Scripture Reading: Col. 3:12-16; Eph. 2:14-18
In Colossians 3 and 4 there are a number of points, arranged in an excellent sequence, related to the proper Christian walk. If we would have a proper Christian life, we first need to set our mind on the things above. As we have pointed out, these things are related to what Christ is doing in heaven. As the High Priest, Christ is interceding for us. As the heavenly Minister, He is dispensing the riches of life into us. As the divine Administrator, He is executing God’s economy. Christ’s ministry in heaven is for the building up of His Body. He desires to build up the church so that He may have His bride. In our Christian walk we need to set our mind on the things above.
Following the setting of the mind on the things above is the renewing of the new man. Apparently there is no connection between setting our mind on the things above and the renewing of the new man. Actually, according to our experience, these two matters are closely related. The renewing of the new man is fully dependent on our setting the mind on the things above. The reason for this is that a spiritual transmission is involved. When we set our mind on the things above, we open our being to what is taking place in heaven. We also respond to Christ’s ministry in heaven and reflect it. Simultaneously, the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit flows into us. This transmission may be illustrated by electricity. On the one hand, electricity is in the power plant; on the other hand, it is in our homes. Between these two ends, the power plant and our homes, a transmission is taking place. This transmission is called the flow of the current of electricity. The current of electricity is actually electricity itself in motion. In the same principle, between Christ in heaven and us on earth, there is a divine transmission, the flowing of the life-giving Spirit. By means of this transmission, heaven and earth are brought together. Those with experience realize that this is not a dream or a religious superstition. It is a divine, heavenly, and spiritual reality. The heavenly electricity is flowing, and it joins heaven and earth.
The all-inclusive life-giving Spirit is the issue of Christ’s redemption. Galatians 3:14 indicates that Christ has redeemed us so that we may receive the Spirit. Christ accomplished redemption not merely to save us from sin, but even the more to impart Himself into us as the life-giving Spirit. Praise the Lord that in the universe there is a wonderful, heavenly, divine “electricity” — the life-giving Spirit! When we open our being and set our mind on the things above, this Spirit transmits the riches of the divine life into us. All we need to do is “switch on” and the heavenly current flows. The way to “switch on” is to set our mind on the things above. This causes the heavenly transmission to function in our experience to bring the divine essence of Christ into us. The more this essence is added into our being, the more we experience the renewing of the new man.
Renewing is different from teaching. We may be taught about God without having anything of the divine substance added into our being. Renewing depends on the transmission of the divine substance into us. The more the divine element is added to us, the more we are renewed. Most of today’s Christians do not experience this renewing. What they have is merely teaching. By the Lord’s mercy, our aim in His recovery is not to pass on mere teachings, but to help the saints to experience the divine transmission. In the ministry we wish to share the revelation from the Word of God. Then as the saints have the hearing of faith and open to the Lord, “switching on” by setting their mind on the things above, they will be supplied by the heavenly transmission. At times we may be sad or depressed. But if we open to the heavenly transmission, we shall be filled with joy. We may even want to shout and praise the Lord. The reason for this change is that the heavenly transmission brings the divine element into our being. This is what produces the renewing, which affects our mind, emotion, and will. It is crucial for us to see the connection between the renewing of the new man and setting our mind on the things above.
According to the sequence of chapter three of Colossians, after the setting of the mind on the things above and the renewing of the new man, we have the peace of Christ arbitrating in our heart (v. 15). Do you know what the peace of Christ is? This term is used just once in the New Testament. Elsewhere, in Romans and in Philippians, Paul speaks of the God of peace. Moreover, at the beginning of his Epistles he invariably has a word about grace and peace. But in Colossians 3:15 he tells us that the peace of Christ should arbitrate in our hearts. We should not assume that we understand what it means for the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts. Instead of taking this word for granted, we should exercise to get the proper understanding.
According to the context of Colossians 3, when we set our mind on the things above, the divine element is transmitted into us for the renewing of the new man. As the new man is being renewed, we should allow the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts. The renewing of the new man is actually the spreading of the new man within us. As the new man spreads, we need to let the peace of Christ arbitrate within us.
It is very easy in the church life to offend one another or to make one another unhappy. In the matter of arranging chairs in the meeting hall, a brother may be unhappy if the arrangement is not according to his opinion. But if we open to the Lord when we are offended and tell Him that we love Him, something heavenly will be transmitted into us. Then spontaneously we shall be happy with the one who offended us. This is an example of the peace of Christ arbitrating in our heart.
This arbitrating peace preserves the oneness in the church life. The divisions caused by different opinions are a serious damage to the church life and cut the new man into pieces. But the arbitrating peace of Christ brought in by the heavenly transmission keeps us in oneness and preserves the new man.
I can testify that often, when I have been unhappy with someone in the church life, I have contacted the Lord and called on His name. Many times I say, “Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your presence, for Your anointing, and for everything You have been to me.” When I give thanks to the Lord in this way, the divine transmission begins to work. After a few minutes, I may be so full that I am beside myself with joy. Then spontaneously I begin to count the one who made me unhappy better than myself. When I see him the next time, I have no problem with him. Because I experience the Lord’s transmission and arbitration, I do not have problems with any of the saints in the Lord’s recovery.
When a local church is first established, the saints may experience a church-life honeymoon. But just as there is no permanent honeymoon in married life, there is no permanent honeymoon in the church life. Friction develops eventually between the saints. This friction causes the wrinkles Paul speaks of in Ephesians 5. If we do not have the peace of Christ arbitrating in us, wrinkles will continue to develop. But if the heavenly transmission supplies us with the divine element, the wrinkles will be removed metabolically. Then instead of friction there will be the arbitrating peace of Christ.
As fallen people, we were God’s enemies, and there was no peace between us and God. Furthermore, there is no peace among the various peoples on earth, especially between the Jews and the Gentiles. On the cross Christ redeemed us, reconciled us to God, and made peace between us and God. Furthermore, through His death on the cross, Christ abolished the ordinances concerning the different ways of living so that there might be peace among the races and nations (Eph. 2:15-16). Because Christ has abolished the ordinances, He has made peace not only between us and God, but between believers of different races and nationalities. I am pleased that in the Lord’s recovery we have believers from so many different nations and regions. All races are represented. Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition. Furthermore, according to Ephesians 2:14, Christ Himself is our peace. With Christ as our Peacemaker, we now have vertical peace — peace between us and God — and horizontal peace — peace with one another.
If we were not Christians experiencing the transmission of the divine substance into us, there would be no way for our conflicting opinions to be dissolved. Rather, the differences of opinion would increase. The result would be enmity, strife, and, ultimately, fighting. But when we set our mind on the things above and experience the divine transmission, the peace of Christ arbitrates in our hearts. Praise the Lord for every visitation of the peace of Christ! This peace which visits us is actually a wonderful Person, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. This very One is the peace who carries on a work of arbitration within us to keep us at peace with God and with one another.
To say that the peace of Christ arbitrates within us means that it solves the problems caused by quarreling, fighting, or complaining. Such problems often arise between husband and wife. A husband may criticize his wife in a certain way, and she may react by criticizing him. An argument ensues with a bitter exchange of words. After a brother has such an argument with his wife, he may sense a call from the Lord deep within to pray and confess. Then the brother may pray, “Lord, forgive me for arguing with my wife.” The Lord may also indicate that he should go to his wife and apologize. When he asks her to forgive him, he experiences the peace of Christ arbitrating in the relationship between him and his wife.
For the peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts, it must rule in us. It must be enthroned as the ruler and decider. I believe you all have experienced that Someone has been enthroned in you to rule you and make the final decisions. Let us take as an example a brother who is offended by one of the elders. In my early ministry, I would have encouraged the offended brother to love the elder and not to be offended by him. However, from experience I learned that the more I did this, the more the offended one accused me of taking sides with the elder. Eventually I learned that the best thing is simply to pray that the Lord will have mercy on the brother who has been offended. In His mercy, the Lord will come to him and cause him to set his mind on the things above so that once again he can experience the divine transmission which gives rise to the arbitrating peace of Christ. Then, ruled by the peace of Christ, the brother will admit that even though the elder might have been wrong, he himself was wrong to a greater degree. Immediately he will confess to the Lord, receive grace, and have love for that elder. Through the arbitration of the peace of Christ, our problems are solved, and the friction between the saints disappears. Then the church life is preserved, and the new man is maintained in a practical way.
The church life as the life of the new man is preserved not by mere teachings, but by setting our mind on the things above and allowing the heavenly transmission to impart the divine element into us. Then we shall have the renewing of the new man and experience the peace of Christ ruling within us. The peace of Christ is actually Christ Himself in a particular aspect. Hence, the arbitrating of the peace of Christ is Christ working within us to exercise His rule over us, to speak the last word, and to make the final decision. In the case of the brother offended by the elder, Christ’s word is to love that elder, to seek him out for fellowship, and to enjoy the Lord with him. This is Christ enthroned as peace ruling, deciding, and uttering the last word.
In order to have a proper Christian walk and preserve the church life, we need the arbitrating peace of Christ. Otherwise, there will be no way for friction to be dissolved. Only the heavenly Christ, the One who is interceding, ministering, and administrating, can solve our problems and resolve the friction. If a brother and his wife set their mind on Christ in the heavens, they will experience the divine transmission. Then the peace of Christ will arbitrate in them.
In meeting after meeting and in message after message, we desire to minister Christ to the saints. As the saints see the revelation of Christ and experience the arbitrating peace of Christ, the church life will be preserved in freshness.
When the peace of Christ is enthroned in our hearts to be the unique umpire within us, we shall have peace with God vertically and with the saints horizontally. We praise the Lord that we are enjoying peace, and in this peace the church life as the new man is preserved! As the peace of Christ presides in our hearts, the renewing of the new man takes place continually. If we stay under the ruling of the enthroned peace of Christ, we shall not offend others or damage them. Rather, by the Lord’s grace and with His peace, we shall minister life to others. The oneness in a local church and among the churches is not maintained by human endeavoring. It is maintained only by the arbitrating peace of Christ. The management and maintenance of the Lord’s recovery are not our responsibility. All the churches and the recovery as a whole are under the arbitrating peace of Christ. In us Christ is the supplying grace and the arbitrating peace.
We need to allow the arbitrating peace of Christ to be enthroned in us first. Do not ask the Lord to exercise His sovereign rule over your wife or husband. Instead, pray, “Lord, be enthroned in me and exercise Your rule over me.” If instead of praying for yourself to be ruled by the Lord, you ask Him to rule others, the Lord may say, “Let Me first set up My throne in you. Let Me rule you, subdue you, and make the final decisions for you.” If we allow the enthroned peace of Christ to arbitrate in our hearts, our married life, family life, and church life will all be preserved in oneness.
May we be encouraged to set our mind on the things above so that the heavenly transmission may bring the divine substance into our being for the renewing of the new man. Then Christ in the particular aspect of peace will arbitrate in our hearts, and the Lord will have a way to build up the new man and prepare the bride for His coming.
