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Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:16
I. The union and mingling of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man produces a building of the living and walking together of God with man:
А. Such a building requires the participating God, in His resurrected and uplifted humanity, to co-live and co-walk with the participating men.
B. Such a building also requires the participating men, in their redeemed and resurrected humanity, to experience the co-death with Christ so that the attributes of the participating God can be manifested from within the participating men in resurrection to be their virtues.
II. This is the living that a God-man conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son should have in experiencing the co-death and co-resurrection with Christ.
III. This is also the building up of the Body of Christ arrived at by all the God-men as the members of Christ in their growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things:
А. Out from the Head, Christ, all the Body is joined together through every joint of the rich supply — Eph. 4:16a.
B. Out from the Head, Christ, all the Body is also knit together (interwoven) through the operation in the measure of each one part — v. 16b.
C. Causing the growth of the Body of Christ unto the building up of itself in love — v. 16c.
D. The growth in Christ of the many God-men as the members of Christ is the building up of the Body of Christ.
E. Such a building up of the Body of Christ is formed by organic growth, not organized by human work.
Prayer: Lord, we really love You; we also love Your word and Your speaking. We are sitting quietly before You to listen to Your speaking again. Lord, please speak. We want to be here listening to God speaking the word of God. Amen!
In the previous chapter, based on Ephesians 4:4-6, we considered the constitution of the Body of Christ. Here I would ask you to read again that passage of the Scripture: “One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” These three verses are the most mysterious and most excellent portion in the Bible, speaking forth the highest purpose and the heart’s desire of the Triune God. It is based on such a portion of the Word that we say that the building up of the Body of Christ is the constitution of the processed and consummated Triune God with the tripartite men whom He has redeemed, regenerated, sanctified, renewed, transformed, conformed to His image, and glorified. It is also based on this portion that we say that the Body of Christ is the union and mingling of God and His redeemed people. The Body of Christ is not merely a constitution but also a union and a mingling. Now I want to ask a few questions to help you see the crucial points revealed in these few verses.
First, from this portion of the Bible, how can we prove that the people redeemed by God are the outward framework of the Body of Christ? Verse 4 begins with one Body, not with one Spirit. Here the Body is mentioned before the Spirit because when we look at a person, we first see his outward body. The fact that verse 4 begins with one Body proves that this Body is the outward framework of its inward element covered in the succeeding verses.
Second, how can we prove that the Triune God is within this outward framework to be its content? Verse 6 says, “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” The Divine Trinity is implied here. Over all refers mainly to the Father; through all, to the Son; and in all, to the Spirit. The Father is the source, the Son is the element, and the Spirit is the essence. All three are within the outward framework of the Body of Christ to be its content. This is indicated by in all.
Third, how can we prove that in the Body of Christ the redeemed people become the new creation in the Triune God? This can be proved by one faith in verse 5. Through faith we believe into Christ (John 3:16), that is, into the Christ who is the embodiment of the Triune God. Hence, in the Body of Christ the redeemed people are in Christ, in the Triune God. Moreover, 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “So then if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Hence, in the Body of Christ, since the redeemed people are in Christ, they are a new creation. The redeemed people as the outward framework of the Body of Christ have become the new creation in the Triune God.
Fourth, how can we prove that in the Body of Christ the old man and the old creation of the redeemed people have already been fully terminated? One baptism in Ephesians 4:5 is a proof of this matter. Baptism is a burial; it is also a termination. Through baptism the old man and the old creation of the redeemed people are terminated. Hence, in the Body of Christ there is no old man and no old creation. In order to have the reality of the Body of Christ, we must experience the termination of the old man and the old creation. If we still have a little of the old creation, we do not have the reality of the Body of Christ. We need to live a crucified life, experience the termination of the old man, and live out Christ, who possesses both the divine nature and the human nature. Then we will have the reality of the Body of Christ.
Fifth, how can we prove that the Spirit as the essence of the Body of Christ is connected to the redeemed people’s hope of the glorification of their body? Concerning this point, verse 4 says, “One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling.” Our future hope is that our body will enter into glory, that is, the redemption of our body (Rom. 8:23-25). Ephesians 4:30 says, “...the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed unto the day of redemption [of the body].” To be sealed is to receive the Holy Spirit as the essence (1:13). The ultimate issue of this is the redemption of the body, that is, glorification (Rom. 8:21, 23). Hence, Ephesians 4 joins the Spirit as the essence with the hope of glorification. A hope seems to be very far away, but the Spirit as the essence is so near to us and cannot be nearer. The glory that we will obtain is within us today. The essence is already within us. One day it will be manifested, and that will be our glorification.
This is like a seed sown into the earth. First, it puts forth sprouts, and then it grows leaves and blossoms. To blossom is to be glorified. The glory of the flower comes from the essence of the seed, and the expression of the essence within the seed is the maturity of the essence within the seed. Today there is an essence within us. This essence will “blossom” in the future. That will be our glorification. Hence, the “one Spirit...one hope” mentioned in Ephesians 4:4 can be referred to as “one essence, one glorification.”
Many saved ones have experienced the Spirit within them as the essence. For example, before they were saved, the young sisters dressed themselves according to their own preference. After they are saved, even as they comb their hair, there is One within them asking, “Is it right to comb your hair in this way?” Some go to the movie theaters. They also experience One within them following them and saying to them, “Go back.” These are very shallow illustrations to show us that we have a most precious thing within us. It entered when we were saved, and it will never leave us. This is the Spirit within us as the essence. The Spirit as the essence is like the essence within the seed. One day it will “bud” and “blossom.” That will be our glorification.
Sixth, how can we prove that in the Body of Christ the outward framework and the inward content are joined and mingled together to be one? Ephesians 4:4-6 mentions that the Spirit as the essence within us is joined to the hope of glory. It also mentions our being put into Christ through the one faith and the one baptism, and also that the one God and Father is over all, through all, and in all. Hence, the Triune God is in us and we are in Him. This is the joining and mingling of the outward framework and the inward content so that they become one.
Now we need to go one step further to see how the building up of the Body of Christ is carried out through the co-living and co-walking of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man in the believers. The title of this chapter is “Through the Co-living and Co-walking of the Two Spirits in the Believers.” This continues the previous chapter, which says that the issue of the union of the Spirit of God and the spirit of man is the building up of the Body of Christ. The building up of this Body is carried out through the co-living and co-walking of the two spirits in the believers, which is presented in this chapter. Hence, these two chapters are connected.
The union and mingling of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man produces a building of the living and walking together of God with man. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit.” The witnessing here is done by two parties acting together: the Spirit with our spirit. Hence, the verb witnesses implies a living and walking together. This verse appears to be simple and easy to understand, but it speaks of two spirits, that is, the Spirit and our spirit, and of the living and walking together of these two spirits. The co-living and co-walking of these two spirits in the believers is the means for the building up of the Body of Christ.
The Christian life is a grafted life, not an exchanged life. Some in Christianity take the phrase it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ in Galatians 2:20 as the basis for describing the Christian life as an exchanged life. But Paul’s word says, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God,” that is, by union and mingling with Him. If we pay attention only to no longer I who live, but it is Christ, it may appear that this speaks of an exchange. Yet in actuality, no longer I does not mean that there is no more “I,” because the verse goes on to say that it is Christ who lives in “me.” Moreover, “I” still live in the flesh. Hence, this is not an exchanged life but a grafted life. When two trees are grafted together, it does not mean that one tree takes the place of the other tree, and the other does not live any longer. Rather, it means that the lives of these two trees have been grafted to become one life. The respective elements of the two trees still remain; however, the two trees have become one tree and bring forth fruit that is a mingled fruit.
In Galatians 2:20, the “I” in it is no longer I is the old “I” in Adam. The “me” in it is Christ who lives in me is the new “me” produced through death and resurrection in Christ. Moreover, Paul says, “And the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God,” that is, by union and mingling with Him. Previously, he said that “‘Christ’...lives in me,” but here he speaks of “the life which ‘I’ now live.” Hence, it is not one person living but two persons living together. This is not an exchanged life but a grafted life. It is two lives becoming one life, two livings becoming one living, two results becoming one result. This is what A. B. Simpson wrote in one of his hymns, which speaks of being crucified with Christ and risen with Christ (Hymns, #482). We not only die with Christ but also live with Christ. It is not that Christ lives and I do not live in order that my life may be exchanged for His, but that I and Christ live together, as in grafting. Stanza 3 of this hymn says, “A poor tree with better grafted, / Richer, sweeter life doth gain.” In nature the good branch is always grafted into the poor tree, but the biblical way is contrary to this. Romans 11 says that the wild olive tree (the poor tree) is grafted into the cultivated olive tree (the better tree) (vv. 17, 24). Likewise we, the poor branches, are grafted into Christ to become the branches of Christ as the true vine (6:5; John 15:5), to live with Him and enjoy all His riches.
Today we, the God-men, are those who have both the human nature and the divine nature. We have within us two lives and two natures. These two lives and two natures are living together. This thought is expressed in a new hymn, which says, “No longer I alone that live, / But God together lives with me.” The building up of the Body of Christ is the issue of this kind of co-living. The building up of the Body of Christ is not a work but a co-living. It is not something that is worked out but something that is lived out. When two trees are grafted together, they both grow and live together to eventually bring forth fruit. This fruit is not produced by building or making but by growing. Hence, the building of the Body of Christ is something that comes out of growth. The building up of the Body of Christ is the growth itself.
Actually, a Christian is not single-natured but dual-natured. Christ has divinity and humanity; He is God yet man, God plus man. A Christian has humanity and divinity; he is man yet God, man plus God. Hence, from the beginning Brother Nee did not agree to translate the word Christian into Chinese as “Christ-disciple.” He said that we should translate it as “Christ-man.” A Christ-man is one who has both the divine nature and the human nature, one who is a man yet has two natures. We are a dual-natured entity — man yet God; hence, we are God-men. Since we are God-men, our living is not merely the living of God but also the living of human beings; it is not merely the living of human beings but also the living of God.
The redeemed people in the Body of Christ are those who are regenerated to be man yet God. We who are regenerated by God will become God. Some people do not agree with this kind of speaking. However, I must say that once a person believes in the Lord Jesus, he is regenerated, born of God. God is his Father. Since the Father is God, the children also should be God. Sheep beget sheep; horses beget horses. Of course, God begets God. John 1:12-13 says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten...of God.” This word strongly indicates that the believers of the Lord are God’s children, who are born of God. What is born of God is God. Perhaps there are some who say that although we are born of God, we are still men. To this I must say that although the Lord Jesus is God who became a man, He is still God. Although we are men who become God, we are still men. The Lord Jesus is God who became a man, but He did not lose His divinity; He is still God, and hence, He is God yet man. Today we, the saved ones, are men who become God, but we have not discarded our human nature; we are still men, and hence, we are man yet God. This is the fact and the truth, and it is logical.
We, the saved ones, are not merely forgiven of our sins; we are regenerated. To be regenerated is to be born a second time. Our first birth was of our parents, who are humans; hence, we also are humans. Today we are regenerated, born of God the Father; hence, we also are God. Our second birth was of God. Since we are born of God, surely we are the children of God. The children of God surely are God. By our first birth we became man; by our second birth we become God. If a person in his second birth is still only a man, he has not been regenerated. In our second birth we are born of God, and what is born of God surely is God. Hence, today we are not merely men but men yet God. We are children of men and also children of God. A man has begotten me; thus, I am a man. God has begotten me; thus, I am God. By our two births we have become men yet God. This is irrefutable.
I have been stressing the fact that we are men yet God because this has too much to do with our living. For example, the children of a president are prudent in their speech and careful in their actions because they recognize their status. A person who is born of God should not forget his status as a son of God. If we have really seen this matter, there will always be a reminder within us: “Would a son of God speak in this way? Would he dress in this way?” No one who really recognizes that he is a son of God could ever live and act by his own desires. I can testify that when I went to a department store, each time I picked up a necktie, there was a reminder within me saying, “I am a child of God who speaks for the Lord. Can I use this tie?” Often I just put down the necktie because I knew that I could not use it. Brothers and sisters, do not forget your status. If the prince of a royal family forgot his status, that would be very unfortunate. Since we are men yet God, our living should match our status. We must live the life of one who is man yet God.
Only when we live the life of one who is man yet God can the Body of Christ be built up. We should never think that the Body of Christ is worked out by man’s labor; neither should we think that the Body of Christ can be built up by good behavior. The building up of the Body of Christ depends on the living that is the mingling of two natures — the divine nature and the human nature — that is, the co-living of two parties — the One who is God yet man and those who are man yet God — blended together as one. This kind of joined and mingled living will cause the Body of Christ to be built up.
In other words, the building up of the Body of Christ is the issue of the co-living and co-walking of God and man through the union and mingling of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man. In actuality, this kind of co-living and co-walking is the building up of the Body of Christ. On the one hand, this kind of building requires the participating God, in His resurrected and uplifted humanity, to co-live and co-walk with the participating men. On the other hand, this kind of building also requires the participating men, in their redeemed and resurrected humanity, to experience the co-death with Christ so that the attributes of the participating God can be manifested from within the participating men in resurrection to be their virtues.
The union and mingling of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man produce this kind of building of the co-living and co-walking of God and man, which is the living that a God-man conformed to the image of God’s firstborn Son should have in experiencing the co-death and co-resurrection with Christ.
The building up of the Body of Christ is through the co-living and co-walking of the two spirits in the believers. This is also the building up of the Body of Christ arrived at by all the God-men as the members of Christ in their growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things (Eph. 4:15). To grow up into the Head, Christ, in all things implies that in every point and every aspect of our daily life, Christ is increasing within us. To grow up into Christ is to allow Christ to grow and increase in all our inward parts. When He grows, we will enter more into Him. Thus, the members of Christ will grow by the growth of Christ and eventually arrive at the building up of the Body of Christ.
Those members who grow up into the Head, Christ, will be “out from” the Head, Christ. If we do not grow up into the Head, Christ, there is no way for us to be “out from” Him. First, we grow up into the Head, Christ; then we have something that is out from the Head for the building of His Body. This is why Ephesians 4:15 speaks of growing up into the Head, Christ, and then is followed by verse 16, which speaks of being “out from” Him. Out from Him, all the Body is joined together through every joint of the rich supply (v. 16a). The rich supply here must be a particular supply, the supply of Christ. The joints of the rich supply refer to the specially gifted persons, as mentioned in verse 11, who are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds and teachers. In the Body of Christ there is the need for these joints of the rich supply to join all the parts together. Thus the Body of Christ will be built up.
Out from the Head, Christ, all the Body is also knit together through the operation in the measure of each one part (v. 16b). Each one part refers to each member of the Body. Through the growth in life and the development of the gift, each member of the Body of Christ has its own measure, which operates for the growth of the Body. When the various parts of the Body operate appropriately, all the Body will be knit together, that is, interwoven.
The Body of Christ has joints and various parts. The joints are for connecting; the various parts are for knitting together (interweaving). To be joined and knit together, or interwoven, is to be built up together. For example, every building has its framework and its various parts. The framework needs to be joined together; the various parts need to be knit together. The framework is just an empty frame; there are many holes that need to be filled and knit together by the knitting work of every part between the holes, as in weaving textiles. This kind of building by joining and knitting is very strong and sturdy. Ephesians 4:16 uses the words joined and knit, which surely have two implications: one is the joining of the framework, and the other is the knitting, the interweaving, of the various parts. The Body of Christ can be built up by the joining and knitting together through the supplying joints and the various functioning parts.
The Body of Christ is joined together through every joint of the rich supply and knit together (interwoven) through the operation in the measure of each one part. This joining and knitting causes the gradual growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love (v. 16c). The building up of the Body of Christ is in love. When all the members love one another, the Body of Christ can be built up.
The growth in Christ of the many God-men as the members of Christ is the building up of the Body of Christ. In the Body of Christ the growth of the many God-men as the members is the building. The growth is the building. The real building is the growth in the life of God. The growth of the Body of Christ is the increase of Christ in the many members, resulting in the Body of Christ building itself up.
Such a building up of the Body of Christ is formed by organic growth, not organized by human work. All those who are not in life, not walking according to the union of the two spirits, are not in the building up of the Body of Christ. We need to see this vision clearly. The Body of Christ is absolutely not built up by using man’s natural methods or the organization of human work. The building up of the Body of Christ can be attained only through the co-living and co-walking of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man in the believers in their experience of the co-death and co-resurrection with Christ and their growing up into the Head, Christ, in all things. The Body of Christ, which is altogether organic, does not allow anything of human work. We need to see this vision clearly so that we can build up the Body of Christ organically. Today there are people who argue by saying that a local church is independent; a local church should not interfere with another local church. They say that after an apostle has established the church, he should not interfere with that church anymore. All such people are short of revelation and vision; they have not seen the truth. If you are one who fears the Lord, after you have read the outline of this chapter thoroughly, you surely will be moved to worship and be still. Every word of this speaking is taken from Ephesians 4. The Bible has sixty-six books, yet there is not one book or one chapter that is so mysterious and organic in speaking about the building up of the Body of Christ as Ephesians 4. All the points in this outline are pearls and precious stones of the Bible. I put these together and compiled them into writing. This is what we call “crystallization.” I hope that you can all get into the crystallization of these truths.
