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Scripture Reading: Rom. 16:1-25; 14:1-3, 10, 12, 15, 17; 15:5, 7; Eph. 4:3; 6:12
The book of Romans, a book on the full gospel of God, consummates in its last three chapters, chapters 14 through 16, in a particular revelation of the practice of the local churches, after the unveiling of God’s full and complete salvation in chapters 1 through 13. This full and complete salvation is composed of two aspects: the objective aspect of redemption, including forgiveness, justification, and reconciliation; and the subjective saving, including reigning in life, dispositional sanctification by the indwelling Spirit, the freeing of the law of the Spirit of life, the dispensing of the Triune God into our tripartite being, the renewing of our mind issuing in the transformation of our soul, and being built up in the Body of Christ (these being the six items that we have covered in the preceding chapters), and the two succeeding items, conformation to the image of the Son of God and the redemption of our body (which we will cover in the last chapter). Having participated in the first six items of God’s saving in the life of Christ, we will be well enabled to live a proper church life in a definite locality as a local expression of the Body of Christ to be a local testimony of Christ according to God’s New Testament economy.
The book of Romans not only has a rich content regarding God’s complete salvation conveyed in His full gospel; it also has a definite goal, which is the practice of the church life. The experience of the first six aspects of being saved in the life of Christ, which we have seen in the first thirteen chapters of Romans, makes it possible to enter into the experience of the living of a proper church life in many localities. This is according to God’s desire as the good pleasure of His heart, which He arranged in eternity in His eternal economy (Eph. 3:9-11).
The living of the church life in a locality saves us from our self-view, self-goal, and divisions (Rom. 16:1-25). Each of us has his own view and goal. In the church life there should be only one view and one goal. Without a unique view and a unique goal it is impossible to have the genuine church life. We will be divided because of our different views and goals. A number of saints may begin to meet in a certain locality. But if all the brothers and sisters have different goals and views, division will result. The living of the proper church life in a locality will save us from our different views and goals. Eventually, by being saved from our own views and goals, we are saved from division.
In the living of the church life in a locality, our living is local, but our fellowship should be both local and universal (vv. 1, 16b, 22-23). We should fellowship not only with the brothers and sisters in our own locality but also with the brothers and sisters in all the other localities. In this way our fellowship is universal. If I live in Yorba Linda, I should fellowship with all the churches in Southern California. The church life is both local and universal, but it is universal to a greater extent than it is local. In the churches we must exercise to have fellowship with Taipei, London, New York, Zurich, and all the churches around the globe.
In the living of the church life in a locality, we must receive all the believers according to God’s receiving (14:1-3). We must be able to receive the genuine believers of all kinds: Pentecostal, fundamental, Seventh-day Adventists, and all others. To have the church life we must be all-inclusive, receiving all the believers in Christ. This kind of receiving is according to God’s receiving. We must receive the genuine believers because God has received them. In order to have the Body life of Romans 12, we must practice the principles unveiled in Romans 14 and 15 concerning the receiving of the believers. We must be able to receive those who keep certain days and those who do not keep any days (14:5), those who eat only vegetables and those who eat meat (v. 2).
We must receive the believers in the light of the judgment seat of Christ (vv. 10, 12). In receiving the believers, we surely need to exercise a certain amount of discernment. However, we should not overjudge others in our unbalanced concept and in our personal preference. When we are about to judge another Christian, we must realize that we ourselves have many shortcomings and weak points that need to be judged. Therefore, we should not judge others today according to our view. All the believers, including us, will be judged at the judgment seat of Christ. We should receive every believer in the light of this judgment.
The church life is altogether a life of love. The Lord has charged us with this more than strongly in John 13:34-35 and 15:12 and 17; the apostles also repeated the Lord’s charge to us (1 Thes. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 2:10; 3:14; 4:7). In receiving the believers, we must do it in the principle of love (Rom. 14:15a). Whatever we would do and say to other believers must be based on and controlled by the divine love that we have enjoyed and continue to enjoy all the time. We must not forget that all the believers are a treasure to the Lord in His affection because He has obtained them with His own blood in His love (Acts 20:28; Eph. 5:25b). We need to walk in love toward them. We should not destroy by anything the believers for whom Christ died (Rom. 14:15b).
This kind of receiving of the believers for the proper church life is according to the kingdom life. Romans 14:17 says, “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” The church life, which is God’s kingdom life today, is a matter of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. God’s kingdom life is not a matter of diet, nor of the keeping of days, nor of any kind of formality and custom, but a matter of the reality of the divine life in the Spirit of God, such as righteousness in strictness toward ourselves, peace in the all-embracing love toward others, and joy in the exulting praise toward God. Our receiving of the believers must be in such a sphere with such an atmosphere.
Our receiving of the believers should also be according to Christ (15:5), who did not please Himself (v. 3). We should take Christ as our pattern, our center, and our everything in the practice of the church life. Whether or not we receive someone depends on whether or not Christ has received him. If Christ has received someone, we must receive him, as Christ also received us to the glory of God (v. 7).
The living of the church life in a locality also involves turning away from those who make divisions and causes of stumbling (16:17-18). The present rebellion among us involves mainly two things: divisions and causes of stumbling. Those involved in the present rebellion are attempting to proselytize the saints, to make them leave the recovery. If they are unsuccessful at this, they try to cause the saints to be disappointed. This disappointment causes the saints to stumble. In Romans 14 and 15 Paul encourages us to be all-embracing concerning the believers. But in Romans 16 Paul tells us to turn away from those who make divisions and causes of stumbling (v. 17). We should be all-inclusive toward the believers, but we still need to have some discernment for the keeping of the oneness of the Body of Christ. We must discern what we should receive and what we should turn away from. Chapters 14, 15, and 16 of Romans are all on the proper church life. To have the proper church life we must practice according to these three chapters. First, we must receive all the believers; second, we must be all-embracing toward the believers; and third, we must exercise discernment concerning the divisive ones and those who make causes of stumbling. To turn away from the divisive ones and those who make causes of stumbling is to quarantine these divisive ones. When a person in a family is sick with a contagious disease, the members of the family turn away from the infected person so that they will not be contaminated with the same disease. If they do not turn away from the infected member, they may become infected themselves and spread the contagious germs to other members of their family. This does not mean that the members of the family do not love the infected member or have given him up; it simply means that the other members want to prevent the spread of the contagious germs.
The living of the church life in a locality must be by standing on the unique ground of oneness locally. Locally, we must stand firm on the unique ground of oneness. The standing of the church should be the ground of genuine oneness. This oneness is on the ground of locality where we live. Hence, there can be only one church in one locality (Rev. 1:11). This is our definite and firm standing, and we must hold to this firm standing.
The living of the church life in a locality also includes the keeping of the unique oneness of the Body of Christ universally (Eph. 4:3). We are not only standing on the unique ground of oneness locally but also keeping the fellowship with all the churches around the globe. If we do not fellowship with all the churches universally, we are sectarian. Some of the saints may feel that they cannot have the church life with other saints in a certain locality. They may realize that to form another group in that locality would be a division. Therefore, they may go to another city in order to separate themselves from the other believers. Actually, to go to another place in this way is still something of division, making themselves a local sect instead of a local church. The reason such a meeting in another locality would be divisive is because the fellowship is not universal with all the churches on the globe. The Body of Christ is one, universally expressed in every locality around the globe. Locally, we need to stand on the local ground; universally, we need to maintain the universal fellowship in order to keep the unique oneness of the Body of Christ.
We are saved in the life of Christ from the aerial power of darkness by destroying Satan (Rom. 16:20; Eph. 6:12). We need to be saved from the power in the air; this power is Satan. Romans 16:20 says, “Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.” Today Satan should not be in the air above us; he should be under our feet (Eph. 1:22). When we are in the proper church life, Satan is under our feet. In Matthew 16:18 the Lord Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.” If we would overcome the power of Satan, we must be built up; that is, we must have the church life. The built-up church can overcome the power of Satan. In the proper church life Satan is crushed under our feet so that the kingdom of God may be brought in. The church life in a locality is the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17), even the kingdom life. This kingdom is in contrast with the power in the air, the power of Satan.
In the church life Satan is crushed under our feet by the God of peace being our portion (16:20). When we enjoy our God as the God of peace, He has the opportunity to destroy His enemy, Satan, and He crushes him under our feet so that we may partake more of His fullness in abundance.
When the enemy Satan is crushed under our feet in the church life, we enjoy Christ as our grace, our life supply. Peace is God Himself for us to remain in, and grace is Christ Himself for us to enjoy. When we live a proper church life and Satan is crushed under our feet, we remain in God as peace and enjoy Christ as grace. What a wonderful life this is! This is the blessed conclusion of the book of Romans, issuing from God’s full salvation, consisting of His redemption through Christ’s death and His saving in Christ’s life.
