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The Diamond in the Box

We conclude this section with a reference to Brother Lee’s illustration of the “diamond” in the “box” taken from the Life-study of 1 and 2 Samuel (pp. 203-204):

God’s intention is to make Himself man in order to make man God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead....Eventually, the whole Bible consummates with this matter. The New Jerusalem, the ultimate consummation of the Bible, involves God becoming man and man becoming God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead, and God and man being mingled together to be one entity.

If we read the Bible without paying attention to this crucial point, then, in a very real sense, the Bible is to us an empty book. This means that although the Bible is real in itself, in our understanding of it the Bible is empty. As an illustration, let us suppose that a certain box, which is quite attractive, contains a large diamond. A child may be interested in the box but not in the diamond. An adult, however, would focus his attention on the diamond contained in the box. Today, many Christians care for the Bible as the “box,” but they have not seen and do not appreciate the “diamond” which is the content of this box, and they may even condemn those who have a proper appreciation of the “diamond” in the “box.” The “diamond” in the “box” of the Bible is the revelation that in Christ God has become man in order that man might become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead.

The vast majority of today’s Christians neglect the crucial point in the Bible that in Christ God has become man in order to make man God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead and that God desires to mingle Himself with man to be one entity. Some not only neglect this; they falsely accuse as heretical those who teach it. Today many believe one aspect of this crucial point—that God became a man named Jesus—but they do not believe the other aspect—that man is becoming God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead.

According to what J. S. says in “The Worst Blasphemous Words...,” he not only has an empty “box”; he even tries to use the “box” to deny the existence of the “diamond” and to condemn as heretical those who appreciate the “diamond” and who encourage others to treasure it, even as God does.


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The Truth Concerning the Ultimate Goal of God's Economy   pg 7