使我們在他面前成為聖潔，無有瑕疵。

我們在創立世界之前就被主所認識，祂在創立世界之前就被釘在十字架上。主從一開始就知道結局，祂知道人要墮落，需要救贖。但在上帝創造人之前，祂的心中也有一個更高的目的。顯然，祂心中有新的創造，也有對前者的救贖。

這個新創造的目的是讓人從自然界上升到天上的自然界。人要成為自然造物與天國，或靈界之間的橋樑。通過聖靈，我們在塵世的器皿中擁有這個寶藏，但我們被呼召承擔起靈界的性質。當我們在聖靈裡重生時，我們實際上成為一個新物種。我們在地上行走，但靠著聖靈，我們現在可以與基督一起住在天上的地方。

即使沒有過犯，主的意圖始終是讓人參與天上的呼召，通過祂的兒子以特殊的方式與祂結合。當我們出生時，我們只是開始了生命；當我們重生時，我們只是開始了靈性成熟的過程。我們的目標是要像主一樣，做祂所做的工作。祂是眾多弟兄中的長子。祂來救贖我們，同時也向我們展示如何在新造的本性中生活。這種本性對那些因墮落而產生的東西有權威，比如疾病，以及通過墮落所打開的地獄之門居住在地上的地獄之主。

同樣，這絕不是貶低我們通過十字架所獲得的救贖的榮耀，因為它永遠是我們理解神的榮耀和本質的核心。十字架是唯一的門，我們可以通過它進入神的目的。然而，我們也必須認識到，我們的目的不僅僅是得到罪的赦免，儘管這可能是偉大的，甚至是回到我們墮落前的預定狀態，儘管這可能是光榮的。救贖是一份價值深不可測的禮物，但我們必須繼續努力實現我們的最終目的--走在新造的本質中。當我們這樣做時，我們就會像耶穌一樣行走，這是每一個基督徒的呼召。

DAY 92
The High Calling of God
Rick Joyner

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have
been created by Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).

This Scripture makes it clear that we were created by the Son and for the Son. This is carried a little further in Romans 8:29:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren.

By this we must ask one of the ultimate questions: Would Jesus have come to the earth if there had not been a Fall? I think so, because as glorious as the redemption of the cross is, the Lord made it clear that He came to do more than just redeem the earth—He came to begin a new creation, which we become a part of after our redemption. Consider Ephesians 1:3-4:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him, in love.

We were known by the Lord before the foundation of the world, and He was crucified before the foundation of the world. The Lord knew the end from the beginning, and He knew that man would fall and require redemption. But there was also a higher purpose for man in God=s heart before He created him. He obviously had the new creation in His heart as well as the redemption of the former one.

This new creation was the intention for man to ascend from the natural realm to the heavenly nature. Man was to be the bridge between the natural creation and the heavenly, or spiritual, realm. Through the Holy Spirit we have this treasure in earthly vessels, but we are called to take on the nature of the spiritual realm. When we are born again by the Spirit we actually become a new species. We walk the earth, but by the Spirit we can now dwell in the heavenly places with Christ.

Even if there had not been a transgression, it was always the Lord's intention for man to partake of a heavenly calling and be united with Him in a special way through His Son. When we are born we are just beginning life; when we are born again we are just beginning the process of spiritual maturity. Our goal is to be like the Lord, and do the works that He did. He was the first born of many brethren. He came to redeem us, but also to show us how to live in the new creation nature. That nature has authority over the things that were the result of the fall, such as sickness, and the host of hell that has inhabited the earth through the gate of hell opened by the fall.

Again, this is in no way to belittle the glory of the redemption that we have through the cross, as it will always be the centerpiece of our very comprehension of the glory and nature of God. The cross is the only door through which we may enter the purposes of God. However, we must also realize that our purpose is more than just being forgiven of our sins, as great as that may be, or even to be returned to our intended state before the fall, as glorious as that may be. Redemption is a gift of unfathomable value, but we must press on to the attaining of our ultimate purpose—to walk in the nature of the new creation. When we do, we will be walking as Jesus walked, which is the calling of every Christian.