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Scripture Reading: Col. 1:12, 15-19, 27; 2:2b, 6-7, 9, 16-17; 3:4, 10-11; 1 Cor. 12:12-13; Phil. 1:21a; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:17; 2 Tim. 4:22; Rom. 8:4
In the preceding chapters we have seen that God’s economy is Christ as the vine and that the way to abide in this vine is to take in the word and touch the Spirit. This chapter and the following chapters will cover certain basic truths in the New Testament. We will begin in this chapter by considering what the church is. Many saints may know that the church is the house of God, the Body of Christ, the manifestation of God in the flesh, the dwelling place of God, the fullness of the One who fills all in all, the mystery of Christ, the one new man, the increase of Christ, and Christ’s bride and wife (1 Tim. 3:15-16; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:15, 20-22; 3:6; 5:25-32; Col. 3:10-11; John 3:29-30; Rev. 19:7). This knowledge indicates the extraordinary knowledge of the saints in the Lord’s recovery. Although I was born, raised, and educated in Christianity, I never heard these terms. However, we need to see that the most basic definition of the church is that the church is Christ.
First Corinthians 12:12 says, “Even as the body is one and has many members, yet all the members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Christ.” Although this verse concerns the Body of Christ, the concluding words are not the Body but the Christ, proving that the church is Christ. It is logical to say that Christ is both the Head and the Body, for every person is not only a head but also a body. In chapter 1 of this book we saw that God’s economy is the vine. The vine, like all trees, is not only a trunk but also the branches. The complete tree includes the branches. We need to see that the church is Christ.
Some theologians may think that it is a blasphemy to say that the church is Christ. However, the apostle Paul says, “To me, to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21a). To live Christ is not to be deified to become a member of the Godhead; rather, to live Christ is to be a member of Christ that has the life and nature of Christ, just as all the parts of our body have the life and the nature of our person. As the branches of Christ, the true vine, we surely have the life and the nature of the vine. Because we have the same life and nature as Christ, we are parts of Christ, and we may even say that we are Christ.
Christ is God with the Godhead. We as His members have His divine life and nature, but we do not have the Godhead. We have the same life and nature as Christ, but we do not have His Godhead. The Godhead belongs uniquely to Christ, but His life and nature belong to Him and also to us. Although we do not have Christ’s Godhead, we have His life and nature (Rom. 5:10; Col. 3:4). Therefore, we are part of Christ, and corporately, as the Body, we are Christ. Christ is the Head, and we are the Body. Both the Head and the Body are Christ. Thus, the church is Christ. This is not merely a doctrine but a crucial vision for the practice of the proper church life.
Now that we have seen that the church is Christ, we need to go on to see who and what Christ is. It is beyond our capacity to know everything concerning who and what Christ is, but Colossians reveals several crucial items of Christ. Ephesians and Colossians are two extraordinary books in the New Testament. Ephesians concerns mainly the Body, the church, and Colossians concerns mainly the Head, Christ. Therefore, in order to know who and what Christ is, we need to come to Colossians. It is a short book, but it gives us a profound revelation of Christ.
Colossians first reveals that Christ is the portion of the saints (1:12). As believers in Christ, we gain Christ as our portion. Most Christians speak of our portion as being only redemption, salvation, and heaven. It is easy to understand that these items are our portion. However, it is more difficult to understand what it means for Christ to be our portion and how to enjoy Him as our portion. When we drink a cup of coffee, the coffee is our portion. When we eat breakfast, all the items included in our breakfast are our portion. We need to see the many items that are included in Christ as our portion.
Colossians 1:15 says that Christ, who is our portion, is the image of the invisible God. God is invisible, yet He has an image that is visible. In Christ we know God and see God (John 1:18; 14:7-11). God is revealed and made visible in Christ. God is visible to us because Christ our portion is the image of the invisible God.
Verse 15 of Colossians 1 also says that Christ is the Firstborn of all creation. Although Christ is the Creator, this verse says that He is the Firstborn of all creation. Some Christian theologians think that it is heresy to say that Christ, who as God is the Creator, is also part of creation. No one can explain this mysterious fact, but it is clearly stated in the Bible.
Verse 16 says, “In Him all things were created...all things have been created through Him and unto Him.” All things were created in Christ, through Christ, and unto, or for, Christ.
Verse 17 says, “He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him.” The word cohere means “to subsist together.” This matter may be illustrated by the way the spokes of a wheel subsist in the hub. If the hub is removed, the spokes and the wheel will fall apart. The hub is the center that keeps all the other parts of the wheel together. Scientists have discovered that there is a hub, a center, that holds everything in the universe together. Christ is this hub. Everything in the universe coheres in Christ. To cohere is to exist in a particular way. We exist in a particular way, because apparently we are standing on the earth, but intrinsically the earth is holding us. Without the holding power of the earth, we would fly off into space. There is a cohering power in the universe. Everything in the universe, including each of us, coheres in Christ. He is the hub of the universe that holds all things. Without Christ as the holding power, everything in the universe would fall apart.
Verses 18 and 19 say, “He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things; for in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell.” Christ is the Firstborn in creation and the Firstborn in resurrection. God has two creations: the old creation and the new creation. The new creation was produced in Christ’s resurrection. Christ is the Firstborn in both creations, in the old creation and the new creation. Christ is the first in everything. In Him all the fullness, the full expression of the rich being of God in both the creation and the church, was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 2:2 says that Christ is the mystery of God. God is altogether a mystery, and this mystery is Christ. In other words, Christ is the definition of God. Then verse 9 says, “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” The fullness of the Godhead, the expression of the riches of what God is, dwells in Christ as One who has a human body. We could never fully explain or define all that Christ is. I do not have the adequate knowledge to expound all the profound items of Christ revealed in Colossians. We could never even exhaust the significance of the two terms the mystery of God and the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead.
Christ is also the reality of every positive thing, such as food, water, air, and sunshine. Verses 16 and 17 say, “Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath, which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.” The food we eat, holidays, and the Sabbath day are not real; they are shadows. Christ is the real food, the real holiday, and the real Sabbath. A holiday, a feast, is a happy day, but if we do not have Christ, we cannot be joyful. If we have Christ, every day is a happy day. The Sabbath is for rest. If we do not have Christ, we do not have rest. Christ is also the reality of the new moon, which signifies a new beginning with light in the darkness. When others are disappointed and everything is in darkness, we have a bright new beginning and a new hope in Christ. The first day of the week should not be called Sunday, a word that is pagan in origin, but the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10). Christ is our first day of the week, the beginning of a new period. Our new beginning is Christ. Christ is everything to us.
Colossians 3:10-11 reveals that Christ is all and in all in the new man. These verses say, “Put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.” The new man is the church. In the new man there is no place for any natural man, because in the new man Christ is all. Christ has the unique place in the new man. He is every member, and He is in every member. This truth is difficult to fully explain, but we need to declare, “Hallelujah! Christ is me, and Christ is in me!” In the new man there are no Americans, Chinese, or any other nationality or race, but Christ is all and in all. Christ is all of us, and Christ is in all of us.
Verse 4 reveals that Christ is our life, and 1:27 reveals that He is our hope of glory. Christ is our life today and will be our glory in the future. Therefore, He is our hope.
We need not merely to know the doctrine but to see a vision that the church is Christ. We also need to see a vision of who and what Christ is. Christ, who is our portion, is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, and the One in whom, through whom, and unto whom all things were created. He is also the One who is before all things and the One in whom all things cohere. Christ is the Head of the Body, the beginning, and the Firstborn from the dead. He has the preeminence in all things, and all the fullness, the full expression of God in both creation and the church, is pleased to dwell in Him. Christ is also the mystery of God, the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead, and the reality of every positive thing. Every positive thing in the universe is only a shadow, a type, of Christ. The light we see is only a shadow. The body, the reality, of all light is Christ (John 8:12; 9:5). The air we breathe is a shadow of Christ, who is our real air (20:22). The water we drink is not the real water; the real water is Christ (4:14; 7:37-39). The food we eat day by day is not the real food; the real food is Christ (6:35). Christ is our real clothing, our real covering (Rom. 13:14; Gal. 3:27). Christ is everything. We also need to see that Christ is all and in all in the new man, the church. Therefore, every part of the Body is Christ, and Christ is in every part of the Body.
Christ being all and in all in the church should be a controlling vision to us to repel all foreign things from the church. Anything besides Christ is foreign to the church. Christ is the only proper constituent of the church. In the new man there is nothing but Christ. Christ is every part of the church and is in every part of the church. This Christ is our portion; we can enjoy Christ as the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation, the One in whom, through whom, and unto whom all things were created, the One who is before all things, the One in whom all things cohere, the Head of the Body, the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, the One who has the preeminence in all things, the One in whom all the fullness was pleased to dwell, the mystery of God, the One in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, the reality of every positive thing, and the One who is all and in all in the church. We should not consider Christ’s being all and in all in the church as merely a doctrine; this needs to be a vision to us. Such a vision will transform our concept, our mentality, our emotion, our sensation, and every part of our being. This vision will also control, direct, safeguard, and preserve us in the proper church life. The foremost truth we need to see in the New Testament is that the church is nothing but Christ.
We need this controlling vision because in today’s Christianity there is much confusion, division, darkness, and death. If we do not have Christ as all and in all in our church life, we will immediately have confusion, division, darkness, and death. Confusion comes in when Christ is missing. Once confusion comes in, division will quickly follow, then darkness, and finally death. If Christ is present, confusion is gone. If we have Christ, we will have a proper order instead of confusion, genuine oneness instead of division, light instead of darkness, and life instead of death. The vision of the church being Christ keeps us under a strict control and direction.
The vision of the church being Christ repels all kinds of concepts. If we all take Christ as everything, there will be no concepts. Nothing can banish our concepts but Christ. If we lack a clear vision of the church being Christ and of Christ being the unique constituent of the church, many concepts will gradually creep in. The Lord’s recovery has been in the United States for about sixteen years. In the first thirteen or fourteen years there were no concepts but only Christ as all. However, in the last few years certain concepts have subtly crept in to replace Christ and cause division.
One concept is related to going to movie theaters and playing sports. Some who have promoted these activities among the saints say that there is too much legality, religion, and bondage in the local churches. Several saints recently asked me if attending the Lord’s Day morning meeting is being religious and going to play sports is being liberated. Some think that they will have more life if they are “liberated”; they think that liberation is life. Life itself is a mystery, but the experience of life is always simple. It is wrong to complicate the way to experience life. Breathing is the most crucial thing for our existence, but it is very simple. The life necessities of breathing, eating, drinking, and sleeping are all simple. We should not be complicated by false concepts, such as the notion that attending movies or playing sports rather than attending the Lord’s Day morning meeting is liberation and will cause us to have more life. We need to be simple. We should simply consider whether or not we enjoy the Lord when we attend a movie or play sports. I do not believe that anyone who attends a church meeting rather than a movie or athletic activity will regret it or repent of it in eternity. What is right or wrong does not matter. We should not argue about concepts. Debates lead nowhere. We simply need to recognize the facts concerning which activities cause us to enjoy the Lord.
In a prayer meeting in a small locality a leading one recently said that it is possible for those who were born with a strong disposition not to smoke or drink but that the Lord forgives those who were born with a weak disposition because they cannot avoid these habits. We should never accept this kind of word. This kind of teaching will lead to the indulgence of lusts. We need to realize that regardless of how spiritual we might be, we are still in the flesh. I am an old man who has been saved for half a century, but I still do not trust my flesh. If I am only a little loose, many kinds of lusts will still come out of my flesh. Since the fall of man, God has ordained many restrictions to protect fallen human beings. The laws of the government, parental discipline, and self-control are God-ordained restrictions. We are still living in the old creation with our corrupted flesh. There are many opportunities for us to fall into the indulgence of lusts. Movies and sports will never cause us to enjoy Christ, but they may lead us into the indulgence of lusts.
The Bible says that the church is the testimony of Jesus (Rev. 1:2, 9; 12:17; 19:10; 20:4). If we go to movie theaters, we will lose the Lord’s testimony before our relatives, classmates, and colleagues. If our colleagues invite us to see a movie, we should testify to them, “Thank you, but because I am a follower of Jesus, I would never go to that kind of place.” They may appear to be offended, but deep within they will appreciate the fact that we are an honest and true follower of Jesus. We need to build up a strong testimony of Jesus. For the Lord’s sake, we cannot do many things that unbelievers can do. We may often pray, “Lord Jesus, I love You.” However, if we truly love the Lord, we will not go to a movie theater, for we cannot enjoy Him or build up His testimony by going to a theater. This is not a matter of right or wrong or of being loose or strict; it is a matter of fact. The testimony of Jesus will be torn down in the Lord’s recovery if the Lord’s recovery becomes as loose as Christianity. We all need to rise up to tell the Lord that we desire to be strict for the sake of His testimony. For the sake of the enjoyment of the Lord and the testimony of Jesus, we need the proper standing and environment. Our unique standing is Christ, and our unique environment also is Christ. We all need to take Christ as our unique standing and not bring in any foreign concepts. Our one standing and our one environment should be Christ.
Regardless of our age or background, the simple way to be proper according to the facts is not to be loose by going to movie theaters or athletic activities but to be one with Christ. Our unique way is Christ. This does not mean that we do not need to exercise. Actually, we need to exercise every day to keep our bodies healthy. Exercise exhausts our lusts, but many sports stir up our lusts. We can exercise and maintain a proper testimony by cleaning our home and caring for our lawn rather than participating in something worldly. This is my word of love. I am healthy even at my age because every day I exercise by cleaning and walking. While I walk, I talk to the Lord. I do not believe that we can talk to the Lord while playing sports. I had much exposure to sports as a young person. My school had volleyball, tennis, and soccer teams. I was on the soccer team, but one day after I was saved, I could not kick the ball when it came to me. It seemed that my foot would not work. Someone within was controlling me. I quit playing soccer that day and never played again. Nevertheless, I am still healthy today, and I have much enjoyment of the Lord. Therefore, I am qualified to be commissioned to speak for the Lord. I hope that we will all rise up to be the proper testimony of Jesus. We need to drop and cast away all worldly concepts. We should have only one concept, that is, Christ.
It is crucial to see the way to enjoy our wonderful Christ. First Corinthians 15:45b says that He became a life-giving Spirit, and 2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” The Greek word for spirit in these verses is pneuma, which can be translated “breath,” “air,” or “spirit.” Today the wonderful, mysterious, all-inclusive Christ has become the life-giving pneuma, that is, the life-giving air, the life-giving breath. Air does not need to be purchased, cooked, or prepared in any way. Air is always available and easy to receive. The wonderful, mysterious, profound, and all-inclusive Christ is impossible to fully comprehend but easy to enjoy. We do not need knowledge to enjoy Christ as the life-giving air. As the life-giving Spirit, Christ is within us. Second Timothy 4:22 says, “The Lord be with your spirit.” Christ is available and near; He is in our spirit. This is a great blessing. We need to contact Him in our spirit.
Romans 8:4 says that we need to walk according to the spirit. To walk means to have our being. Rather than arguing about whether we should attend movies or athletic activities, we should simply walk according to the spirit moment by moment and day by day. I am confident that the spirit will never direct us to a worldly activity. Christ is the life-giving Spirit indwelling our spirit. We should have our being according to the Spirit in our spirit. The Spirit becomes the anointing within us. We need to walk according to this anointing. While we are speaking, the anointing may restrict us from saying something. We should speak only from the spirit and according to the anointing. This should be the principle of our daily life. When we talk to our spouse, we should do so according to the anointing. If we try to argue according to the anointing, we will have nothing to say because the anointing will not lead us that way.
To daily and hourly walk and have our being according to the inner anointing is to walk and have our being by Christ. It is in this way that we live Christ, grow Christ, and produce Christ. When Christ thus becomes our practical daily living, living Christ will not be a doctrine to us but will be our reality. Moreover, if we walk and have our being according to the spirit until Christ becomes our daily living, we will come to the meetings with something of Christ to share and release to all the saints. The meetings will be rich and genuine, an exhibition of our daily life.
Sometimes our meetings are a performance. If we quarrel with someone before the meeting, we are performing when we come to the meeting and say, “Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!” The angels will know that we are acting. This makes the meeting hall a theater. Sometimes our activities in the meetings are theatrical performances; they are not real. To simply shout is not real. The meetings should be a genuine exhibition of our daily life, a window to allow others to see what kind of life we live. This is the way to have proper meetings of the church and the way to have a genuine practice of the church that is altogether Christ. Christ is the church; therefore, Christ should be our daily living and our meetings. We should meet not only in Christ and for Christ but also with Christ. Our meetings should exhibit Christ. Christ should be the unique constituent of the church, our daily life, and the meetings. This is the first basic truth in the New Testament. This truth should be a vision to all of us that controls our concept concerning the church, our daily living, and the meetings. The church, our daily living, and the meetings should all be Christ in a practical way.
