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Scripture Reading: Eph. 3:8-9; 1 Cor. 1:2, 9, 22, 30
Ephesians 3:9 says, “To enlighten all that they may see what the economy of the mystery is, which throughout the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.” This verse speaks of a mystery. This mystery is in God, the God who created all things. Throughout the ages no one knew this mystery; it was hidden in the God who created all things. Now, however, all can be enlightened. In verse 8 the apostle Paul says that grace was given to him “to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.” Paul was commissioned to announce the unsearchable riches of Christ to the Gentiles. Following this, Paul speaks of the mystery of God, implying that the unsearchable riches of Christ are the mystery hidden in God, who created all things.
When people read the Bible, it is very easy to focus on words such as humility, patience, love, and meekness, which are somewhat superficial. If we want to enter into the depths of the Bible, we must focus on phrases such as the mystery of God and the riches of Christ. Such phrases do not come from man but from God in heaven. We need revelation from God to understand the deep meaning in His holy Word.
First Corinthians 1:2 says, “Christ...who is theirs and ours.” This verse says that Christ belongs to all those who believe in Him. What have we gained by believing in Christ? Some may say peace; others may say joy, healing from sicknesses, forgiveness of sins, release from toil and heavy burdens, or reconciliation in family disputes. Apparently, by believing in Christ we gain many blessings. However, by God’s mercy, our eyes have been opened to see what we actually gain by believing in Christ. Paul says, “Christ...is theirs and ours,” and this means that we gain Christ Himself by believing in Him.
In verse 9 Paul speaks of our being “called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” A superficial understanding of this verse would be that God has given an inheritance to His Son for His enjoyment and that God has called us to enjoy a portion of this inheritance with His Son. However, in the original Greek the word fellowship means “to partake of.” Hence, this sentence may also be translated as, “You were called that you may partake of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” This indicates that God not only wants us to gain a portion with Jesus Christ but even more that He wants to allot Jesus Christ to us as our portion so that we may be joined to Him and partake of Him.
When we are saved, we gain the Lord Jesus Christ; we not only gain joy and peace but also Christ. Even though joy, peace, and other such blessings are gained when we believe in God, these are not the purpose of our being called by God. The purpose of God’s calling is so that we would partake of His Son.
When we read 1 Corinthians, we should not focus simply on the problems in the church in Corinth, such as jealousy, strife, and division: “There is jealousy and strife among you” (3:3), and “I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, and I of Christ” (1:12). We must focus on chapter 1, verses 2 and 9, where we see that God wants to give us Christ, not outward blessings. This was our experience in being saved, even if we did not have a full realization of it. When we give a child a box with a treasure inside, the child often likes the box and ignores the treasure within the box. When we believe into Jesus Christ, we gain Christ, not merely outward blessings. When we ask someone whether he is saved, we should have a realization that we are actually asking whether he has gained Jesus Christ. If we have Jesus Christ, we spontaneously have joy and peace. Joy, peace, and other such blessings are not God’s purpose; God’s purpose is for us to partake of Christ.
First Corinthians 1:22 says, “Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom.” This verse indicates that there are two kinds of people in the world. Jews represent those who seek signs, and Greeks represent those who seek wisdom. Jews look for signs, such as the healing of sicknesses (Matt. 4:24; 8:16; Mark 3:10) and the feeding of five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:19-21). Those who seek signs are usually seeking benefits for themselves. Jews are representative of such ones. Not only are there many people in the world who are like these Jews, but even many Christians seek benefits for themselves. If someone’s child is ill and the doctors cannot treat the child, a Christian will kneel down and pray. When his child recovers, he will thank the Lord as the God who hears prayers, and he will praise the Lord as the almighty Savior. Similarly, if a brother loses his job and is in a difficult situation, he will pray to find a job and then thank the Lord when he finds one, saying, “The Lord is truly the Lord of the living.” Many prayers are prayers for personal benefit, and many believe in the Lord primarily for the sake of personal benefit.
Other people are like Greeks, who are representative of those who seek wisdom. Some seek benefits, whereas others seek wisdom. Everyone in the world is seeking either benefits or wisdom. Desiring benefits and seeking wisdom are hallmarks of the world. Many “believe” in the Lord because they are seeking benefits or wisdom, but when they are unable to obtain these things, they toss the Lord aside. Regardless of nationality, a person seeks either benefits or wisdom. Paul, however, said that he wanted only to announce Christ to the Gentiles (Eph. 3:8). Paul was sent by God to preach Christ. God wants to give man Christ, not benefits or wisdom.
Many saints believe in the Lord because of signs. Their testimony of being saved is mainly related to signs; few are saved because of Christ alone. Instances related to signs are too numerous to count, but this is not God’s intention or ultimate purpose. On the contrary, God wants to strip us of our need for signs and wisdom so that we may gain Christ in order that Christ Himself would be the One whom we preach. When the Lord was on the earth, men specifically sought Him for signs, yet the Lord did not give them such signs (Matt. 12:38-39; 16:1-4). There was a limit to the Lord’s giving of signs. At a certain point He stopped giving them things that they regarded as signs. In John 6 the Lord seemingly was merciless. He did not want people to seek Him in order to eat bread and to be filled (vv. 26-27). Rather than giving them benefits, He wanted to give them the eternal life, which is the life of God in Christ. Those who believe in the Lord only for the sake of personal benefits, rather than to gain the life of Christ, will ultimately fall.
First Corinthians 1:30 says, “Of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” Following the phrase wisdom to us from God, there is a colon. This indicates that the content of wisdom is Christ as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This means that Christ becomes wisdom to us when we are in Him, and He becomes our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Everything that God wants to give us is in Christ. God wants Christ to become our wisdom — our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
God’s salvation and the meaning of human life are very much related to each other. Everyone in the world asks, “What is the meaning of human life?” Christians also ask, “What is the meaning of God’s salvation?” A man living in the world needs three meals a day and a place to lie down and rest. However, this is not enough to satisfy human life. Most people do not think that this is the meaning of human life. What is man’s purpose? What is the purpose of human life? I do not know how many times this question has been asked or how many times it has been answered. Many philosophers and scientists have sought the answer to this question, yet it is hard to find anyone who has a satisfactory answer. Almost no one can answer this question.
Once when I was in Tsingtao, I discussed this question with a doctor who was recovering from an illness. I spoke the word in the Bible, and he was very happy. He had read many books on philosophy in order to understand this matter, yet the more he read, the more confused he became. However, through reading the Bible, he became clear and was so happy that he forgot about his illness. He understood the purpose of man’s existence and even his own purpose. The answer to knowing the purpose and meaning of human life can be found only in the Bible.
As to the question that Christians have concerning human life, consider your understanding of God’s salvation in your experience. Did you think that God’s salvation is for you to have joy and peace and to enter into heaven? What do you regard man’s purpose to be? We must realize that among all of God’s creation, man is very special. In God’s plan man has a definite purpose and function. A light bulb has a purpose when it emits light from a lamp. If a light bulb is not in a lamp, it loses its function. The same applies to human beings. If man is not fulfilling his unique purpose, he will not be satisfied.
Some people are poor and want to be rich. When they become rich, they still are not satisfied. Some want a family, yet they feel restricted after they have a family. Some want a house and a car, yet they still feel “thirsty” after obtaining these things. Some want power, yet when they have power, they still feel empty. Many become important officials with high positions, yet they are not happy in life. Those who suffer the most are often those who have the most power. Those who have trouble sleeping at night are often those who have the greatest wealth. Being in poverty is not good, but neither is being in abundance. No one has continual rest, satisfaction, comfort, or freedom, because man is special and has a unique purpose. If man’s purpose is not fulfilled, there will always be an inexplicable inward sense of lack.
If our purpose is not fulfilled, we can never have rest or satisfaction. If we are thirsty, it is useless to have bars of gold, a wonderful family, or a high position. These will not solve the problem of our thirst. When we are thirsty, we simply need to drink a cup of water. Man’s sense of satisfaction is not related to gaining outward things but to an inward gaining of God. Man was made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26); he was made to contain God. Only God can solve man’s need, just as only water can solve man’s thirst.
The ultimate purpose of God’s salvation is not for Him to forgive man’s sins but for Him to put Himself into man. It is not enough to take a cup out of the garbage, wash it, and put it on a table. This is not the purpose of the cup. The purpose of taking the cup out of the garbage is to put water into it. Similarly, God saved us from the chaotic heap of sin and cleansed us from our sins in order to put Himself into us.
The entire Bible speaks of God’s desire to be joined with man as one. This is God’s purpose. The beginning of the Bible speaks of God creating man, first showing that man has God’s image (v. 26). This implies that God’s purpose is to enter into man. The New Testament begins with God becoming a man, Jesus the Nazarene. Outwardly, He was a man, yet inwardly, He was God (Matt. 1:1, 23; John 1:1, 14). This indicates that God has already come into man. After Jesus ascended, Stephen saw Him as “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:55-56). This means that man has ascended into the heavens. Colossians 2:9 says, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Christ is the embodiment of God; Christ is God becoming man and coming to be among men. Although God made man in His own image, man was still man, and God was still God. Man and God were separate. One day God became flesh — Jesus Christ (John 1:14). Christ was God putting on man. Christians are men putting on God. Both in Christ and in Christians, man and God are joined. Although Christ is God, He has man’s likeness; although He is man, He has God’s life. In Christ, God and man and man and God are joined together as one. This is also true of Christians. If we have not seen this matter, we do not have a clear view of God’s salvation.
God does not want to give us signs, and the gospel is not for people to go to heaven. God wants to give man Christ, and the gospel preaches Christ. God wants to be joined to man in His Son. No matter how good a light bulb may look, it is still empty if no electrical current is running through it. However, once we flip the light switch, the lamp will shine and the light bulb will fulfill its purpose. We were once empty, but when God’s life came into us, God Himself came into us. He added Himself into us such that we and He were joined as one. This is salvation.
The Bible calls man a vessel (Rom. 9:21, 23; 2 Tim. 2:20-21). There is a difference between a vessel and an instrument. If we think that Christians are instruments to be used by God, we have a wrong concept. Christians are vessels to contain God. Before a Christian is saved, he is merely a man, but after he is saved, God is in him. The end of the Bible shows that God will accomplish His desire because God and man will be married (Rev. 19:7; 22:17). Marriage involves two becoming “one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). Marriage is a symbol of God and man becoming one. God and man becoming one is God’s work; it is God’s will accomplished in man, and it is God’s ultimate purpose in man.
