Ephesians presents several aspects of the church. Chapter 1 shows that the church is the Body of Christ (v. 23). Chapter 2 shows that the church is a dwelling place, a building (vv. 19-22). Chapter 5 shows that the church is a wife to match a husband (vv. 25-27). Chapter 6 shows that the church is a fighter, a warrior (vv. 10-18). Hence, Ephesians gives four different expressions concerning the church: the Body, the dwelling place, the wife, and the warrior.
The Body is also spoken of in Romans and 1 Corinthians. The dwelling place, the building, is seen in 1 Corinthians 3 and in 1 Peter 2 as well. Concerning the church, Revelation 12:1 speaks of “a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon underneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” This woman symbolizes the totality of God’s people on earth, including the church in the New Testament age. Then in chapter 21, concerning the New Jerusalem, we see the bride of the Lamb. Therefore, in Revelation the church is both the wife of the Lamb and the city. Therefore, there are five items concerning the church: the Body, the dwelling place, the wife, the warrior, and the city. Although these five items are different, they have a common characteristic.
We know that a body is for the expression of a head. The head is expressed through the body, and it also lives and moves through the body. If we do not have a body, we cannot express ourselves, nor can we live and move. Christ the Head can express Himself, live out Himself, and do what He desires in the universe only through the church as the Body. Therefore, we must remember three points when we speak of the Body: the Body is for expression, living, and moving. Our Lord has accomplished His redemptive work and is in the heavens. However, He is still expressing Himself, living out Himself, and ushering in His move and work on earth through the church, His Body. Therefore, the church as the Body of Christ is the continuation of Christ in time and the spread of Christ in space (Eph. 1:23).
For two thousand years Christ has been visible on earth. However, this Christ is not the individual Christ but the universal Christ. This is because in His ascension He has obtained a universal Body that exists in time and space. Through such a universal Body Christ expresses Himself, lives out Himself and moves and works in this universe.
A dwelling place is where a person resides and rests. God’s dwelling place is where He resides and finds rest. If we understand the Bible and touch God’s heart, we will sense that in Genesis God was searching for a dwelling place; He could be compared to a homeless person. In Genesis 1 and 2 God did not seem to have a resting place, a home where He could reside. If we touch God’s feeling in the Scriptures, we will sympathize with God. Although God has the heavens as His dwelling place in the universe, this does not satisfy His heart’s desire; He needs a dwelling place more suitable to His nature. In Exodus the thought of God’s need for a dwelling place was revealed after He saved the Israelites out of Egypt. God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle for Him to dwell in (25:8-9); this tabernacle signifies man. When the condition of the Israelites was proper before God, He had a resting place among them.
According to the Scriptures, David was a man according to God’s heart (Acts 13:22); he understood God’s heart. David’s desire to find a resting place for Jehovah was most pleasing to God (Psa. 132:5). In David’s time, the Ark, which represented God, was separated from the tabernacle (1 Sam. 4:22—5:1). The Ark was like a man wandering without a resting place. David eventually brought the Ark back (2 Sam. 6:12-15). When he was dwelling in a house of cedar, he remembered God. David was reminded that God did not have a dwelling place and desired to build a dwelling place for God because God did not have a dwelling place. This desire was pleasing to God (7:1-3). Now God desires to work in a group of people through grace to make them into a dwelling place (vv. 11-14). During David’s time, God did not allow him to build His dwelling place by his own strength. Solomon, the son of David, built the temple for God (1 Kings 6—8). When the building of the temple was completed, the glory of God filled the temple (8:10-11). At this time God was exceedingly joyful.
In the New Testament God has a spiritual dwelling place, which is the church (Eph. 2:22; 1 Pet. 2:5). Today God has a dwelling place on earth, a place where He can settle down. This place is the church, which is according to His heart. The New Jerusalem, the tabernacle of God among men, will be manifested in eternity. God will tabernacle with man eternally, settle down in man, and enjoy rest with man eternally (Rev. 21:3). Therefore, God’s dwelling place is where God finds rest. The church is such a dwelling place to God. Where should people go to find God today? They should go to the church. We can find and meet God only when we come to the church, the house of God. The church is God’s dwelling place, the place where God resides.
The church is the wife of Christ, the counterpart of Christ. The church as the wife of Christ matches Christ. In Genesis 2:18 God said that it is not good for man to be alone; this word reveals God’s heart. God felt that it was not good for Him to be alone; He needed a counterpart, the church. Christ needs the church to be His counterpart. When we see the husband of a couple, we are seeing only half of the couple; there is another half. Both a husband and a wife need to be together to be complete.
For example, if a gourd is cut into two, neither half is complete. Likewise, if a watermelon is cut into two, neither half is complete. It is not complete until both halves are together. In the same way, without man as His match, God is short of His counterpart. This means that without the church, Christ is short of His counterpart. God built the woman in Genesis 2 to match Adam. The church matches Christ as His counterpart. If there is no church, Christ is short of His counterpart. In the universe, God has been longing to find a counterpart for His Son, Christ; that counterpart is the church. The church is the bride of Christ to match Christ.
The church as a warrior is for fighting. The warrior in Ephesians 6 is not an individual saint but the corporate church. The armor in verses 10 through 20 is for the Body, not for an individual. No spiritual believer as an individual can richly experience all the items of the armor. When John Bunyan wrote Pilgrim’s Progress, the light concerning the church was not clear. Therefore, he likened the warrior in Ephesians 6 to an individual saint. The warrior in chapter 6 is the church, not an individual; the armor is also a corporate armor, not the armor for an individual saint. Only the church in oneness can experience all the riches of the whole armor of God. God has been hindered from carrying out His purpose by His enemy, Satan. Therefore, in order to accomplish His will, God needs to deal with His enemy through warfare. Ephesians shows how the church fights for God. God deals with His enemy through the church in order to accomplish His will. Therefore, the church is a spiritual warrior, fighting for God to accomplish His purpose.
The city is the aggregate of the four previously mentioned items: the Body, the dwelling place, the wife, and the warrior. The city is the Body of Christ throughout eternity. Christ will be expressed through the city and live in the city. The city is an enlarged dwelling place. In this age, the church is a dwelling place, a temple for God to dwell in; in eternity, this dwelling place will be enlarged, becoming a city. The city is the bride of Christ; the bride and the city are actually one. The city is a warrior, but in eternity, when God’s enemy is completely dealt with, there will be no darkness, no death, and no need for fighting. The city is an aggregate of the many statuses of the church.
In relation to authority, when the city is manifested, authority will be fully manifested. Authority can be seen in the Body, the dwelling place, the wife, and the warrior. Especially during warfare, anyone who cannot submit to authority has no place as a warrior; soldiers must submit absolutely to authority. In addition, a city implies ruling. In the holy city, New Jerusalem, God’s authority is firmly established; the throne of God with His authority is in the city (Rev. 22:3). God reigns over the nations through this city, and this city is where God executes His authority. The Lord’s reigning forever and ever is also a matter of authority. Therefore, the city denotes God’s authority and ruling.
We need to see that the Body, the dwelling place, the bride, and the warrior are for the exercise of authority; these items have one goal, the establishment of God’s authority so that God’s glory can be expressed. In Revelation 21—22 God’s authority is as secure as the city. This is accomplished through God’s building work throughout the generations. In this city there is the throne of God, signifying God’s authority, and there is the life of God as its content. Everything of God is in this city; God can move and rule to express Himself in this city. Through this ruling, God’s glory can shine forth, and God will bring the whole universe into harmonious order so that the whole universe can express God’s glory in an orderly manner.