Search
I. The divine dispensing of the Spirit as the essence of the Body of Christ causing all the members of the Body of Christ to have one hope of glory, which is the redemption of their bodies, that their whole being may enter into the divine glory — Eph. 4:4.
Ephesians 4:4
One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling.
II. The divine dispensing of the Lord as the element of His Body causing all His members:
А. To have a life union with Him in His divine element through faith.
B. And to have a separating transfer out of Adam and the Adamic world through baptism — Eph. 4:5.
Ephesians 4:5
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
III. The divine dispensing of God the Father to the Body of Christ in His being over all, as the Father’s overshadowing, in His being through all, as the Son’s care and concern, and in His being in all, as the Spirit’s presence, enabling all the members of the Body of Christ to experience the Triune God and enjoy His rich presence — Eph. 4:6.
Ephesians 4:6
One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
IV. The divine dispensing of the One who descended into Hades, who was raised, and who ascended to the heavens, that is, the resurrected and ascended Head, Christ, constituting His many gifts and making these gifts:
А. The gifts He gave to His Body.
B. Who also perfect the saints through the divine dispensing, that all the saints:
1. May be able to do the work of the New Testament ministry, which is the building up of the organic Body of Christ.
2. That all the members of the Body of Christ may grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things:
а. And out from the Head receiving the dispensing of His rich supply.
b. Through every joint of the rich supply, joining the Body closely together.
c. And through the operation in the measure of each one part, fitly knitting the Body together.
d. Causing the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love — Eph. 4:8-16.
Ephesians 4:8-16
Therefore the Scripture says, “Having ascended to the height, He led captive those taken captive and gave gifts to men.” (9) (Now this, “He ascended,” what is it except that He also descended into the lower parts of the earth? (10) He who descended, He is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens that He might fill all things.) (11) And He Himself gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as shepherds and teachers, (12) for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ, (13) until we all arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God, at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) that we may be no longer little children tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching in the sleight of men, in craftiness with a view to a system of error, (15) but holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, (16) out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
From Ephesians chapters 1, 2, and 3, we have seen one vision after another. These visions conclude with all the riches of God, which can be considered as the peak. However, this is only the first half of the book. After these chapters there are still chapters 4, 5, and 6. Now, from chapter 4 we will consider the divine dispensing in the divine economy from another angle. This angle is very high, particular, and practical. It shows that the divine dispensing begins with the Triune God and ends with us, the believers. This is very meaningful.
In Ephesians 4:4-6 Paul first refers to the one Body, the one Spirit, and the one hope of our calling. Then he refers to the one Lord, the one faith, and the one baptism. Finally, he refers to the one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. This is the Triune God. Verse 4 concerns God the Spirit, verse 5 concerns God the Son, and verse 6 speaks of God the Father. Moreover, each person is mentioned with some qualifications. With the Spirit there are three points: one Body, one Spirit, and one hope. With the Son there are also three points: one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. With the Father there are also three points: over all, through all, and in all.
In Matthew 28:19 the Lord Jesus commissioned the disciples to go and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. In this verse the Father is mentioned first, then the Son, and the Spirit last. But in Ephesians 4:4-6 the order is reversed — the Spirit is mentioned first, then the Son, and the Father last. At the beginning, when we baptize people into the Triune God, the Father is first, because the Father is the source. Through baptism, people are baptized into the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ does not begin with the Father but with the Spirit. When we are baptized, we are baptized into the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Now in the Body of Christ, we are experiencing the Spirit, the Son, and the Father. In one case the order runs from top to bottom unto the result. In the other case the order runs from bottom to top unto the source. Today the church as the Body of Christ is in the Holy Spirit. If we are not in the Holy Spirit, there is no church. The church is in the Holy Spirit. Only when we are in the Holy Spirit can we be free from the flesh, and only then is there the church.
Ephesians 4:4 says, “One Body and one Spirit.” This Spirit is the essence of the Body of Christ. An essence is more intrinsic than an element. The Spirit is not the element of the Body but the essence of the Body. If we do not have the Spirit within us, we are not the church. We are the church because we have the Spirit within us. The totality of the Spirit in you, in me, and in all the believers is the church.
The divine dispensing of the Spirit as the essence of the Body of Christ produces a glorious hope in all the members of the Body of Christ, and this hope is that our bodies will be redeemed, that is, glorified (Rom. 8:23-25). Our whole being will enter into the divine glory. At present, our bodies have not yet entered into glory. But we have the hope that one day, when the Lord comes, our body of the old creation will be brought into the glory of the new creation. In other words, the Spirit within us is constantly sealing us, nourishing us, and saturating us. When He has fully saturated us, we will be glorified. At that time our hope will become a reality. Our body will no longer be a body of flesh; it will be a spiritual body that is permeated with the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:5 says, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” This reveals that the divine dispensing of the Lord as the element of His Body causes all His members to have a life union with Him in His divine element through faith, and to have a separating transfer out of Adam and the Adamic world through baptism.
The Lord Jesus is the element that constitutes us to be the Body of Christ. This constituting is carried out first by faith. At one time we had nothing to do with Christ. But one day we heard the gospel, and faith was produced in us. By this faith we believed in the Lord and entered into a life union with Him. This faith caused us to be joined to the Lord and to His Body, the church. Furthermore, before we believed in the Lord, we were in Adam. By faith we were transferred from Adam into Christ, but our relationship with Adam was not yet completely severed. Therefore, we needed baptism. Faith brings us into a life union with the Lord, and baptism terminates our relationship with Adam.
Through one faith and one baptism, we have been joined to Christ and to His Body, the church. In this way Christ becomes our life, and the church becomes our living. Before we believed in the Lord, we were in the world. By faith and through baptism, we are joined to Christ and His Body. Through this, our relationship with Adam is terminated, and we are separated from the world. After being joined to the Body, the church life becomes our “world.” If we are not free from Adam, we cannot be free from the world. Adam is the head of the world, just as Christ is the Head of the church. But now we have believed and are baptized into Christ and have entered into the church life because the church is the Body of Christ. At the same time, we are separated from Adam and the world of Adam.
Hence, Christ is the element of the church. With Him there is faith and baptism. Through faith we are joined to Him and to His Body, and today His Body has become our spiritual world. Through baptism we are transferred out of Adam and are separated from Adam and also from Adam’s world. Now the church is in Christ, being in union with Him and with His element, and being transferred out of Adam and Adam’s world.
After we have seen the divine dispensing of the Spirit and the Son to the Body of Christ, we come to the divine dispensing of God the Father. Ephesians 4:6 shows that the divine dispensing of God the Father to the Body of Christ in His being over all, as the Father’s overshadowing, in His being through all, as the Son’s care and concern, and in His being in all, as the Spirit’s presence, enables all the members of the Body of Christ to experience the Triune God and enjoy His rich presence.
The Father is both our God and our Father. His being our Father means that we are born of Him. His being our God means that we were created by Him. If we were only created by God but not begotten of Him, we are not in the church. By being born of God, we enter into a life relationship and an organic union with Him. First, God created us, and then He begot us. Since we are created by God and born of God, our relationship with Him is twofold. First, we are God’s creatures, and He is our Creator. Then we are God’s children, and He is our Father. If there were no children of God, there would be no church. We in the church have been both created by God and born of God. Thus, we are created as proper human beings and born as children of God. This is the church.
Hence, the essence of the church is the Spirit, the element of the church is Christ, and the source of the church is the Father. The Father who begot us is above us, as the Father’s overshadowing. This is like an eagle overshadowing its young ones and like a mother covering her children when danger comes. God the Father is also through us, as the Son’s care and concern, and He is in us, as the Spirit’s presence within us. Thus, the Father who is over us, through us, and in us is Himself the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — the Triune God.
What is the church? The church is one Body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all — this is the church. In the universe there is nothing like the church. How wonderful it is! Ultimately, the church is a group of people who are in union with the Triune God and are mingled with the Triune God. The Triune God and the church are four-in-one. Because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are all one with the Body of Christ, we may say that the Triune God is now the “four-in-one God.” These four are the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and the Body. The three of the Divine Trinity cannot be confused or separated, and the four-in-one also cannot be separated or confused. This mysterious union and mingling of the Triune God with the Body of Christ is for the purpose of dispensing. The Spirit as the essence of the Body of Christ continually dispenses Himself into us. At the same time, the Lord is constantly dispensing His element into us. Likewise, while the Father is over us, overshadowing us, while He is passing through us, caring for us, and while He is in us, remaining with us, He continually dispenses Himself into us. Thus, the church is the result of the dispensing of the Triune God.
When the Triune God dispenses Himself into His believers, the church as an organism is produced in the universe. Furthermore, the Triune God is continually, little by little, dispensing Himself into all the members as their element, their essence, and their enjoyment.
Ephesians 4:4-6 speaks of the nature of the Triune God and what the church is. Following this, verse 7 speaks of the gifts. Then verses 8 through 16 reveal how the One who descended into Hades, who was raised, and who ascended to the heavens, that is, the resurrected and ascended Head, Christ, constituted His many gifts and made these gifts the gifts that He gave to His Body through His divine dispensing. These gifts also perfect the saints through the divine dispensing, that all the saints may be able to do the work of the New Testament ministry, which is the building up of the organic Body of Christ, so that all the members of the Body of Christ may grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things.
With verse 7 as an introduction, Paul begins to speak of the gifts constituted by the Head, Christ, in verse 8. After His death and resurrection Christ in His ascension led captive those who had formerly been captured by Satan. In His resurrection and ascension Christ not only subdued Satan, sin, and death; He brought with Him all those under Satan’s captivity. In one sense, none of us has been to heaven yet, but in another sense, we have all been seated with Christ in heaven already.
When Christ resurrected and ascended to heaven, He brought us together with Him into heaven. There in heaven He presented us, His redeemed ones, as gifts to God the Father. According to Psalm 68:18, the Father gave us back to Christ as gifts. Not only so, Christ used His life to constitute all these gifts into useful people. Some He constituted into apostles, some into prophets, some into evangelists, and some into shepherds and teachers. All these gifted persons are able to speak and function by their speaking. God captured all those who were under the bondage of Satan, took them to heaven, and constituted them people who are able to speak for Him. God gave all these people to Christ, and then Christ gave them to the church (Eph. 4:8). This is the Head, Christ, in His ascension giving the gifts to the church.
The gifts whom Christ gave to His Body perfect the saints through the divine dispensing so that all the saints may be able to do the work of the New Testament ministry. The gifted ones perfect and teach the saints just as professors in a teachers college teach their students. After four years, all those who graduate from a teachers college become teachers qualified to teach others. In the same way, after receiving the continual teaching of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers, the saints in the church will all be perfected to do the work of the ministry, which is the building up of the Body of Christ.
On one hand, the gifted persons perfect us, and on the other hand, they dispense to us the divine riches. Their teaching is their dispensing, and our learning is our receiving of their dispensing. This dispensing and receiving cause the members of Christ to grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things (v. 15) — not only in big matters but also in small matters, such as the way we cut and comb our hair and the way we dress. In this divine dispensing, the divine element enters into us and causes us to grow in life. As we grow, we are transformed. Our transformation issues from the inward dispensing of the divine elements hour by hour. The more we grow, the more we forsake the worldly and fleshly things and are joined to Christ and His Body.
When we grow into the Head, out from the Head we will receive the dispensing of the rich supply. On one hand, through every joint of the rich supply, that is, through all the gifted ones, the Body will be joined closely together. On the other hand, through the operation in the measure of each one part, that is, through every saint, the Body will be fitly knit together (v. 16). The joints of supply are like the frame of a building, which firmly fits the building together. In the Body the joints are fitted together in the Spirit to be the “frame” of the Body. Besides the joints as the frame, there are many other parts in the Body. Each part operates according to its measure, and this causes the Body to be knit together corporately. The Head gives the gifts to the Body, and the gifts perfect the saints so that the saints are able to do what the gifts do, which is the work of the New Testament ministry. In this way every part of the Body operates in its measure to supply the Body, and the Body will grow up and will build itself up in love.
