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Unitedly Pursuing the Goal of LifeThe Watchtower—1986 | February 15
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10. (a) In God’s “administration,” what is first in order? (b) To what does the “administration” next proceed?
10 According to his good pleasure, God has purposed “an administration . . . to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.” (Ephesians 1:8-10) This is God’s household arrangement that begins with the gathering of Christ’s 144,000 joint heirs. These are “bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb [Jesus Christ].” They have part in “the first [the heavenly] resurrection” so that they may serve with Christ as kings and priests for a thousand years.
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Unitedly Pursuing the Goal of LifeThe Watchtower—1986 | February 15
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11. (a) To what precious “union” does Ephesians 1:11 refer? (b) How does John 15:4, 5 apply to those in this “union”?
11 The spirit-anointed sons of God, who are “the things in the heavens,” enjoy a very intimate relationship with Jesus and with the Father. They are “assigned as heirs” of the Kingdom in union with Jesus. (Ephesians 1:11) Jesus encouraged them to remain in union with him, just as branches remain attached to a vine, in order to bear much fruit. Unless this precious union with Christ Jesus is maintained, the branches “can do nothing at all.”—John 14:10, 11, 20; 15:4, 5; 1 John 2:27.
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Unitedly Pursuing the Goal of LifeThe Watchtower—1986 | February 15
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13. (a) At John 17:20, 21, for what does Jesus pray? (b) What shows that this petition is not limited to Christ’s joint heirs?
13 So today, both groups, the heavenly and the earthly, are ‘in union with the Father and with the Son’—at full accord with them in accomplishing God’s work. Jesus prayed, “That they may all be [at unity], just as you, Father, are in union with me and I am in union with you, that they also may be in union with us.” This oneness is not limited in meaning to joint heirship, for obviously Jesus’ disciples do not become part of any ‘body of Jehovah’ or ‘joint heirs with Jehovah.’ They are “in union” in that they show oneness in cooperation, being of one heart and mind with both Jehovah and Christ, as they witness to the world of mankind.—John 17:20, 21.
14. In what special way is the heavenly class in union with Christ, and what makes them aware of this?
14 However, the ones of the anointed heavenly class enjoy that union now in a special way, as they have been declared righteous as to life, through the application of the merit of Christ’s sacrifice. Hence, they can be spirit begotten with the prospect of becoming joint heirs with Christ Jesus. They acknowledge their adoption as sons, saying: “The spirit itself [God’s begetting active force] bears witness with our spirit [dominant mental inclination] that we are God’s children.”—Romans 3:23, 24; 5:1; 8:15-18.
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Unitedly Pursuing the Goal of LifeThe Watchtower—1986 | February 15
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There is a difference, though, as Jesus indicated to Nicodemus even before he spoke of everlasting life. He said: “Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3-5) So a spiritual rebirth is experienced by those baptized Christians whom God calls to be joint heirs with Jesus in his Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 1:9, 26-30)
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Unitedly Pursuing the Goal of LifeThe Watchtower—1986 | February 15
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18, 19. (a) What covenants does Jesus refer to at Luke chapter 22? (b) What purpose does each covenant serve? (c) As foreshadowed by Moses, how does Jesus serve as the “one mediator”?
18 Well, what did Jesus say on that evening of instituting the Memorial of his death? After passing the loaf to his disciples, he next offered the wine in the same way, saying: “This cup means the new covenant by virtue of my blood, which is to be poured out in your behalf.” Later, he went on to amplify the reason for taking them into the new covenant, saying: “You are the ones that have stuck with me in my trials; and I make a covenant with you, just as my Father has made a covenant with me, for a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.”—Luke 22:19, 20, 28-30.
19 The prophet Jeremiah had foretold the new covenant, stating that through it Jehovah would be forgiving the error and sin of his people so that they might “know Jehovah” in a most intimate relationship. (Jeremiah 31:31, 34) Just as Moses was “mediator” of the Law covenant with fleshly Israel, so Jesus becomes “mediator of [this] correspondingly better covenant” that God makes with the spiritual “Israel of God.” This is in order to ransom those who are called to become Kingdom heirs with Christ. Thus they “receive the promise of the everlasting inheritance.” (Galatians 3:19, 20; 6:16; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24) It is particularly in this Biblical sense that Christ Jesus serves as the “one mediator between God and men.”—1 Timothy 2:5, 6.
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