'Rightly Dividing the Word'
Heb 9:11 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation.
Since Jesus was the Word made flesh, so His physical body was the tabernacle (temple of God). By His complete obedience to God even to the suffering of death, He was perfected so that He can provide every Christian the perfect requirements to reach perfection.
Heb 5:8-9 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
I Cor 3:10-11 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Every born again Christian is the temple of God. To build this temple to perfection, he needs to use the perfect requirements provided by Jesus so that he can build it based solely on the foundation laid by Jesus Christ, Himself.
The Furniture in the Temple
The temple of God is divided into 3 sections - Outer Court, Holy Place and Holy of Holies or Most Holy place.
1. The Outer Court (outside New Jerusalem) consists of:-
Bronze Altar and Bronze Laver
In the coming New Jerusalem,
2. The Holy Place (inside New Jerusalem) consists of:
Table of Shewbread and Golden Lampstand
3. Holy of Holies (Throne of God) consists of:-
Golden Altar of Incense, the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat
Position of New Convert
Heb 6:1-2 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
A new convert will only have the bronze altar, where his sins were cleansed by the precious blood of Jesus. He must proceed beyond the elementary principles of Christ. He needs to grow in Christ Jesus by reading and understanding God's attributes, ways, will, works, promises and judgement from His words, which will place him in the position of the bronze laver of water for sanctification.
A Christian needs to grow until perfection, where his carnal old man is transformed into the glorious image of our Lord Jesus.
