The doctrine of occupation with the person of Jesus Christ

1. Occupation with Christ is the maximum expression of category #1 love toward God, as per Deuteronomy 6:5; Hebrews 12:2. Since Christ is the manifest person of the Godhead it becomes maximum category #1 love toward the second person of the Trinity.

2. Occupation with Christ is related to GAP.

a) Capacity for occupation with Christ depends upon the intake of Bible doctrine in the soul through the consistent function of GAP — Jeremiah 9:24; Ephesians 3:18,19; 4:20; Colossians 3:1,2; Philippians 3:7,8.

b) The function of GAP is the believer priest responding to the love of Christ — James 1:21,22.

c) Occupation with Christ is the motivator of the pastor-teacher in leading others through GAP to the supergrace life and the normal function of the royal priesthood — Hebrews 6:10.

3. Illustration of occupation with Christ: Right man, right woman — 1 Corinthians 11:7; Ephesians 5:25-32.

4. Relationship to the strategical victory of the angelic conflict. Occupation with Christ is related to the strategic victory of Christ’s ascension and session — Colossians 3:1,2. It is also related to the strategic victory of the cross — Hebrews 12:2.

5. The permanence of category #1 love. The sealing of the Holy Spirit not only secures the royalty of the believer in the Church Age but it guarantees the eternal love relationship between Jesus Christ and the royal priest — Ephesians 1:11-14.

6. The title of occupation with Christ. We have a believer in the New Testament called filoj qeou — “lover of God” — James 2:22,23, used of Abraham in supergrace.

7. Characteristics of occupation with the person of Christ.

a) Occupation with Christ is the basis for supergrace believers contributing to national blessing — Deuteronomy 30:16,20.

b) Occupation with Christ provides courage and victory in battle — Joshua 23:10,11.

c) Occupation with Christ leads to both preservation and prosperity of supergrace — Psalm 31:23,24.

d) Occupation with Christ is associated with great stability plus great happiness — Psalm 16:8,9.

e) Occupation with Christ results in supergrace blessings, as per Psalm 37:4,5.

f) Occupation with Christ is the basis of blessing in suffering. Reversionism intensifies suffering; occupation with Christ minimises suffering — Psalm 77; 2 Corinthians 12:7-10.

8. Occupation with Christ glorifies Christ — Ephesians 3:21.

9. Occupation with Christ begins at the believers entrance into the supergrace life — Colossians 3:16,17; Hebrews 3:1,6.

The doctrine of occupation with Christ

1. Definition and description.

a) Occupation with Christ is the highest spiritual function of the believer in time.

b) It is the category #1 love of the supergrace believer or the believer in mature status.

c) Since Christ is the manifest person of the Godhead it becomes maximum love for the second person of the Trinity.

d) Therefore, occupation with Christ is the maximum expression of category #1 love toward God. Christ is the representative of the Trinity in our relationship with God. That is because He is our saviour, because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords, because He is in hypostatic union, the God-Man, because He is the royal high priest forever, because He is the true ruler of Israel. Deuteronomy 6:5, a command to Israel in the Old Testament. “You shall love the Lord your God [Jesus Christ] with all of your heart [the right lobe]” — there must be maximum doctrine in the right lobe, doctrine in the frame of reference, doctrine in the memory centre, doctrine in the vocabulary, categorical doctrine, norms and standards based on doctrine, with the result that maximum category #1 love is directed toward the visible member of the Godhead, Jesus Christ who is described here as Jehovah or the Lord — “and with all of your soul” — doctrine must be resident in the soul — “and with all of your power” — the power here is the inner residency of doctrine. Man is incapable of loving God apart from Bible doctrine. It is Bible doctrine that leads to our salvation. The Gospel is doctrine. It is Bible doctrine accumulated in the soul through the daily function of GAP that leads to development of all of the categories of love and the one in focus here, category #1 toward God. Hebrews 12:1,2 says basically the same thing in our description.

2. Occupation with Christ begins at the believers entrance into the supergrace life — Colossians 3:16,17. “And the doctrine from the Christ, let it keep on dwelling in you abundantly to the point of wealth [supergrace], in all wisdom [the application of doctrine] teaching and warning self and others by grace in your hearts, keep singing to the God by psalms of praise by means of spiritual things. And all, whatever things you so in word or in deed, keep doing all things by the person of the Lord Jesus Christ” — occupation with Christ, therefore, becomes the greatest motivator in life — “constantly giving thanks to the God” — the mental attitude of thanksgiving and its occasional verbalisation is in view here — “even the Father through him.” That verse adds up to the fact that the only way to become spiritually self-sustaining is to be on the high ground of supergrace, not only to take in doctrine but to seize and hold, to stay there no matter what comes in life, to have and to enjoy paragraph SG² in all of its categories and to anticipate that salute and embrace, SG³.

3. Occupation with Christ obviously glorifies Christ — Ephesians 3:19-21. “And come to know the surpassing knowledge love of Christ [occupation with Christ], that you might be filled up with all the fullness from the God” — category #1, paragraph SG², the spiritual blessings, the resident doctrine in the soul to handle every situation in life — “Now to the one himself being able far beyond all things to do infinitely more than that which we could ask or be imagining [paragraph SG² — for time], according to the power being itself being effective in us, to him the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus” — “to him” refers to God the Father who planned your personal SG² paragraph in eternity past. The attainment of these things is totally dependent upon doctrine in the soul, not what you are doing for God — “with reference to all generations” — every generation of believers in the royal family of God from the time of Pentecost until the Rapture occurs will have the accomplishment of the tactical victory of the angelic conflict through an issue of Bible doctrine, with all Bible doctrine located in the text of the scripture. The canon of scripture contains all the doctrine in writing. This was never done before the Church Age, the age of the royal family of God.

4. By means of occupation with Christ the function of GAP is possible. Occupation with Christ is accomplished through the function of GAP. The only way to occupation with Christ is through the daily function of GAP. The persistence of perception of doctrine accumulates maximum residency of doctrine in the soul. The basic characteristics of supergrace are related to occupation with Christ and man’s sense of accomplishment by human ability and effort can never be compared with the daily function of GAP producing supergrace status.

Jeremiah 9:23,24 — “Thus saith the Lord, The wise man shall not boast in his wisdom, furthermore, the successful man shall not boast in his success, the rich man shall not boast in his riches” — True supergrace, you have these things from God and you don’t boast in them, you are occupied with the person of Christ — “For the one boasting [the reversionist in the warning stage of reversionism] let him boast in this principle, to be caused to understand [the function of GAP] and prosper” — understanding of doctrine resulting in prosperity — “even to know me [occupation with Christ], I the Lord manufacture grace, judgement [discipline]” — and every believer is either in one category or the other, grace or discipline — “and justice in the earth” — God is fair. Judgement means discipline for the reversionist, justice means the protection of freedom under the laws of establishment — “for in this I take pleasure, decrees the Lord.”

The same concept of GAPing it to supergrace is found elsewhere in the scripture. Ephesians 4:20 — “But you [members of the royal family of God] have not been taught in this manner the Christ.” Or, 3:18,19 — “In order that you might have complete ability [living grace] to comprehend in the company of all saints [the local church], what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and come to know the surpassing knowledge-love of Christ, in order that you might be filled up with all the fullness [supergrace blessing] from the God.”

5. Occupation with Christ eliminates the superficialities of human celebrityship — Philippians 3:7,8. Gaining Christ means to hold the high ground. Bible doctrine in the soul will give supergrace, and supergrace recognises the celebrityship of Jesus Christ, and you step aside and relax and lose all of your arrogance and have true humility. True humility is a mature believer occupied with the person of Christ, totally relaxed, proving nothing and enjoying everything.

6. Occupation with Christ motivates the pastor-teacher to communicate doctrine so that the royal priesthood reaches its objective — Hebrews 6:10.

7. The mechanics of GAP produce the dynamics of occupation with Christ. James 1:19 — “Know this, my beloved brethren, everyone keep on being swift for the purpose of hearing, slow for the purpose of talking, slow with reference to anger” — Are you slow to gel mad in class? Verse 21: “Wherefore, having removed all pollution” — pollution has to do with soul environment and it has to do with mental attitude sins [rebound] — “and receive and retain in the sphere of meekness [respect for the authority of the communicator — “the impregnated word, which is able to deliver your souls.” The impregnated word is exactly the same as doctrine resident in the soul.

James 2:20 — “But are you willing to learn, O empty of doctrine man, that doctrine apart from production is unemployed.” Verse 21: “Abraham, our father, not from the source of works was he vindicated, having offered up Isaac, his adult son, on the altar? Verse 22: “You see at a glance how that doctrine kept on working together with production, and from the source of production the doctrine was completed [fully developed]?” Verse 23: “And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed the God [Jesus Christ], and it was credited to his account for righteousness; and [from saving grace to supergrace] he was designated [filoj qeou] lover of God [occupation with Christ].”

8. We have an illustration of occupation with Christ. The illustration of occupation with Christ is found of right man-right woman — Ephesians 5:25-33.

9. Occupation with Christ is related to the strategic victory of the angelic conflict — Colossians 3:1,2. “If, therefore, you have been raised in the Christ [positional sanctification], keep on desiring to possess and endeavouring to obtain the above things [SG², dying grace, SG³], where the Christ is sitting on the right hand side of the God. Keep thinking objectively about above things, not things on the earth.”

10. Therefore characteristics of occupation with Christ:

a) Occupation with Christ is the basis for the supergrace believer contributing to national blessing — Deuteronomy 30:15, 16, 20.

b) Occupation with Christ produces combat courage and victory in battle — Joshua 23:10,11.

c) Occupation with Christ is the basis for preservation in testing — Psalm 31:23,24.

d) Occupation with Christ is the basis for stability and great happiness — Psalm 16:8,9.

e) Occupation with Christ results in supergrace blessing — Psalm 37:4,5.

f) Occupation with Christ is the basis for strength, dynamics, power under pressure — Hebrews 11:27.

g) Occupation with Christ avoids boredom or soul fatigue — Hebrews 12:3.