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C. The Growth of the Believers

[The believers have been sanctified positionally by the blood of Christ (Heb. 13:12) and are being sanctified dispositionally by the Spirit (Rom. 15:16; 6:19, 22), that they may be renewed, transformed in their soul (Rom. 12:2a; 2 Cor. 3:18), conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God (Rom. 8:29), and glorified (redeemed) in their body (Rom. 8:23) in the glory of the processed Triune God (Rom. 8:30, 17-18). Although the believers have been regenerated in their spirit, their soul and body remain old. Thus, the believers need to be renewed, transformed in their soul, conformed to the image of the firstborn Son of God, and glorified in their body in the glory of the processed Triune God. The believers are tripartite beings composed of spirit, soul, and body. First, their spirit is regenerated, then their soul is transformed, and finally, their body will be glorified. Thus the believers’ whole being will be saturated with God’s splendid life. God’s life is a life of splendor, and that splendor is the glory of the divine life. When we are permeated, saturated, and soaked with the splendor of the divine life, we will be in glory. The believers are saturated with the dispensing of the divine Trinity in their tripartite being (Rom. 8:5-11), so that they are mingled with the processed Triune God. The believers are joined to the Lord as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).]

D. The Function of the Believers

[The believers are the branches of Christ as the vine tree, the organism of the Triune God, to express the processed Triune God in bearing fruit for the increase of Christ (John 15:1-5, 8, 16). As the branches of Christ, the believers should live a fruit-bearing life for Christ’s increase. The believers are God’s New Testament priests of His gospel to offer the saved sinners as sacrifices to God (Rom. 15:16; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). As the priests of God, the believers should have a sinner-saving service for offering sacrifices to God.]

Questions and Exercises

  1. What makes human beings so special among God’s creation?
  2. What were the four steps of the fall, and what caused each step? What was man’s condition after the fall?
  3. What promise(s) did God make to fallen man?
  4. What are the three stages of salvation? Give examples of each.
  5. What are the three stages of eternal life?
  6. Discuss with your companions the difference(s) between the believers and fallen man in general. What is the difference between these two lines in the Bible?

Quoted Portions

  1. Truth Lessons, Level One, Volume One (Lee/LSM), pp. 30-32, 35, 51-55, 57-58, 60, 61, 64-65.
  2. Life-study of First Peter (Lee/LSM), pp. 40-42.
  3. A Brief Presentation of the Lord’s Recovery (Lee/LSM), pp. 19-25.

Further References

  1. The Ten Lines of the Bible in Chinese (Lee/Taiwan Gospel Book Room).
  2. Life-study of Genesis (Lee/LSM), messages 18, 22-25, 27, 36.
  3. Life-study of Galatians (Lee/LSM), message 20.
  4. Life-study of First John (Lee/LSM), messages 3-4.
  5. The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures (Lee/LSM), chapter 4.

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Lesson Book, Level 6: The Bible-The Word of God   pg 49