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In this lesson and the next we will see that through the experience of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the believers have the highest standard of morality and virtues.
In the New Testament salvation is based on the principle of faith; it has nothing to do with the law. The believers have been saved through faith, not through the keeping of the law. However, after they are saved, they must live a life that has a standard of morality higher than that of the old law. They should not think that, just because God does not deal with them according to the principle of the law but according to the principle of faith, they should not care for the moral commandments of the law. On the contrary, their standard of morality must be far higher than that of the requirements of the law.
When we speak of the highest standard of morality, we are not using the word morality in a traditional way. Rather, we are referring to the highest standard of morality and virtues achieved through the dispensing of the processed Triune God. The highest standard of morality is the standard of life required by God. It is the living of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose life was a composition of God with the divine attributes and man with the human virtues. He lived such a life on earth in which the attributes of God were expressed in the virtues of man. God’s intention in His New Testament economy is that all the believers in Christ would become a reproduction of Christ, the God-man, in order to express Him in all the human virtues created by God for man. With the divine attributes of the God-man these virtues are strengthened, enriched, uplifted, and filled.
In God’s eyes the church, the masterpiece of God’s work, is the highest poetry (Eph. 2:10), expressing God’s infinite wisdom and divine design. This masterpiece is an absolutely new item in the universe; it is something newly originated by God. As the believers, we compose God’s masterpiece and are absolutely new because we are the mingling of God and man. As God’s masterpiece, we have been created “for good works, which God prepared beforehand in order that we would walk in them” (v. 10). However, the good works for which God created us are not the good things according to our general natural concept but the definite good things that God preplanned and ordained for us to walk in. These good things include doing His will, living the church life, and bearing the testimony of Jesus.
In Titus 2:14 Paul says that Christ “gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness and purify to Himself a particular people as His unique possession, zealous of good works.” This means that Christ gave Himself not only that He might redeem us from all lawlessness (1 Cor. 6:20; 1 Pet. 1:18-19; 1 Tim. 2:6) but also that He might purify to Himself a particular people (Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18) as His unique possession and personal treasure (1 Pet. 2:9; Exo. 19:5). As such a people, we should be zealous of good works. We, the believers in Christ, have been created in Christ for good works and redeemed by Christ to be His people, zealous of good works.
In order to have the highest standard of morality and virtues, we need to be regulated by four governing principles.
The first governing principle is in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “All things are lawful to me, but not all things are profitable.” According to the context of the entire book of 1 Corinthians, Paul’s thought is that all things are lawful to us, but not all things are good, profitable, convenient, or economical for us to live the Christian life, the church life, and the Body life.
The second governing principle is also in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything.” The Greek words rendered “be brought under the power of” literally mean to “be brought under the authority of.” Paul is saying that we should not be brought under the authority of anything. This is subjective. Paul’s thought is that all things are under our authority, but we must not be brought under the authority of anything. Hence, he says that all things are permissible, allowable, and lawful to us, but we must not be ruled, enslaved, or brought under the authority, the control, of anything. When we consider whether or not to do a certain thing, we should ask ourselves if we are under the power or control of that thing. If a particular thing controls us or has power over us, we should not do it. We must fully deal with anything that has power over us.
First Corinthians 10:23 speaks of the third governing principle: “All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” Not being brought under the power of anything concerns ourselves and is personal, subjective; building up concerns others and is corporate. First Corinthians emphasizes the matter of building up (3:9-10, 12; 8:1). When Paul uses the words build up in verse 23 of chapter 10, he is referring not only to the edification of individual believers but also to the building up of the corporate Body of Christ (14:4-5, 12; Eph. 4:16). In all that we do we must take care of things, ourselves, and others. Concerning things, everything we do must be profitable. Concerning ourselves, everything we do should not be a bondage, a slavery, to us. Concerning others, everything we do must build up others.
First Corinthians 10:31 speaks of the fourth governing principle: “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” To do all to the glory of God means to do all in order to express God. According to the context of 1 Corinthians 6:13 through 11:1, to glorify God means in particular that we need to glorify God in our body (6:20). Hence, to glorify God is to let God, who dwells in us (1 John 4:13), occupy and saturate our body and express Himself through our body as His temple, especially in the two matters of eating and marriage. For this, we need to exercise severe and strict control over our body, bringing it into subjection (1 Cor. 9:27) and presenting it to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1).
First Corinthians 6:12; 10:23; and 10:31 have four basic principles for regulating the conduct of New Testament believers. First, all things are lawful to the believers, but all things must also be profitable, that is, not causing the suffering of any loss. Second, the believers must not be brought under the power, the control, the authority, of anything. Third, everything the believers do must build up others. Fourth, whatever the believers do, must be done to the glory of God. If a certain matter does not pass the test of these four principles, we should not do it.
As believers in Christ, we are not under the law. Nevertheless, we still need to be regulated by these four governing principles. However, in practice we may find it very difficult to live according to these principles. This is why we need the dispensing of the processed Triune God. To live according to these principles is to take the narrow way that leads to life (Matt. 7:14). In order to take this narrow way we need to apply Christ to every situation, because it is difficult for us to be released from our habits. We need the Triune God and His dispensing.
In Matthew 5:20 the Lord Jesus said, “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” Surpassing righteousness is the condition for entering into the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens in the millennium. This righteousness refers not only to the redeeming Christ, who becomes our objective righteousness when we believe in Him and receive Him so that we were justified before God (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:26), but much more to the indwelling Christ, who lives out of us as our subjective righteousness so that we may live in the reality of the kingdom today and enter into its manifestation in the future. This subjective righteousness is obtained through fulfilling the new law for the kingdom of the heavens given by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 5:17-48. The righteousness of the believers according to the new law of the kingdom surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees according to the old law. It is impossible for our natural life to gain this surpassing righteousness. Such righteousness can be produced only by a higher life, the resurrection life of Christ. By keeping the highest law to the highest standard of morality, we fulfill the condition for entering into the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens.
The Lord Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to the judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the judgment of the Sanhedrin; and whoever says, Moreh, shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire” (vv. 21-22). The word Raca is an expression of contempt, meaning “stupid, good-for-nothing.” The word Moreh, which is more serious than the expression of contempt, Raca, means “fool,” indicating a rebel (Num. 20:10). The law of the old dispensation deals with the act of murder, but the new law of the kingdom deals with anger, the motive of murder. Hence, the demand of the new law of the kingdom is deeper than the requirement of the law of the old dispensation. How difficult it is to fulfill the requirement of the Lord Jesus and control our anger and temper! It is also difficult not to condemn a brother nor hold him in contempt. Therefore, we should have no confidence in our natural life but enjoy Christ’s overcoming life through the divine dispensing.
Matthew 5:27 and 28 say, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The law of the old dispensation deals with the outward act of adultery (Exo. 20:14; Deut. 5:18), whereas the new law of the kingdom deals with the inward motive of the heart. Our temper and our lust constantly damage and trouble us. In order to live up to a moral standard that is higher than that of the old law, we must overcome our temper and our lust. In order to do this, we need Christ, and we need another life—the divine life. How we need to stay with Christ! We must contact Him not only day by day but even hour by hour. Because of the anger and lust within us, we need to remain in constant fellowship with the Lord, continually experiencing the dispensing of the processed Triune God. The divine life can fulfill the highest standard and can overcome our anger and lust.
We need to be clear that we are not keeping the law. Rather, we are walking according to the spirit. Romans 7 clearly reveals that the more we try to keep the law, the more we break it. But if we walk according to the spirit, we will spontaneously fulfill all the requirements of the law (8:4). Today we are neither under the law nor obliged to keep the law. We are walking according to the spirit. Within our spirit there is Christ, who is the resurrection life. If we walk according to the spirit, we will fulfill the highest requirements of the law, overcoming our anger and our lust, and live out the highest standard of morality.
Matthew 5:31 and 32 say, “It was said, Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the cause of fornication, causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries her who has been divorced commits adultery.” In His original design for marriage, God ordained one wife for one husband. The marriage tie can be broken only by death (Rom. 7:3) or fornication. Hence, to have a divorce for any other reason is to commit adultery (Matt. 19:9). Due to the weakness and hardness of heart of the children of Israel, when the law was given, Moses gave a man permission to divorce his wife with a certificate of divorce. However, this was the law of the old dispensation concerning divorce; it was not according to God’s design in the beginning (vv. 7-8). What the Lord Jesus proclaimed concerning marriage in the new law of the kingdom changed the way of the old dispensation. The Lord’s new decree changed the law concerning divorce and recovered marriage back to God’s original intention (vv. 4-6). Hence, only two things can break the marriage tie: the death of one of the parties or fornication. Therefore, concerning the highest standard of morality in the Christian life, not divorcing surpasses divorcing one’s wife with a certificate of divorce.
The old law regarding swearing was that we should not break an oath. The new law forbids the believers to swear in any manner: “Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘You shall not break an oath, but you shall render to the Lord your oaths.’ But I tell you not to swear at all; neither by heaven, because it is the throne of God; nor by the earth, because it is the footstool of His feet; nor unto Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King; neither shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black” (5:33-36). We are not to swear by heaven, by the earth, unto Jerusalem, or by our head, because heaven, the earth, Jerusalem, and our head are not under our control but under God’s control.
Apart from that, the highest standard of morality also requires that our word be simple and true. “Let your word be, Yes, yes; No, no; for anything more than these is of the evil one” (v. 37). Instead of trying to convince others with many words, we should be brief and clear in our speaking. We should be able to say, “Yes, yes; No, no.” We need to see a crucial matter, which is that the evil one seeks an opportunity to express himself through our excessive talking. Therefore, we should not say more than is necessary to avoid letting the evil one be expressed.
Although “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exo. 21:24) of the old law is fair, just, and righteous, it is too low and is not the highest standard of morality. The Lord said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you not to resist him who is evil; rather whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:38-39). The new law given by the Lord tells the believers not to resist one who is evil. If someone slaps us on our right cheek, we should turn to him the other also; if someone wishes to take our tunic, we should yield to him our cloak also; and if someone compels us to go one mile, we should go two miles with him (vv. 39-41). To resist by claiming an eye for an eye means that we are releasing our temper. Through the divine dispensing we, the believers in Christ, can be above our temper, not resisting an evil one. We have the power to suffer and to be meek instead of resisting, and we have the power to walk not in the flesh nor in the soul for our own interest but in the spirit for the kingdom, practicing a living with the highest standard of morality.
Legally speaking, the old law—to love our neighbor and hate our enemy—is fair and righteous, for a neighbor deserves our love and an enemy deserves our hatred. However, the Lord requires us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may become sons of your Father who is in the heavens, because He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (vv. 43-45). Such an exhortation touches our natural being and reveals how much the divine life within us can do for us.
The Lord Jesus said that if we love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, we behave as sons of the heavenly Father. As sons of our Father, we should deal with the evil and the unjust as we deal with the good and the just (v. 45), love not only those who love us but also love those who do not love us (v. 46), and greet not only our brothers but also greet others (v. 47). To live in such a way is to be virtuous sons of our heavenly Father. Through the divine dispensing, we need to practice this high standard of morality and virtue and thereby live in the reality of the kingdom of the heavens.
The demand of the new law of the kingdom is much higher than the requirement of the law of the old dispensation. This higher demand can be met only by the Father’s life, not by our natural life. We are the Father’s children, having His divine life and divine nature. Hence, we can be perfect as our Father is perfect. For this reason, Matthew 5:48 says, “You therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
The kingdom of the heavens is the highest demand, and the life of the Father is the highest supply to meet that demand. The divine life within us not only enables us to fulfill all the requirements of the law in Matthew 5 through 7; it can even make us perfect just as our heavenly Father is perfect. Since we are the Father’s children, we do not need to copy or imitate Him. We just need to grow in His life, and we will be the same as He is. Our only need is to be exposed so that we give up all hope in ourselves. When we are exposed, we realize that our natural life is hopeless. Then we renounce our natural life, turn to the life of our Father, and stay with the divine nature. Spontaneously, this life will grow in us and fulfill the requirements of this highest law.
In His eternal economy God has ordained that His many sons should be like Christ, His firstborn Son. Because we have been born of God the Father, there is no reason or excuse for us not to be like our Father. The Father has begotten us, He has imparted His life into us, and He has given us His nature for our enjoyment. Now He is waiting for us to enjoy Him. The divine life brings us into His fellowship, and in this fellowship we enjoy the Father in His life and nature. Therefore, it is actually easy and normal for us, as sons of the Father, to be perfect as He is perfect. The way to be perfect is to remain in the divine fellowship so as to receive and enjoy continually the dispensing of the processed Triune God.
Through the experience of the dispensing of the Divine Trinity, the believers can have the highest standard of morality and virtues. Although they have been saved through faith and not through keeping the law, now that they are saved, they must live a life with a standard of morality that is higher than that of the old law. We have been created for good works, which God prepared beforehand in order that we should walk in them. Christ gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify to Himself a particular people as His unique possession. As such a people, we should be zealous of good works.
In order to live out the highest standard of morality and virtues, we need to be regulated by four governing principles. Concerning things, all things are lawful to us, but not all things are profitable. Concerning ourselves, all things are lawful to us, but we should not be brought under the power of anything. Concerning others, all things are lawful, but not all things build up. Concerning God, whatever we do, we do all to the glory of God. In practice, we may find it very difficult to live according to these principles. Hence, we need the dispensing of the processed Triune God.
By keeping the highest law to the highest standard of morality, the believers fulfill the condition for entering into the coming manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens. The law of the old dispensation deals with the act of murder and adultery, but the new law of the kingdom deals with anger and the inward motive of the heart. Within our spirit there is Christ, who is the resurrection life. Therefore, if we walk according to the spirit, we will fulfill the highest requirements of the law, overcoming our anger and our lust, and we will live out the highest standard of morality. In addition, the highest standard of morality includes not divorcing and not swearing. Through experiencing the divine dispensing, we are able to turn the left cheek plus the right to the evil one, to let him have our cloak plus our tunic, and to go two miles instead of one mile when compelled. Not resisting an evil one surpasses practicing an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. As sons of the heavenly Father, we love our enemies and pray for our persecutors, which surpasses loving our neighbor and hating our enemy. We have been born of our Father, so the divine life brings us into His fellowship, and in this fellowship we enjoy the Father’s life and nature. Therefore, as sons of the Father, we can be perfect as He is perfect.
