In this chapter we want to see the sequence of the divine revelation in the first eight books of the New Testament. The books of the Bible were written by the inspiration of God, and even the arrangement of the books is also by the inspiration of the Spirit.
What God needed was a completed Christ, and the first thing that God did in the New Testament was to complete His Christ. Thus, the Gospels from Matthew to John unveil the completion of Christ. Many Christians know the birth of Christ, the incarnation of Christ, but they have never seen that the incarnation was the first step for God to complete His Christ. The last step of God’s completion of His Christ was Christ’s ascension into heaven that He might become the economical Spirit of power to be poured upon His Body. From incarnation to ascension was a process through which the Son of God, God’s anointed One, was completed. Through this process He was fully equipped, fully qualified. Now He is in the heavens with all His qualifications to be God’s Christ, God’s anointed One, to carry out God’s eternal commission.
After the Gospels, this completed Christ was preached as the gospel. The gospel is not only a gospel of redemption, of forgiveness of sins, of life, or of grace. The gospel itself is this completed Christ. God’s completed Christ is the very essence of God’s gospel. The gospel of the highest standard is God’s completed Christ in God’s eternal economy. This One was preached in the Acts as the gospel. Thus Acts shows us the propagation of the pneumatic Christ. Through the preaching of this completed Christ, there was a great propagation. Christ was propagated through the preaching of Himself as the gospel, so thousands of believers were produced. Three thousand were added on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41). Then another five thousand were added (4:4). Finally, Acts tells us that there were myriads of believers (21:20). Thousands and thousands were regenerated to be the multiplication of this completed and propagated Christ. This multiplication becomes the church. The term “the church” in Acts is not mentioned as a doctrine, a teaching, or even as a revelation, but as a practicality. The church in Jerusalem (8:1), the church in Antioch (13:1), and the churches in Syria and Cilicia (15:41) are a reality in practice. The church becomes a practicality in the book of Acts.
The regenerated ones needed to have the proper, adequate, and full knowledge of what the Christian life is and of the purpose for the Christian life. Thus, the book of Romans reveals the Christian life for Christ’s Body life. The believers needed to know that the Christian life is Christ living in them and lived out of them to express Himself. The Christian life is Christ expressed for the church life. Romans tells us that we were condemned sinners (1:18—3:20) who were justified through the redemption of Christ (3:21—5:11). Then we are sanctified through the sanctifying Spirit with Christ as the sanctifying life (5:12—8:13). Romans continues to tell us that we will be glorified (8:14-39) and that we have been chosen (9:1—11:36). Chapter twelve shows us that we are members of the Body of Christ, and chapters thirteen through sixteen unveil the Christian life for the church life. Chapter sixteen of Romans shows us the local churches (vv. 1, 4-5, 16, 23). The conclusion of the book of Romans is the practical church life in localities.
Those who are enjoying the Christian life for the church life still do not know how to meet, so the book of 1 Corinthians is needed. The book of 1 Corinthians particularly speaks concerning how to meet. First Corinthians is the only book, the unique book, that deals with all problems for the church meeting life. Chapters one through eleven and fifteen through sixteen deal with these problems by Christ as the sanctifying and transforming life (1:24, 30) through the cross of Christ (1:18, 23; 2:2). Chapters twelve through fourteen show us that these problems need to be dealt with for the church meeting life, which is by the Spirit (12:1-3), with the word (14:3-6, 26; 12:8), and through the gifts (12:4-6). Paul deals specifically with the church meetings in chapter fourteen.