I have a deep sense that many of us need to see something deeper in our spirit. We need to see something inward, not outward, something deep, and not so shallow and superficial.
The greatest revelation that the Bible conveys to us is the relation of God and man. The Scriptures not only tell us who God is and what kind of God He is, but also who man is and from what source he came. Moreover, the Scriptures even depict in detail a full record of God’s relation with man. This is the central revelation of the whole Bible.
When I mention this, I know that many Christians will think that the main relation between God and man is that of the Creator with His creatures. Others would say that God is our Father, and we are His children. Still others would mention that God is our Lord and Master, and we are His servants. Of course, we do have all of these relationships revealed in the Bible, but we must realize that these aspects are not the deepest revelation of God’s relation with man.
What then is the deepest relation of God with man? In the Bible, the first time man is mentioned, it is said that God created man in His own image. In other words, man was created according to God. We all must be deeply impressed with this one aspect: mankind was created according to God. The New Testament tells us that eventually we will all be made the same as God. Firstly, we were created in the image of God, and eventually we will be made the same as God. An image is the expression of a person. By this we can realize that God’s intention is to have man to express Him. Man was made to express God. God created man in His own image, because God’s intention was to have man as His expression.
We all know that to express God is not a shallow or superficial matter. In order to express God, there is the need for God to get into us. God must come into us to be our very life and content; then we will be His outward expression. By this we see that if God would express Himself through man, He must be one with man. And to be one with man, God must be wrought into man. The only way for God to express Himself through us is for Him to work Himself into us.
This is why the first chapter in the Bible tells us that God created man in His own image. Then the second chapter of the Bible tells us that God put man in front of the tree of life. In the first chapter, man had the image of God outwardly, but he did not have the life of God within him. Man was made outwardly in God’s image, but inwardly he did not have God’s life. Hence, in the second chapter, God put man in front of the tree of life. It was God’s intention that man would take this life into him. Then God would get into man and be one with man. God would become man’s content, and man would become God’s expression.
For example, I am wearing a jacket which was made according to the form of my body. It was not made with only one sleeve; otherwise it would not fit my body. It was made with two sleeves, in just the right way, so that it would perfectly fit. When I put the jacket on, it becomes my expression, and I become the content of the jacket. If I never put the jacket on, although it may be an excellent piece of material, it is meaningless. In other words, if I do not become the content of this jacket, it is useless. It is only when I put on the jacket that it fulfills its meaning. We were made the expression of God. One day God in Christ came into us to be our life and content, making us meaningful. This means that Christ has come into us to become our inward being. Now we all have Christ in us as our inward being.
Before I was saved, I was a certain kind of being, but now I have full assurance to say that I have another wonderful Being in me! I also believe that while I am speaking, this wonderful Being is speaking in my speaking. When I speak, He speaks. This wonderful Being is Jesus Christ.
Very few Christians realize that the deepest relation that God has with us is that He enters into us and even becomes us that we may have Him as our very being. Then we become His expression. He is our being and our content, and we are His expression. Isn’t this wonderful?