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Scripture Reading: Matt. 16:15-18; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:29-32
Concerning the matter of life, I believe the Spirit of God has shown us some light in the preceding chapters in order to see the life in us and what it wants to produce in us. In this chapter we will look at the matter of the church. Today, regardless of who they are, everyone feels that the church is a great thing. Consequently, the matter of the church is a great subject.
We must know the church, which is the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). I believe that when many saints first read about the Body of Christ, they feel uncertain about the meaning of the church being the Body of Christ.
There are many different thoughts about the church. Some people say that a chapel where Christians meet is the church, some people say that any organization or group in Christianity is the church, and some people even think that an evangelical group or a missionary organization is the church. According to man’s natural thought, the church refers to either a building, chapel, organization, group, or denomination. These interpretations come from man’s concept, not from the Bible. The Bible never speaks of these things. The church is spiritual, high, and even mysterious (5:32; 1 Tim. 3:15-16); therefore, the church is not merely a building, a chapel, or a Christian organization, group, or denomination.
The Bible clearly speaks of the church as the Body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23). This word may be difficult for us to understand, but if we apply it to a human body and consider it from the perspective of the human body, we will see something. For example, when we look at a brother, we see his body and his head, and by looking at him, we can understand a little more about the church as the Body of Christ.
When we look at a brother, we see his body and his head. This reveals two significant things. First, the body is the brother’s person; it is he himself. Second, his head and his body have the same life; the two are just one. No one would ever think that he has one life and that his body has a different life. Everyone can clearly see that the body and the person have one life. Truly speaking, his body is a part of him. He has two parts — the head and the body. These two parts together, that is, his head with his body, make him a complete person. Sometimes when we take pictures, we accidentally capture only the head or half of the body. Typically, we do not like such photographs. In a normal condition there is one complete life when the head and the body are joined together.
We are clear that a person has only one life. The life in the body is the life in the head, and also the life in the head is the life in the body. The two are one. This is also true of the mysterious relationship between Christ and the church; Christ is the Head of the church, and the church is the Body of Christ. The two are complete in one life. The life in the Head is also the life in the Body. The life in the Body is also the life in the Head; in fact, it is the life of the Head. Please remember that the church as the Body of Christ means that the life of Christ is the life of the church. Christ and the church have not only the same life but one life. The two lives are not only the same, but they are one as well. Christ’s life is in the church, and the life of the church is Christ’s life. The two have one life, which is Christ Himself.
The body and head of a person are joined together; nevertheless, they are not two but one. Similarly, the church as the Body of Christ means that the church and Christ are joined together; the two are one. Ephesians 5:31-32 speaks of a husband and wife becoming one flesh, signifying that Christ and the church are one body. The church is “bone of Christ’s bones” and “flesh of Christ’s flesh” (cf. Gen. 2:23); the church and Christ are one. We need to keep these references firmly in mind, because from them we know where the church comes from, what the church is, what the church should be called, and what the church should do.
Hence, we can boldly declare that the church is not only the Body of Christ but that the church is Christ (1 Cor. 12:12). When we see a brother and touch his body, we say, “This is Brother So-and-so”; we do not say, “This is Brother So-and-so’s body.” His body is not merely his body; the body is the brother himself because his body is a part of him. In the same way, the church as the Body of Christ means that the church is a part of Christ. The church is Christ because the church and Christ have one life; thus, the church is Christ.
The church comes from Christ; it is out of Christ. When Peter realized that Christ is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus immediately spoke of the building up of the church (Matt. 16:15-18). This means that as soon as we know Christ, the church is produced. Once we know the living Christ and have His life, the church is produced in us, and the element of the church is in us. This is possible because the church is Christ. When we believe into Christ, His life comes into us, and we have Christ within. When we have Christ, we have the church.
When God first created man, He formed Adam out of clay. God did not create two persons in the beginning; He created only one person. God did not create two persons, a male and a female, and then put them together. God created only one man. This man was perfect and lacked nothing. The man whom God created was called Adam. God opened Adam’s side and took out a rib from which He built a woman, Eve. God brought Eve to Adam, and the two became one (Gen. 2:21-24). This is a type of Christ and the church in the Bible.
God took clay from the earth and molded it into a man, and He called the man Adam, who was a complete person. Nevertheless, this man was only Adam, a male; there was no female. When God made the woman, He did not create her apart from Adam; instead, God took a rib out of Adam, and this rib became Eve. Then God brought Eve to Adam, and the two became one.
When God became flesh, He became a man. Adam typified Jesus the Nazarene (Rom. 5:14). When the Lord Jesus went to the cross, His side was opened, and blood and water flowed from His side (John 19:34). His redeeming blood and eternal life flowed from Him and entered into us and millions of others, making us the church. The church comes out of Christ and becomes one with Christ. God’s life, which was in Jesus the Nazarene, passed through death and resurrection and entered into us. Those of us who are saved are called the church.
God’s life came into Jesus, and He was called Christ; God’s life also entered into everyone who is saved, and we are called the church. The content of the church and the content of Christ are the same; there is no difference. The life in Jesus the Nazarene is also the life in the church; these two are really one life. The church is out of Christ, produced from Christ, and unto Christ. The church and Christ are one. Hence, the church is out of Christ, unto Christ, and in Christ. The church and Christ are one.
Now we must consider how to discern the church, that is, what the church is and what it is not. This is a great question. When we meet some Christians or a Christian group, they may say that they are the church, but how do we discern whether or not they truly are the church? How can we judge this matter? If we want to discern whether a Christian group is the church, the strongest basis for discerning this is the fact that the church is the Body of Christ. The church as the Body of Christ comes out of Christ and is unto Christ. This is the strongest basis for discerning the church. If a person does not know this, he cannot know the church in an accurate way; his knowledge concerning the church will be outward rather than inward.
We need to realize that the church is out of Christ and produced by Christ. Since Christ produces the church, the church and Christ are one, and the church is Christ Himself. This word may sound very simple, but we must have a thorough understanding and a clear view in order to discern whether or not a Christian group is the church. Because there are many aspects in the interpretation of this matter, we need to spend some time to study it.
We cannot remain as children; rather, we need to become full grown. We all know that children like outward excitement. If we tell them stories and play with them, they are very interested and excited. However, if we talk to them about their grandfathers and genealogy, they quickly become bored. This is because they cannot receive serious matters; they can only receive exciting things. Often we are like little children, who can receive only exciting messages, not serious messages. If someone wants to tell us about our spiritual genealogy, we begin to fall asleep and are unable to listen. It seems as if these things do not matter to us. Consequently, few among God’s children are able to receive these words.
Indeed, these words cannot be received by those who like outward excitement. This word can be received only by those who follow the Lord in a serious way, those who want to know their spiritual genealogy and history, those who desire to know who they are. These matters are of no consequence to an immature Christian; however, the more mature a Christian is, the more he wants to know these matters.
No person has two bodies. If someone had two bodies, he would be a monster. Christ has only one Body, and this shows that in the whole universe there is only one church, not two. In the past I traveled quite frequently, and when people met me, they always asked, “Where do you live?” If I replied, “I live in Taipei,” then they would ask, “How many churches are in Taipei?” I did not know how to answer them because this can be compared to asking, “How many bodies does a person have?” Regrettably, many Christians ask this kind of question. Similarly, if someone comes from Tainan, people ask, “How many churches are in Tainan?” This question has no basis in the truth; however, this kind of talk is very common in Christianity.
When people ask how many churches are in the place we live, we should be very clear that this is the same as asking someone from the United States how many moons are in New York or asking someone from England how many suns are in London. This would be a joke. Everyone knows that there is only one sun and one moon for us in the universe, but there are thousands and millions of stars. According to typology in the Bible, the sun typifies Christ (Mal. 4:2), the moon typifies the church (S. S. 6:10), and the stars typify the saints (Gen. 22:17). Just as there is only one sun, there is also only one moon; just as there is only one Christ, there is also only one church. The church as the Body of Christ cannot be two; she can only be one.
Some have asked, “Since there are several dozen local churches in Taiwan, how can there be only one church?” This is like saying that there must be many moons in Taiwan since there are different expressions of the moon in Taiwan. If we ask the brothers from England how many moons are in England, they would laugh and answer that there is only one moon. Only a little child, thinking there must be many moons because there is an expression of the moon in many places, would say, “I saw a moon in England, and I saw another moon in the United States.” Even in two hundred and eighty different places, there will not be two hundred and eighty moons. We all know that there is only one moon.
There is only one church in the universe. However, the church is expressed in each locality. There is one expression in Taipei, one expression in Tainan, one expression in Taichung, and one expression in Kaohsiung. Wherever there is a group of Christians, there is an expression of the church in that place. We need to see that the church is one and that there is only one church in the universe. Nevertheless, the church is expressed in localities; every locality has an expression of the church. In a large locality, there may be a larger expression; in a small locality, there may be a smaller expression. But whether the locality is large or small, the nature of the expression is the same; the church is one. Regardless of how many expressions there are and regardless of whether these expressions are large or small, they are all one.
We have clearly seen that there is only one church in the universe. In principle, the church should have only one expression in the locality of Taipei. This is correct. Nevertheless, we need to ask about the present condition in Taipei. If we ask how many churches are in Taipei, we are speaking like those in Christianity. Instead, we should ask about the condition of the church in Taipei. Today there should be only one expression of the church in Taipei, but we actually see a different situation. Seemingly there are many different expressions, as if someone has cut the moon into pieces, hanging one piece in the southwest corner of the city and another piece in the southeast corner. It seems as if people are unable to see one moon in Taipei. Instead, they see individual pieces, perhaps as many as thirty-five scattered and broken pieces. This is not a normal situation.
We should see only one “moon” in Taipei. However, we do not see one “moon” in Taipei but rather many fragmented and individual pieces. Consider the neighborhood around Ren Ai Road. There are at least three different signs: one says Baptist Church, another says Presbyterian Church, and a third says Christian Assembly Place. This is not normal; it is abnormal. This abnormality is caused by man’s confusion. I do not need to say too much here, but I want to show the saints that the genuine condition of the church is one of confusion. Based on the revelation in the Bible, there is only one church in the universe, and there should be only one expression of the church in each locality. However, today this expression is fragmented, confused, and abnormal. We can see many different groups in one place, but they are not proper. The church should express a condition of being one, not one of being fragmented and scattered.
If we study the reason for the division and scattering of the church, we find one thing: things other than Christ have been brought into the church. We all know that the church is Christ Himself, that Christ and the church are one, and that the church is joined to Christ. The church is divided and confused because of one reason only — something other than Christ has been brought into the church. As soon as something other than Christ is brought into the church, the church becomes divided and confused. All division and confusion are due to bringing something other than Christ into the church.
Today’s Christianity has been divided into many sects and denominations because things other than Christ have been brought into the church. There is only one Christ, and Christ cannot be divided (1 Cor. 1:13); however, divisions and confusion occur when things and matters other than Christ are brought into the church, creating a human mixture. When things and matters other than Christ are brought into the church, the church is divided. If a brother brings his thoughts into the church, the church will have a problem, and if another brother brings his concepts into the church, the church will be in confusion. There are not many reasons for division and confusion in the church; there is one basic reason — things other than Christ are brought into the church.
Having nothing other than Christ is a principle by which we can measure all Christianity. If we measure according to this principle, we will discover that there are three categories of things that the church should not have and which are outside of Christ. This does not mean that there are only three categories. There are many categories, but we will speak of only these three.
The first category is the matter of special names. Since the church is the Body of Christ, she should not have another name. We can speak of the church as the church of Christ or the church of God (cf. 1 Thes. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:2), but we cannot add any other name. If we add any other name, we will bring things other than Christ into the church. However, in today’s Christianity many different names have been brought into the church. For example, the Lutheran Church brought in Luther, and the Wesleyan Church brought in Wesley. There are so many examples that we cannot enumerate them all. According to one survey, there are approximately fifteen hundred different names of groups in Christianity.
We should not overlook the matter of the name. If a woman is married to Brother Huang, according to the Chinese proverb, she is following Brother Huang. Prior to marrying Brother Huang, she was Miss Tsai because her maiden name was Tsai, but now she is Mrs. Huang. Since she is Mrs. Huang, she should not print name cards calling herself Mrs. Chang. This would be terrible! If Brother Huang learned of this, it would be a very serious matter. Hence, we need to see that we should not overlook the matter of a name. Since the church of Christ is the church of Christ, why should we call her the Lutheran Church or the Methodist Church? This can be compared to calling a sister Mrs. Chang when she is really Mrs. Huang. If she wants to be called Mrs. Chang, her husband’s last name must be Chang. Even if a Christian group receives much help from Wesley, they are unconsciously bringing the things of man into the church when they call themselves the Wesleyan Church. When the things of man are brought into the church, the church becomes confused and divided.
The second reason for the confusion and division of Christianity is that they have special beliefs and creeds. Many sects and factions are produced because of these differences. It seems that the Bible is not sufficient for many groups in Christianity, because in addition to the Bible they must have creeds. Every sect has a different creed. We need to realize that these creeds are not according to the Bible. Practices based on special beliefs and creeds result in separation and division from others. For example, the Presbyterian Church emphasizes the elders’ management of the church, and the Baptist Church emphasizes a method of baptism. These things become ordinances or creeds that distinguish Christians from one another. Many of these things are apart from the Bible and cannot be found in the Bible. The Bible says, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16); the Bible does not regulate how a person should be baptized or what method to use. Insisting on certain methods results in that method becoming a special creed among a group. This separates them from others.
When we study this matter in a serious way, we can see that every sect and group has a special creed. Sometimes people ask, “Even though you say that you have no special name and that you are not a denomination, what are your beliefs?” We do not have any belief apart from the Bible. All our beliefs are in the Bible, and we do not have anything other than the Bible; we do not have special creeds or beliefs. Special creeds and special beliefs come from man’s will and natural concept. When the things of man are brought into the church, the church becomes confused and divided. This is the second thing that the church should not have.
The third thing that the church should not have is special fellowships. This also causes confusion and division. Among Christians, there are groups that insist on everyone having the same beliefs. For instance, if they believe that there is one rapture before the great tribulation, they insist that everyone must believe that Christians will be raptured before the great tribulation. This fellowship is a special fellowship, not a common fellowship. In proper circumstances, as the children of God with the same Father, we can have fellowship with one another in the Father’s life (1 John 1:3). However, some Christians will not fellowship with those who do not share their views, beliefs, and feelings. Their fellowship is a special fellowship that has been brought in by man; it is outside of Christ.
Having special names, special beliefs, and special fellowships are three main factors that cause division and confusion in the church. If a group has any of these, it loses both the nature and the ground of the church. If any Christian group has a special name, special belief, or special fellowship, it immediately loses the ground of the church because there is only one church in the universe, and there is also only one expression of the church in each locality.
In addition to the preceding three matters, being independent is another serious point concerning the church. Some Christian groups do not violate the three matters above; that is, they do not have special names, special beliefs, or special fellowships, but they are independent. Since they do not have special names, special beliefs, and special fellowships, their condition should be quite normal. However, they remain individualistic and independent; they do not have fellowship with the saints in other localities and even do not recognize such fellowship. This is another great problem brought in by the things of man.
If we know that the church is Christ and that the church and Christ are one, we will see the seriousness of this matter; the church is a strong test to us. Today the church has lost her nature and the proper ground because the things of man have been brought into the church.
The saints are lovable and love the Lord very much. Nevertheless, when we touch the matter of the church, a few say, “I think this matter should be done this way, and that matter should be done that way.” It seems as if things should be done only according to their preferences. These are human words; they are the things of man, which should not be brought into the church. There are so many divisions in today’s Christianity because many people bring their own views and preferences into the church. When we speak of the matter of names, for example, some people say that having a name is good, and they even have a list of names that can be used. They speak in a very light and loose way, and sects are produced.
If we do not touch the matter of the church, everything is fine; however, once we touch the matter of the church, our whole being should be in awe because the church and Christ are one. Anything that is apart from Christ is not the church. Therefore, the church does not have anything that is of you, me, or any man. The only things that can be brought into the church must be of Christ and must be Christ (Col. 3:10-11). Whenever we bring our own things, our own views, our own preferences, opinions, intents, desires, and ways into the church, the church is nullified. All of these cause the church to lose her nature and the local ground of oneness.
Thus, we need to see that the reason there is so much confusion and division in Christianity is because believers do not want to submit and prostrate themselves before the church. Man’s views, intentions, inclinations, and preferences have come into the church, and these things result in different sects. When believers who love and seek the Lord are willing to prostrate themselves, putting aside the things of man, their eyes will be opened to see the ground of the church. Today the most difficult problem is for the things that are apart from Christ to be put aside; instead, believers continue to hold on to these things rather than to Christ. This is the greatest frustration to the church.
When we touch the matter of the church, we should not simply look at the outward things. We also need to touch the church’s inward essence. It is easy for us to bring our own opinions, preferences, ways, and practices into the church life. This is a big problem. Some may ask, “How can we be certain that what we bring into the church is not something of man?” There are three tests in this regard. The first test is the Bible. We must consider whether our actions, including our thoughts, views, activities, and practices, are according to the Bible. Whatever does not match the Bible is certainly something of man. If something does not match the Bible, we cannot allow it into the church. We need to filter everything with the Bible so that we can keep out everything that is not according to the Bible.
However, it is not sufficient simply to test everything by the Bible. We need another test to examine whether the things we are bringing into the church are of Christ or of ourselves. The church is Christ, and the content of the church is also Christ. Everything in the church should be Christ. We should examine ourselves to see whether the things we bring into the church are of Christ or of ourselves.
The third test is the Holy Spirit. We need to pass through the test of the Holy Spirit. We need to ask ourselves if what we are bringing into the church is under the ruling of the Spirit in us or if it is from our own decision. Is it from the operation of the Spirit in us, or is it from our own opinion? This is the root of every problem.
Today the churches in most localities can pass the first test; their condition is according to the Bible. Nevertheless, when we examine them according to the second test, we have to admit that many of their ways are not necessarily of Christ; probably, they are related to the things of man. If we examine them with the third test, we discover even more problems. The activities in some local churches are mainly the work of the flesh; we cannot see the authority of the Holy Spirit in these activities. Outwardly, they are according to the Bible, but in reality, the flesh is moving and reigning, and the Holy Spirit has no authority among them.
When we examine the church, we need to examine her from within and without, according to these things, to determine whether it has a special name, special belief, or special fellowship. Are they an independent unit or an independent group? Are their activities according to the Bible and of the Holy Spirit? If the results of these tests are positive, we can bow our heads and say, “O Lord, I have met the church here.” But if the results are negative, we should be very cautious.
The church is the Body of Christ, and the church is Christ Himself; thus, in the church there is nothing other than Christ. Everything in the church should be out of Christ and out of the Spirit. Moreover, every local church should have fellowship with the churches in other localities. I hope we all would see how to have the reality of the church in our practice of the church.
