3.2

The Creator saw that their wound had become exceedingly great and needed the remedy of Jesus, the true Physician—for the Only-begotten is their Creator and He Himself heals them—and He sent a builder of the house before Him; but the man made no progress and went away. Again God raised up choirs of prophets through His Spirit. They built upon the foundation of Moses, but they too were unable to complete it, and likewise left it and went away. All of them, bearing the Spirit within themselves, saw that the wound was incurable and could not be healed by any creature, but only by the Only-begotten, who is the Mind of the Father and His Image, in the likeness of whose image all creation was made. Knowing clearly that He was the Savior and the great Physician, they all gathered together and offered prayers for their fellow members—that is, for us—crying, “Is there no balm in Gilead, or no physician there? Why then has the healing of the daughter of my people not come up? We treated her, but she was not healed; now let us leave them and go away.”

But God Himself, in His surpassing and sincere love, came to us through His saints, saying, “Son of man, make for yourself vessels of captivity.” And He, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be seized, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.

Now then, beloved, let this word be clear to you: the goodness of the Father did not spare the Only-begotten for our sake, but handed Him over for the salvation of us all, and He handed Himself over for our sins. Our iniquities humbled Him, but by His wound we have been healed. By the word of His power He gathered us from every region, from one end of the earth to the other, raised our minds from the earth, granted remission of sins, and taught us that we are members of one another.

Therefore, brothers, I beg you in the name of Jesus Christ to understand this great dispensation: He became like us in every way except sin. Every rational nature, for whose sake especially the Savior came, ought to examine its own condition and its ignorance of its own mind, to distinguish between evil and good, and to seek to be set free through His coming. For all who have been set free through His dispensation are called servants of God. Yet this is not yet perfection; it is only what is right for its own time, and it leads to adoption as sons. Our Savior, knowing that they were drawing near to receive the Spirit of adoption, granted that, taught by the Holy Spirit, they might also know Him and know that the coming of Jesus has become judgment for people. Therefore you too, beloved in the Lord, know yourselves, so that in addition you may know the time and be ready to offer yourselves as a sacrifice to God.