"A Body Hast Thou Prepared Me"

Hebrews 10:5

As the Lord God prepared a physical body for our Lord Jesus Christ, in which he might fulfil all righteousness and accomplish eternal redemption as the federal Head and Representative of his elect, he has also prepared a spiritual, mystical body for his son as the Mediator of his elect and the Surety of the covenant. The church of God is the fulness of Christ as his mediatorial body (Eph. 1:22-23). As God, Jesus Christ needs us for nothing. But as the Mediator he must have all his elect, every member of the church which is his body, that he may be complete and full in his mediatorial glory. In order that Christ may enjoy the fulness of his glory as the Mediator of the covenant a body has been prepared for him

THE LORD GOD PREPARED A BODY FOR HIS SON IN ETERNAL ELECTION. All the elect were chosen in Christ, to be his body, before the world was made (Eph. 1:3-4). Christ was chosen to be our Head. And we were chosen in him. The salvation of that elect body is as certain and secure as the glory of Jesus Christ himself.

THIS BODY HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR CHRIST BY THE SATISFACTION OF JUSTICE (Rom. 3:24-26). God's chosen ones must be both redeemed from all sin and made perfectly righteous before the law. It is true, Christ himself has made us righteous and redeemed us by his own obedience and death. But the scheme of grace was devised by the triune God for the glory of Christ that he might have a body of redeemed sinners for his praise (Job 33:24; Ezek. 16:62-63).

AND THE CHURCH IS A BODY PREPARED FOR CHRIST BY GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IN REGENERATING GRACE (Eph. 1:20-22). In regeneration the Spirit of God gives each of God's elect, those redeemed by Christ, a new, holy, righteous nature. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to us in justification. But the righteous nature of Christ is imparted to his elect in regeneration. By making us righteous, sanctified, giving us to be partakers of the divine nature, God makes us a body prepared for Jesus Christ, his dear Son.

Don Fortner