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Scripture Reading: Matt. 4:17; 16:18-19; Mark 1:1, 14; 4:3, 26; Luke 4:18-22a; 19:2-10; 10:30-37; John 1:18; 14:9; 5:30b; 6:38; 1:29; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3; Heb. 2:14; John 3:14; Num. 21:8-9; Rom. 6:6; 1 Cor. 15:45b; Col. 1:15, 20; Heb. 2:9; Eph. 2:14-15; John 12:24
In the previous two chapters we have covered a number of points concerning the person of Christ. Beginning with this chapter we will go on to see a number of points concerning His work. We must spend adequate time to study and consider all these points. This will help us to enjoy Christ.
Today many Christians know Christ only in a superficial way. Although they would say that they love the Lord, if you were to ask them why they love Him, they would have little to answer. But I hope that, after reading these chapters, we all could give many points as the reasons for which we love the Lord Jesus. We should be able to give at least fifteen points concerning Him as the complete God and at least seventeen points concerning Him as the perfect man. If possible, we should develop every point in detail. Then we should be able to go on and speak concerning all that He has done for us, how He ministered on this earth for us, entered into death for us, rose from the dead for us, and ascended to the heavens for us. He has done so much for us, and He is still doing so much in the heavens for us. This is why we love Him. We love Him because of what He is and because of what He has done for us. I hope that from now on, every day while we are contacting, enjoying, and experiencing the Lord, we would experience Him in all these items.
When we enjoy a feast, we know all the courses that we are about to eat, and we enjoy the feast dish by dish. However, many of us enjoy the Lord Jesus without an adequate knowledge concerning Him as the complete God and the perfect man. Furthermore, we often enjoy Him without knowing adequately how much He has done for us. We know that He worked and ministered on the earth, but we do not know specifically what He did. We know that He died on the cross, but we do not realize the crucial points concerning His death. We know that He rose from the dead, but we do not know what His resurrection has accomplished. We know that He ascended, but we do not know how much He has accomplished through His ascension. Since we are limited in knowing Christ, our experience of Him is also quite restricted. This is why there is the need for a book such as this, that we might see who Christ is and what He has done for us, that we might enjoy Him and experience Him in full.
The New Testament tells us repeatedly that we need to have a full knowledge of Christ and His work (Eph. 1:17-23; 4:13; Col. 2:2). In the Bible Christ is revealed not in a simple way but in a very detailed way. It is not adequate simply to know that Christ is God. You must know the details of Christ being God—how He is the self-existing and ever-existing God, how He is the universal I Am, how He is the Triune God, Jehovah, how He is the Creator, and so forth. You must dive into and digest all these items as well as all the points concerning Christ’s work. Then while you are studying all these points, you will appreciate Him and enjoy Him. Such a study will usher you into the full enjoyment of Christ.
After receiving the revelation concerning the person of Christ, we need to receive a revelation concerning His work. The work of Christ is composed of four major items: His ministry on earth, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His ascension. In this chapter we will consider the first two items of Christ’s work, and in the following chapter we will consider the last two items.
The first item of Christ’s work is His ministry on the earth. As a man, the Lord Jesus lived on this earth for thirty-three and a half years, but it was not until the last three and a half years that He came out to minister. In His ministry He did many things for God, and He did many things for man. The New Testament contains four Gospels to tell us what He did in His ministry on the earth. If we do not spend time and pay full attention to find out the different aspects of Christ’s ministry portrayed in each of the four Gospels, we will have only a general knowledge of His ministry on the earth. We might consider that the four Gospels are nearly the same, with only slight differences in presentation; but this is absolutely not the case.
In Matthew we see that Christ came out to preach a particular gospel, the gospel of the kingdom (4:17). This is different from the gospel of grace and from the gospel of forgiveness. It is the gospel of the kingdom, and it brings people into the kingdom of the heavens. Matthew tells us that this Christ brought in the kingdom of the heavens and that He even gave the keys of the kingdom of the heavens to one of His disciples, Peter (16:18-19). Today few Christians have an adequate knowledge concerning the kingdom of the heavens, concerning the keys of the kingdom of the heavens, and concerning what it means to bring the kingdom of the heavens to people or to bring people into the kingdom of the heavens.
Following Matthew’s Gospel, Mark tells us that this Christ preached the gospel of God (1:1, 14). We might consider that the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of God are just one gospel. However, just as we see a different view of one person from different angles, we also see different aspects of this wonderful gospel in each of the four Gospels. Viewing the gospel from one side, we see in Matthew the gospel of the kingdom, which brings sinners into a heavenly kingdom. From another side, we see in Mark the gospel of God, which brings sinners into God. Mark presents Christ as the One who brings us into God, whereas Matthew presents Christ as the One who brings us into the kingdom of the heavens. Today this same Christ is still preaching the gospel of God to bring us into God, and He is still preaching the gospel of the kingdom to bring us into the kingdom of the heavens. I hope that we all may have at least some experience and enjoyment of Christ in this way. Then we will say, “O Lord, You are the One who brings me into God, and You are the One who brings me into the kingdom of the heavens. I enjoy You not only as my Redeemer and my Savior but as the One who brings me into God and into the kingdom of the heavens.”
In Matthew Christ brought in the kingdom of the heavens, and in Mark He sowed Himself as the seed of the kingdom (4:1-20). We may use the planting of a carnation seed as an illustration. First, we have only the carnation seed. Then we sow the seed of the carnation into a field, and the seed grows, bringing forth the blossom of the carnation. Soon in that field we will see a garden full of carnation blossoms. That is the kingdom of carnation. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God is just God blossoming. Jesus came to sow Himself as the seed of God into man’s heart. Man’s heart is the field, and Jesus as the seed of God is growing in our heart. When this seed in our heart blossoms, it becomes a garden of God. This garden is the kingdom of God, a garden with God blossoming. This garden today is the church. Today in Japan there is such a little garden, a garden of God with God blossoming. The proper church life is the kingdom of God, which is God blossoming from within so many believers.
In the Gospel of Luke, Christ is presented as the One who proclaimed the jubilee (4:18-22). The jubilee is a release. In the Old Testament jubilee any man who had sold his land or had sold himself into slavery would be released from captivity and brought back to his own inheritance (Lev. 25:8-17). The background of the Lord’s New Testament jubilee is that all men are captives. Why is everyone so busy? Because they all are captives. The students are captives, and the professors are also captives. Even the world rulers are captives. All of fallen mankind has been carried away and is held captive by Satan. Therefore, all have lost their inheritance, which is God Himself. Although God is man’s portion and man’s inheritance, all of fallen mankind has lost God. They all have become captives; they all have become poor. According to Luke’s Gospel, Jesus came to proclaim the jubilee, to announce the release of the captives, to set them all free from Satan, and to bring them all back to God.
Luke 15 tells the story of the prodigal son. He was one who lost all the inheritance in his father’s house. But one day he was brought back. That was his being set free. He was brought back to his father’s house to enjoy the riches of the father’s house. That was his being brought back to his inheritance. Before we were saved, we were all captives, carried away from God by many sinful things and even by things that may be considered good. But one day the Lord Jesus brought us back. He set us free from our captivity and brought us back to God. Now we enjoy our inheritance. Now we are in the enjoyment of the jubilee. This was the work of Christ, to announce the jubilee and to carry out the jubilee among us.
After Mark presents Christ coming to preach the gospel of God and to sow the seed of the kingdom of God, Luke presents the same Christ coming to proclaim the jubilee, to set the captives free, and to bring them all back to God as their inheritance. This is Christ’s dynamic salvation, which is by the virtue of His highest standard of morality.
This dynamic salvation is seen in Luke 19 in the case of Zaccheus. Zaccheus was a sinful tax collector, robbing people by means of extortion. He was an infamous tax collector, rejected and condemned by his community. One day he heard that Jesus was coming. But he was a short man, and a large crowd was gathered to see Jesus. So in order to see Jesus, he climbed a sycamore tree. As Jesus came to the place where he was, He looked up and called him by name: “Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay in your house” (v. 5). Although Zaccheus was rejected by everyone, this Jesus nevertheless called him by name and told him that He was coming to visit his family. Simply by Jesus visiting the house of Zaccheus, there was a great change in the life of Zaccheus. He immediately told the Lord Jesus that he would give half of his wealth to the poor, and that whatever he had taken from anyone by false accusation, he would restore four times as much (v. 8). Following this, the Lord Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house” (v. 9). This is the Lord’s dynamic salvation.
The salvation we have received is not a weak salvation but a powerful salvation, even a dynamic salvation. This dynamic salvation is by virtue of the highest standard of the Lord’s morality, which is composed of His divine attributes mingled with His human virtues. The virtues of Confucius cannot compare with those of Jesus. To compare the virtues of Confucius with those of Jesus is like comparing gold and brass. The standard of Jesus’ morality is much higher than that of Confucius. The morality of Confucius was merely human, but the morality of Jesus is heavenly and divinely human. The Lord’s morality was produced by the divine attributes in the human virtues, and it was a morality of the highest standard. This highest morality is the virtue of Christ’s dynamic salvation.
John’s Gospel reveals that Christ lived God and did the Father’s will. He lived a life that was God Himself. No one has ever seen God, but Christ as the Son of God expressed Him (1:18). Christ lived a life of manifesting God the Father and making Him known (14:9). At the same time He did the Father’s will (5:30b; 6:38). He did not do His own work or accomplish His own intention but did the Father’s will. When we see this, we will enjoy Christ and experience Him as the One who lives God and who does the will of God. This will enable us also to live God and to do the will of God. The more we enjoy Christ and experience Him, the more we will live God, express God, and do God’s will.
If you put together all the aspects of Christ’s work in the four Gospels, you will see the ministry He carried out on this earth. I hope that you will take the time to study Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with all the footnotes of the Recovery Version and the Life-study messages on the four Gospels. If you do this, you will experience Christ and enjoy Him much more. Then in Japan there will be a garden of God to grow God and express Him. The Lord today needs a number of blossoming Christians—those who know Him, experience Him, and enjoy Him.
The second category of Christ’s work is His crucifixion. In man’s eyes, to die is not a work; but concerning Christ, His dying was a great work, a great accomplishment. While He was on the cross, He was working, and when He entered Hades, He was also working. Although it was unseen to human eyes, Satan with all the evil spirits knew that while Christ was dying on the cross, He was truly doing a great work. His working on the cross eventually became a battle, with God “stripping off the rulers and the authorities...triumphing over them” (Col. 2:15). While Christ was dying on the cross, Satan was there fighting. Whenever the police go to arrest a robber, there is always a struggle and a fight. The death of Christ on the cross was the arrest of Satan. In Genesis 3 God promised that Christ would bruise the head of the serpent (v. 15), and when Christ died on the cross, He destroyed the devil (Heb. 2:14). Now let us consider all the accomplishments of Christ’s crucifixion.
The first accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion was that He took away sin by being killed as the Lamb of God. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Do you realize how heavy the load of the sin of the world is? The load of sin is like a great mountain, but Christ’s death as the Lamb of God removed this mountain of sin. This was a great work accomplished by Christ in His death. The word sin in John 1:29 denotes the aggregate, the totality, of sin and of sins. In the Bible sin in the singular denotes our inward sinful nature (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:26), whereas sins in the plural number denotes our outward sinful deeds (1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 15:3; Heb. 9:28). Within man there is a sinful nature called sin, and outwardly there are many sinful activities called sins. The word sin in John 1:29 denotes the aggregate, the totality, of sin within and sins without. This totality of sin is a great load. Yet Christ took the load away. He removed this high mountain by being the Lamb of God dying on the cross. He was killed on the cross as the Lamb of God to be the greatest offering, the sin offering for sin and the trespass offering for sins. As the Lamb of God, He was killed as the sin offering and as the trespass offering to remove the totality of sin and of sins from the world. Since Christ has done such a marvelous work, we must announce such a glad tiding—that sin has been removed.
The second accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion is that sin in the flesh was condemned by God through Christ who was made sin on the cross for the believers (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). To take away sin is one thing, but to be made sin is another. First, Christ took away sin, and, second, Christ was made sin. First, Christ came as the Lamb of God to take away the load of sin from fallen man. But this fallen man is still sin. Fallen man not only carries a load of sin, but the fallen man himself is sin. Therefore, Christ as the Lamb of God first took away the load of sin, but to deal with the fallen man himself, Christ had to do a further work. This further work was for Christ to be made sin (2 Cor. 5:21).
Fallen man is sin because fallen man is flesh (Rom. 3:20). Therefore, in order to condemn sin Christ became flesh (John 1:14). But when Christ became flesh, He came only in the likeness of the flesh of sin (Rom. 8:3), just as the bronze serpent was only in the form of the serpent (John 3:14). Christ became flesh in the likeness of the flesh of sin. He Himself was not the flesh of sin, but He was in the likeness, the form, of the flesh of sin. It was in this likeness of the flesh of sin that He was made sin. He was not a serpent in nature, in poison, but only in form. He had no sin (Heb. 4:15). Second Corinthians 5:21 even says that He knew no sin. He was only in the form of the sinful flesh. While He was in the form, the likeness, of the sinful flesh, He was made sin and died in this flesh. By His dying in the flesh, sin was condemned by God (Rom. 8:3). This means that He terminated both sin and the flesh. Sin was condemned through Christ, who was made sin on the cross for the believers.
The third accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion was that He destroyed Satan, the old serpent, by being judged by God as the bronze serpent (Heb. 2:14; John 3:14; Num. 21:8-9). When Christ was crucified on the cross, God saw Him first as the Lamb, second as the flesh, which was sin, and third as a bronze serpent. As the Lamb He took away sin, as the flesh He caused sin to be condemned by God, and as the bronze serpent He destroyed the old serpent, Satan.
The fourth accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion was that He dealt with the old man by being crucified as the last Adam (Rom. 6:6; 1 Cor. 15:45b). We must realize that a fallen person is not so simple. Fallen man is not only carrying a load of sin, but he himself also is sin. Furthermore, within him there is the old serpent, Satan, and he also has the old man, the old self. Man has a problem with sin, the flesh, Satan, and the old man. As the Lamb of God, Christ took away the load of sin; through His being in the likeness of the flesh of sin, sin was condemned; as the bronze serpent, Christ destroyed the old serpent, Satan; and through Him as the last Adam, the old man was crucified.
The fifth accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion was that He dealt with the old creation by being terminated as the Firstborn of all creation (Col. 1:15), and He redeemed all the creation by tasting death for everything (v. 20; Heb. 2:9). Christ is the first item of the creatures, the Firstborn of all creation. As such a One, He dealt with the old creation. His crucifixion was a termination of the old creation, and He redeemed all the creation by tasting death for everything. Christ was qualified for this accomplishment because He was one of the creatures, the Firstborn of God’s creation. Because He was a creature, His crucifixion was the termination of all the old creation. By such a work He redeemed all the created things, because through His death He tasted death for everything, not only for every person but also for every thing.
According to Ephesians 2:14-15, Christ’s death was to make peace among all peoples. This is the sixth accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion. Christ was crucified as the Peacemaker to make peace among all peoples by abolishing all the ordinances, the differences, among them. Ephesians 2:14-15 says, “He Himself is our peace, He who has made both one and has broken down the middle wall of partition, the enmity, abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.” In these verses Christ is both our peace and the Peacemaker. Because of the fall, the entire human race has been divided into many nations. No two nations are able to be one, especially the Jewish nation and the Gentile nations, because of many differences, many ordinances. The ordinances are the habits, the customs, the ways of living, and the ways of religion among people.
Through His death on the cross, Christ abolished all the differences among the peoples of the earth. By making peace He brought the different nations, the different peoples, together into oneness. Today we can see many different peoples from different nations as brothers in the church. This peacemaking is to produce the Body of Christ, which is the new man. Christ abolished all the differences, the ordinances among the different peoples, in order to create one new man out of so many believers from different nations. Today in the testimony of the local churches we see such a reality. For example, in the United States we recently had a meeting of approximately one thousand people, with representatives from more than thirty nationalities. In the church, although there are people of many different races, all are brothers, all are members, all are components of this one new man. Hallelujah! Who did this? Christ did this on the cross, by dying in the flesh to abolish all the ordinances. Christ died as such a Peacemaker.
The seventh accomplishment of Christ’s crucifixion was to bring forth many grains. He did this by being put to death as a grain of wheat (John 12:24). The first six items—to take away sin, to have sin condemned, to destroy Satan, to have the old man crucified, to terminate the old creation, and to abolish all the ordinances between different peoples—are all on the negative side. But there is also a positive side, the bringing forth of His believers as many grains. Christ accomplished this by being put to death as a grain of wheat. On the one hand, a grain of wheat sown into the earth dies. But, on the other hand, while the grain is dying, it is growing. While the grain is dying in its outward shell, it is growing in its inner life. By its dying and growing, it sprouts; something tender, green, and living rises up to bring forth many grains. While Christ was dying on the cross, He was working, He was growing, and He was bringing forth many grains. Hallelujah! Now we are the many grains to form one loaf, one Body (1 Cor. 10:17).
These are the seven main items of the work that Christ has accomplished by His death on the cross. To do this sevenfold work He has a sevenfold qualification: He is the Lamb of God, He is a man in the likeness of the flesh of sin, He is the bronze serpent, He is the last Adam, He is the Firstborn of all creation, He is the Peacemaker, and He is the grain of wheat. We all must see that when our Redeemer was dying on the cross, He was dying there as these seven items. He died as the Lamb of God, as a man in the likeness of the flesh of sin, as a bronze serpent, as the last Adam, as the Firstborn of all creation, as the Peacemaker, and as the grain of wheat. By this sevenfold qualification He accomplished seven things: He took away sin, He caused sin to be condemned in the flesh, He destroyed the old serpent, He had the old man crucified, He terminated and redeemed the old creation, He abolished all the differences between the nations, and He produced many grains. Now the new man, the Body of Christ, is here. All this has been accomplished by His sevenfold work on the cross.
