In the coordination of the Body there are four important points: we need to be joined to the Head, we need to carry out our function, we should not step beyond our limit, and we need to submit to authority. These four points are closely related to coordination. Whenever we speak concerning the coordination of the Body, we must pay attention to these four points. If we neglect any of these points, we will have a problem in coordination.
Let us now consider what is meant by the consciousness of the Body. Although we cannot find this exact expression in the Bible, according to the teaching of the Bible and our experience, there is something called the consciousness of the Body. First Corinthians 12:26-27 says, “Whether one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.” In addition, 2 Corinthians 11:28-29 says, “Apart from the things which have not been mentioned, there is this: the crowd of cares pressing upon me daily, the anxious concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I myself do not burn?” These two references cover a scope that is both great and small. The smaller scope is presented in 1 Corinthians 12, which speaks of all the members suffering with a member who is suffering and of all the members rejoicing with a member who is glorified (v. 26). This clearly refers to the sense in the Body. This is easy to understand if we consider our body. If someone hits us on our ear, our ear feels pain, and the other members of our body also feel pain. It is not possible for only the ear to feel pain while the other members have no feeling. This is very easy to understand.
The greater scope is presented in 2 Corinthians 11:28-29, in which the apostle Paul speaks of his anxious concern for all the churches. His anxiety and even his weakness were a matter of consciousness. When a church was weak, the apostle felt it; when a church had problems, the apostle became anxious. The apostle felt this way concerning the churches and concerning the individual saints. He bore all the churches and had feelings for everything that happened to the churches.
The Epistles written by the apostle Paul, including Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and those addressed to individuals, show his keen sense toward the churches and the saints. Since he bore the churches and the saints, he could sense matters related to the churches and the saints. This is the consciousness of the Body. Second Corinthians 11 shows a great and broad consciousness; 1 Corinthians 12 shows a small and focused consciousness.
Concerning the consciousness of the Body, we need to begin with the sense of the spiritual life. We have spoken much concerning the sense of the spiritual life. We pointed out that the divine life within us has feelings, and our regenerated spirit also has feelings. This is based on Romans 8:6: “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” This verse clearly speaks of an inner sense. It is very simple to know whether a person’s mind is set on the spirit; we simply need to ask him if he has peace within. This peace is a matter of sense. If a person sets his mind on the spirit, he will sense ease, comfort, and peace within.
The divine life is truly a matter of sense. A person who sets his mind on the spirit will sense satisfaction, strength, brightness, freshness, and liveliness. This means that his inward being touches life. Whenever we set our mind on the flesh, we become dry and darkened within; this is death. Therefore, this is truly a matter of sense.
The divine life and our regenerated spirit have consciousness. Every form of life has a consciousness; anything without consciousness is not a living organism and has no life. As long as it is a living organism, the life in it has consciousness. The higher the life, the keener is its sense. We, the regenerated ones, have received the life of God, which has the keenest and richest feelings. Moreover, our regenerated spirit is not only mingled with the life of God; it is also indwelt by the Spirit of God. Our regenerated spirit is the three-in-one spirit referred to in Romans 8—our spirit mingled with God’s life and with God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit enters into our spirit with God’s life and mingles with our spirit. Therefore, our spirit is not only a living spirit but also a strong and enriched spirit.
The sense of life in our spirit, or the spiritual sense, is keen and rich. This spiritual sense of life within us is often the standard for our spiritual actions and the test of our spiritual living. It tests whether we are living in the Lord or in ourselves, and whether our mind is set on the spirit or on the flesh. There is no need for someone to tell us, because we have a sense within. We do not need others to tell us whether our speaking for the Lord is according to the spirit or according to the flesh; the sense in us will let us know. This sense can be compared to a thermometer. When we test ourselves with this thermometer, we will know where we are and our true condition.
Whenever we are calm and turn to our spirit to touch the sense within, allowing this inner feeling to touch our being, we will know where we are—whether we are according to the flesh or according to the spirit. This sense is crucial to our spiritual experience. Our spiritual progress depends on this spiritual sense. We cannot follow the Lord yet ignore this spiritual sense. This spiritual sense is different from the feelings in our soul. We should not take care of human feelings in our soul; these feelings will confuse us. We need to take care of the sense of the divine life in our spirit rather than the human feelings in our soul.
We must care for the inner sense of life so that we can have peace within. If the inner sense of peace is absent, we have a problem. This is not something outward; it is inward. In everything we do, whether preaching the gospel, ministering the word, or doing good works, we should not be void of the inner sense of peace deep within us. Some saints have no peace; with their own effort they try to gain a sense of peace. Some people even try to fill themselves with different things in order to feel peaceful. However, all their efforts are vain and useless.
For example, a person with no peace may use excuses to make himself feel peaceful, even though he has a problem inwardly. This kind of effort is useless; it will not work, because the inner peace is something spontaneous. Anything that is of life does not require human effort, human help, or deliberate determination. We cannot produce peace; we should feel at peace naturally. This is the peace in Romans 8:6. The peace within some saints needs a helping hand. They are not at peace, but they use their reasons to try to give themselves peace. Their reasoning may work for two days or even two months, but it will not work forever. In the end there will be no peace. We have all had experiences related to this spiritual sense. We must take care of this sense.