This book is a translation of messages given in Chinese by Brother Witness Lee in Anaheim, California on February 15-16, 1992. These messages were not reviewed by the speaker.

CHAPTER ONE

THE ECONOMY OF GOD AND
THE LAW OF GOD IN HIS ECONOMY

Scripture Reading: Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4b; Gen. 1:26-27; 2:9; Eph. 1:23; John 15:5a; Eph. 5:31-32; Gen. 2:18b; Phil. 1:20-21; Rom. 5:12, 19a, 20a; Exo. 32:15; Psa. 78:5; Exo. 20:3-17; Gal. 3:21; Rom. 8:3a; 3:20b; 5:20a; Gal. 3:23-24

OUTLINE

1. The economy of God—Eph. 1:10; 3:9; 1 Tim. 1:4b:
   1. To have man as His organism:
      1. Having His image—Gen. 1:27.
      2. Taking Him as life—Gen. 2:9.
      3. Expressing Him.
      4. Representing Him—Gen. 1:26.
   2. To be the Body of Christ—Eph. 1:23:
      1. Being united and mingled with Christ—John 15:5a:
         1. Having the same life and nature as Christ.
         2. Becoming one with Christ—Eph. 5:31-32.
      2. As Christ’s counterpart—cf. Gen. 2:18b:
         1. Living Christ—Phil. 1:21.
         2. Expressing Christ—the processed Triune God—Phil. 1:20.
   3. The fall of man:
      1. From God into sin—Rom. 5:12.
      2. Man having been constituted a sinner in nature—Rom. 5:19a.
2. The law of God in His economy—Rom. 5:20a:
   1. The law of God being a portrait and testimony of God—Exo. 32:15; Psa. 78:5.
   2. God considering His law as His requirement upon sinners:
      1. The first three commandments requiring man to have only God and not have any idols aside from God—Exo. 20:3-7.
      2. The fourth commandment requiring man to take only God and all that God has accomplished for man as man’s satisfaction and rest—Exo. 20:8-11.
      3. The fifth commandment requiring man to honor his parents and trace back to his source, his origin—the God who created man—Exo. 20:12.
      4. The sixth through the tenth commandments requiring man to live out the virtues that express God according to God’s attributes— Exo. 20:13-17.
   3. It being impossible for sinners to fulfill the requirements of God’s law:
      1. The law of God not being able to give life—Gal. 3:21.
      2. There being something that the law of God could not do in that it was weak through the flesh of sinners—Rom. 8:3a.
   4. The law of God being able only to expose man’s sinful nature and wicked deeds—Rom. 3:20b; 5:20a.
   5. The law of God becoming the custodian and child-conductor of God’s chosen people to bring them to Christ—grace—Gal. 3:23-24.