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Scripture Reading: Eph. 2:15-16, 18; 3:17-19; 4:22-24
Ephesians is a book on the church. It shows that the church is not only the Body of Christ but also the one new man. Ephesians 2:15 says, “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.” When the Lord was crucified, He abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances in His flesh so that the Jews and the Gentiles might be created in Himself into one new man. The ordinances in the Old Testament created a separation between the Jews, who were to be holy unto the Lord, and the Gentiles, who were considered unclean like pigs and dogs. These ordinances created enmity between the Jews and Gentiles, but Christ abolished the ordinances, which created the enmity, on the cross. By breaking down this middle wall of partition, the enmity (v. 14), He created the two in Himself into one new man. This new man is not an individual man, such as you or me, but rather a great corporate man. This new man is a great corporate man created by the Lord out of two peoples—Jews and Gentiles. In Himself Christ created the Jews and the Gentiles into one new man.
According to verse 16, He created the two in Himself so that He “might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.” This shows that the new man is the church as the one Body of Christ. This new man is not merely an assembly or a body; the church is a man. What is the difference between a man and a body? Being a man is related to one’s person and personality, whereas a body is merely an organ that serves as a vessel. On the one hand, the church is a vessel; on the other hand, the church is a person with a personality.
Beginning with the Reformation and especially for the last two hundred years, many Christians have spoken of the church as a vessel. The book of Revelation reveals that the church is a lampstand to contain the Holy Spirit as oil (1:12, 20). As a golden lampstand, the church is a vessel to contain God so that God may express Himself through the church. The truth concerning the church as a vessel has been expounded clearly and thoroughly. This is the grace of God, and we have received much help from this light. Others also have seen that the church is the Body; this is higher than seeing that the church is a vessel. The lampstand depicts how the church contains God and expresses God, but this depiction does not touch the matter of life. The church as the Body implies life; hence, it is more advanced than the church being a vessel. However, even this understanding of the church does not touch the central goal of God. In recent years the Lord has shown us in the Bible that the church is not only a vessel or merely the Body but also the one new man.
Before we were saved, our spirit was an organ, but when we were saved, the Lord entered us to be our life. Now our spirit is no longer only an organ but a man, the inner man. An organ by itself is not a person, because it has no personality, but a man is a person because he has a personality. When we experience the power of Christ, our spirit is an organ. However, our spirit is not merely an organ but a man. Hence, we must experience the person of Christ in our regenerated spirit. Concerning this matter, we may have some doctrine or knowledge, but we lack experience.
The Bible says that Christ is the Head. In particular, He is the Head of the church. However, as the Head of the church, Christ does not act as we would imagine a king or a lord would act. Consider the relationship between our head and our body. Our head does not dictate directions to our body as if it were a king or lord. Instead, our head mainly takes care of the body and expresses itself through the body. Ephesians 5:29 says clearly that Christ loves the church and nourishes and cherishes her. When a wife subjects herself to her husband, she should take her husband as her person and subject herself to him in love (v. 24).
When I was in Shanghai, I was invited to a home. In all my contact with this family, the wife took her husband as her person. When I commented that the colors of her walls matched very nicely with the furnishings of the house, she replied, “Thank you, these colors are my husband’s preference.” Later when I asked her about the time for breakfast, she replied, “My husband likes to have breakfast at seven-thirty.” Her response to every question, whether it concerned the meetings she attended, the food she served, or the things she bought, was always related to her husband’s consideration. As a wife, this sister fully took her husband as her person. This does not mean that her husband was like a king, sitting on the throne and wielding power. It meant that this sister took her husband as her person completely. I know this sister quite well. She is very smart, capable, and thoughtful. However, when she goes to buy things, she does not buy according to her preferences; rather, she always takes her husband’s taste into consideration. If she decorated their home by herself, I believe that she could do it very well; however, she decorated only according to her husband’s taste. Her speaking always referenced her husband. Even though it is not easy for a person to reflect the tastes, preferences, feelings, and inclinations of someone else, this sister was willing to take her husband as her person.
It is rare to find a wife who does not love her husband or care for her husband. Nevertheless, it is equally rare to find a wife who cares for her husband not according to her own taste. If a wife were to care for her husband according to her husband’s taste rather than her own, she would be the best wife in the world. Husbands are often bothered by the “care” they receive from their wife, because this “care” is according to their wife’s taste. Such wives may regard their care as “candy,” but to the husbands, it has the taste of “hot peppers.” This occurs when a wife cares for her husband according to her own person, not according to her husband’s person. If a sister takes her husband instead of herself as her person, she will be a wonderful wife. The sister I have spoken of regards her husband in this way in every detail of her living.
Taking Christ as our person means that we must put our person aside and take Him as our person. This is more than letting Him be our Lord or our Head in only a few matters. Ephesians 3:17-18 says, “That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are.” When Christ is our person, we will know His immeasurableness and enter into the love of Christ completely.
The church is not only a vessel and a Body; the church is also a man. As a man, the church is the one new man. This new man is not composed of scattered individuals; it is a great corporate man. This great corporate man is a man in the spirit, and the person of this man is Christ. The church must not experience merely the power of Christ and the life of Christ but also the person of Christ. This experience must become real to every saint.
After nearly two thousand years, the Lord Jesus has not returned. From the time of the apostles, many have felt that the Lord’s return was imminent; however, nearly two thousand years have passed, and He has not returned. The Lord has not returned because the Bible reveals that His desire to return is related to His being a Bridegroom rather than a Judge (Rev. 19:7). He is coming back as a Bridegroom for His bride, and the bride is the church. Hence, the bride needs to be prepared so that the Bridegroom can return. But is the church ready? Today the church is still in a messy situation with some saying one thing and others saying another thing. The presence of so many opinions in the church proves that we have not taken Christ as our person so that we can be a proper bride for Him.
If we do not take Christ as our person, the Chinese and those who are not Chinese will not be able to get along. Even those from northern China will not be able to get along with those from southern China. Even if we were all southern Chinese, we would still not get along. For example, some brothers say that we should preach the gospel, others say that we should study the Word, and still others say that we should pursue the growth in life. Some are in favor of shouting in the meetings, and others are in favor of being quiet. There are many opinions. The genuine oneness in the church will be the issue of us all taking Christ as our person. When we all take Christ as our person, the church will be one.
I believe with my whole heart that the local churches will arrive at this point one day. The Lord will work continually among us until every one of us takes Christ as our person. When this happens, we will not preach the gospel, study the Word, or pursue the growth in life merely because it is our preference. We will do these things because Christ, our person, is doing these things. Even being loud or quiet in a meeting will come out of Christ being our person. When the Lord brings us to the point that He is our person, we will experience more than just His power and His life. When we experience His person, His taste will become our taste, His feelings will become our feelings, His inclinations will become our inclinations, and His preferences will become our preferences. If we go on in this way in the Lord, we will see the sweet oneness of the church, and we will have no opinion and no expression of the self.
We should preach the gospel because the Lord Jesus is preaching the gospel. We should study the Word because the Lord Jesus is studying the Word. Our being quiet in a meeting should be the issue of the Lord Jesus being quiet, not because it is our preference to be quiet. Similarly, any shouting in a meeting should be an issue of the Lord Himself desiring to shout.
Our problem is that too often we take ourselves as our person instead of taking the Lord as our person. A brother may say, “I love the Lord, so I am going to the mountains to preach the gospel.” Another brother may say, “I love the Lord, so I am going to start a Bible-study group.” Still another brother may say, “I love the Lord, so I am going to pursue the growth in life.” This kind of love is difficult for the Lord to bear. If we love the Lord and seek to follow Him according to our desires, His desire will be frustrated. Hence, we all have to practice taking Christ as our person. The church is not only a vessel and a Body; the church is also a person. We must reject our own person and take Christ as our person. We all must take Christ as our person. When this occurs, the church will be filled with glory. I absolutely believe that this will bring the Lord back. When the church reaches the stage of taking Christ as her person and is prepared as a bride, the Lord will return immediately.
We should not think that taking Christ as our person is the same as enthroning Him as our King or submitting to Him as our Head. Often when we say, “O Lord, You are the Head and the Lord,” He is not very happy because we are still not focused on His desire. However, if out of love we would reject our person and take Him as our person, we would not only follow the Lord but inquire of Him. For example, we would say, “Lord, are You going to the store? If You are not going, I will not go.” If we go to the store because He is going, we should still inquire of Him before buying anything. Such a practice is not related to fearing the Lord but to loving Him and desiring to take Him as our person.
If we reach this stage, we will know the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge, and we will apprehend the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth of our immeasurable Lord. Further, we will be renewed in the spirit of our mind, having put off the old man and having put on the new man. The new man is the church; we will put on the church practically and live the church life practically. To put off the old man is to put off our former manner of living in human society, and to put on the new man is to put on the church and live the church life (Eph. 4:22, 24).
This is the goal that the Lord desires to reach today. May He have mercy on us and lead us toward this goal. I believe that in the near future, the Lord will bring the churches in every place into a condition in which many lovers of Christ will experience not only His power, life, and grace but also His person. Thus, we will let Him make His home in our hearts. The Spirit of the Lord in our spirit will spread to our mind and become the spirit of the mind (v. 23). In this renewed spirit of the mind we will put off our former manner of living and put on the life of the new man, the church. When this occurs, the bride will be ready to receive the Bridegroom.
