THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE
The Experience and Enjoyment of Christ
Message Two
The Experience and Enjoyment of Christ in Romans to Philippians
Scripture Reading: Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 2:10; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:14-21; 5:22-32; Phil. 1:19
I. We will begin to consider the aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ in the Epistles; we begin with the experience and enjoyment of Christ in Romans; often considered the fifth gospel, Romans is a rich, deep, thoughtful, and logical book—Rom. 6:3-5, John 3:15; Gal. 3:27; Col. 2:12; 2 Cor. 3:17: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 295)
A. Romans 6 presents the Christ who died and resurrected for our experience and enjoyment; we may experience and enjoy Christ in His death and resurrection; the result of such an enjoyment is the free gift in Christ, that is, eternal life—John 3:15; Rom. 6:4; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3-5, 18-22; Col. 2:12: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
1. Through baptism we are immersed into Christ, taking Him as our realm, that we may be united with Him as one in His death and resurrection—John 3:15; Rom. 6:3-4. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
2. The believers have been buried with Christ through baptism into death; when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ; when we were buried with Him, we entered into His death—Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3; Col. 2:12. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
3. The believers, having been resurrected as Christ was, should walk in newness of life; we were buried with Him in baptism, and we are now growing with Him in His resurrection, in His divine life—Rom. 6:3-5. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
4. The believers, having grown together with Christ in the likeness of His death, will grow together with Him also in the likeness of His resurrection—1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 6:5. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
5. The Bible reveals that we are free from sin by the death of Christ; by being buried into the death of Christ, we die and our body of sin is annulled; then we are no longer under slavery to serve sin as slaves; thus, we are freed from sin—vv. 18-22. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
6. Through baptism we have been identified with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection—v. 10. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
B. Romans 8:9-11 presents Christ as the Spirit of Christ; the Spirit of Christ is Christ Himself whom we can experience and enjoy—Rom. 8:2; 2 Cor. 3:17; 2 Tim. 4:22: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 302)
1. The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God who dwells in us that we may be in the spirit; the Spirit of Christ implies that this Spirit is the embodiment and reality of Christ, the incarnated One—Rom. 8:9-11. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 302)
2. The Spirit of Christ is the very Christ in us; according to the fact, it is Christ; according to experience, it is the Spirit; in our experience of Him, He is the Spirit; in our worshipping of Him, calling on Him, and speaking of Him, He is Christ—v. 10, footnote 1. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 302)
3. The Spirit of Christ is also the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from among the dead, dwelling in us to give life to our mortal body—v. 11. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 302)
4. Not only that the Lord, the resurrected Christ, is the Spirit but that a believer who is joined to the Lord is also a spirit; in our organic union with Christ, what He is, we are—v. 9; 2 Cor. 3:17; 2 Tim. 4:22. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 302)
II. First Corinthians is a book full of the riches of Christ; the essential and underlying thought of this book is that we should enjoy Christ—2:7-12; 10:3-4; Mark 12:30; 1 Cor. 6:17: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 306)
A. Christ as the depths of God; Christ being the depths of God means that He is the deep things of God, the things that are not superficial—2:7-12: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
1. To know the depths of God is to know Christ in many aspects as our eternal portion; Christ, the all-inclusive and extensive One, is truly the depths of God—v. 10. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
2. When we enjoy Christ, we touch the depths of God, and God becomes the element within us; as we advance in our experience of Christ, one day we will truly know Him as God’s depths—v. 10. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
3. According to 1 Corinthians 2:7, God’s wisdom, Christ, is in a mystery; it is a mysterious wisdom; furthermore, God’s wisdom is the wisdom which has been hidden and which God predestined before the ages for our glory. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
4. Christ as the depths of God is also the “things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man’s heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him”—v. 9: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
a. Our love toward God is a strong proof that we have been chosen and predestinated to enjoy the Triune God by soaking in His divine glory, which is our destiny and God’s mysterious wisdom—v. 9. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
b. To realize and participate in the deep and hidden things God has ordained and prepared for us requires us not only to believe in Him but also to love Him; to love God means to set our entire being—spirit, soul, and body, with the heart, soul, mind, and strength, absolutely on Him—Mark 12:30. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
5. In verse 10 Paul tells us that the Spirit searches all things; the Greek word rendered “searches” is used in reference to active research, implying accurate knowledge gained not by discovering but by exploring; the Spirit of God explores the depths of God concerning Christ and shows them to us in our spirit for our realization and participation: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
a. In order to partake of the deep things of God, we must exercise not merely our mind but our spirit—v. 10. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
b. The best way to exercise our spirit is to pray-read the Word; the more we pray-read with an exercised spirit, the more clearly we see a spiritual vision of the deep things of God—Eph. 6:17-18. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
B. By means of the mingled spirit alone can we discern the depths of God, the different aspects of Christ as our portion for our enjoyment; if we exercise the mingled spirit, we will enjoy Christ, not in a superficial way but as the depths of God and even in the depths of God—1 Cor. 6:17. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 299)
III. We will begin to consider aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ as revealed in 2 Corinthians—1:21-22; 3:17-18; 12:9; Gal. 4:19; 55: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
A. “The One who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God, He who has also sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge”—1:21-22; Gal. 4:19; 55: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
1. God firmly attaches the believers together with the apostles unto Christ; this means that God has attached the apostles, the ministers, with all those to whom they ministered—2 Cor. 1:21-22. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
2. God attaches the apostles with all the believers unto this anointed One; the ointment flows in us because we have been attached to Him; since we have been attached by God to Christ, the anointed One, we are spontaneously anointed with Him by God—vv. 21-22. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
3. Since God has anointed us with Christ, He has also sealed us in Him; we are first anointed that we may receive the divine essence into our being; then we are sealed that we may receive the impression of the divine image—Gal. 4:19. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
4. In 2 Corinthians 1:22 Paul also says that God has given the Spirit as a pledge in our hearts; the pledge of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the pledge; the Spirit within us is the pledge, an earnest, of God as our portion in Christ—5:5. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
5. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit as the anointing, the seal, and the pledge, all of which are for our full enjoyment of Christ; day by day we should be under the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging of the Holy Spirit. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 315)
B. In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Christ is presented as the Spirit and the Lord Spirit: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
1. The Spirit is the Lord and the Lord is the Spirit and that the Spirit and the Lord are one; “the Spirit”, the Spirit who gives us the divine life and frees us from the bondage of the law—Rom. 8:16, 23, 26-27; 2 Cor. 3:6; John 6:63. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
2. In 2 Corinthians 3:17 Paul tells us that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom; the Spirit of the Lord is the Lord Himself, with whom is freedom: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
a. Christ as the freeing Spirit is within us, we are free from the law, regulations, and dead letters—v. 6. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
b. We must turn our heart to the Lord, who is the Spirit, and set our mind on the mingled spirit; then the Spirit will free us that we may enjoy the full freedom in grace—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
3. The Lord Spirit is the transforming Spirit; he transforms us into the image of the Lord of glory from one degree of glory to another degree of glory: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
a. When we open to Him, behold Him, and reflect Him, we are under the process of transformation; all that He is, is transfused into our being; through being transfused with what He is, we will be completely transformed—v. 18. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
b. The more we live and walk in the life-giving Spirit, the more glory is added into our being, and the more we are transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 316)
C. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 Christ is revealed as the embodiment of grace; Christ is not only the factor of grace but also the embodiment of grace; that is, Christ is grace itself: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 321)
1. Grace is Christ, not in doctrine but in experience, because grace is Christ with all He is for our enjoyment; this includes life, power, and His other divine attributes—v. 9. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 321)
2. We need to learn not to expect to receive something outwardly or to have something done by the Lord for us; rather, we should expect to simply enjoy the Lord Himself as grace—v. 9. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 321)
3. The grace of Christ is the power perfected in weakness that, as a tent or a tabernacle spread over us, overshadows us in our weakness—v. 9. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 321)
IV. We will begin to consider the aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ revealed in Galatians; the subject of Galatians is Christ replacing the law and being versus religion and tradition—Gal. 1:16; 6:15; 2:20: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 323)
A. In Galatians 1:16 Christ is presented as the One revealed in the apostle; here Paul did not say that Christ revealed Himself to him but that the Father in His pleasure revealed Christ into Paul; this revelation was not merely an outward vision but an inward seeing—4:4, 6; 3:13-14, 26-28, 6:15; 1:13-14: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 324)
1. The apostle received the gospel through the revelation of Christ; here the revelation of Christ does not refer merely to a revelation received through Jesus Christ or to the revelation concerning Christ; rather, it refers to the person of Christ, who was revealed in the apostle; Christ, a living person, is the focus of Paul’s gospel; hence, the book of Galatians is emphatically Christ-centered—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 324)
2. God’s heart’s desire is to reveal His Son in us that we may know Him, receive Him as our life, and become the sons of God; as the Son of the living God, He is far superior to Judaism and its traditions—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 324)
3. The apostle Paul did not preach the law but announced Christ, the Son of God, as the gospel; he announced not merely the doctrine concerning Him but the living person Himself; the proper preaching of the gospel is not the preaching of a doctrine; it is the preaching of the person of the Son of God—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 324)
B. In Galatians 2:20 Christ is presented as the One who has given Himself up for the believers and who lives in them; we must experience and enjoy Christ in this aspect: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
1. It is only when we come to know Christ as the One who lives in us and we live by Him, not by ourselves, that we can enjoy Christ as the One who rescues us out of religion—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
2. In our Christian life there should come a day when the Holy Spirit shows us that we have already been crucified with Christ and that it is no longer we who live but Christ who lives in us; when we truly see this fact, we will not do anything by ourselves, for a dead person can neither do good nor have any hope——v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
3. We need to continually exercise to live not by ourselves but by Christ; in every action, word, and thought we should practice living by Him and living because of Him—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
4. The divine life, the spiritual life in our spirit, is lived by the exercise of faith, which is stimulated by the presence of the life-giving Spirit—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
5. The more we appreciate Christ’s constraining love, the more faith we will have; since Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us that He might impart Himself as the divine life into us, we should now love Him and live by Him—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 326)
V. We will begin to consider the aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ unveiled in Ephesians; although the New Testament reveals many aspects of Christ for our experience and enjoyment, the aspects of Christ in Ephesians are much deeper than those in other books of the New Testament—Eph. 2:11-22; 3:14-21; 5:22-32: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 333)
A. Ephesians 2:11-22 unveils that Christ is the Creator of the new man—1:7; Col. 1:20: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
1. Once we were far off from Christ, from the commonwealth of Israel, and from the covenants of God’s promise; this equals being far off from God and all His blessings; but the redeeming blood of Christ brought us back; hence, in His blood we have become near both to Israel and to God—Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
2. Ephesians 2:14-15 indicates that Christ’s death has abolished the law of commandments in ordinances, broken down the middle wall of partition, and slain the enmity to create the two in Himself into one new man. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
3. By Christ’s abolishing in His flesh the separating ordinances, that is, His slaying the enmity, and by His creating the Jewish and the Gentile believers into one new man, peace was made between all believers; there is a real peace among all the believers in Christ—vv. 14-15. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
4. As the Creator of the new man, Christ has reconciled the Jews and the Gentiles in one Body to God in one Spirit—vv. 14-15. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
5. The actual building of the church as the house of God is by the believers’ growth in life; the entire building of God’s house, God’s sanctuary, is in Christ the Lord; such a building has the wonderful Christ as the joining cornerstone—vv. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 336)
B. In Ephesians 3:14-21 Christ is revealed as the Settler in the hearts of the saints: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
1. 14-16 records Paul’s prayer to the Father for the believers in Ephesus: “He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man”: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
a. The apostle prayed that the Gentile believers might experience God in a full way according to the riches of His glory, that He might be expressed through the Gentile believers by their experiencing Him in a full way—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
b. We need to practice praying to the Father that He would strengthen us with power through His Spirit into our inner man; we should experience the Father’s strengthening us into our inner man every day by spending time with the Lord in prayer—v. 16. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
2. Ephesians 3:17 indicates that the result of the Father’s strengthening us into our inner man is that Christ makes His home in our hearts through faith: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
a. When we exercise our spirit so that our spirit is strengthened through the Spirit, we will automatically forget about our self, reject our self, and thereby put off the old man; spontaneously, Christ will have the opportunity and the full ground to take possession of our entire inner being—v. 17. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
b. In order for Christ to make His home in our heart, we need to take Him not only as our life but also as our person—v. 17. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
3. The result of Christ’s making His home in our hearts is that we are full of strength to apprehend the dimensions of Christ—the breadth, length, height, and depth—and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ; the result of apprehending the dimensions of Christ and knowing the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ is that we are filled unto all the fullness of God—v. 18. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
C. In Ephesians 5:22-32 we see that Christ is the Husband of the church: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
1. Christ is not only the Head of the church but also the Savior of the Body; we must be subject to Him as our Head, and we must love Him as our Savior—v. 25. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
2. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; Christ’s loving the church and giving Himself up for her was for redemption and for the impartation of life—v. 25. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
3. He “might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of the water in the word, that He might present the church to Himself glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that she would be holy and without blemish”—vv. 26-27: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
a. After the church has come into existence, the church needs to be sanctified; the process of sanctification includes saturation, transformation, growth, and building up; only through an all-inclusive process of sanctification can the church become complete and attain to the measure of the stature of Christ’s fullness so that Christ can present a perfect church to Himself—v. 27. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
b. We need to be encouraged to abide in Christ as the source of nourishment and to contact the Word to receive the nourishing element so that we may be washed organically and metabolically from all defects and oldness; by means of such a washing, the church will be perfected and become glorious—v. 26. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
4. Ephesians 5:29 says, “No one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as Christ also the church”: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
a. To be nourished by Christ is to be supplied with His riches; if we take Christ as our person, we will experience Christ nourishing us; we will continually have the sense of His inward nourishment; we need to experience the nourishment that comes from taking Christ as our person—v. 29. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
b. The Lord warms us and softens us as we enjoy His tenderness, sweetness, and lovingness; when the Lord sanctifies, cleanses, and nourishes us, He cherishes us with His tender warmth; his cherishing comforts us, soothes us, and calms us—v. 29. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
5. The mysterious life union of Christ and His Body, the church, is the great mystery in the universe; this mystery is the processed Triune God being joined and mingled with the regenerated and transformed tripartite man to become a universal couple; this is the ultimate point of the mingling of God and man—v. 32. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 338)
VI. We will begin to consider the aspects of the experience and enjoyment of Christ revealed in Philippians; the subject and the controlling concept of the book of Philippians is the experience of Christ; the experience of Christ is the master key which opens this book to us—Phil. 1:19; 2:5-12; 4:4, 11-13: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
A. Christ as the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the bountiful Supplier—1:19: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
1. Christ as the bountiful Supplier is the Spirit of Jesus Christ—v. 19: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
a. The Spirit of Jesus Christ is “the Spirit” mentioned in John 7:39; this is not merely the Spirit of God before the Lord’s incarnation but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit with divinity, after the Lord’s resurrection, compounded with the Lord’s incarnation (humanity), human living under the cross, crucifixion, and resurrection. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
b. The holy anointing ointment in Exodus 30:23-25, a compound of olive oil and four kinds of spices, is a full type of this compound Spirit of God, who is now the Spirit of Jesus Christ. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
c. With the Spirit of Jesus Christ there is a bountiful supply; this supply is an all-inclusive drink containing many ingredients. Everything we need is in this divine beverage; when we pray in a genuine way and when we call on the name of the Lord, the compound ointment is applied to us in our situation, and we enjoy the riches of the bountiful supply of the Spirit—Phil. 1:19. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
2. The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ is for us to live Christ—v. 20: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
a. To live Christ is not merely to have a holy life or to live holiness; to live Christ is to live a person; we should simply live Christ; we should live a life which is Christ Himself—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
b. In order to live Christ, we must take Him as our person and as our life; we all must fight and struggle to enter into the genuine living of Christ in a practical way; God wants His people to live Christ; we should focus our whole attention on living Christ and care only to live Christ so that He might be magnified in us—v. 20. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 346)
B. Philippians 2 reveals that we may experience and enjoy Christ as our pattern; this pattern is the standard of our salvation—vv. 5-12: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)
1. The Lord’s humiliation involved seven steps: (1) emptying Himself; (2) taking the form of a slave; (3) becoming in the likeness of men; (4) humbling Himself; (5) becoming obedient; (6) being obedient even unto death; and (7) being obedient unto the death of the cross—vv. 5-12. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)
2. The pattern presented in Phil. 2:5-8 is now the life within us; this life is what we call a crucified life; the seven steps of Christ’s humiliation are all aspects of the crucified life. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)
3. Christ is not only an outward pattern for us; He is also the life within us; as this inner life, He would have us experience Him and thereby live a crucified life; Christ’s crucified life should be our experience; we need to experience Christ in His humiliation; this means that we need to experience Him as the One who emptied Himself and humbled Himself—vv. 5-12. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 347)
C. Christ is the secret and the power for us to enjoy; Christ as the One who empowers us; this is a very precious aspect of Christ for our experience and enjoyment—4:4, 11-13: (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 351)
1. In Christ as the motivating strength that empowers us all the time, we can do all the things that pertain to our experience of Christ as revealed in Philippians 4, including standing firm in Christ, rejoicing in Him always, letting the peace of God guard our hearts and thoughts in Christ, being content through Him as the secret, and having God fill our every need in Christ—v. 4. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 351)
2. We need to experience and enjoy Christ as the One who empowers us so that we will stand firm in Him, rejoice in Him always, let the peace of God guard our hearts, be content all the time, do all things that express the highest human virtues, and have God fill our every need in Christ; when we enjoy Christ to this extent, although there may be many problems in our circumstances, in Christ and with God they will be solved—v. 13. (The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 351)