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Scripture Reading: Heb. 10:7b; Matt. 1:22; Luke 24:25-27, 44-46; Rom. 1:2; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Col. 1:25-27; Eph. 1:9-10; 3:9-11; Rom. 14:17; Rev. 21:2, 10-11
In this message we shall continue to consider the New Testament and God’s New Testament economy. We have seen that the New Testament is related to the Old Testament, that it is the fulfillment of the Old Testament, that it is the development and the reaping of the seed sown in the Old Testament, and that it is the completion of the divine revelation. Now we shall go on to see that the New Testament is the revelation of God’s New Testament economy (Col. 1:26-27).
The New Testament is the revelation of God’s New Testament economy. This revelation unveils seven major items: God, Christ, the Spirit, the believers, the church, the kingdom, and the New Jerusalem. These seven items are seven persons. God is a person, and Christ and the Spirit also are persons. The believers may be considered a corporate person; likewise, the church is a corporate person. Some, however, may have a problem regarding the kingdom as a person. Nevertheless, we strongly say that the kingdom is a person.
We need to consider in more detail the kingdom being a person. Let us use the animal kingdom as an illustration. What is the animal kingdom? The animal kingdom is a totality of all the animals. Hence, the animal kingdom is all the animals. If there were not any animals, there would not be an animal kingdom. The principle is the same with the plant kingdom. The plant kingdom consists of plants. If there were no plants, there would not be a plant kingdom. Likewise, the human kingdom consists of mankind. If we see into the depths of the teaching of the Bible concerning the kingdom, we shall realize that the kingdom of God is actually Christ Himself developed and enlarged into a kingdom. The kingdom of God is the Savior, the Lord Jesus, as the seed of life sown into His believers, God’s chosen people (Mark 4:3, 26), and developing into a realm which God may rule as His kingdom in the divine life. Therefore, the kingdom truly is a person. This is clearly proved in Daniel 2:34-35 by the stone cut out without hands, signifying the God-prepared Christ, which, after smiting the great image upon its feet to break all the parts of the great image, all the worldly powers, becomes a great mountain and fills the whole earth, signifying the coming kingdom of God (Rev. 11:15). This indicates that the Christ prepared by God, as a stone, will develop, at His coming back, into the kingdom of God, as a great mountain, that fills the whole earth.
The kingdom is actually another aspect of the church. We should not think that the church is one thing and that the kingdom is another, that the church is one person and that the kingdom is another person. Actually, the church and the kingdom are one person in two aspects.
Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” This verse is a strong proof that the church in the church age is the kingdom of God because the context here deals with the church life in the present age. John 3:3 and 5 reveal that regeneration is the present entrance into the kingdom of God. Acts is a book concerning the spreading of the gospel and the establishing of the church, yet in Acts 1:3 the Lord Jesus spoke with His disciples for forty days concerning the kingdom of God to prepare them for this work. Following this, in Acts 8:12; 20:25; 28:23-31, the disciples preached the kingdom of God along with their preaching of Jesus Christ for the establishing of the churches. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 6:9; Galatians 5:21; and Ephesians 5:5 Paul, according to the context, considers the kingdom of God equivalent to the church. He and his co-workers were working for the church, yet in Colossians 4:11 he says that they were laboring for the kingdom of God. The word of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16:18-19 also reveals clearly that the kingdom is the church. In Revelation 1:9 John indicates that he and the other believers were already in the kingdom. If we consider Romans 14:17 in the context of the whole book of Romans, we shall see that the kingdom of God in this verse certainly refers to the church.
The church today is the kingdom of God. Since the church is a corporate person and the church is the kingdom, it would not be logical to say that the kingdom is not a person. The church is a corporate person, and the kingdom is also a corporate person.
Like the church and the kingdom, the New Jerusalem is a person. When some hear that the New Jerusalem is a person, they may say, “The New Jerusalem is a city. How can you say that the city is a person?” The Bible indicates that the New Jerusalem is a person in Revelation 21, where we are told that the New Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (v. 2) and that she is “the bride, the wife of the Lamb” (v. 9). Is not a wife a person? Since the New Jerusalem is the wife of the Lamb and the wife is a person, then the New Jerusalem is a person, a corporate person.
The seven major items unveiled in the revelation of God’s New Testament economy are all persons. God, Christ, and the Spirit are individual persons, whereas the believers, the church, the kingdom, and the New Jerusalem are corporate persons.
What is God’s New Testament economy? God’s New Testament economy is God’s household management, God’s household administrative arrangement, the divine dispensation (plan). By dispensation we mean here an arrangement, that is, a plan.
This economy, this dispensation, is revealed in Ephesians 1:10 and 3:9. Ephesians 1:10 says, “Unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him.” The Greek word rendered “dispensation” here is oikonomia, from which we get the English word “economy.” God has purposed to have an economy. All the kingdoms in the universe, the angelic kingdom, the human kingdom, the animal kingdom, and the plant kingdom, are for this economy, this dispensation, and are moving toward its completion.
The Greek word rendered “dispensation” in Ephesians 1:10 can also be translated “stewardship” or “household arrangement.” The word “administration” may also be used because eventually this dispensation, this stewardship and household arrangement, will become an eternal administration. The entire universe will eventually be under one administration. Although the word administration may be used here, I prefer the words dispensation, stewardship, and household arrangement.
In relation to God’s purpose, the word “economy” is unfamiliar to many Christians. The Greek word for economy, oikonomia, is used two other times in Ephesians. We have seen that in Ephesians 1:10 Paul speaks of a dispensation, or economy, of the fullness of the times, in which all things will be headed up in Christ. Then in 3:2 he speaks of the stewardship of the grace of God, and in 3:9, of the dispensation of the mystery. In 3:9 Paul says, “To bring to light what is the dispensation of the mystery, which from the ages has been hidden in God, who created all things.” God’s mystery is His hidden purpose. His purpose is to dispense Himself into His chosen people. Hence, there is the dispensation of the mystery of God. This mystery was hidden in God from the ages, that is, from eternity and through all past ages, but now it has been brought to light to the New Testament believers.
In 1 Timothy 1:4 Paul speaks of “God’s dispensation which is in faith.” Once again, the Greek word rendered “dispensation” is oikonomia. In Greek the words “God’s dispensation” here also mean God’s household economy. This is God’s household administration to dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen people so that He may have a house, a household, to express Himself, which household is the church, the Body of Christ. Paul’s ministry was centered on this economy of God (Col. 1:25; 1 Cor. 9:17).
God’s New Testament economy is a plan made by God according to His good pleasure. Concerning this, Ephesians 1:9 says, “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” God’s good pleasure is the desire of His heart. This good pleasure was what God purposed in Himself for a dispensation, for a plan (v. 10). This plan made by God was according to His good pleasure, the desire of His heart.
God’s good pleasure has been purposed by God in Himself. This means that God Himself is the initiation, origination, and sphere of His eternal purpose. God has a plan, a desire, and according to His plan, He has a purpose. The existence of the universe is according to God’s purpose. Heaven, earth, millions of items, and the human race are all according to God’s purposed desire. Hence, in the universe there is a desire, God’s desire. Because this desire has been purposed by God, no one and nothing can overthrow it. God purposed this desire in Himself; He did not take counsel with anyone else regarding it.
We have seen that Ephesians 1:9 speaks of God’s good pleasure. Everyone desires pleasure. If we desire pleasure, then certainly God does also. Every living thing desires pleasure. In fact, the more living you are, the more pleasure you need. Because God is the most living One, He surely needs the most pleasure. If we, as fallen sinners, require pleasure, then how much more does God, the living One, have a deep need for it?
Unlike the book of Romans, which begins from the perspective of the condition of fallen man, the book of Ephesians was written from the perspective of God’s good pleasure, the desire of His heart. What, then, is God’s good pleasure? God’s good pleasure is to dispense Himself into us. This is the unique desire of God. We may say that God is “dreaming” of dispensing Himself into us. His longing, His aspiration, is to dispense Himself into His chosen people.
Many Christians neglect God’s desire to dispense Himself into us. Instead of caring for this matter, they may pay attention to teachings concerning how to be holy, spiritual, and victorious. Many have never heard that God wants to do one thing — to dispense Himself into us.
In a sense, a believer may be “holy” without having much of God dispensed into him. However, that kind of holiness is not genuine, thus not stable. But if God is dispensed into our being, we shall be genuinely holy. Actually, holiness is nothing other than God dispensed into us subjectively. The objective God is holy only to Himself and by Himself. But the subjective God — the God dispensed into us — becomes our subjective holiness. Therefore, to us, the real holiness is God dispensed into our being. It is God’s good pleasure, the desire of His heart, to dispense Himself into us for our everything.
God’s economy is an eternal plan made by God in Christ. Regarding this, Ephesians 3:11 says, “According to the purpose of the ages which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The purpose of the ages is the purpose of eternity, the eternal purpose, the eternal plan of God made in eternity past.
God made His eternal economy in Christ. The Christ revealed in the Bible is the embodiment of the Triune God and all the processes through which He has passed, including incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and descension. In such a Christ God made His eternal economy. Christ, therefore, is the element, sphere, means, goal, and aim of God’s eternal economy. Christ is everything in God’s economy. In fact, all the contents of the eternal economy of God are simply Christ. Christ is the center, circumference, element, sphere, means, goal, and aim of this economy. According to Ephesians 3, this economy was made in Christ.
God’s New Testament economy is His plan to dispense Himself into His chosen people in His trinity. In what way does God dispense Himself into His people in His trinity? This dispensing has three steps. First, it is of God the Father. The Father is the source, the origin. Second, this dispensing is through God the Son, who is the course. Third, God’s dispensing is in God the Spirit, who is the instrument and sphere. Through these steps of God the Father, through God the Son, and in God the Spirit God dispenses Himself into His chosen people.
God’s New Testament economy to dispense Himself into His chosen people is for the producing of the church (Eph. 3:10). This dispensing brings forth the church for the manifestation of the multifarious wisdom of God according to His eternal purpose made in Christ (Eph. 3:9-11). This means that through the dispensing of God in His trinity the church is produced to exhibit God’s manifold wisdom.
We have pointed out that the church today is the kingdom of God. Therefore, the dispensing of God into us produces the church as the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 4:17 and 20 show that the kingdom is the church life today. In verse 17 Paul refers to his ways “which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church.” Then in verse 20 he says, “The kingdom of God is not in speech, but in power.” These verses show that the kingdom of God is the church everywhere, and the church everywhere is the kingdom. The kingdom is here because the church is here.
The church as the kingdom of God will have a consummation, and this consummation will be the New Jerusalem for the eternal expression of the Triune God. Revelation 21:2 says, “I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The New Jerusalem is a living composition of all the saints redeemed by God throughout all generations. It is the bride of Christ as His counterpart (John 3:29) and the holy city of God as His habitation. As the bride of Christ, New Jerusalem comes out of Christ, “her husband,” and becomes His counterpart, just as Eve came out of Adam, her husband, and became his counterpart (Gen. 2:21-24). The New Jerusalem is prepared as a bride for her husband by participating in the riches of the life and nature of Christ. As the holy city of God, she is wholly sanctified unto God and fully saturated with God’s holy nature to be His habitation.
In both the Old and New Testaments, God likens His chosen people to a spouse (Isa. 54:6; Jer. 3:1; Ezek. 16:8; Hosea 2:19; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:31-32) and a dwelling place for Himself (Exo. 29:45-46; Num. 5:3; Ezek. 43:7, 9; Psa. 68:18; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Tim. 3:15). The spouse is for His satisfaction in love, and the dwelling place is for His rest in expression. Both of these aspects will be ultimately consummated in the New Jerusalem. In her God will have the fullest satisfaction in love and the utmost rest in expression for eternity.
Revelation 21:10 and 11 say, “He carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, as a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” The glory of God is the expression of God, God expressed. We have been ordained for this glory and called to it (1 Cor. 2:7; 1 Pet. 5:10; 1 Thes. 2:12). We are being transformed into this glory (2 Cor. 3:18) and shall be brought into it (Heb. 2:10). Eventually we shall be glorified with Christ (Rom. 8:17, 30) to bear the glory of God for God’s expression in the New Jerusalem. Therefore, God’s dispensing of Himself into His chosen people for the producing of the church as the kingdom of God will consummate in the New Jerusalem as His eternal expression.
Throughout the years we have given many messages on God’s New Testament economy. However, according to my observation, most of the saints who have received these messages still need a clear vision of God’s economy. We need a vision of the central matter in the Bible — the desire of God’s heart to dispense Himself into His chosen people in His trinity for the producing of the church, which is the kingdom of God that will consummate in the New Jerusalem as the eternal expression of the Triune God.
We need a vision of God’s New Testament economy. It is not adequate merely to know about it. You may know about a certain person without ever having seen him. To see a person is very different from merely knowing about him. Likewise, seeing the vision of God’s New Testament economy is different from simply hearing about it. I hope that all the saints will spend much time to pray, both individually and corporately, regarding this. We need to say, “Lord, I cry out to You concerning God’s economy. I need a vision of the New Testament economy. Lord, I have been saved for a long time, but I have not yet seen the vision that the New Testament reveals God’s New Testament economy. Lord, cause me to see that the Triune God wants to dispense Himself into our being so that the church may be produced as the kingdom of God in order that God may have an eternal consummation to express Himself in a corporate way eternally.”
It is important that we make a distinction between the words “dispensation” and “dispensing.” According to the dictionary, dispensation is a noun form of the verb “dispense.” But according to New Testament usage, the word dispensation refers to God’s arrangement, God’s plan.
We have seen that dispensation is the translation of the Greek word oikonomia, which is composed of two words: oikos, which means house, and nomos, which means law. Oikonomia denotes household regulations or household management. Because this word refers to a household administration and management, it implies a plan. In Ephesians 3 the word dispensation means a plan, an arrangement. Therefore, when we use the word dispensation, we mean God’s household management, God’s arrangement, God’s plan. When we use the word dispensation, we do not mean dispensing, which is the act of God’s dispensing Himself into us. Nevertheless, in God’s dispensation the crucial matter is the dispensing of the Triune God into us.
If we are clear concerning the difference between dispensation and dispensing, we shall not say that we are under God’s dispensation but rather are under His dispensing. To be under God’s dispensation is to be under His administrative government. To be under God’s dispensing is to be under His dispensing action, His act of dispensing Himself into us. If we use the word dispensation to refer to God’s dispensing, others may misunderstand us and think that we are speaking of the plan made by God. Therefore, let us use the words dispensation and dispensing according to biblical usage, making it clear that dispensation denotes God’s administrative arrangement and dispensing, His act of dispensing Himself into us.
