Quote:
Originally Posted by aron
Any emissary who begins to presume for him/herself pride of place becomes separated from the light. And when the light turns to darkness, how great is the darkness!
Thus, the safety in the well-worn paths of old, and the peril in striking out anew. Anyone offering new and better teachings should be suspect. Especially when these new doctrines are essentially held as a contravention of our behavior. As if works were dead, and "eating Jesus" or somesuch were sufficient. I see this as teaching something novel and without scriptural basis, that being hearers (or eaters) of the word were enough. As if saying, "I am becoming God" or saying anything (reciting, declaring, chanting, pray-reading etc), would make it reality itself...
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The "God's economy" metric promoted by Witness Lee was also new, and sufficiently novel to merit critical reception. Paul did mention paying attention to God's economy, in 1 Timothy 1:4. Jesus, however, had also promoted the stewardship or economy idea, and it wasn't in context of metabolically assimilating the word in order to be organically transformed and "sonized" into God's reproduction. The gospel context, and message, was instead about responsibility, faithfulness, and obedience; to do well with what one had been given. "To whom much is given, much is required" etc.
In this line, it might be profitable to consider the angel Gabriel, speaking to Mary in Luke 1:28-36. God had commanded Gabriel, as one who stands before the throne. And God's spoken word is indeed spirit; in sending forth Gabriel the ministering spirit who then faithfully repeated this word (of spirit and life) to Mary. But does anyone then say that Gabriel assimilated the word, and became transfused with the divine element, to be metabolically transformed and made the same as God in life and nature but not in the Godhead? No? Why not? God's spoken word is spirit and life, and the angels are also similarly created in God's image and likeness. They do similarly receive the implanted word, no? Instruction, command, and revelation of the divine will? Or do the angels "run on a different Spirit" than the one Holy Spirit? I seriously doubt that. They are enlivened by God's word, same as we are.
Gabriel's subsequent actions after receiving God's word, actions bespeaking faithfulness, responsibility and obedience, parallel Jesus' parables about stewardship (
oikonomia), e.g. Luke 16:1-13, and many other of His gospel stories. But nothing about becoming God is suggested. Why not? Why use one (objective and outward) set of interpretive rules with one set of stewards, and another (subjective and inward) with the other stewards?
The novelty of the "New Testament Economy of God", similar to "man becoming God", is therefore suspect. It was probably mostly given forth as an opportunity to speak messages, sell books and pamphlets, and keep the faithful in the seats for a little bit longer. But as far as an unparalleled window into the "grand master plan" of God, probably not so much.