CHAPTER ONE

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
WITH THE ALL-INCLUSIVE CHRIST
AS THE LIFE ELEMENT

Scripture Reading: Matt. 13:3, 8, 23, 37-38

OUTLINE

1. Christ, the Triune God embodied in humanity as the source of life, signified by the tree of life—Col. 2:9; John 1:14; Gen. 2:9; Rev. 2:7; 22:2.
2. Coming:
1. Through incarnation to become flesh—a man in "the likeness of the flesh"—John 1:14; Rom. 8:3b; 1 Tim. 3:16a.
2. As the Sower—the Distributor of the divine life—John 10:10b.
3. To sow—to impart, to dispense—Himself.
4. As the life seed of wheat, signifying the word—Matt. 13:3, 19-23; Mark 4:14; John 6:68.
3. Into the human heart as the growing earth—Matt. 13:19b.
4. To grow Christ in the good earth of the human heart for His multiplication to be the constitution of the church to fulfill God's eternal economy—Matt. 13:8, 23; John 12:24; Eph. 3:8-10.
5. Christ as the divine life seed and the believers as the human growing earth becoming one to produce the organic element for the constitution of the church—Eph. 1:22.
6. Making the church the Body of Christ with the Spirit, the Lord, and God the Father as its contents—Eph. 1:23; 4:4-6.
7. The all-inclusive Christ as the embodiment of the Triune God becoming the church as His Body (1 Cor. 12:12) and every member of the new man (Col. 3:10-11).
8. To be the organism of the processed and consummated Triune God as His fullness, His corporate expression—Eph. 3:19-21.
9. Consummating in the New Jerusalem, firstly, in the millennial kingdom in a small scale (Rev. 2:7; 3:12) and, lastly, in the new heaven and new earth in the full scale (Rev. 21:1-3, 9-21; 22:1-2).

The general subject of this book is the constitution and the building up of the Body of Christ. My burden can be expressed by the following four sentences:

1)The grain of wheat fell into the ground and died to bring forth many grains—John 12:24.
2)Though we are many grains, we are one bread, one Body, the Body of Christ—1 Cor. 10:17.
3)We are growing and being transformed into precious stones for God's building—1 Cor. 3:6, 9, 12.
4)The New Jerusalem will be God's ultimate building, built with precious stones for God's eternal expression—Rev. 21:9-21.