The Glory of Christ Intro. pt 2

IN CHRIST WE ARE ETERNALLY SECURE
"We were created in a covenant relation unto God. Our nature was related unto him in a way of friendship, of likeness, and complacency. But the bond of this relation wand union was quickly broken, by our apostasy from him. Here on our whole nature became to be at the utmost moral distance from God, and enmity against him; which is the depth of misery (ib. pg. 276)."
When man was created he was created with the ability to commune with God, resting in complete satisfaction with God. This of course did not last long, because man sinned and placed himself at the greatest of moral distance from God, at enmity and hatred of God. God should have left him in this estate but as stated earlier took it upon himself to redeem man from the curse, to reinstate him into a relationship with himself once again, not because man deserved it but God chose to extend grace unto him.
"But God, in infinite wisdom and grace, did design once more to recover it, and take it again near unto himself. And he would do it in such a way as should render it utterly impossible that there should ever be a separation between him and it any more. Heaven and earth may pass away, but there shall never be a dissolution of that union between God and our nature and more (pg. 276)."
This is an amazing insight, to look at mans original condition to which he was created and to compare it with the state of man after salvation. Man before the fall was made morally upright and capable of communion with God and enjoyment of God free from corruption. Yet man in this perfect state sinned and lost his first estate of sinless perfection, and became subject to death, and God being merciful sent Christ to take away the sting of death. Yet men still sin after they are saved, but they shall never loose their salvation, because they are eternally secured in Christ Jesus, by whose righteousness men have been covered with, not their own, who also bore their eternal punishment on the cross. What John Owen is saying is that men who are saved after the fall are in a better condition that Adam was previous to the fall because is eternally secure in Christ, never able to lose what has been gained through Christ. There is an endless amount of meditation that can be spent thinking about this, about the mercy of God, that when death was the promised punishment, Christ was given with the gift of eternal life instead, showing that God is a loving and compassionate God, rather than just a vengeful and wrathful God. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For of him, and through his and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen
Two Mysterious Excellencies Which are Related
We are capable of exaltation and subsistence in God
"The mystery hereof is the object of the admiration of angels, and will be so of the whole church, unto eternity... And whereas he hath proposed unto us this glorious object of our faith and meditation, how vile and foolish are we, if we spend our thoughts about other things in a neglect of it (ib. pg 277)."
It is not only fascinating that God would stoop down in the form of man to redeem him from a corrupt state that he made for himself by disobedience to what he was told not to do, but that God would exalt him above the angels and creation is even more fascinating. The fact that God redeems man is so worthy of admiration that the Christian has ample reason to praise God and to think on his goodness, but that God should also exalt him above the angels, even those who did not rebel this should cause man to have the utmost admiration for God and to relinquish his desires for this world. One day God will change our vile bodies to be fashioned like unto his and not suffering from the effects that sin has on us and the world. This should cause us to praise God. We would be foolish to spend our days scheming and meditating on the world, when we have been redeemed by Christ which will be the admiration of the church through all of eternity.
2. This is a Pledge of the Love of God unto our Natures
"For although he will not take it in any other instance, save that of the man Christ Jesus, into this relation with himself, by virtue of personal union, yet therein he hath given a glorious pledge of his love unto, and valuation of , that nature. For "verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham". And this kindness extends unto our persons, as participant of that nature. For he designed this glory unto the man Christ Jesus, that he might be the first-born of the new creation, that we might be made conformable unto him according to our measure; and as members of that body, whereof he is the head, we are participant in this glory (pg. 277)."
In the person of Christ, God has given us a pledge of his love of our nature, because he sent Christ in the form of man to redeem man. He did not redeem angels, but left them in the corrupt and rebellious estate while Christ came to redeem man. This shows us a token of God's love to us. Through the resurrection of Christ, we were made partakers of the resurrection, participants or inheritors of Christ glory. We are not without hope or reason to live a life above this world, to make our salvation known to men, our minds should be elevated above this world in meditation on the glorious state of Christ in heaven which we are partakers of. Thinking about those things that are imperishable and that will never fade away, which are reserved in heaven for us. The things require our utmost diligence and preparation through the meditations of our hearts, that we would be willing at any moment to relinquish our hold on this world and take our flight to the next.