PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

God's Called Race

With this issue of Parenthood we are continuing to consider the way we use the teaching of the Bible to train our children. We should not use the Bible merely to influence our children to grow up into fine, moral, proper, and successful young men and women. Our goal and our mission-the divine stewardship given to us as Christian parents-is to bring forth young people who realize their significance as God's called race.

The Bible is much more than a book of ethics, much more than a rule book defining acceptable behavior, and much more than a book of inspiring stories. The Bible is a record of God's dealings with man, an opening of God's heart to man; it defines Who God is and how He makes Himself available to be experienced by man. The Bible reveals God's desire to gain a people who are fully one with Him, knowing Him intimately and affectionately, and representing Him in His interests in the universe. The Bible further unveils the way in which God has moved and is moving on the earth to carry out His eternal purpose in man. We must give our utmost attention to knowing God's goal and learning His ways that we may cooperate with Him to reach His goal.

In the Old Testament there are many examples of God's interaction with man to reach His goal. These stories are full of significance for our living. We should learn from these experiences and apply them to our living today. Every story reveals certain principles by which men of faith may live. One of the central persons in the Old Testament is Abraham-the father of faith. At a significant time in the history of man, God called Abraham to become the father of a called race of men. As the father of faith he is also our father; we are children of Abraham through faith (Gal 3:29, 4:28). Hence, we need to learn of him the principles of faith.

Another excelling example of a man called by God is Joseph, the great grandson of Abraham. Joseph overcame two huge temptations in his life through faith in God. In the following message, Witness Lee writes, "Joseph behaved so excellently and marvelously because he was directed by the vision he saw in his dreams." This is a principle we should learn. In teaching our children, we should seek to impart to them a vision that will guard and control them in all their living-they are called of God.

The book of Genesis, in which nearly all of the truths in the Bible are sown as seeds, may be considered a biography of eight great men: Adam, Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. These eight men are arranged in two groups of four. Adam, Abel, Enoch, and Noah make up the first group; and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph form the second. The first group represents the created race, the Adamic race, whereas the second group represents the called race, the Abrahamic race. Because of the failure of the created race, God had a new start with the called race. The created race began with Adam and ended with Noah. At both the beginning and the ending, the created race was a failure. Adam, the head of God's created race and its representative, became fallen. With Abel we have the coming back to God. In Adam, man fell away from God; but through God's redemption, Abel came back to Him. 

Enoch, who came after Abel, not only returned to God, but also walked with God. The issue of his life was a type of the rapture. Enoch was raptured out of death unto God. Enoch's life issued in Noah; Noah also walked with God and ... had an experience of reigning, although his reigning was neither adequate nor full. However, Noah's reigning issued in a fall. Noah's descendants rebelled against God at Babel, and that rebellion resulted in God's giving up of the created race. Forced to have a new beginning, God visited Abraham and called him out of the rebellious created race. This marked the beginning of a new race, the called race, the Abrahamic race.

With this called race God certainly achieved a great success. Beginning with Abraham and continuing through Isaac and Jacob, the way rose higher and higher. Eventually we see a full reign in Jacob. ... Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph should not be considered separate individuals. Rather, they represent four aspects of a complete, mature saint. In them we see God's selection, God's calling, and justification by faith. We see how a called and justified saint can live in the presence of God by faith to enjoy all the riches of the inheritance. However, such a one still strives to gain the birthright. But all his struggles cause him nothing but suffering. In his sufferings God's hand comes upon him to deal with him, and he is dealt with by God until he becomes mature. Hallelujah, in the called race we see the maturity of life! This matured life has a reigning aspect, an aspect portrayed by the life of Joseph. This is the reason that in the book of Genesis Joseph is so excellent and marvelous.

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