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We are in the Lord’s recovery. Because we are in His recovery, we must know what the word recovery means. To be recovered is to be brought back by the Lord to the beginning. At the beginning, there was the Lord Himself and the pure, living word. Christianity, however, has deviated both from the Lord and from the living word and has become a religion of doctrine. In Christianity there is very little of the Lord Himself. Most Christians have the Lord Jesus only as their Redeemer and Savior; they do not have Christ as their everything. Some have Christ in name, and others have Christ in doctrine; however, they do not have Christ in His all-inclusiveness and the complete, pure, living word. Instead, they have the so-called creeds that cover only certain parts of the Bible. We in the Lord’s recovery do not care for creeds; we care only to follow the whole Bible. No matter how good or how accurate a creed may be, it can never contain the entire Scripture. If you devote your attention to creeds rather than to the Bible, you will certainly be lacking something.
Fifty years ago, we saw that we had to come back to the beginning, to the Lord Himself, and not to any kind of religion, including the religion of Christianity. Furthermore, we saw that we had to return to the whole Bible, not just to part of it. For this reason, we have never followed anything blindly. Anything we observed in Christianity, we brought to the Lord, and we prayed about it. Then we considered it in the light of the Bible to see whether or not it corresponded to the Scriptures. We studied everything carefully and thoroughly according to the pure, complete, living word of the Bible.
At the time of Martin Luther, the majority of the so-called Christians in the historic church had lost the Lord Himself and had been deprived of the Bible. Therefore, the Lord raised up Martin Luther and brought him back to Himself and to the Scriptures. In the Bible Luther saw the matter of justification by faith, which was absolutely a contrast to the teaching of Catholicism. Luther fought for justification by faith, the battle was won, and justification by faith was firmly established.
However, that was just the beginning of the Lord’s recovery. What about the practice of the church life? More than four hundred years have passed since the time of Martin Luther. Although justification by faith was recovered long ago, the church life has not yet been fully recovered. The reason for this is that the church life comes out of the experience of Christ. It does not take much experience to be justified by faith. As long as we believe in Jesus Christ, we are justified. But to have the church life we need the experience of Christ. The eating of the manna signifies the experience of Christ. As we have seen, the tabernacle comes out of the eating of the manna, that is, out of the experience of Christ. Likewise, the temple issues out of the enjoyment of the rich produce of the good land. This strongly indicates that the experience of Christ issues in the church life.
The reason the church life has not been practiced throughout the centuries is that Christians have had mainly the doctrine of Christ; they have had very little of the experience of Christ. Whenever we experience Christ, we spontaneously have the desire for the church life. If you enjoy and experience Christ in the morning, you will desire to meet with other Christians in the evening. The enjoyment of Christ will bring you to the church life. When I speak of the experience of Christ, I refer to the eating of Christ, the enjoyment of Christ as our food and our life supply, the partaking of Christ as our daily enjoyment. Everyone who enjoys Christ and eats Him desires to attend the meetings of the church. Whenever I experience Christ, this experience encourages me and even inwardly compels me to seek the church life.
Many Christians have no interest in the church life because they have merely a mental doctrine of the three persons of the Godhead — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Although they hold to their doctrine, they have no experience of the Triune God. To them, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are very remote. While some of them hold the Triune God as a doctrine, they continue to go to movies, to drink, and to dance. Apparently, their doctrine has no effect on their living. But when they hear of someone speaking of the Son and the Spirit in a way that differs from their concept, they rise up to defend the traditional teaching of the Trinity. What a pitiful situation! We, on the contrary, want to have a Father whom we can experience, a Son who is our life supply and daily enjoyment, and a Spirit who transforms us and changes our entire being. If we have merely the doctrine of the Trinity, we shall not sense our need for the church life. But if we experience the Triune God, we shall immediately become aware of our need for the church life.
We in the Lord’s recovery are burdened for the practice of the church life. We are not in tradition, and we do not care for tradition. We care for the living Lord and the living word. In the living word we see the all-inclusive Christ. The all-inclusive Christ is not for doctrine. He is for our enjoyment so that we can have the proper church life. Therefore, for the sake of the church life we need to see who Christ is and what Christ is.
In the foregoing chapter we saw seven matters relating to Christ’s divinity. We saw that Christ is God, the Creator, the Lord, Jehovah, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. If we have the Son, we also have the Father. First John 2:23 says, “Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who confesses the Son has the Father also.” If the Son were not the Father, how could I have the Father by acknowledging the Son? Thus 1 John 2:23 proves that, in experience, the Son is the Father.
One day, as the Lord Jesus was speaking about the Father, Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us” (John 14:8). Philip seemed to be saying, “Lord, we surely desire to see the Father. If You show us the Father, we’ll be satisfied.” Philip’s question troubled the Lord Jesus, and He said to him, “Have I been so long a time with you, and you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how is it that you say, Show us the Father?” (v. 9). The Lord seemed to be saying, “Philip, what are you talking about? You ask Me to show you the Father. You have been seeing Me for more than three years. Don’t you know that I am one with the Father? When you see Me, you see Him.” When we see the Son, we see the Father. How foolish it is to be so doctrinal! Whenever we acknowledge the Son, we have the Father. This is our experience.
According to our experience we also know that whenever we call, “O Lord Jesus,” we receive the Spirit. Although we call on the name of Jesus, it is the Spirit who comes. We do not call on the Holy Spirit; we call on Jesus. Why does the Spirit come when we call on Jesus? It is because Jesus is the Spirit. Whenever I call a particular brother by name, that brother himself comes. This illustrates the fact that when we call the name, we get the person. Likewise, the more we call on the name of Jesus, the more the Spirit comes. Jesus is the name, and the Spirit is the person. When I call on the name of Jesus, the person of the Spirit comes. This is not doctrine; it is our experience. Whenever I call on the name of the Lord Jesus for several minutes, I am filled and set on fire with the Spirit. How wonderful the Lord Jesus is! He is everything!
Now we must see who Christ is according to His humanity. Christ is not only God but also man. First Timothy 2:5 speaks of “the man Christ Jesus.” How can Christ be both God and man at the same time? The Bible reveals that He is God and man. Do you believe this? Can you comprehend it in full? Of course not. There is a vast difference between God and man! God is God, and man is man. Nevertheless, Christ is both God and man. Whenever you are asked to explain this, you should say, “I cannot explain it in full, but I do know that the Bible says that Christ is both God and man.” Christ is too wonderful to be explained. Nothing that we can explain is wonderful. Christ, who is both God and man, is unexplainable and wonderful.
In His humanity Christ is the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15). Galatians 4:4 says, “When the fullness of time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.” Although Christ is a man, He is still different from us. We were born of a human father, but Christ was not. He was born of a woman. On the one hand, He had to have the human nature; on the other hand, He could not have the sinful nature. If He had been born of a human father, He would have had not only the human nature but also the sinful nature. Therefore, Jesus was born of a woman that He might have a sinless human nature. Although He was a genuine man, He did not have our sinful nature. As the seed of the woman, He was born of the woman without having a sinful nature. Hallelujah for Christ’s sinless human nature!
Galatians 3:16 reveals that Christ is the seed of Abraham. As the seed of Abraham, He inherits everything from God as a blessing to bestow upon His believers. In Him as the seed of Abraham we enjoy all the blessings God promised to Abraham.
Christ is the seed of David, the son of David (Matt. 1:1). As the son of David, He inherits the kingship and the kingdom.
First Corinthians 15:47 says, “The second man is out of heaven.” Here we see that Christ is the second man. In the eyes of God there are just two men: the first man, Adam, and the second man, Christ. There is no third man. As a man, Christ came to be the second man so that there could be a new start. The first man was rejected by God, but the second man is acceptable to Him. Although we were born into the first man, we have been reborn into the second man. Naturally, we were born in Adam, but spiritually, we were reborn in Christ. Hallelujah, we are no longer in Adam, the first man, but in Christ, the second man!
First Corinthians 15:45 says that Christ is “the last Adam.” This means that He is the last One and that no one succeeds Him. He is not only the second man but also the last Adam. After the second man it may seem that there could be a third man or a fourth man. But because Christ is also the last Adam, we know that no one will come after Him.
Christ is also our Savior. According to John 4:42, He is spoken of as “the Savior of the world.” Our Savior is a man.
Christ is also a man by the name of Jesus (Matt. 1:21). He was a Nazarene, and He grew up in the home of a carpenter (2:23; 13:55). When He was full grown, He Himself also worked as a carpenter.
Christ is also the Christ, God’s anointed One. As Jesus, He is our Savior, and as Christ, God’s anointed One, He accomplishes God’s purpose. He is both Jesus and the Christ.
The man Jesus is also the Lord (Acts 2:36). Many Christians are not clear concerning the two aspects of Christ as the Lord. Because Christ is God the Creator, He was the Lord before He came as a man. One day He was born as a man named Jesus. How could this man, a Nazarene, be the Lord? Acts 2:36 says that after Jesus was resurrected and ascended, God made Him the Lord. As God, Christ was the Lord already; but as a man, He still needed to be made the Lord. Thus, after Jesus ascended into the heavens, God appointed Him to be the Lord. Now the Lord is not only God but also a man, the man Jesus. Peter’s word in Acts 2:36 was spoken to the opposing Jews, the very ones who had crucified Jesus on the cross. Although they had crucified Him, God resurrected Him from the dead, placed Him on the throne, and proclaimed to the whole universe that He, the man Jesus, is the Lord. Today a man is on the throne to be the Lord.
Acts 3:22 reveals that Christ is a Prophet, One who speaks for God. This is typified by Moses, who spoke to the children of Israel for God (Deut. 18:15, 18). Christ spoke to His disciples for God when He was on earth. Today He still speaks within us for God.
Christ is also the Apostle. Hebrews 3:1 tells us to consider Jesus the Apostle. As the Apostle, Christ was the One sent by God.
Hebrews 3:1 also indicates that Christ is the Priest. As the Apostle, Christ comes from God to us, and as the Priest, He goes from us to God. Hallelujah, Christ is both the coming One and the going One! He comes with God to us, and He goes with us to God.
Christ is also the King, even the King of kings (Rev. 17:14). Thus, Christ is the Prophet, the Apostle, the Priest, and the King. This should not merely be doctrine; every item must be our experience. Have you ever experienced Christ as your Prophet, Apostle, Priest, and King?
Hebrews 2:10 reveals that Christ is the Captain of our salvation. Many Christians have no experience of Christ as their Captain. Hence, we in the Lord’s recovery need to experience Him in this aspect. Christ is not only our Savior; He is our Captain, and we are His army. As our Captain, He has taken the lead to fight on, and now we must follow Him in fighting the battle.
Hebrews 8:6 says that Christ is “the Mediator of a better covenant.” As the Mediator, Christ is the Executor in resurrection of the new covenant, the new testament, which He bequeathed to us by His death.
Christ is also the surety, the Guarantor, of the new covenant (7:22). He is not only the Guarantor; He is also the guarantee insuring the new testament.
Hebrews 6:20 describes Christ as the Forerunner, the One who has cut the way into glory. We are all running in God’s race, and the man Jesus Christ is our Forerunner in this race. He has run the race, and He has entered the veil, where He is now waiting for us. We need to experience Christ as the Forerunner and follow Him to run the race.
In Hebrews 8:2 we see that Christ is the Minister of the true tabernacle, the heavenly tabernacle. As such a Minister, He ministers heaven (which is not only a place but also a condition of life) into us, that we may have the heavenly life and the power to live a heavenly life on earth as He did while He was here. This matter is deep.
Christ is also the Shepherd (13:20), the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4). Christ with all the foregoing qualifications is our Shepherd today, taking care of God’s flock, which is the church.
Christ is also the faithful Witness, the One who testifies God (Rev. 1:5). He is the living and faithful Witness of God.
Hebrews 12:2 says that Christ is the Author of our faith. This means that He is the Originator, the Inaugurator, the source, and the cause of faith. Although according to our natural man, we have no faith, He Himself is our faith. Hence, we live by His faith, by Him as our faith (Gal. 2:20).
Hebrews 12:2 also reveals that Christ is the Perfecter of faith. This means that He is the Finisher, the Completer, of faith. He will finish what He has originated. He will complete what He has inaugurated.
Christ is also the Bridegroom (John 3:29). When He comes back, He will judge the earth and receive us as the bride. Hence, in order for Him to come back, He must be the Bridegroom.
We need to experience all these aspects of Christ. In the past we knew Christ mainly as our Savior and, doctrinally, as the Son of God. We had very little experience of Him. But today, for the sake of the church life, we need to experience Him in His humanity. Have you ever experienced Christ as the Prophet speaking for God within you? To read the Bible without Christ is not real or living. We must have Christ as God’s Prophet speaking within us. Perhaps in the past you did not have Christ as the One speaking in you. At that time your Christ seemed far away. But I can testify that my Christ is constantly speaking in me and to me. He is my Prophet.
Christ is not only God but also a man, and His humanity must be our experience. We should not try to imitate Him. Instead, we should daily enjoy Him in His humanity. Because Christ as a man is in our spirit (2 Tim. 4:22), we may experience Him by turning to our spirit. Hallelujah, Christ is with our spirit! The more we experience Him in His humanity, the more His humanity will become our food to nourish us. Eventually, this food will transform us and uplift our humanity.
Do not take the aspects of Christ covered in this chapter merely as doctrine. Rather, consider them as reminders to experience Christ. How good it is to experience Christ in His divinity as God, the Creator, the Lord, Jehovah, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. At the same time, it is very good to experience Him in His humanity as man, the seed of woman, the seed of Abraham, the seed of David, the second man, the last Adam, the Savior, Jesus, the Christ, the Lord, the Prophet, the Apostle, the Priest, the King, the Captain of salvation, the Mediator, the Surety, the Forerunner, the Minister, the Shepherd, the faithful Witness, the Author and Perfecter of faith, and the Bridegroom. The more we enjoy Him in all His riches, the more we shall be brought into the church life. As we enjoy Christ and experience Him in all these aspects, we are constituted into the church life. The church is not an organization; it is a constitution of the enjoyment of the riches of Christ. This is the kernel of the Bible.
