Some people were very eloquent before they believed. It was so easy for them to narrate and describe something to others. After they are saved, they just change the subject matter and begin to preach. But we should not consider it sufficient that such people can preach well. Rather, we should ask, "From what source does their eloquence come? Has it been dealt with by the cross?" If their eloquence is that which they originally had and has never been dealt with by the cross, then it is entirely from their own nature. The eloquence which they bring into the church will be something of the earthly Adam. The church will actually be pulled down by these people. Only that which comes out of Christ is the church; nothing which comes out of human nature is the church.

We may also meet some people who are very clever. Their minds are exceptionally keen. Before they were saved, they used their mind to study philosophy, science, and literature. After they are saved, they simply use their mind to study God's Word. But we must ask, "From where does this keen mind come? Has it been dealt with by the cross? Is it under the control of the Holy Spirit? Or is it just that mind which they had originally?" If this is so, it is simply something out of the earthly Adam, out of the man himself, the human nature; it is something of the flesh. Although these people have changed the subject, their mind is still the same old mind! And when they use this mind to study the Bible, instead of helping the church, they will cause the church to suffer loss. Only that which is out of Christ can be the church. Whatever is of man is not the church.

God must deal with us to such a degree that everything from our human nature will be brought under control. Our natural strength must be dealt with by the cross and subjected to the rule of the Holy Spirit. Only then will we not cause the church to suffer loss. Everything which issues from the natural, Adamic life within us is made of earth and not wanted by God. Only that which was made of Adam's rib was Eve. (The bone refers to the resurrection life. When the Lord was on the cross, not one of His bones was broken.) Only that which is formed from the resurrection life of Christ is the church.

Eve must be made of the bone of Adam. Without the bone from Adam, there would have been no Eve. Adam's help meet is also Adam's body, since the source of Eve's life was his very bone. Adam was the basis of her existence. She could exist only because a part of Adam was in her. It is the same with the church. We need to continually declare to the Lord, "We owe everything to You. Without You we have no life, no existence, nothing! We come out of You!"

The vital issue of our new birth is just this: Repentance does not make us a part of the church; neither does our confession of sins nor our faith. Only the life which Christ has imparted to us makes us a part of the church. The basis of our being a part of the church is our new birth, since it is then that Christ imparts Himself to us. Therefore, there is a need for us to live, behave, and act according to this life, the life of Christ. God cannot do anything more for us than to impart His Son into us that we may share the life of Christ. Even though we are just earthen vessels, there is a great treasure within us. What then can shake us? However, if we act according to ourselves, we are outside the church. Anything other than the portion of Christ in us is not the church; it is simply our own selves. If we work according to ourselves, we are not doing the Lord's work. We must ask ourselves upon what basis and from what source we are serving the Lord, doing His work, pursuing spiritual things, and leading a spiritual walk. Is everything we do based upon Christ or based upon ourselves? If we do everything by Christ, we can accomplish God's purpose, but if we do anything by ourselves, even though something is accomplished, it can only be of an earthly nature and cannot accomplish God's eternal will.