The mystery of God is Christ (Col. 2:2), and the mystery of Christ is the church. Reading from Ephesians 3:3 through 4 and onward, we can see that the mystery of Christ is the church. Today whoever wants to find Christ must find the church. God dwells in Christ, and Christ dwells in the church; this is the outline of the mystery in the universe. The mystery of the universe lies in God, the mystery of God lies in Christ, and the mystery of Christ lies in the church. However, the so-called church we see today is different from the church mentioned in the Bible. It has deviated and become empty, without reality. In the Bible, the Lord Jesus also spoke in parables concerning this matter (Matt. 13:24-33; 23:25-28). May all the young people clearly see that even though this universe is a mystery, the unraveling of this mystery is with God; this God is in Christ, this God is Christ, and this Christ is in the proper church.
Speaking on another aspect, this God who is at the center of the mystery in the universe is life. We know that there are five great religions in the world, yet none of the religious founders dared to tell people that he was God; only Jesus Christ said that He is God. Likewise, not one religious founder would dare to tell others that he was life; only Jesus Christ said, “I am...the life; he who believes into Me, even if he should die, shall live” (John 11:25).
Of all the philosophies concerning the normal and accepted way of human relationships, the philosophy taught by Confucius of China may be considered the best and the highest. Moreover, the Chinese philosophy can also be considered the most pure and proper philosophy, without any myths and without any strange or absurd ideas. We all know that Greek philosophy contains many myths, Egyptian philosophy contains even more, and Babylonian philosophy has also quite a few. Only the Confucian philosophy of China solely and purely speaks about ethics and relationships between people. Even so, Confucianism never tells people that it is life.
In the history of humankind and in the writings of the Bible, there is only one person who told people again and again that He is life (v. 25). This person is none other than Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John says that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came that we may have life and may have it abundantly (3:16, 10:10). The writings of John are full of descriptions of life, especially concerning eternal life (3:16). This life does not refer to man’s mortal life, a created and temporary life; it refers to the eternal life of God. He who believes into the Son has eternal life (v. 36).
From the Bible, we see the record of God’s creation of the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 and 2 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. But the earth became waste and emptiness, and darkness was on the surface of the deep.” This shows us that God thoroughly cleared up the universe step by step. Then He caused the dry land to emerge from the waters (v. 9) for vegetation to grow. That was the manifestation of the vegetable life (v. 11). Even though plants have life, their life is shallow, and it is a life of the lowest form, a life without consciousness. God then created fish in the waters, birds in the air, and all kinds of beasts on the earth and caused them to multiply (vv. 21-25); so the animal life was brought forth. Though with the animal life there are distinctions of lower and higher forms, it is still not the highest form of life. Therefore, God made man in His image and according to His likeness (v. 26). Thus, the human life came into being.
A group of so-called scholars place the human life and the animal life in the same category. This is a great insult to us. Among them there was one, Darwin, who placed human beings and monkeys in the same class, saying that human beings evolved from monkeys. If such a theory stands, then today on the earth there should be only monkeys and no human beings, or there should be only human beings and no monkeys; but in actuality that is not true. The Bible ranks the human life as the highest created life, because in God’s creation of all things He did not create those things in His image and according to His likeness. Only in the creation of man did God make him in His image and according to His likeness (v. 26). Therefore, when we look at a mirror and see our face, we are reminded that we all look like God. Regardless of what people say, there is an unchanging fact—we look like God. We all were made in God’s image and according to God’s likeness.
The Bible is truly a book of mysteries. It was not until the New Testament time that God became flesh, becoming in the likeness of man (John 1:14). However, in the Old Testament age, one day God brought with Him two angels to visit Abraham (Gen. 18). I believe that those who have read the Bible will remember the story. When Abraham saw three men approaching from far away, he went forth and received these strangers. One of the three was Jehovah. At the time, this Jehovah bore the human image and had a human body, because He had His feet washed and ate the meal Abraham prepared for Him (vv. 4-8). This is God appearing as a man before His incarnation. This is difficult to explain with human language.
In God’s creation, the human life is the highest form of life. Suppose we gather some cows, sheep, pigs, dogs, and chicken, and then we ask a man to stand in their midst. Who do you think looks the most beautiful? Certainly the man is the most beautiful. Not only is man the best looking, but he is intelligent and wise. Moreover, man’s inward abilities for understanding and judgment are far above all other creatures. For instance, man’s landing on the moon is truly a remarkable accomplishment. Among all of the creatures, what can accomplish such a task? Can a tiger or a lion, or can an eagle or a dove? No, no other animal can accomplish this task except man. The reason that man is the wisest and the most remarkable among all of the creatures is that man was made in God’s image and according to God’s likeness.
Even though man was made in God’s image and according to God’s likeness, he still did not have God’s life within. This can be likened to molding a human statue; while it has the image of a man, it does not have the life of man. Therefore, Genesis 2 shows us that after God created plants, animals, and man, He placed man in front of the tree of life with the intention that man would receive the tree of life (vv. 8-9). Although the human life is the highest form of life, it is not the transcendent life. The transcendent life is the life of God, the eternal life.
Some who study science define eternity as time plus space. Time plus space is eternity, which is unlimited and boundless. In the universe there is a life that is transcendent and eternal, and that is the life of God. The life of man is high, but it is not transcendent because it is merely a brief, created life. Only the life of God is transcendent, because it is eternal and uncreated. This life is just God Himself.
God’s creation in the universe is altogether a matter of life. Take the earth as an example. If there are no plants, animals, or human beings on the earth, the earth would be dead and meaningless. Nobody would want to live on such an earth. Therefore, the creation shows that the universe is a story of life.
Moreover, we know that plants are for the human life and animals are also for the human life. Every plant in the natural world is for man. Some are for man to eat, such as wheat, rice, and various grains; some are for man’s admiration, such as the beautiful flowers and pastures; some are for man to utilize, such as tree bark, stems, and leaves. The same can be said of animals. Some are for man to take in as food, such as chicken, duck, and fish; some are for man’s employment, such as the horse, donkey, and camel. These are all intended for us. In other words, the heavens are for the earth, the earth is for man, and man is for God.
Since man was made in God’s image and according to God’s likeness, the life of man is very similar to the life of God. Those with some knowledge of gardening know that grafting requires the two trees to be of a similar kind. Because our life is similar to God’s life, the two can be grafted into one; the life of God is able to come into our human life.
When religions talk about God, their emphasis is on signs and works of power. They do not talk about life. Yet in many instances where the Bible talks about God, it speaks about life. To us, God is life; He comes to be our life. Even in Christianity there is a group, the Pentecostals, who mostly focus on how God performs miracles, but they never talk about life. That is a great deviation. In the Bible, God comes to us primarily as life, not as power or signs. The emphasis is on His coming into us to be our life.