Scripture Reading: Eph. 4:3-4a; 1 Cor. 12:13
I. The Spirit of God in God’s creation — Gen. 1:2.
II. The Spirit of Jehovah in God’s relationship with man — Num. 11:29; Judg. 3:10.
III. The Spirit of holiness in the life of God’s people in the Old Testament — Psa. 51:11; Isa. 63:10-11.
IV. The Holy Spirit — Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18:
А. From Christ’s incarnation and onward.
B. Making man as holy as God.
C. For man to be joined to God as one.
V. The Spirit for the believers of Christ in God’s New Testament economy:
А. Was not yet before Jesus was glorified — John 7:39.
B. The last Adam (Jesus Christ) became the Spirit through His resurrection — 1 Cor. 15:45b.
VI. The all-inclusive Spirit:
А. The compound Spirit (cf. Exo. 30:23-28), compounded with:
1. Christ’s divinity.
2. Christ’s humanity.
3. The effectiveness of Christ’s death — Rom. 8:13b.
4. The power of Christ’s resurrection — Phil. 3:10.
B. The anointing Spirit — 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 1 John 2:20, 27.
C. The indwelling Spirit — Rom. 8:11.
D. The life-giving Spirit — 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:6b.
E. The Spirit of life — Rom. 8:2.
F. The Spirit of power — Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8.
G. The Spirit of Jesus in His humanity with His suffering — 16:7.
H. The Spirit of Christ in His divinity with His resurrection — Rom. 8:9b.
I. The Spirit of Jesus Christ in both His suffering and resurrection — Phil. 1:19b.
J. The Spirit of the Lord — 2 Cor. 3:17-18:
1. The Lord Spirit.
2. In the transformation of the believers of Christ.
K. The consummated Spirit — the third of the consummated Triune God — Rev. 22:17; Matt. 28:19.
L. The Spirit as the consummation of the processed and consummated Triune God — John 7:39; Rev. 22:17.
VII. In this one Spirit — 1 Cor. 12:13:
А. The believers in Christ were all baptized into one Body.
B. They were all given to drink one Spirit.
VIII. The Spirit of the Body — Eph. 4:4-6, 11-16:
А. As the essence of the Body.
B. With the Lord as the element of the Body.
C. With God the Father as the source of the Body.
D. For the organic building up of the Body.
IX. With one Bible as the one divine revelation.
X. In one teaching:
А. The teaching of the apostles concerning God’s economy — Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4.
B. According to the entire New Testament — Rev. 22:18-19.
C. With the base of the Old Testament — 2 Tim. 3:16-17.
XI. Through one ministry — 2 Cor. 4:1:
А. The New Testament ministry of all the New Testament ministers — 3:8-9, 6; 1 Tim. 1:12.
B. For the building up of the Body of Christ — Eph. 4:12, 16.
Ephesians 4:4 says that there is one Body and one Spirit. The one Spirit is the reality of the one Body.
The one Spirit is the Spirit of God in God’s creation (Gen. 1:2).
In God’s relationship with man, the Spirit is the Spirit of Jehovah (Num. 11:29; Judg. 3:10).
The Spirit is also the Spirit of holiness in the life of God’s people in the Old Testament (Psa. 51:11; Isa. 63:10-11). The Spirit in the Old Testament was not the Holy Spirit but the Spirit of holiness. This title is used only three times in the Old Testament, as referred to above.
The title Holy Spirit is used in the New Testament from Christ’s incarnation and onward (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18). God is holy, and His Spirit is holy to make us as holy as God is. By this Holy Spirit, we are joined to God as one (1 Cor. 6:17).
The one Spirit is also the Spirit for the believers of Christ in God’s New Testament economy. The Spirit was not yet before Jesus was glorified (John 7:39). The Spirit of God was there from the beginning (Gen. 1:1-2), but before the Lord Jesus was glorified in His resurrection (Luke 24:26), the Spirit as the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9), the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19), was not yet. Jesus was glorified in His resurrection, and through His resurrection He as the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b), that is, the Spirit. Today the Spirit is the all-inclusive Spirit of Jesus Christ as the living water for us to receive (John 7:38-39).
The one Spirit is now the all-inclusive Spirit, the compound Spirit (cf. Exo. 30:23-28), compounded with Christ’s divinity, Christ’s humanity, the effectiveness of Christ’s death (Rom. 8:13b), and the power of Christ’s resurrection (Phil. 3:10). The compound Spirit is also the anointing ointment to anoint us (2 Cor. 1:21-22; 1 John 2:20, 27) and the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:11). In the Old Testament the Spirit of God never dwelt within anyone, but today He indwells every believer of Christ.
This all-inclusive Spirit is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:6b), the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), the Spirit of power (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8), the Spirit of Jesus in His humanity with His suffering (16:7), the Spirit of Christ in His divinity with His resurrection (Rom. 8:9b), the Spirit of Jesus Christ in both His suffering and resurrection (Phil. 1:19b), and the Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:17-18) as the Lord Spirit in the transformation of the believers of Christ. Furthermore, the all-inclusive Spirit is the consummated Spirit — the third of the consummated Triune God (Rev. 22:17; Matt. 28:19) — and the consummation of the processed and consummated Triune God (John 7:39; Rev. 22:17). Eventually, the all-inclusive Spirit is the totality of the processed and consummated Triune God. We need to study all these points. We must learn to know the Spirit.
In this one Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit, the believers in Christ were all baptized into one Body and were also given to drink one Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13). We all were baptized in one Spirit to drink one Spirit. Now we have the one Spirit outwardly and inwardly. To be baptized in the Spirit is to get into the Spirit and to be lost in Him; to drink the Spirit is to take the Spirit in and to have our being saturated with Him.
This one Spirit is the Spirit of the Body (Eph. 4:4-6, 11-16) as the essence of the Body. The essence is more intrinsic than the element. Every substance has some element, and within the element there is the essence. The Spirit is the essence of the Body, the Lord is the element of the Body, and God the Father is the source of the Body. All three are in the one Body for the organic building up of the Body.
The one Spirit is with one Bible as the one divine revelation.
The one teaching in the New Testament is the teaching of the apostles concerning God’s economy (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4) according to the entire New Testament (Rev. 22:18-19) with the base of the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:16-17). In 1 Timothy Paul charged Timothy to stay in Ephesus in order to charge certain ones not to teach different things (1:3) but to teach God’s economy (v. 4). I can testify strongly that over the past seventy years both Brother Nee and I have never taught different things. We have given thousands of messages, but all the messages are one teaching, the teaching concerning God’s eternal economy, which includes Christ as the mystery of God (Col. 2:2) and the church as the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:4). We have taught only the things according to the apostles’ teaching, which is the New Testament teaching. This one teaching is with the base of the Old Testament. The Old Testament is the base of our New Testament teaching.
The New Testament ministry is of all the New Testament ministers (6, 2 Cor. 3:8-9; 1 Tim. 1:12). The New Testament ministry is one. Second Corinthians 4:1 says, “Therefore having this ministry as we [the apostles] have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart.” The ministry in this verse refers to the New Testament ministry, and here it is being compared to the Old Testament ministry in the preceding chapter. The Old Testament ministry was a ministry of condemnation (3:7, 9a); the New Testament ministry is of the Spirit and of righteousness (vv. 8, 9b). The Old Testament ministry was a ministry of death (v. 7); the New Testament ministry is a ministry of life (v. 6). This unique ministry is common to all the apostles of Christ. Although they are many, they have only one ministry — the ministry of the new covenant for the accomplishing of God’s New Testament economy.
All the New Testament ministers are of the New Testament ministry, the one ministry in the New Testament, for the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12, 16). Because there is only one ministry, if you consider that you have a ministry, you must be a minister of the New Testament who teaches the teaching of the New Testament ministry. This unique ministry is the ministering of Christ to people for the building up of His Body.
If you study the Scripture references, the outlines, and the fellowship in this small book, you will see the full scope of the one Body and the one Spirit in the Bible.
