SECTION IV

The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity and the Producing and Building Up of the Church

CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE DIVINE DISPENSING OF THE DIVINE TRINITY PRODUCING THE CHURCH AS THE BODY OF CHRIST

OUTLINE AND SCRIPTURE READING

1. The divine dispensing of God the Father:
   1. In choosing the believers in Christ, that His chosen believers may have His divine nature and thus may be sanctified-Eph. 1:4.
      
      Ephesians 1:4
      According as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blemish before Him, in love.
   2. In predestinating the believers through Christ, that His predestinated believers may have His divine life and thus may become His sons-Eph. 1:5.
      
      Ephesians 1:5
      Having predestinated us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
2. The divine dispensing of God the Son in redeeming the believers, that His redeemed believers:
   1. May be put in Christ.
   2. May have Christ as their element and sphere, and thus may be made God’s inheritance according to God’s economy by such a dispensing of His divine element-Eph. 1:7, 10-11.
      
      Ephesians 1:7
      In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses, according to the riches of His grace.
      
      Ephesians 1:10-11
      Unto a dispensation of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him, (11) in whom also we were made an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who operates all things according to the counsel of His will.
3. The divine dispensing of God the Spirit as the sealing and pledging in the believers, that the believers:
   1. May be sealed unto God’s image, as a mark that they are God’s inheritance-Eph. 1:13.
      
      Ephesians 1:13
      In whom you also, hearing the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise.
   2. May have a foretaste of God as the blessing of the believers’ inheritance-Eph. 1:14.
      
      Ephesians 1:14
      Who is the pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of the acquired possession to the praise of His glory.
4. The divine dispensing of the Triune God in the transmission to the believers by the surpassingly great power that He wrought in Christ, with the threefold divine dispensing of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit, producing the church:
   1. As the Body of Christ.
   2. As the fullness of the One who fills all in all-Eph. 1:19-23.
      
      Ephesians 1:19-23
      And what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength, (20) which He wrought in Christ in raising Him from among the dead, and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenlies, (21) far above all rule and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is coming; (22) and He subjected all things under His feet, and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, (23) which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.