Earthly Things, Heavenly Things

What are earthly things and heavenly things? It seems to be easily answered as many thinks. But we need to pay careful heed to what they mean by earthly things and heavenly things because even a brilliant mind in the first century did not understand it. Birth (born again), wind (the Holy Spirit), and water (the word of God) are earthly things. The heavenly things are the incarnation of God, the crucifixion of Christ Jesus, and the impartation of His life through the resurrection from the dead. Destroying the old and creating the new is the heavenly thing God has done through the Son Jesus Christ on the cross in Calvary. Christ came to the earth to demolish the old man in His body on the cross by being made sin in our place. At the same time, He creates the new man through the resurrection from the dead by the power of God. 

Nicodemus though he was a teacher in Israel had a hard time to understand the earthly truths, let alone the heavenly truths. We need all truths and understand what they mean to us because the truths have been given us to see the realities of life.

In due time, God has revealed the mystery of Christ which was hidden from generations and from ages. The mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). The unsearchable riches of the glory have been shined upon the nations who have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord of all. A new life has been given to all who believes in the crucifixion and the baptism of Jesus Christ who destroyed the sin of the world and implanted eternal life into His captives.

What we have been received is none other than the Christ’s life, immortal, marvelous, exciting, vital, eternal, limitless. Since we have been born of God and clothed with the righteousness of God, we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). So, we do not lose heart in sufferings on the earth, because our light affliction which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory (2 Corinthians 4:17). What a hope it truly is!  

"I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:12-15 NIV)