2A Ruth, being a woman in Adam in God’s creation and a Moabitess (a sinner) in man’s fall, thus becoming an old man with these two aspects, typifies the church, before her salvation, as men in God’s creation and sinners in man’s fall being “our old man”—Rom. 6:6.
3B Ruth, being the widow of the dead husband, redeemed by Boaz, who cleared the indebtedness of her dead husband for the recovery of the lost right of her dead husband’s property (Ruth 4:9-10), typifies the church with her old man as her crucified husband (Rom. 7:4a; 6:6) redeemed by Christ, who cleared away her old man’s sin (John 1:29) for the recovery of the lost right of her fallen natural man created by God (Gen. 1:26; Isa. 54:5).
4C Ruth, after being redeemed by Boaz, becoming a new wife to him (Ruth 4:13) typifies the church, after being saved, through the regeneration of the church’s natural man (John 3:6b), becoming the counterpart of Christ (v. 29a; Rom. 7:4).
5D Ruth, choosing to follow Naomi to the land of Israel (Ruth 1:16-17) and being united to Boaz, typifies the Gentile sinners being attached to Christ (2 Cor. 1:21) that they may partake of the inheritance of God’s promise (Eph. 3:6).
14Further Reading: Truth Lessons—Level Three, vol. 2, lsn. 34; CWWL, 1956, vol. 2, “Three Aspects of the Church, Book 1: The Meaning of the Church,” ch. 8; CWWL, Bible Notes & Hymns, vol. 1, pp. 339-343