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5.) Paul and his co-workers proclaimed that through all of their sufferings Jesus's life might be MANIFESTED in their bodies. They were models to all other believers.
"Always bearing about in the body the putting to death of Jesus that the life of Jesus also may be manifest in our body." (2 Cor. 4:10)
6.) Again, the sufferings of imprisonment did not put Paul down in depression. Rather it gave opportunity for Christ to be magnified in his body.
"According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body; whether through life or through death." (Phil. 1:20)
7.) Not only Christ was made larger and magnfied through Paul's body, but in the same letter, Paul's very inner parts of his inner being were one with Christ such that they belonged TO Christ.
"For God is my witness how I long after you all in the inward parts of Christ Jesus." (Phil. 1:8)
8.) Paul was not an elite one. Rather he was a model of a successful victorious overcomer through living Christ. And he exhorts the rest of us Christians that Christ is also OUR life. And if we live Christ at His appearing we will be rewarded with being with Him in glory.
"For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be mainfested with Him in glory." (Col. 3:3,4)
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The human "side" of him was surely terminated by the execution the Romans carried out, and then the supernatural, divine "side" of him rose from the dead.
I woulldn't say that this is wrong. However, in resurrection the only begotten Son took on suddenly an additional status of "the Firstborn".
Resurrection, in PAul's teaching as well as in Christ's was a BIRTH.
We should not think Christ's resurrection was simply a "coming back".
Of course on one level it surely was a coming back to life.
But on another level His resurrection was a BIRTH of something new.
First in the teaching of Jesus - "Truky, truly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful [at His execution] , but your sorrow will be turned into joy. [at His resurrection]
A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her hour has come; but when she brings forth a little child, she no longer remembers the affliction because of the joy that a man has been born into the world." (John 16:20,21)
The resurrection of Christ was the bringing forth of a manchild into the world, the BIRTH of something new.
Not only so here, but in chapter 12 He said His falling into the ground to DIE was the release of what was in Him to multiply more of what He was. This so that He would not " abide alone". He became in resurrection the Firstborn among many to follow.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)
Therefore He died as the only begotten Son.
Yet He rose as "the FIrstborn among many brothers" .
His resurrection was the birth and the multiplication of followers - "much fruit". As the only begotten He abides ALONE. As the resurrected One who fell into the ground and died, He released the devine life within Him to mass produce many brothers as "much fruit".
So Paul also speaks of resurrection from the dead to the believers to be a bringing forth of new life.
"But someone will say, How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come? Foolish man, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow; you do not sow the body that will be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of some other eof the rest. But God gives it a body even as He willed, and to each of the seeds its own body . . .
It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is spwm om weakness, it is raised it is raised in power; It is sown a soulish body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a soulish body, there is also a spiritual one." (See 1 Cor. 15:35-44)
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He was - after all - the Son of God, or even God Himself, so there was no way he needed to be "deified".
We might think so initially. But upon closer examination we see that He came, lived on earth, and died in status as the only begotten Son of God. But in resurrection He rose as the Firstborn Son of God.
The part that He took on in incarnation needed to be deified in resurrection. This He spoke of as His entering into glory. And I want you to pay close attention to how He LINKS this transition to ALL of His followers who in principle also lay down their soul life to find their true life.
"And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheart falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone.; but if it dies it bears much fruit.
He who loves his soul-life loses it; and he who hates his soul-life in this world shall keep it unto eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there also My servant will be. IF anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him." (John 12:23-27)
Taken together we see that the hour of His death and resurrection is the hour of Him being glorified. And His lovers seeing His resurrection must follow Him to hate their independent soul-life on earth inherited from Adam and deny it that they may FIND their truest identity in living Christ and being where He is. This is the Father honoring them that serve the Son, the Firstborn Son especially.
Just offering a thought for you to ponder, because what you are saying sounds ridiculous: it sounds like a pretty straightforward narrative/folklore crowbarred into cultish theory/'unique selling point'.
Its a good point. But it is shortsighted. You are too influenced by traditional shortsightedness. God is not opening our eyes to a deeper appreciation of what it mean for Jesus to transition from the only begotten Son to the Firstborn Son of God.
Not to be mistaken, He does not lose His uniqueness as the only begotten. But He takes upon this the additional status of being FIRST in resurrection into the deifed and glorified humanity.
Especially when you then go on to say "...in doing that He led the way for others to follow in the deification...".
The Scripture says to us that He is leading many sons into this glory.
"For it as fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory, to make the Author [or Captian] of thier salvation perfect through sufferings." (Hebrews2:10)
In fact the saved, forgiven, yet transformed believers are called not only BY His glory and virtue, but called to the obtaining of the glory of God's Firstborn Son.
". . . God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth, To which also He called you through our gospel unto the OBTAINING of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the things which were handed down to you and which you were taught, whether by word or by our letter." (2 Thess. 2:13b -15 )
In word and in letter the apostles taught these things to which the church should stand in and hold fast.
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@FMF
This may depend on your attitude.
When I look at some chess books for serious chess players I may consider them "convoluted" because I really don't care that much. Your groaning of it being to convuluted or involved may reflect that the whole matter of God and His salvation means nothing to you as an atheist.
It may not be elementary.
But some of us desire to mature on as followers of Christ.
I wold not burden most brand new believers with too much of this.
But I would not shy away from explain the hope that is within us.
Which I have done some of and you have not believed.
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@FMF
I write a lot. You flig off a few little one or two liners.
This is lopsided labor to me.
So I will be giving more immediate attention to some other interesting comments.
Thanks for the few interesting comments you did pose.
I will not respond "tit for tat" style on one liners that much.
@sonship saidA few reactions to the claims you are making and, surprise surprise, you take flight.
@FMF
I write a lot. You flig off a few little one or two liners.
This is lopsided labor to me.
So I will be giving more immediate attention to some other interesting comments.
Thanks for the few interesting comments you did pose.
I will not respond "tit for tat" style on one liners that much.
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You see the difference here sonship? Jesus started out as divine, you did not. Any idea you harbour of following Jesus into deification is born of your own human arrogance and wishful thinking.
The following of Jesus into deification is conveyed many places.
The Captain of our salvation is the Leader of our salvation.
It is one thing to be the Savior. It is another thing to be the Leader, leading
Captain, of our salvation.
HE . . . is leading and we are to follow in Hebrews 2:10 - " . . . in leading many sons into glory, to make tha Author of their salvation perfect through suffering . . . "
In the Recovery Version the other ways the word Author may be translated are:
Captian, Originator, Inaugurator, Leader, Pioneer.
Other English translations of Hebrews 2:10:
New Living Translation
God, . . . chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation.
King James Bible
For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Christian Standard Bible
For in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—for whom and through whom all things exist—should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
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Also this leading as a Pioneer and Author or Captain is not a leading into heaven in this verse. But it is spoken about Christ's leading many sons into a glorious expression of the God of glory mingled into man.
Because they follow HIm into this expression through His salvation, He is also not ashamed to call them brothers for the Father is the Source of both the Firstborn Son and the many sons.
"For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers." (v.11)
And again I point out that the very name Jesus is the Greek for the great general JOSHUA of the Old Testament LEADING the children of Israel into the good land of promise flowing with milk and honey. Consider the parallel.
The Old Testament is the picture.
The New Testament is the caption beneath the picture.
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Any idea you harbour of following Jesus into deification is born of your own human arrogance and wishful thinking.
It is faith in Him and believe in His "so great a salvation."
It is ALL of Him and His salvation.
It is all of God who marked out this destiny BEFORE the foundation of the world. (Eph, 1:5)
In fact it is God's good PLEASURE to do this.
[b"]Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will." (Eph. 1:5)[/b]
Following Him is conveyed in the thought of being conformed to the image of the Firstborn Son. How can you say that Romans 8:28 is not about following Jesus?
"Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers." (Rom. 8:28)
Firstborn implies leadership.
Conformed to the image implies followship.
Soon I will address the fear that this faith in following Jesus might seem to some to be to compete with or replace Jesus. Something should be said to address this fearful implication of your criticism.