| Excerpt from
Chapter 9, "The Seed of Christ" of "The Rising Son, The
Manifestation of the Sons of God" by Richard W. Rundell
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| Unless otherwise noted,
all scripture references are from the New International Version.
Jesus is the one Who plants His seed, Himself, into mankind, the
earth. "I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the
ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it
produces many seeds." (John 12:24) This verse summarizes several
principles of the Kingdom of God. Using the parallel of a natural
seed, Jesus spoke of Himself. Two conditions had to be met. First,
the seed must fall to the ground and second, it must die. Likewise
Jesus had to fall to the earth, that is, descend from the heavenly
realm to a lesser realm, the earth realm. He also had to die as a
man in His earthly identity just as a natural seed must die to its
identity. If He remained in the earth as a single seed, as Jesus of
Nazareth, He would remain as the only spirit filled person in the
earth, as a head without a body. The many seeds He produces are the
many membered body of Christ.
Demonstrated in the above verse are not only death, burial and
resurrection, but growth, maturity, and the production of viable
seed, - it is destined to grow, it's destined to produce seed
bearing fruit, and reproduce, after its parent, according to its own
kind, whether plant, animal, or the life and nature of Jesus Christ.
"Then God said, 'Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing
plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it,
according to their various kinds' and it was so." (Gen. 1:11), This
is Christ in you (Col. 1:27). The Hebrew for "kind" is miyn or
species, thus, each according to its own species. Or we might say
that each offspring, whether plant, animal or man, will bear the
character and nature of its species.
THE SOIL NEEDS THE SEED
The soil needs the seed and the seed
needs the soil. The soil has no life in itself and will produce
nothing until we plant a seed in it. Neither can the soil produce
any higher form of life than itself for without the seed it remains
dead or lifeless. . Yet that seed needs a medium, the soil, in which
to plant itself. It will not germinate attached to the plant or out
in the air. No matter how perfect a seed is, even if it has a
potential of one hundred percent germination, unless it's planted,
it remains alone and can't produce a harvest.
Now just as the soil needs the seed, so the Adamic race needs the
seed of Christ. And as as the seed needs the soil, so Christ, the
Seed, needs a medium in which to plant Himself. God seeks not a
reformed Adam but He seeks after that new life which springs forth
out of that Adamic earthy man out from the Seed planted in it. Flesh
and blood, that is, the Adamic nature, shall never inherit the
kingdom of God. From Philipians 3:21 "Who (the Lord Jesus Christ) by
the power that enables him to bring everything under his control,
will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his
glorious body" But He can't do this except by the man of the earth.
The Head of the body needs the rest of the body (1 Cor. 12:21). God
is bringing forth a people who possess His divine nature, a nature
produced from that divine Seed within them.
FALL TO THE GROUND AND DIES
The natural seed falls into (not
on top of) the ground and subjects itself to what we will call the
law of the soil, that is, the fertility, temperature, moisture,
atmospheric pressure, soil structure and the seasons. In a like
manner, Jesus, even though He was in heaven while on earth (John
3:13), as the Seed, fell into the depths of the earth and
voluntarily subjected Himself to the law of the earth. That is, He
subjected Himself to not only civil law, but to a finite body, to
the dimensions of time and space, to day and night, hunger, even the
culture of His time. At His trial He opened not His mouth, but
subjected Himself to the whims of those accusing Him and to those
who would hang Him on the cross.
God planted the Seed, His only begotten Son, deep into the earth,
deep into mankind.. There is no person on the face of the earth,
past, present or future, who is so deep in sin that God can't or
won't save (1 Tim. 2:4; 1 Tim. 1:15; 1 Cor. 15:21-28). That
incorruptible Seed planted in the worst sinner will take root and
grow and raise that person to new life. That is a kingdom principle.
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| Except for the outer
shell, which dies, the natural seed (really its embryo), does not
become a part of that soil but arises from that soil to new life. So
Jesus, living amid the earthen realm (man), and the law of sin and
death, didn't become a part of that earth but rose to new life.
Likewise the body of Christ - as it follows the pattern of Jesus,
does not become a part of the law of sin and death, but arises from
it. We must state a law relative to our discussions, a law of the
hierarchy among God's creations. The soil or mineral kingdom can't
raise itself up into the plant kingdom, those of the plant kingdom
can't raise themselves up into the animal kingdom, the animals can't
raise themselves into the kingdom of the natural man, and the
natural man can't raise himself into the kingdom of God, the
spiritual kingdom. Neither, does man have to die to enter the
kingdom of God. Instead, he must be born into it (John 3:3).
Just as a natural seed springs forth in the earth in which it is
planted, so Christ Jesus, the Seed, springs forth in the earth
realm, that is, in man. He began this in certain men on the day of
Pentecost. The life within the embryo of a seed must spring forth
when planted in good ground (Gen. 1:11; Mark 4:20) It's a universal
law.
In order for Jesus the Christ to come to the earth (seed falling
to the ground), He had to appear, function and die as a man. Jesus
had to lay down His life, plant it in the earth, so that Seed could
germinate. New life must come forth and with Him, it was
resurrection life. A natural seed springs forth out of the earth or
ground - out of that realm just below the realm of the parent plant.
In like manner, that new life originated from the Seed, the seed of
the spiritual Christ, but it now rises from the natural man, that
realm just below the parent, and manifests itself in the earthly man
to bring (spiritual) life to him, first through the new birth. (Jn.
3:3), then the Pentecostal experience. (Acts 1:8). Then that same
life goes forth from the spirit filled person to bring life to the
world.
REMAIN ALONE
The disciples didn't understand Jesus. He was
still alone - outside of them. That transforming power wasn't yet
working in them. But after Pentecost, notice the change in Peter and
the other disciples. Then Jesus was no longer alone for His Spirit
had multiplied and now dwelt within Peter and the others, that is,
the 120 in the upper room.. Unless Jesus died, He would be the
single, solitary individual on the face to the earth to possess
eternal life, the only one Who could legitimately manifest the
nature of God. He would be the only one to communicate by the Spirit
with God, the only one to speak words of life, the only one to
possess immortality. He would be a head without a body. The
manifestation of the Sons of God couldn't even begin to materialize.
The manifestation of God in the earth was first limited to one
finite being, Jesus of Nazareth. When He died and rose, His seed was
planted in the earth. He manifested His life in a many membered body
who will eventually manifest to the world. His mission was not to
remain alone on the cross, but to produce many seeds, that many
membered body.
The teaching of Jesus or even His works basically wasn't what was
to be multiplied, though that would be a by-product. (We are to do
greater works. John. 14:12). What was to be multiplied was Himself,
His person, His divine nature, via His Seed planted in mankind. God
sent His Son (the SEED) to the earth, not to remain alone but to die
that He be planted in man to bring forth that life, His very image.
Jesus was to multiply Himself in man and each new generation of
enchristed ones to further multiply the Christ in others.
MANY SEEDS
What are the seeds or what is the fruit that bears
the seeds? Bearing seed or bearing fruit and coming into maturity is
not allocated to the distant future or to the other side of the
grave. That wouldn't follow God's order for total growth. Neither is
the fruit we bear likened to some shriveled up, scabby, deformed or
unripe apple. But because it bears the pure seed of Christ within,
it's a purely formed fruit.. The fruit of a Christian isn't saving
souls, (for souls just won are but babes), preaching, evangelizing,
singing hymns, or writing messages or books.. The fruit is the
manifestation of the character and nature of Jesus Christ who
resides within. Jesus said,, "you shall know them by their fruit"
(Matt. 7:20).
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| A tree is identified by
its fruit. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
(Matt. 7:16 KJV). "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit,
neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit" (Matt. 7:18 KJV).
Why is an apple tree called an apple tree? Not because of its bark,
its leaves or its shape, but because it bears apples. The apples it
bears or the character of those apples is the manifestation of the
invisible character and power within the tree. When you bite into an
apple, you don't expect it to taste like a peach. It tastes like an
apple, looks like an apple, cooks like an apple and it has all the
nutritive value of an apple. Equally important, it bears the seed
for the next generation of apples, even that same variety. Likewise
with a Christian. Within that Christian is not only the nature of
Christ to manifest, but the pure incorruptible seed of Christ for
the next generation of believers.
The seed of Christ within you has all the characteristics of the
Christ. It isn't contaminated with the Adam nature. It manifests
itself, "tastes like", looks like it's the Christ, because it is.
When people "bite into it", that is, partake of it, it will be the
Christ. When a person witnesses to a lost soul, the saving grace of
Jesus Christ and that seed takes root, it won't be a mixture. It
will be the Christ that grows and manifests itself in that person. A
seed can produce only what it is.
As a plant matures, it begins to develop its fruit which contains
the seed for the next generation - so the sons of God - as they
mature, manifest the fruit - you know a tree by its fruit.- joy,
peace. Fruit isn't meant to be just consumed in "one generation" but
the seed in that fruit contains life to be planted into the next
"generation".
It's a universal law- seed produces after its own kind or
according to its own species. The seed of Adam produces nothing but
death and the adamic nature whereas the seed of Christ produces
nothing but life (1 Cor. 15:22). That seed of Christ planted in the
earth (mankind) can produce only one thing- a Christ like nature and
character. The Christ seed in you will not - it cannot - it never
will - produce - nor manifest, anything other than the Christ
nature. Just as a natural seed of a plant or animal carries not only
the identical DNA for the following generations, it carries the
potential embryo and for continuous life. So as the seed of Christ
contains all the necessary "ingredients" to manifest the image and
likeness , the very life (zoe or spiritual life) of Jesus Christ -
it also contains the embryo to pass on to the next generation of
believers and the next and the next.
You may say, "I can show anger, lose patience, once in a while.
Yet that Christ seed and nature within you will manifest nothing but
that divine nature. That other nature comes from the soul (mind,
will and emotions) which is still in the process of being saved.
(Rom. 12:2) For salvation of the soul is progressive.
`When the sons of God or any believer witnesses to a lost soul,
so that they become born again ( John. 3:3 KJV), that seed of Christ
is a pure seed, even though the person who witnesses may have mixed
some natural words with their spiritual words. If the spiritual
words, the life, fall into that ground, planted into that person,
(if you will) it will produce a pure Christ nature, (spirit saved),
- no mixture. It will manifest itself as the nature of Jesus Christ
and eventually mature.. The seed of Christ has never has been
contaminated, isn't now contaminated in the hearts of believers, and
can never be contaminated. It will remain a pure incorruptible seed
for generations to come, into eternity.
If we are born from above, then that same power that raised Jesus
Christ from the dead now dwells within us (Rom. 8:11). Do we
recognize or discern the power of the resurrection in our daily
life? - Do we then see and understand spiritually - to see Him in
His purpose, His mission - to fall to the earth, to die, to come to
life and bear many seeds? Then we see that the nature of Jesus
Christ is that of His Father from where He came and that same divine
nature is to be manifested in a many membered body NOW, not just in
the distant future.
This message an excerpt from "The Rising Son - The Manifestation
of the Sons of God" By Richard Rundell, PO Box 983, Haskell, OK
74436 USA e-mail- rwrundell@msn.com |
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