THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Body of Christ
Message Three—The Element, Essence, and Reality of the Body of Christ
Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:4-6; John 20:22; Rom. 8:4, 6, 9-11; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil. 3:21; Rom. 8:30; 1 Tim. 3:15b-16; Rev. 22:17
I. Two essences constitute the Body of Christ; one is the processed Triune God, which is the divine element; the other is the tripartite man regenerated by God, which is the human element—Eph. 4:4-6; Gal. 2:20a: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
A. The first item is the processed Triune God, who is the divine element—Eph. 4:4-6: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. The Triune God passed through incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection in order to enter into the members of Christ that they might be the elements of the Body of Christ—John 20:22. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. This Triune God who has entered into us, the members of Christ, exists together, lives together with us who are the members of the Body of Christ—Rom. 8:9-11; Gal. 2:20a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
B. The second item of the elements of the Body of Christ is the tripartite man regenerated by God as the human element—1 Cor. 1:2a: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. First, God comes into our spirit to regenerate it; then, He spreads into our soul that it may be renewed and transformed; and finally, He saturates our body that it may be transfigured and glorified—John 3:5-6; Titus 3:5; Rom. 12:2a; Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 3:18; Phil 3:21; Rom. 8:30. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. Thus, our tripartite being and the Triune God are fully mingled as one—Eph. 4:4-6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
C. The issue of the Triune God entering into and mingling with us, the tripartite man, is that we become one with the Triune God and are one spirit with the Triune God as a hybrid entity of divinity and humanity blended together—John 17:21a, 23a; 1 Cor. 6:17; Eph. 4:4-6: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. This hybrid entity of God mingled with man is just the Triune God, who possesses divinity with humanity, mingled with the tripartite man, who possesses humanity with divinity—Rom. 8:6, 10-11. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. The hybrid issuing from the mingling of divinity with humanity is a matter of the divinity being begotten in humanity, living in humanity, and being expressed in humanity; it is also a matter of humanity being begotten by divinity, living by divinity, and expressing divinity—1 Tim. 3:15b-16. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
II. The essence of the Body of Christ is the Spirit, who is the consummation of the processed Triune God—John 7:39; Rev. 22:17a: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
A. The Spirit as the essence of the Triune God has become the essence of the Body of Christ—Eph. 4:4: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. The Spirit, through regeneration, has brought the processed Triune God into the Body of Christ—John 3:5-6, 29; Eph. 4:5-6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. The Spirit as the processed and consummated God, containing divinity and humanity, the all-inclusive death of Christ, and His surpassing resurrection, became not only the element of the Body of Christ but also its essence—cf. Exo. 30:23-25. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
B. The Spirit as the essence of the Triune God has now become the essence of the Body of Christ, and there are certain precious capacities associated with this essence: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. First, the essence of the Body of Christ contains the divinity of the Triune God with the capacity to supply the divine life—Phil. 1:19. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. Second, the essence of the Body of Christ contains the excelling humanity with the capacity to supply the same excelling humanity to us—2 Cor. 4:16. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
3. Third, the essence of the Body of Christ contains the all-inclusive death of Christ, with the capacity to put to death the negative things—Rom. 8:13b. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
4. Fourth, the essence of the Body of Christ also contains the surpassing resurrection of Christ with the surpassing capacity of resurrection—Phil. 3:10a. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
III. The Body of Christ is the church today, and all of its reality is the Spirit of the reality of the consummated Triune God. The reality of the processed Triune God is His consummated Spirit of reality—John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1 John 5:6. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
A. This Spirit of reality makes everything of the processed Triune God a reality in the Body of Christ —John 16:13-15. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
B. All that the processed Triune God is, including righteousness, holiness, life, light, power, grace, and all the divine attributes, are realized by this Spirit of reality to be the real attributes of the Body of Christ—Rom. 15:16b; 14:17; Eph. 3:16. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
IV. The essence and the reality of the Body of Christ are altogether matters of the Spirit of the processed and consummated Triune God: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
A. This Spirit is the secret to all that the Triune God is to the Body of Christ: (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. He is the processed Triune God (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. He is the totality of all the attributes of the processed Triune God. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
3. He is also the effectiveness of all the processes of the processed Triune God. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
B. This Spirit now dwells in our regenerated Spirit and is joined to our spirit as one spirit—Rom. 8:9-11a; 1 Cor. 6:17. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
1. We must turn our whole being to this joined spirit and set our mind on it—Rom. 8:6b. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
2. We should also live and walk according to this joined spirit—Rom. 8:4. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)
3. When we live in this joined spirit, we will be able to live out the Body of Christ and become His corporate expression—Eph. 1:23. (A Thorough View of the Body of Christ, msg. 2)