The New Humanity

W. Carl Ketcherside

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     "As, therefore, God's picked representatives of the new humanity, purified and beloved of God himself, be merciful in action, kindly in heart, humble in mind" (Colossians 3:12--Phillips' Translation).

     The new humanity is made up of humans. Neither angels nor demons can enter this fraternity. The new humanity is composed of the same persons who were once part of the old humanity. The transformation was wrought by divinity. In order to effect it, divinity had to be clothed with humanity. "It is plain that for this purpose he did not become an angel; he became a man, in actual fact a descendant of Abraham" (Heb. 2:16). There have been angels who sinned, but for them there was no redemption. The Saviour only "tasted death for every man. The transformation wrought is so complete that it is called a new creation. It is not a mere continuation of previous life on a higher moral plane. It is a beginning of life. The old humanity has been crucified. It is dead. Old things have passed away. All things have become new.

     Those who are a part of the new humanity are in the world, but not of it. "As far as this world is concerned, you are already dead, and your true life is a hidden one with God in Christ." The picked representatives are sent into the world by Christ as he was sent into the world by the Holy Father. Just as he came into a new state when he was united with humanity, so these have come into a new state by being united with divinity. They are translated from a carnal to a spiritual state. "But you are not carnal but spiritual if the Spirit of God finds a home within you." The indwelling Spirit is the secret of the new humanity. "Once the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives within you he will, by that same Spirit, bring to your whole being new strength and vitality."

     There is an awe-inspiring sense of responsibility connected with being "God's picked representatives of the new humanity." When divinity became clothed with humanity, the apostle testifies, "It is in him that God gives a full and complete expression of himself (within the physical limits that he set himself in Christ). Moreover, your own completeness is only realized in him." Christ came as God's picked representative of divinity. Being in him, we are now his picked representatives of the new humanity. He said, "I do not live to please myself but to do the will of him that sent me." We, too, must make the choice as to whether we will live to please self, or do the Father's will. This is the very essence of the new creation!

     Thousands are practicing self-deception. They are guilty of misdirected faith and trust. They are placing their confidence in intellectual attainment and ability to quote passages from the Bible, in the observance of certain formalities and rituals, in a specific title that poses over the church door or on the sign in front, in the scrupulous adherence to modes of breaking the bread, or distributing the fruit of the vine. On any of these subjects they are profuse and verbose. Often they are self-righteous, dogmatic, intolerant, filled with the bitterness of party spirit.

     They are the Israel of God because of what they do not have--Bible classes, instrumental music, orphan homes, individual cups, or a host of other things that are criteria of "faithfulness" and "loyalty." They are the elect, not because they have the Spirit of God, but because of what they do not have in their service. Many know little about the Holy Spirit. Some even deny his personal indwelling. They have debated and fussed and wrangled, searching the scriptures to find passages to sustain their partisan positions, until they have forgotten that Jesus said, "These are they which testify of me." Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have been gone over with a fine tooth comb by adherents of various factions created over how to serve the bread and fruit of the vine. Each purports to find his own practice clearly set forth, and each belabors and clubs the other, as if these accounts were designed by heaven to be the searching ground for

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lawyers and legalists, although the beloved John said, "These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, that by believing, you might have life through his name." But, as it was said of the law, so it may be said of the biography of our Lord, "That which promised life proved to be death unto me."

     One may be wrong about many things, as all of us are, but if he is right about Jesus, the grace of God can be exercised in his behalf. On the other hand, one may be right about many things, but if he is wrong about Jesus, nothing avails. This does not justify our wilful and deliberate error about anything, but it places our trust for salvation where it can only be effective, not upon our own attainments or goodness, but in Him. Our life, in its final analysis, can never consist of what we have or do not have in this world. Our life is personal and centered in a person. He is our life!

     The new humanity is not created to hate brethren but to help them. Hatred of brethren belongs to the old humanity. Our purpose is not to debate with brethren but to develop them; not to ridicule but to relieve them; not to scoff at them, but to share with them; to regard them as mutual heirs of the grace of God. In this spirit, and motivated by the Holy Spirit, we can work out the problems created by our varied backgrounds and enhanced by our shortcomings in knowledge and attainment.

     The characteristics of the representatives of the new humanity are given in the translation under review. They are three in number, dealing with mind, heart and action. This is but another way of saying "in thought and in deed," or "in will and in work." We are to be humble in mind. This is the fundamental or foundational attitude for all spiritual achievement. We are to be kindly in heart. The grace of God is simply the undeserved kindness of God activated in our behalf and manifested through Jesus. As recipients of that grace, we are to bestow it upon others.

     In the third place, we are to be merciful in action. Mercy is not justice. Justice, in the absolute, is opposed to mercy. Mercy implies compassion of such degree as to enable one to forbear punishing even when justice demands it. One who is merciful recognizes mitigating circumstances. He regulates his decisions by consideration of every contributory factor. He does not pass mass judgment but respects the rights and temperament of each individual. Free from prejudice, interested only in the welfare of those about him and not in personal vindication or vengeance, he acts toward others as God has acted toward him.

     We need to develop a consciousness of what it means to be "God's picked representatives of the new humanity" in order to enable us to rise above the narrow bigotry and the stifling influence of the party spirit. The world needs the impact, the force and power generated by the lives of those who are "purified and beloved of God himself." Here is the greatest challenge to confront us in this age of decadence and demoralization.