THE SECOND PART: A BIRD’S-EYE VIEW OF THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Full Ministry of Christ in the Stage of Incarnation
Message One—The Full Ministry of Christ in Three Stages
Scripture Reading: Acts. 2:42; Heb. 1:2a; 1 Tim. 1:3～4，Heb. 1:8～12，Rom. 1:4，1Cor. 15:45b，Rev.5:6
I. The apostles’ teaching is the entire speaking of God in the New Testament; the entire New Testament is the apostles’ teaching—Acts. 2:42; Heb. 1:2a: (The Apostles’ Teaching, msg. 1)
A. God’s speaking in the Son as the Man, in the four Gospels—John 14:10; Matt. 28:19-20.
B. God’s speaking did not stop in the four Gospels; He also spoke in the Son as the Spirit through the apostles, from Acts to Revelation—John 16:12-15; 2 Pet. 3:15-16; Rev. 1:1-2; 2:1, 7. (The Apostles’ Teaching, msg. 1)
II. The apostles’ teaching is the unique teaching of God’s New Testament economy concerning the full ministry of Christ in three stages—Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4: (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
A. In the first stage of incarnation in the four Gospels—John 8:58, 28; Luke 1:27, 31, 35; Eph. 3:19; 1 John 1:5; Acts 3:14: (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
1. To bring the infinite God into the finite man—John 8:58, 28; 1 Tim. 6:16; Heb. 1:8-12.
2. To unite, mingle, and incorporate the Triune God with the tripartite man—Luke 1:27, 31, 35; John 14:10-11. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
3. To express in His humanity the bountiful God in His rich attributes through His aromatic virtues—Eph. 3:19; 1 John 1:5; Acts 3:14. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
4. To accomplish His all-inclusive judicial redemption—Rom. 1:17a; 3:21-26; 9:30-31.
B. In the second stage of inclusion in the Epistles—Rom. 1:4; Heb. 1:6; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 1 Pet. 1:3: (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
1. To be begotten as God’s firstborn Son—Rom. 1:4; Heb. 1:6. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
2. To become the life-giving Spirit—1 Cor. 15:45b. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
3. To regenerate the believers for His Body—1 Pet. 1:3; 1 Cor. 12:13. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
C. In the third stage of intensification in Revelation—Rev. 5:6; Rev. 2—3; 21—22: (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
1. To intensify His organic salvation—Rev. 5:6. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
2. To produce the overcomers—Rev. 2—3. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
3. To consummate the New Jerusalem—Rev. 21—22. (2013 ICSC, msg. 1)
III. Concerning how to be a co-worker and an elder, there are two precious points: first, to know Christ and second, to experience and enjoy Christ in His full ministry in His three divine and mystical stages—2 Cor. 6:1; Phil. 3:10, 8：(How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
A. To know Christ particularly in four aspects—Phi. 3:10: (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
1. We need to know particularly that He is both God and man—Math. 26:64; Acts 7:56; Rev.1:13; 14:14; John 1:51. (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
2. We need to know particularly that Christ possesses both divinity and humanity—Heb. 4:15. (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
3. We have to know particularly that in His humanity Christ accomplished His judicial redemption through His death—9:22. (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
4. We need to know particularly that in His divinity Christ is carrying out His organic salvation in His resurrection—Rom. 5:10. (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
B. It is not enough merely to know Christ; we still need to experience and enjoy Him that we may gain Him; to experience, enjoy, and gain Him is not that simple; we can do this only by being in the full ministry of Christ in His three divine and mystical stages—Phil. 3:8. (How to Be a Co-worker and an Elder and How to Fulfill Their Obligations, msg. 3)
IV. Christ in His incarnation was conceived of the Holy Spirit with the divine essence, for the union, mingling, and incorporation of the Triune God with the tripartite man—Luke 1:27; 31, 35; Lev. 2:4-5; John 14:10-11: (2008 ST, msg. 1)
A. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit with the divine essence—Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18, 20: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 26)
1. All three of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, joined and participated in this conception. (God’s New Testament Economy, ch. 3)
2. The Father’s divine essence was mingled with the human essence by the Spirit. (God’s New Testament Economy, ch. 3)
3. From such a conception and birth we see the three of the Godhead in humanity. (God’s New Testament Economy, ch. 3)
B. As the God-man, Christ was born of a human virgin and therefore has the essence of man; Christ was born of a human virgin with the human essence—Luke 1:31; Gal. 4:4. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 26)
C. He was named Jesus by God and was called the name Emmanuel by man—Matt. 1:21, 23. (1997 WT, msg. 1)
D. Union concerns oneness in life; mingling is related to the divine and human natures; and incorporation denotes persons coinhering in each other. (2008 ST, msg. 1)
1. Such a conception of the Holy Spirit in a human virgin, accomplished with both the divine and the human essences, constitutes a mingling of the divine nature with the human nature, producing the God-man, the One who is both the complete God and a perfect man, possessing the divine nature and the human nature distinctively, without a third nature being produced; This is the most wonderful and excellent person of Christ in His incarnation. (The conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 26)
2. The first definition of the word mingle given in Webster’s Abridged Dictionary is: “to combine or join (one thing with another, or two or more things together), especially so that the original elements are distinguishable in the combination”; according to this definition, when two or more things are mingled together, their original natures are not lost but remain distinguishable; this certainly is the situation regarding Christ as the God-man; He was conceived of two essences, the divine and the human; hence, He is a mingling of God and man. (The conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 26)
3. Christ in His incarnation was the incorporation of the Triune God with the tripartite man—John 14:10-11: (2008 ST, msg. 1)
a. God in His Divine Trinity is an incorporation. (2008 ST, msg. 1)
b. The three of the Divine Trinity are incorporated into one incorporation by coinhering mutually and by working together as one. (2008 ST, msg. 1)
c. In His incarnation the second of the Divine Trinity brought this incorporation into humanity. (2008 ST, msg. 1)
E. “The crystallized significance of incarnation is not only that divinity was brought into humanity but also that God was brought into man that He might be mingled with man to be a God-man.” (The Governing and Controlling Vision in the Bible, msg. 2)