Item number five says that He, as the pneumatic Christ, is the blessing of the gospel promised by God. This blessing is not the blessing of going to heaven, nor is it merely the blessing of forgiveness of sins. Rather, it is that the Spirit will enter into us to be revealed in us, to live in us, and to be formed in us. Not only is Christ living in us, He has to be formed in us, with the result that we would live to God by Him as the Spirit. This is the Christ in Galatians.
He, as the pneumatic Christ, who has ascended to the heavens and has been exalted by God as the Lord, being the Head of the church, will make His home in the hearts of the believers with His unsearchable riches, that they may be strong to apprehend with all the saints His breadth, length, height, and depth, that they may be filled unto all the fullness of God, which is the full expression of Him. When we are filled with the riches of Christ to become the fullness of God, we are all coordinated together to become the full expression of God, which is the built up church as the Body of Christ who fills all in all. This becomes the holy temple of God, the dwelling place of God in our spirit, the universal new man accomplishing God’s eternal purpose, the counterpart of Christ satisfying Christ’s desire, and the spiritual warrior withstanding God’s enemy. This is the Christ in Ephesians.
Item number seven says that He as the pneumatic Christ is also the Spirit of Jesus Christ who was incarnated, put on humanity, passed through human living, died, and resurrected. As such, He has the bountiful supply. There is a background to the use of the word “supply” in Philippians 1:19. In the choral band of the ancient Greeks, the leader of the band had to supply all the needs of the members, including their food, clothing, dwelling places, and instruments, etc. Whatever the members needed was supplied by the leader of the band. The Greek word here refers to that kind of supply. Such supply is a bountiful supply. This is why some good translations render this word the “bountiful supply.”
Paul used this word to describe the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, which supplies all the needs of those who believe in Him and who live in Him so that they can suffer with Him under all kinds of circumstances by His resurrection power and in conformity to His death, thus living Him and magnifying Him, being enabled to do all things in Him through His empowering, and gaining Him as the righteousness of God manifested in us. This is the Christ in Philippians.
Item number eight says that He as the compound Spirit of such a processed, all-inclusive, life-dispensing Triune God, is typified by the holy ointment in Exodus 30:23-25. This ointment is not merely the pure olive oil, but it is mingled with four kinds of spices. In this compound Spirit is divinity, humanity, human living, the death on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascension. This is the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Not only is He the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of Jesus; He is even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. He is such a compound Spirit. This is why 1 John calls Him the anointing. Oil is of one element; but the anointing ointment is a mingling of many elements.
First John speaks not only about the ointment; it speaks about the anointing. The operation of Christ within us is the anointing. He abides in us as the anointing of the Triune God for the purpose that we would abide in the Son and live in the fellowship of the Father, receiving the anointing of this all-inclusive, compound Spirit to enjoy the eternal life, overcoming sin, the world, and Satan, to live out God’s inward love and outward righteousness.
First John repeatedly emphasizes that those who are born of God love others. Those who are born of God love the brothers, and those who are born of God do not practice unrighteousness. Rather, those who are born of God live out righteousness. Love is inward, while righteousness is outward. How can we live such a life? How can we have this inward love and outward righteousness? It is by the anointing within us. This is the Christ in 1 John.
The foregoing eight items all speak about Christ being in us. But today Christ is not only in us; He is also in the heavens on the throne.
Item number nine says that, in another aspect, He as the ascended Christ is the High Priest in the heavenly tabernacle, interceding for the believers that they would be saved to the uttermost. Not only so, He is also the Mediator of the new covenant, executing the testament of the new covenant. The whole New Testament is not only a book of covenant; it is also a book of bequests, a will for inheritance. Every item in the New Testament is an inheritance from God to us. Christ comes to execute the bequests of this new covenant, supplying the believers with the heavenly life, that they may live a heavenly life on earth and may cooperate with Him as the heavenly Christ to carry out His heavenly ministry on earth. This is the Christ in the book of Hebrews.
From Romans to 1 John, we have the essential Christ. Eventually in the book of Hebrews we have the economical Christ. Essentially speaking, Christ is in us as our life and everything. As far as the divine economy is concerned, Christ is in heaven executing the bequests of the new covenant. At Pentecost when Peter stood up, it was by the economical Christ that he was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. But it was by the essential Christ that the one hundred and twenty disciples were able to persevere in prayer with one accord for ten days, with no opinion among them, and no fear of the threat of the Jews. In prayer meetings we need the essential Christ. But when we preach the gospel, we need the economical Christ.
We have seen that this Triune God was incarnated, put on humanity, passed through human living, died, resurrected, ascended on high, and now has become the life-giving Spirit making home in our heart. This Christ who dwells in us is, at the same time, sitting on the throne in heaven. He dwells in us as our essence, and He sits in the heavens to execute God’s divine New Testament economy. Today He desires that we cooperate with Him to live Him, express Him, preach Him, and propagate Him that we may accomplish God’s eternal purpose. This is the Christ in the Epistles.