Search
Gen. 28:20-22; Acts 7:22; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23b, 25b; 4:16; 1 Cor. 1:13; 12:20-21, 25
I. Natural constitution
А. Definition
B. Dealing with the natural constitution
II. Individualism
А. Definition
B. Dealing with individualism
III. Divisiveness
А. Definition
B. Divisiveness damages the Body of Christ
Dealing with the natural constitution is a deeper dealing. You may ask, “What is the natural constitution?’’ [“Constitution’’ as used here means “the aggregate of man’s physical and mental powers.’’ In the Bible there is no such term as the natural constitution, and it is seldom mentioned among Christians; yet in our experience there is such a thing. It is an outstanding characteristic of the soulish man and a prominent expression of the living out of the old man which has to do with human ability, capability, wisdom, cleverness, schemes, and skills.]
Jacob, in the Old Testament, was a good example. [He was able, resourceful, full of schemes, and very capable and skillful; he was truly one who was exceedingly strong in the natural constitution.
Jacob’s natural constitution was expressed even before his birth. In his mother’s womb he took hold of Esau’s heel, striving to come out first. When he grew up, he cleverly schemed to gain a position of advantage. He used intrigue and cheated Esau of the birthright. Then by a clever device he obtained the blessing of the first-born from his father. When he left home, in his wanderings, God appeared to him at Bethel and promised to bless him; then also he applied his skill and bargained with God. He said, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that thou shall give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee’’ (Gen. 28:20-22). God had promised to bless him without any terms, nevertheless, he bargained with God on certain conditions. This only proves how smart and clever he was!
The reason Jacob was so scheming is that he was so strong in the natural constitution. Therefore, throughout his whole life, God especially dealt with his natural constitution. The afflictions, sufferings, and troubles which beset him were for the breaking of his natural constitution. The crisis in his life occurred when God touched the hollow of his thigh at Penuel. Finally, in Genesis 35, God asked him to go to Bethel and there make an altar unto God, who had appeared unto him when he fled from the face of his brother. From thence Jacob ceased all his scheming, and his natural man fell before God. All his ability, schemes, cleverness, and capability evidently disappeared and ceased. His whole being had changed completely.]
[Flesh, self, and the natural constitution — all three — are the expressions of the old man. Therefore, the principle in dealing with them is the same: on one hand we have the objective fact, and on the other hand we need the subjective experience. The objective fact is that Christ has already crucified our old man, while the subjective experience is the applying of the death of Christ through the Holy Spirit to ourselves. If we apply it to the flesh, it is the dealing with the flesh; if we apply it to our opinion, it is the dealing with self; and if we apply it to our ability and capability, it is the dealing with the natural constitution.]
Do not say that you do not need to study anymore, because God wants to deal with our natural abilities. Though God does want to deal with our natural abilities, we still need to be educated and be well trained in every area of our human life. You may ask why. God wants vessels to contain Him, to express Him, to serve Him, and to build up His church together with Him. If you cannot read, how can He show you His revelation through His word? If you cannot write, you would not be able to write a gospel tract. We need to be highly educated, as high as we can attain.
[Acts 7:22 says, “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.’’ Under God’s sovereignty, Moses learned all the Egyptian wisdom while staying in the royal palace as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Through his Egyptian education, he became highly cultured and received the highest learning of the world.] [Do not think that God will use your strength or energy for the fulfillment of His purpose. In order to be used by God, we need to have a heart for Him and His interests, but our natural strength must be set aside.] [God took the first forty years of Moses’ life to build up a man who was strong in the natural life, and then He took another forty years to strip this man of all his natural ability.] This is the way God perfected Moses.
The same principle holds true for us. We need to endeavor to learn all that is useful, yet knowing that God will deal with our natural abilities and then use us. Young people should aspire to get the best grades and the highest degree, yet not hold on to nor depend on such things.
God’s intention is not only to have many individual sons, but to also have a Body for Christ. Individually, we may grow in life and express the Lord in our daily living, yet that is not the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 1:22-23 says, “The church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.’’ Individual Christians are not the fullness of Christ, the church is the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 3:18-19 says, “May be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,…that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.’’ Again, individually we cannot apprehend the dimensions of Christ nor are we able to be all the fullness of God, but corporately we can. On one hand the Lord died for us individually, on the other hand He died for the Body (Eph. 5:25b). Many Christians like to say that Jesus is our personal Savior. That is correct, but not complete, because He is called the Savior of the Body (Eph. 5:23b). He did not just save us as individuals, but as members of the Body for the Body.
When Adam took in the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil he became independent of God. The Bible also tells us that men became independent of one another. This nature of independence is ingrained in us, causing us to be individualistic. When we read the Bible, we want to read it our way. If others would not take our way, we would go and read it by ourselves or not read it at all. In serving the Lord it is the same. Today, many Christians are serving the Lord, yet they serve the Lord independently. Why? It is due to our individualism. Because of individualism, the Body of Christ cannot be built. We need to be saved from individualism for the Body of Christ. Only life can save us from our individualism.
Since individualism is a result of the fall and is part of the old man, the way to deal with it is the same as mentioned in the previous few points. The reason most Christians do not deal with it is because they do not see the Body of Christ and do not see the evil of individualism. We need to pray that the Lord will reveal to us the Body and expose our individualistic thoughts, speech, and actions. As soon as we become aware of any trait of individualism, we must pray, “O Lord Jesus, forgive my independent ways. I am too individualistic. Lord, I repent. Cleanse me and fill me with Your Spirit. I want to be built up with others to be Your Body to express Your fullness.’’ As you are praying this way, you are dealing with your individualism. You are being cleansed, being filled with the Spirit, and growing in life. Whenever His light shines on you, do not argue, but repent, confess, and pray. The Spirit will operate to work on your individualism.
[When we are exposed, the Lord has the opportunity to live in us. Therefore, do not blame the church. Furthermore, do not blame the Lord. Instead, you should say, “Lord, how I thank You for this situation. I love the church, not because it is perfect, but because it exposes me. Lord, lay me on the altar and deal with my mind, emotion, and will so that You can live in me.’’ As the Lord lives in us, He saves us. His saving life works only as He has the opportunity to live in us. Then the divine life will save us from being individualistic. As we are saved in His life, we become the Body and members one of another. May the Lord have mercy upon us that we may see our need to be saved in His life from individualism for the building up of the Body.]
[In our natural makeup there is an element of divisiveness. Before we were saved, we probably did not realize that such an element existed within our being, that in our natural life there is the tendency to be divisive. Divisiveness is worse than naturalness or individualism. If someone is individualistic, he prefers to be left alone. He does not want others to bother him or to interfere with him. He simply wants to be whatever he is. But to be divisive is to cause division in an active way. In contrast to those who are individualistic, the divisive ones are aggressive to form parties. They contact the saints with the aim of dividing them. They may even travel from place to place with the intention of causing division.]
One of Satan’s main strategies against the Body of Christ is division. Consider what would happen if your hand was divided from your arm, your feet were divided from your legs, and your limbs were divided from your torso. What type of body would you have? You would be dead. The same principle can be applied to the Body of Christ. All the members receive the life supply from the head, Christ, directly, and through the members indirectly by the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we, as the members of the Body of Christ, should endeavor to maintain the fellowship in oneness and not be divided. Then the Body will be built up in love (Eph. 4:16). The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.’’ When we are built up, we are strong and victorious. When we are divided, we are weak and defeated.
Have you ever been divisive? Have you ever spoken anything against another saint? Have you ever had divisive thoughts? Even listening to divisive talk is divisive. Have you ever heard someone speaking against an elder or against the ministry that brought you the New Testament economy? We must reject and flee from such speaking. If we have done it ourselves, we need to repent to the Lord and to the ones to whom we have spoken in such a way. If we have thought about, but not verbalized such things, then repentance to the Lord is sufficient. If we have heard others speak this way, we must repent to the Lord and tell the speaker that neither the Lord nor you agree with such divisive talk. We must deal with any division in us thoroughly so that we may be full-grown in Christ, and be built up into the Body of Christ to be the fullness of God.
