Why Did Jesus Cleanse the Temple?

Originally posted by @secondson

Secondson, that was a very good short expounding on being transformed to the same image in 2 Cor. 3:17.

, I still balk at the idea of deification.

You notice that we are to match Christ to the point that we marry Him - the Husband Christ and the Wife city New Jerusalem.

Then God's salvation is to bring the church to the place that it matches Him enough to be wed to Him. This is deification.

Even while I'm in process of being conformed to the image of Christ my feet are still planted on this ground. And while I do set my affections on things in heaven and not on things on earth I am compelled to be more practical in the application of biblical truth to those in need of milk.

That is a valid concern. Of course they and we eventually also need solid meat.

There's also the danger of thinking I'm in a class of Christians with special spiritual insights that I forget I'm a servant of others first.

But we cannot draw back from the truth because of dangers of things like this.

Consider the recovery of the Jews from Babylon back to the good land in books like Ezra, Nehemiah, Zecharia, and Haggai. God stirred up the spirits of a remnant of those who for seventy years were removed from the ground upon which God had intended for the Jews.

They should not have failed to go because of being afraid that they would be considered an elite special class. Rather their recovery was blessed by God, It was His will for them to be recovered though they were only a remnant of all that had been scattered into Babylon.

Should they have remained in Babylon and told Haggai and Nehemiah -

"But we are afraid that if we return to the proper ground for the city and the temple in the Holy Land, we might class ourselves as an elite special class" ?

Their conviction of what God wanted and needed for His purpose overshadowed this dread. God has a way to keep them humble. Don't worry about that.

Originally posted by @rajk999
Nice topic for another thread.

Nice deflection. No other thread needed.

Jesus said; "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."

Do you or do you not believe in the literal bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ?

Originally posted by @sonship
Secondson, that was a very good short expounding on being transformed to the same image in [b]2 Cor. 3:17.

, I still balk at the idea of deification.

You notice that we are to match Christ to the point that we marry Him - the Husband Christ and the Wife city New Jerusalem.

Then God's salvation is to bring the church to t ...[text shortened]... His purpose overshadowed this dread. God has a way to keep them humble. Don't worry about that.[/b]

Deification: the act or an instance of deifying

Deify: to treat (someone or something) like a god or goddess

Replica: an exact or very close copy of something

Duplicate: exactly the same as something else : made as an exact copy of something else

If you will, using these Webster dictionary definitions, explain just what you mean by "deification"?

Originally posted by @secondson
Deification: the act or an instance of deifying

Deify: to treat (someone or something) like a god or goddess

Replica: an exact or very close copy of something

Duplicate: exactly the same as something else : made as an exact copy of something else

If you will, using these Webster dictionary definitions, explain just what you mean by "deification"?

Taking these two sentences I might get to the matter biblically speaking:

Replica: an exact or very close copy of something

Duplicate: exactly the same as something else : made as an exact copy of something else

Christ seeks to duplicate in some way what He is in us.

"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)

Christ would not be such that He would "abide alone". In order to release what is within Himself into others He had to die. He came not only for a redeeming death. He came for a duplicating death. The result - "much fruit" - meaning duplication of the only begotten Son to the Firstborn Son among many brothers at the climax of His work.

The divine life was concealed in the shell of His humanity.
In His death this shell was, like, cracked open and the divine life was released to duplicate as many grains, being the "much fruit" generated by His death and resurrection.

Though His unique position and work are one of a kind, yet in some communicable sense He no longer "abides alone."

Again from these two samples:

Replica: an exact or very close copy of something

Duplicate: exactly the same as something else : made as an exact copy of something else

The word of God says that God ALONE is holy.

“Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy”; (Rev. 15:4)

But the word exhorts us to partake of this holiness.

"“But according to the Holy One who called you, you yourselves also be holy in all your manner of life; because it is written, ‘You shall be holy because I am holy'” (1 Pet. 1:15-16)

This amounts to man receiving the dispensing of God's and nature into himself in Christ's salvation.

The Bible says God alone has immortality.
God ---

" ... alone has immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16)

Yet in His full salvation the redeems' mortality must put on immortality.

“this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:53).

Immortality was viewed as a defining characteristic of God, an attribute that made God what He is. How then could the believers be said to put on immortality without becoming, in some sense, God themselves?

From The Truth Concerning the Ultimate Goal of God's Economy
https://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=042B270B1D


God dispenses the communicable attributes so that the saved become "partakers of the divine nature"

" ... Him who has called us to His own glory and virtue, Through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (See 2 Peter 1:3,4)

It is exceedingly great and precious promises in Christ's salvation that the saved may become partakers of the divine nature. His will is not that we merely worship that nature from afar as an outward God, but receive the dispensing of God's life and nature into us.

Our escaping the corruption is not merely a matter of being justified. It is also a matter of participation in God's life yet with no sense of duplicating the Godhead.

This portion is useful.

Replica: an exact or very close copy of something

Duplicate: exactly the same as something else : made as an exact copy of something else

The final consummation - New Jerusalem has the glory of God. That is because God is wrought into man. God's life and nature are wrought into the collective entity rendering the city to have the glory of God.

" ... the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
Having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, as clear as crystal." (Rev. 21:11)

Where else did we see the jasper colored stone in the prophecy? We saw that God on the throne had the appearance of jasper.

"And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance, ..." (Rev. 4:3)

The God on the throne dispenses of Himself into the city so that His glory now becomes the glory shining out from the city. Indeed, she ... "having the glory of God".

But we already were told by the Apostle Peter that God has called us by His own glory and virtue.

" ... Him who has called us by His own glory and virtue." (1 Pet. 1:3)

Someone might say. "Yes that is called us BY His own glory and virtue."

Well, that may be so. Yet a few other translations;

King James Bible
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
As The One who has given all things which are of the divine power, with The Life and Awesomeness of God by his teaching, who has called us into his glory and majesty,


King James 2000 Bible
According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who has called us to glory and virtue:

American King James Version
According as his divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue:

But more directly the saved are called into His own kingdom and glory.

" So that you might walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into His own kingdom and glory." (1 Thess. 2;12)

Is it any wonder that the symbolism has God's glory as the glory of the city - a jasper stone in appearance?

We the saved are to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." (2 Thess. 2:14)

God desires to wrought Himself into those He redeems. That is to saturate them, permeate them, fill them up that we may match His Son Who He has sent to redeem us.

God does not duplicate other Gods. But God duplicates sons by dispensing His life and nature into the called, justified, and glorified.

They become God in that sense of God dispensing Himself into them, but not as a duplication of the Godhead.

John tells us that Christ is life (John 11:25; 14:6), but “he who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (1 John 5:12). He is the divine life in Himself, and being the divine life, He is the unique God; we have the divine life through regeneration and through our continued oneness with the Son, and thus we are God in life as well. Further, Paul calls the Body of Christ, Christ (1 Cor. 12:12); but the Lord Jesus is the Head, and we are the Body. He is uniquely Christ, God become flesh; we are Christ because we are His members. In this sense too, we can say that we are God. The Second of the Divine Trinity is the only begotten Son of God, and this admits no brothers; yet on the day of resurrection, the Lord said, “Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (John 20:17). Uniquely He is the only begotten Son, but in relation to His believers He is the Firstborn among many brothers (Rom. 8:29). Hence, we are sons of God by participation in Him, by partaking of His life and nature. And just as sons are in kind what their fathers are, we too are in kind what our Father is, God.

[my bolding] - from The Truth Concerning the Ultimate Goal of God's Economy
https://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=042B270B1D

Originally posted by @sonship
God does not duplicate other Gods. But God duplicates sons by dispensing His life and nature into the called, justified, and glorified.

They become God in that sense of God dispensing Himself into them, but not as a duplication of the Godhead.

[quote] John tells us that Christ is life [b](John 11:25; 14:6), but “he who has the Son has the l ...[text shortened]... te Goal of God's Economy
https://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDsp.cfm?id=042B270B1D[/b]

Philippians 3:12-16
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
¶ Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.
Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

As I read through your posts above I was reminded of the passage from Philippians 3. While I can agree that we are "partakers of the devine nature", and all that that entails, it seems, according to what Paul says in Philippians, that which we are "apprehended of" we have not fully "attained" as of yet, but we "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

I'm still reluctant to claim to myself something I don't fully understand. Deification isn't a term I find in scripture, although I know that when I see Jesus face to face I will know Him even as I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

"From glory to glory" and "in the ages to come" will Christ be "revealed" in us. I don't think we will ever arrive at a state we can label "deification". I get the sense from that term of an equality with God not expressed in scripture, even though I'm not getting that sense from what you're saying.

Originally posted by @secondson

As I read through your posts above I was reminded of the passage from Philippians 3. While I can agree that we are "partakers of the devine nature", and all that that entails, it seems, according to what Paul says in Philippians, that which we are "apprehended of" we have not fully "attained" as of yet, but we "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Exactly.
I see no contradiction.

Notice that in the middle of his ministry Paul had this healthy, humble, and diligent attitude. He is a good pattern. And he says as many as are full grown should have such an attitude like his own.

"Let us therefore, as many as are fullgrown, have this mind; ..." (v.15a)

Philippians is written in the midst of his ministry.
First and Second Timothy is written towards the end of his ministry, when he is about to be martyred.

Now at the end of his ministry his tone changes somewhat, yet still with humility, I think.

"I have fought the fight;
I have finished the course;
I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, with which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will recompense me in that day, and not only me but also all those who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7,8)

He knows that he has fully cooperated with the Lord Jesus - the divine nature. He has allowed Christ to wrought Himself into the fabric of his whole being.

He has finished the course laid out for him.
He has run his race and is at peace with his conscience.

What does he await? He expects a reward from "the righteous Judge". This should not be taken for granted. The Lord is the Lord of grace and the Lord of mercy. But here Paul refers to the Lord Jesus as "the righteous Judge" . Paul expects that because God has wrought the divine nature into him and throughout his being, he is not only on a righteous position objectively, but lives righteously subjectively.

This could only be because Paul has been faithful to allow God to dispense Christ into Paul so that truly, it was no longer he who lived but [edited] Christ Who lived in Paul Gal. 2:20)

Paul expects to a reward of recompense. This is distinct from the GIFT of being "saved through faith" - (Eph. 2:8).

This is Paul coming to the end of his life with assurance that he through faith has lived Christ. God will recompense him with reward in the kingdom age.

This brief comment is meant to allay any fears or concerns you have that standing on the promises of God will cause us to be too proud and independent from God.

No, we stand on the fact of forgiveness in faith.
We also stand on the fact of having become partakers of the divine nature by faith in order that we my LIVE in the enjoyment of that fact.

I hear your concern - "Let's not be too proud there!"
I agree. But let us not shrink back from standing on the precious promises of the new covenant.

Christ makes his home in all of our heart through faith, from beginning to end.

"That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, ..." (Eph. 3:17)

You see, all the promises of God are apprehended by faith.
We have faith the Jesus has saved us.
And the Holy Spirit acts.
We have faith that we have been cleansed in the blood of Jesus.
And the Spirit acts.

Am I right?

So also -
We exercise FAITH that we have died with Christ, been buried with Christ, raised with Christ, and seated with Christ. And the Holy Spirit moves in us to cause our enjoyment of these realities.

We are not arrogant to say "Thankyou Lord Jesus, I am SAVED." That is Rajk999ism, to condemn Christians for proclaiming the facts of our salvation.

It is not different from our being, according to the pure word of God - partakers of the divine nature.

"Lord Jesus. Thankyou. Thankyou Lord that we are partakers of the divine nature. We stand upon this promise. We are not weak and failures. IN YOU Lord we are overcomers. We are partakers of God's divine nature. We are one spirit with the Lord."

We appropriate the promises in exactly the same way we appropriate any of the other promises of the Gospel. Not standing on OUR merit. But standing on Christ as our merit. And we stand upon His word.

Yes, we are STILL in the race.
Yes, we do not account ourselves to have attained perfection.
Yes, we forget the things behind and keep stretching forth to experience Christ in a deeper way.

Yet we need NOT shrink back from believing, praising, praying, thanking, and trusting that we ARE "partakers of the divine nature." .

That same applies to ANY of the other promises you read about in my posts.

We should be imitators of those who through faith and patience are inheriting the promises.

"That you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and long-suffering are inheriting the promises." (Hebrews 6:12)

Originally posted by @secondson
Philippians 3:12-16
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before ...[text shortened]... God not expressed in scripture, even though I'm not getting that sense from what you're saying.

I'm still reluctant to claim to myself something I don't fully understand. Deification isn't a term I find in scripture, although I know that when I see Jesus face to face I will know Him even as I am known.

We are in the process of this deification.
We are in the process of His sanctification, His conformation, His transformation.

It is not pride to believe that the process of these matters is taking place in us. The New Testament speaks in this way.

You should be cautious.
I only say let your caution be about what the word of God is saying. Caution according to the Scripture is quite good.
Don't be cautious only about what has a traditional flavor in Christiandom.

Had Luther been "cautious" in this way, there may have not been a Reformation through his preaching.

1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Amen.
This is a very good word.

We do not know what the full New Jerusalem will be.
But we do know that we can have a foretaste. We can have a pledge of the Holy Spirit as an appetizer.

Full deification, we have no experienced yet.
We know that He who has started a good work in us WILL complete it. (Phil. 1:6) .

We know that we are to marry Christ.
So we have to be brought to a state in which we match Him.

We are on the way.
And we should not take this too individualistically.
The deification is a matter of a CORPORATE expression of God united with man.

When I was in the charismatic things I use to seek an individual baptism of the Holy Spirit. God honored by seeking to experience more of the Spirit. But one day someone told me -

Only a fool seeks an individual baptism of the Holy Spirit.
If you are one with the Body of Christ, you will partake of the baptism which is poured out on the whole Body.

In similar way, I would not want you to think of deification in too individualistic. We should want what God wants for God's will and God's purpose. Deification meets God's need.

He alone is holy. Yet He predestinated to have sons who He can dispense Himself into that they might be holy.

"Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love,

Predestinating us to sonship through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will. To the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved." (Eph. 1:4-6)

Deification is according to His good pleasure, His predestination and unto His glory. It is not our selfish grasping. It is for us to say "Amen Lord, Your will be done."

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

"From glory to glory" and "in the ages to come" will Christ be "revealed" in us. I don't think we will ever arrive at a state we can label "deification". I get the sense from that term of an equality with God not expressed in scripture, even though I'm not getting that sense from what you're saying.

I don't insist that a Christian must use the word "deification". But what is the process happening by life in the church? How will the church be made to marry Christ as His absolute counterpart in eternity?

The good article at I linked to spend some time to explain what deification WAS NOT.

The Roman emperors were "deified".
We do not mean that.
The beginning of the article spends some times on preemptive explanations in case Christians are wary of a heretical pagan like notion of "deification".

The Truth Concerning the Ultimate Goal of God's Economy

I think it is worth your reading carefully.
https://www.ministrybooks.org/SearchMinBooksDtl.cfm?id=220D1F

The following is just a short sample of the discussion:

Deification
in the View of the Early Church
Perhaps what comes to mind most commonly when people hear the term deification is the practice among the ancient pagan religions of elevating mere men to the status of gods. Historically, this became most prominent in the Roman Empire, where reverence for the Caesars as gods united the multi-national and multi-religious empire. Such reverence was adamantly resisted by two groups alone, the Jews and the Christians (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 16:120h), no doubt because of their absolute insistence on a belief in the one true God. But reactions to deification also reflected particular views on what deity was. It was so much easier for the pagan religions to admit deification into their religious systems because for them the gods were little more than men. Pagan gods were made in the image and likeness of men, so to speak, somewhat fallen and given to the same vices we humans suffer. The ancient world was filled with the intrigue and drama of fleshly tales about the pagan gods. To become god, at the standard of these gods, was hardly an improvement over being mere man and hardly a great leap for humanity. On the other hand, the God of the Jews and the Christians is eternal, perfect, above nature, and certainly above the multitude of flaws of humanity. The most virtuous man could easily qualify as a god in the pagan mind, but for Jews and even more so for Christians “our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). The chasm between God and man, and particularly unsaved man, could not be as easily bridged as the emperor cult of Rome suggested.