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Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 4:15; 3:6-12, 16; 6:17, 19; 7:40
In 1 Corinthians 3:6 Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.” Although Paul’s writing here is simple and brief, his thought is deep. What does it mean to plant and to water? It actually is not easy to answer these questions. Furthermore, what does it mean to say that God caused the growth?
In 3:12 Paul goes on to speak of gold, silver, and precious stones. How shall we explain the meaning of these things, and how shall we apply them to our practical church life? The subject of this series of messages is “The Divine Dispensing in 1 Corinthians,” and the title of this particular message is “Issuing In the Practical Life in a Local Church.” How shall we apply the gold, the silver, and the precious stones to the practical life in a local church? It is difficult to explain how to apply these matters in the church life.
In 3:16 Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” Here we have the profound thought that we are the temple of God. But how is it possible for us to be the temple of God? In what way are we God’s temple? What does it mean to say that the Spirit of God dwells in us? It is also difficult for us to answer these questions.
First Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” The Holy Spirit is in our spirit (Rom. 8:16), and our spirit is within our body. Hence, our body becomes a temple, a dwelling place, of the Holy Spirit.
We may appreciate our spirit much more than our body. Many problems are caused by our body. Nevertheless, in 1 Corinthians 6:19 Paul says that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. It is marvelous that even our body has become a temple for God’s Spirit. When we talk about our spirit, we may become excited. However, we are often troubled by our body. Nevertheless, even this troublesome body is God’s temple.
In 6:17 we have a marvelous word: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” This refers to the believers’ organic union with the Lord through believing into Him (John 3:15-16). This union is illustrated by that of the branches with the vine (15:4-5). This is a matter not only of the divine life but also in the divine life. Such a union with the resurrected Lord can only be in our spirit.
The words one spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:17 indicate the mingling of the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit. Our spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit of God (John 3:6), who is now in us (1 Cor. 6:19) and is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). This mingled spirit is our realization of the Lord who became the life-giving Spirit through resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) and who is now with our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22). This mingled spirit is often referred to in Paul’s Epistles, as in Romans 8:4-6.
I am not able to explain in full what it means to be one spirit with the Lord. Are you able to explain this thoroughly? Although we cannot explain it adequately, we know from experience that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. However, I am concerned that many Christians have too little experience of being one spirit with the Lord. Many Christians may not even know that there is a verse in the Scriptures telling us that we are one spirit with the Lord.
I was a Christian for over thirty years before I began to pay proper attention to 1 Corinthians 6:17. I had studied the book of 1 Corinthians, and I had given many messages on it. I was very familiar with the contents of this Epistle. Then one day, about twenty-five years ago, I began to consider this verse. I asked myself what it means to be joined to the Lord as one spirit. Is the spirit in 6:17 the divine Spirit or the human spirit? At first, I found it almost incredible that we and the Lord are actually one spirit. Even now, many years after I began to see this verse, I cannot fully say what it means that we and the Lord have been joined to be one spirit.
As we have pointed out, in 6:17 we have the mingling of the Lord as the Spirit with our regenerated spirit. Hence, the spirit here involves both the divine Spirit and the human spirit. Because we have emphasized this verse, some have falsely accused us of teaching that we have become a part of the third of the Divine Trinity. We, of course, do not teach any such thing. Nevertheless, in 6:17 Paul says that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. What a wonderful fact! Even if we are not able to understand this or explain it adequately, we can experience it. Surely one of the greatest of all the wonders in the universe is the fact that those who believe in Christ have been joined to Him to be one spirit with Him.
When I was young, I read a message by D. L. Moody in which he said that the new birth is the wonder of wonders. In that message Moody pointed out that formerly we were sinners, enemies of God. But through the new birth we have been born of God to become sons of God. At the time, I agreed with Moody in saying that the greatest wonder is the wonder of the new birth. Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John speaks of this new birth. In particular, verse 6 says, “That which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” First Corinthians 6:17 is a verse that is even higher than John 3:6. Not only have we been regenerated of the Spirit of God — we are now one spirit with God. Which do you think is greater — to be born of God or to be one spirit with Him? If this question were asked of me, I would say definitely that although it is a great matter to be born of God, it is an even greater matter to be one spirit with the Lord.
When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 6:17, he was full of assurance. He had the confidence that he was one spirit with the Lord.
At the end of chapter 7, a long chapter concerned with married life, Paul says, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (v. 40). In the previous chapter Paul said that he was one spirit with the Lord. But in 7:40 he says, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” This indicates that he may not have been sure. I did not know how to reconcile these verses.
In 7:10 Paul says, “I charge, not I but the Lord.” In verse 12 he says, “I say, I, not the Lord.” In verse 25 he goes on to say, “I have no commandment of the Lord, but I give my opinion.” Then in verse 40 he says, “She is more blessed if she so remains, according to my opinion; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” All these verses indicate the New Testament principle of incarnation — the principle of God and man, man and God, becoming one. This differs drastically from the principle of Old Testament prophecy — speaking for God. In the Old Testament the word of Jehovah came to a prophet (Jer. 1:2; Ezek. 1:3), the prophet being simply the mouthpiece of God. But in the New Testament the Lord becomes one with His apostles, and they become one with Him. As a result, both speak together. His word becomes their word, and what they utter is His word. Hence, the apostle’s charge is the Lord’s charge (1 Cor. 7:10). What he says, though not by the Lord, still becomes a part of the divine revelation in the New Testament (v. 12). He is so one with the Lord that even when he gives his own opinion, not the commandment of the Lord (v. 25), he still thinks that he also has the Spirit of God. He does not claim definitely to have the Spirit of God, but he thinks that he also has the Spirit of God. This is the highest spirituality, the spirituality based on the principle of incarnation.
I can remember that one day in 1948 Brother Nee pointed out in fellowship with some of us that 1 Corinthians 7 is the most spiritual chapter in the Bible. I wondered how a chapter concerned with married life could be considered the most spiritual chapter in the Scriptures. Brother Watchman Nee said that in this chapter we not only have married life, but we also have the matter of the spirit. He pointed out that according to 1 Corinthians 7, Paul wrote certain things even though he did not have the commandment of the Lord. How would we react if someone said that he did not have any commandment of the Lord, yet he went on to give instructions regarding a certain thing? Is it not likely that we would refuse to listen to him? Brother Nee helped us to see that in 1 Corinthians 7 we have a person who did not have the word of the Lord but spoke his own word, even his own opinion. Eventually, Paul could say in verse 40 that he thought that he also had the Spirit of God. This, Brother Nee said, is the most spiritual experience.
Eventually, I became convinced that no spiritual experience is as deep as that revealed in 1 Corinthians 7. Here we have a man who tells us that he does not have the Lord’s commandment. Then he proceeds to give his own opinion. After giving his opinion, he tells us, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God.” Here Paul seems to be saying, “I am giving you my word, my opinion, without any commandment from the Lord. But I think that I nevertheless have the Spirit of God.”
If we had been able to question Paul concerning this, he might have replied, “Brother, I am now practicing what I wrote about in 6:17. It is certainly right to say that he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Now when I say that I think I also have the Spirit of God, I am living the Lord. I live the Lord in this one spirit. Even when I give you my opinion, I still have the Spirit of the Lord, although I do not have the boldness to declare with assurance that I have the Spirit. However, those who are childish and shallow may say with assurance that they have the Spirit of God. Actually, they do not have that kind of assurance. But what I am saying is a description of my living of the Lord.” If we see this, we will realize that chapter 7 of 1 Corinthians describes something profound.
In the remainder of this chapter and in the two following chapters, we will give our attention to four matters seen in 1 Corinthians: birth, growth, transformation, and identification. First we have the birth of the members of the church and then the growth and transformation of these members. We also have the identification of the members of the church with the Lord. These four matters of birth, growth, transformation, and identification are profound. Birth is through the gospel (4:15) and in Christ Jesus. Growth is through the planting and watering of God’s fellow workers (3:8-9) and with the essence of God, who gives the growth (vv. 6-7). Transformation is through the builders’ building work (vv. 10-12) and by the indwelling Spirit with the divine essence and element (v. 16). Identification is a matter of being one spirit with the Lord as the embodiment of the Triune God. This is by the indwelling Spirit as the mingling and saturating Spirit (6:17, 19) and involves having the Spirit of God (7:40).
No one can fully explain what human birth is, much less the divine birth. Although it is easy to understand the process of making a wooden table, we do not understand fully what is involved with either a human birth or the divine birth. We all were born of our parents, but we are not able to adequately explain this birth.
Although we do not know thoroughly what birth is, we can be certain of a basic principle related to birth. This principle is that birth is altogether a matter of the dispensing of life. Adopting a child, on the contrary, is not related to life. Instead, adoption involves the fulfillment of certain legal requirements. But birth is a matter of life. In particular, birth comes through the dispensing of life. A father’s life is dispensed into his child. Therefore, the story of one’s birth is a story of life dispensing.
Paul says a word concerning spiritual birth in 4:15: “Though you have ten thousand guides in Christ, yet you do not have many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.” The Greek word translated “guides” here means “child-conductors.” These guides, or child-conductors, give instructions and directions to the children under their guardianship. Fathers, however, impart life to the children whom they beget. Paul was such a father. He had begotten the Corinthian believers in Christ through the gospel. He had imparted the divine life into them so that they could become children of God and members of Christ.
In 4:15 Paul seems to be telling the Corinthians, “You Corinthians were all reborn through me. I am your begetting father. It was through me that the divine life was dispensed into you.” Through this life dispensing, the Corinthians had experienced the new birth.
Perhaps you have never realized that when you were regenerated, you received a rich dispensing of life. Apart from the dispensing of the divine life into our being, we never could have experienced the divine birth, a spiritual birth. The spiritual birth, the new birth, is totally a matter of the dispensing of the divine life. Our regeneration was the beginning of the dispensing of the divine life into us. From the time that we were born of God, this dispensing has not ceased. As we will see, the divine life in us will grow, will increase, through the continuation of the divine dispensing.
