THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Body of Christ
Message Seven—The Living of the Body of Christ
Scripture Reading: Eph. 5:23; Col. 3:4a, 11b; 1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:23; 1 John 5:7; Phil. 4:12b; Rom. 15:13; 8:13b; Gal. 5:24; Phil. 1:19-21a; Rom. 12:5
I. Ephesians 4:4 through 6 may be considered the most profound verses in the entire Bible; they say, “One Body and one Spirit, as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
A. Here there are seven “ones,” which are divided into three groups; the first three items, one Body, one Spirit, and one hope, form the first group; the second three items, one Lord, one faith, and one baptism, form the second group. Lastly, one God and Father of all is the third group. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
B. Although these three verses are short, they are very mysterious, revealing to us that the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—is related to the Body of Christ—Eph.4:4-6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
C. The Lord is the element of the Body of Christ; the Spirit is the essence and reality of the Body of Christ; and the Father is the source of the Body of Christ. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
II. The living in the Body of Christ has four aspects to its relationship: Christ as the element, the Spirit as the essence, the death and resurrection as the regulation, and life and the Body as the principle—Col. 3:4a, 11b; Rom. 15:13; Phil. 3:10; Rom. 12:5; 1 John 5:11-12. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
A. The first aspect is the relationship with Christ; the living in the Body of Christ has Christ as the Head, life, content, principal object, center, and goal—Eph. 5:23; Col. 3:4a, 11b. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
1. The living of the Body of Christ takes Christ as the Head, life, and content; this concerns Christ as the source and element of His Body and refers to the origin and being of the Body of Christ—Eph. 5:23; Col. 3:4a, 11b. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
2. This living takes Christ as the principal object, the center, and the goal; this concerns Christ as the meaning and expression of His Body and refers to the capacity and function of the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:23; Phil. 3:14. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
3. For us Christians, our Head is Christ, our content is Christ, our principal object and center are also Christ, and even our goal is Christ—1 Cor. 11:3; Col. 3:4a 11b. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
4. Today in the church, all of us are members of the Body of Christ; this Body of Christ has a principal object, a center, and a goal, which is Christ Himself—Rom. 12:5. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
B. The second aspect in the relationship of the Body of Christ is its relationship with the Spirit as its essence, reality, secret, and effectiveness—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 1:23; Phil. 3:14. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
1. The essence and the reality are related to the intrinsic nature and the outward condition of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:4a; 1 John 5:6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
2. The Body of Christ, the church, filled with the Spirit within and manifesting the reality of Christ without, can shine this light to illuminate this dark age. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
3. The living of the Body of Christ also takes the Spirit as its secret and its effectiveness—Phil. 4:12b; Rom. 15:13. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
a. The Spirit, who is our inward essence and outward reality, is also the secret and effectiveness of our practice of the Body life. This concerns the skill and ability of the Body of Christ and refers to the skillfulness and achievements of the Body of Christ. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
b. In the living in the Body of Christ, in our speaking and in coping with situations, we need to have much prayer, receive more of the Spirit, allow more of the cross of Christ to break us, and live more by the resurrection of Christ; by doing this, our living in the Body of Christ will be full of skill and merit. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
C. The third aspect is the relationship with the death and resurrection of Christ; the living in the Body of Christ takes the death and resurrection of Christ as the regulation—Phil. 3:10: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
1. We need to take the crucifixion of Christ as the negative regulation: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
a. Our co-crucifixion with Christ is an accomplished fact; this is realized through divine revelation—Rom. 6:6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
b. Our co-crucifixion with Christ should be our moment-by-moment experience; this is enjoyed through the effectiveness of the Spirit—8:13b; Gal. 5:24. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
2. We need to take the resurrection of Christ as the positive regulation: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
a. Our co-resurrection with Christ is an accomplished fact—Eph. 2:6a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
b. Our resurrected together with Christ should be our experience every moment—Phil. 3:10a; S.S. 2:8-9, 14; Psa. 91:1. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
D. The fourth aspect of the living of the Body of Christ is that of taking life and the Body as the principle—1 John 5:11-12. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
1. To take life as the principle is to take the intrinsic life of God, which is Christ as the embodiment of God—1 John 5:11-12. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
a. We Christians are regenerated in our spirit; thus, we have life, not morality, as the principle; we have to live Christ out, not morality—1 John 5:11-12; Rom. 9:11b; Gal. 2:16a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
b. Our taking Christ as life as the principle of our living should be with gentleness, politeness, honor to our parents, humility, and patience; yet all these should be the living out of Christ from within us by the Spirit, and not something worked out by our own striving and effort—Phil. 1:21a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
c. we love Christ and draw near to Christ; the Spirit of Christ fills us within so that from within us Christ may be lived out as all these virtues—Eph. 5:18; Phil. 1:21a, 4:8.
2. Our living also takes the Body as its principle; we all are the members of the Body of Christ; each member lives Christ out by the Spirit of life; at the same time, we live corporately, not individualistically—Phil. 1:19-21a: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
a. Whether the living of an individual member is good or bad relates just to that member himself, not the Body; only by a corporate living and a living out of Christ in coordination will we have the living of the Body of Christ, which will be the fullness of Christ for expressing Him—Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:23. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)
b. Our normal living should have the consciousness of the Body of Christ; any living that is not joined to the Body of Christ does not have the consciousness of the Body of Christ; we should accept the regulation of the Body of Christ in order to live out the life that has the Body of Christ as the principle—1 Cor. 12:18; Rom. 12:3, 6a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 3)