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I. The kingdom of God — John 3:3, 5:
А. The kingdom of God is the reign of God.
B. This divine reign is a realm, not only of the divine dominion but also of the divine species, in which are all the divine things.
C. God became flesh to enter into the human species, and man becomes God in His life and nature, but not in His divine Godhead, to enter into His divine species. Here in John 3 the kingdom of God refers more to the species of God than to the reign of God.
D. To enter into this divine realm, the realm of the divine species, we need to be born of God to have the divine nature and life.
E. That man was created in the image of God and according to His likeness indicates that man was created in God’s kind, in God’s species.
F. The believers, who are born of God by regeneration to be His children in His life and nature but not in His Godhead (1:12-13), are more in God’s kind than Adam was. It is logical to say that all the children of God are in the divine realm of the divine species.
G. Thus, in regeneration God begets gods; if they are not gods, what are they? We all who are born of God are gods. But for utterance, due to the theological misunderstanding, it is better to say that we are God-men in the divine species, that is, in the kingdom of God.
H. These God-men, who are children born of God, not only constitute the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 4:17; John 14:2) but also are the constituents with which the Body of Christ is built up, and the Body of Christ will consummate the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God and of Christ (1 Cor. 6:9; Eph. 5:5; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 11:15).
II. The blood and water:
А. We sinners became fallen and were then against God’s righteousness and estranged from God’s life — Gen. 3:24; Eph. 4:18.
B. As sinners, we need to be redeemed judicially from God’s condemnation according to the righteous requirement of His law (Gal. 3:13) and to be saved organically by His life from the death brought in by sin — 2 Tim. 1:10; Rom. 5:10, 12, 17, 21.
C. God’s full salvation for us is judicial according to His righteousness and organic through His life.
D. Christ, as the Redeemer and Savior of fallen man, redeems and saves us through His death and resurrection.
E. In His crucifixion, after He was pierced by a soldier, blood and water, two elements that are critical to human life, came out of Him — John 19:34:
1. Blood is for God’s judicial redemption:
а. Redeeming the believers — Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19.
b. Forgiving the believers’ sins — Heb. 9:22.
c. Washing away the believers’ sins — 1:3.
d. For God to justify the believers — Rom. 3:24; 5:9.
e. Sanctifying the believers positionally — Heb. 13:12; 10:29.
f. Speaking something better for the New Testament believers before God — 12:24.
g. Overcoming Satan, the accuser of the believers — Rev. 12:11.
h. Thus, it is the precious blood of Christ — 1 Pet. 1:19.
i. It is also considered God’s own blood, which is very dear to God and with which God has purchased and obtained the church as His flock — Acts 20:28.
2. Water, signifying the divine life (see ch. 3), is for God’s organic salvation:
а. The Lord promises to give the sinners the water of life — John 4:10, 14; Rev. 21:6.
b. The Lord calls the sinners to come and drink His water of life — 22:17; John 7:37-38:
1) The believers were regenerated by God with His divine life — 1 Pet. 1:3.
2) This divine life saves the believers — Rom. 5:10b.
3) It dispositionally sanctifies (6:19, 22), renews (12:2b; Titus 3:5), transforms (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18), conforms (Rom. 8:29), and glorifies (v. 30) the believers.
4) The believers reign in it — 5:17.
5) The believers grow with it for the building up of the Body of Christ — Eph. 4:15-16.
6) Consummating the New Jerusalem, which is wholly supplied with the river of water of life and with the tree of life — Rev. 21:2; 22:1-2.
The revelation of the kingdom of God in John is based upon two verses in John 3. Verse 3 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Then verse 5 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” Verse 3 speaks of seeing the kingdom, and verse 5 speaks of entering into the kingdom. To see the kingdom we need to be born anew. To enter into the kingdom we need to be born of water and the Spirit. Water signifies the death of Christ, into which we all have been baptized, and the Spirit signifies resurrection.
The end of John 2 says that many believed in the Lord when they saw the signs which He did, but the Lord had no confidence in such people and could not commit Himself to them (vv. 23-25). Then chapter 3 begins with the word but. This word indicates that the case concerning Nicodemus in John 3 is different from the case of those who believed in the Lord because of the signs which He did. The case in John 3 concerns life in regeneration.
It speaks of Nicodemus, a real seeker who came to the Lord in the night (v. 2). He came with much knowledge and many concepts because he was a teacher among the Jewish people. He considered Christ a teacher who had come from God. He might have thought that he needed better teachings to improve himself, but the Lord’s answer unveiled to him that he needed to be born anew. Nicodemus responded by saying, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” (v. 4). The Lord then told him that he needed a second birth, a new birth.
If we are not born anew, we do not have the capacity to see the kingdom of God. To be born anew is to be born of water, signifying the death of Christ, and of the Spirit, signifying Christ’s resurrection. We need to die with Christ and be resurrected to be a new person of another, new species, new kind.
The kingdom of God is the reign of God.
The kingdom of God is the reign of God. This divine reign is a realm, not only of the divine dominion but also of the divine species, in which are all the divine things. The vegetable kingdom is a realm of the vegetable species, and the animal kingdom is a realm of the animal species. In the same way, the kingdom of God is a realm of the divine species.
God became flesh to enter into the human species, and man becomes God in His life and nature, but not in His divine Godhead, to enter into His divine species. In John 3 the kingdom of God refers more to the species of God than to the reign of God.
For something to be in the animal species, it must be born of an animal. Also, to enter into the divine realm, the realm of the divine species, we need to be born of God to have the divine nature and life.
That man was created in the image of God and according to His likeness indicates that man was created in God’s kind, in God’s species. Genesis 1 says that each of the living things was created according to its kind. But God created man, not according to man’s kind but in God’s image and according to God’s likeness to be God’s kind.
The believers, who are born of God by regeneration to be His children in His life and nature but not in His Godhead (1:12-13), are more in God’s kind than Adam was. Adam had only the outward appearance of God without the inward reality, the divine life. We have the reality of the divine life within us, and we are being transformed and conformed to the Lord’s image in our entire being. It is logical to say that all the children of God are in the divine realm of the divine species.
Thus, in regeneration God begets gods. Man begets man. Goats beget goats. If goats do not beget goats, what do they beget? If God does not beget gods, what does He beget? If the children of God are not in God’s kind, in God’s species, in what kind are they? If they are not gods, what are they? We all who are born of God are gods. But for utterance, due to the theological misunderstanding, it is better to say that we are God-men in the divine species, that is, in the kingdom of God.
These God-men, who are children born of God, not only constitute the house of God (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 4:17; John 14:2) but also are the constituents with which the Body of Christ is built up, and the Body of Christ will consummate the New Jerusalem as the eternal kingdom of God and of Christ (1 Cor. 6:9; Eph. 5:5; 2 Pet. 1:11; Rev. 11:15).
We sinners became fallen and were then against God’s righteousness and estranged from God’s life (Gen. 3:24; Eph. 4:18).
As sinners, we need to be redeemed judicially from God’s condemnation according to the righteous requirement of His law (Gal. 3:13) and to be saved organically by His life from the death brought in by sin (2 Tim. 1:10; Rom. 5:10, 12, 17, 21).
God’s full salvation for us is judicial according to His righteousness and organic through His life.
Christ, as the Redeemer and Savior of fallen man, redeems and saves us through His death and resurrection.
In His crucifixion, after He was pierced by a soldier, blood and water, two elements that are critical to human life, came out of Him (John 19:34).
The blood of Christ is for God’s judicial redemption in His redeeming the believers (Eph. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:18-19), forgiving the believers’ sins (Heb. 9:22), and washing away the believers’ sins (1:3). The blood of Christ is also for God to justify the believers (Rom. 3:24; 5:9) and sanctify the believers positionally (Heb. 13:12; 10:29). This blood speaks something better for the New Testament believers before God (12:24). By the blood of Christ, the Lamb, we can overcome Satan, the accuser of the believers (Rev. 12:11). Thus, it is the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:19).
It is also considered God’s own blood, which is very dear to God and with which God has purchased and obtained the church as His flock. Acts 20:28 says that God secured, purchased, redeemed, the church with His own blood. If He were merely God, He could not have blood. God’s own blood is the blood of the man Jesus Christ, who is the very God. God’s purchasing the church with His own blood indicates the preciousness, the exceeding worth, of the church in the eyes of God. The church is dear to God, so we have to regard and respect the church.
Water, signifying the divine life (see ch. 3), is for God’s organic salvation. The Lord promises to give the sinners the water of life (John 4:10, 14; Rev. 21:6).
Also, the Lord calls the sinners to come and drink His water of life (22:17; John 7:37-38). The believers were regenerated by God with His divine life (1 Pet. 1:3). This divine life saves the believers (Rom. 5:10b). It dispositionally sanctifies (6:19, 22), renews (12:2b; Titus 3:5), transforms (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18), conforms (Rom. 8:29), and glorifies (v. 30) the believers. The believers reign in it (5:17). We can be kings by this divine life. The believers also grow with it for the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:15-16). We all have to grow into the Head, Christ. Then out from Him we have something of the divine life to minister to the Body for its building up. This consummates the New Jerusalem, which is wholly supplied with the river of water of life and with the tree of life (Rev. 21:2; 22:1-2). The river of water of life signifies the Spirit of life, and the tree of life signifies Christ as the embodiment of the divine life. Both are for the supply of the New Jerusalem.
