Romans 10:12 gives us a clue as to how we may enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ. In this verse Paul says, “The same Lord of all is rich to all who call upon Him.” The riches of Christ should not just be studied—they should be enjoyed. We do not enjoy them by meditating upon them. To meditate is to exercise the mind. In the New Testament we are not told to meditate. (The use of the word meditate by the King James Version in 1 Timothy 4:15 is not an accurate translation; the Greek word is better rendered “attend to.”) If we desire to experience the riches of Christ, we should call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Many of us can testify that such calling is much sweeter and more enjoyable than meditating. The more we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, the more we taste His sweetness.
Some criticize our practice of calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. According to them, it is merely a psychological phenomenon with no spiritual value. If calling on the Lord’s name simply produces a temporary psychological experience, then the same experience could be achieved by calling on the name of some other person. However, such is not the case. When we call on the dear name of the Lord Jesus, we enjoy His reality and taste His sweetness. Remember, the Lord’s name is backed up by His Person. Thus, when we call on the name, we contact the Person, the reality of whom is the Spirit. For this reason, when we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, we receive the Spirit.
The name of the Lord Jesus is often associated with the Spirit in the Bible. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:11 says, “But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Jesus is the name, and the Spirit is the Person. Whenever we call on the name of Jesus, we experience the Person of the Spirit. Because this Person is real, living, near, and available, we experience Him and enjoy Him when we call on Him. The Lord Jesus is rich to all who call upon Him. What a wonderful way to enjoy the unsearchable riches of Christ!
The book of 2 Corinthians reveals the kind of life lived by the Apostle Paul. Paul lived by taking Christ as his life and person. He was constantly enjoying Christ and experiencing Him. In 2 Corinthians 2:10 he says that he forgave “in the person of Christ.” Paul did not forgive in himself, that is, in his own person. When he forgave something, he forgave it in the person of Christ. This reveals that Paul lived in the person of Christ.
Everything we do should be done in the person of Christ. This means that when a brother loves his wife, he should love her in the person of Christ. Moreover, when a sister goes shopping, she should shop in the person of Christ. As long as we do a particular thing in the person of Christ, there is no problem.
It is rather difficult to render accurately the Greek word for person in 2 Corinthians 2:10. It may be rendered face or presence. The Greek signifies the area of the face around the eyes. This part of a person’s face is the index of his feeling and inward being. By looking at this part of a person’s face, we know how he feels about a certain thing. When Paul said that he forgave in the person of Christ, he was saying that he forgave in the index of the Lord’s inward being.
We may experience something of this with our husband or wife. For example, someone may invite me to his home for dinner. By looking at my wife’s eyes, I can tell by the expression through the index of her eyes whether or not she agrees with accepting this invitation. At other times, my wife may check the expression that I convey through my eyes. This is what the Apostle Paul was doing in 2 Corinthians 2:10 as he forgave in the index of the Lord’s inner being. He did not care for himself or for his own feeling. He cared only for the Lord’s thought and feeling as made known through the index of His eyes. What a living the Apostle Paul had! He was a person always living in the presence of the Lord, always looking at the index of His eyes. Hence, whatever he did was the Lord’s doing, and whatever he said was the Lord’s speaking. Paul was a person who lived by taking Christ as his person. Paul’s old person had been nullified. It was no longer he who lived—Christ was the person living in him. This was the reason Paul said he forgave in the person of Christ.
Many Christians talk about spiritual gifts, but they know nothing about living in the person of Christ. How different are these Christians from the Apostle Paul! In 2 Corinthians 2:10 Paul seemed to be saying, “I do not forgive according to my personal feeling or preference. I forgive according to the index of Christ’s inner being. I know that the Lord wants me to forgive. By looking at the index of His eyes I know what is in His heart. Therefore, I forgive in the person of Christ.”
This is the kind of life that builds up the Body of Christ. We may do some great work, but we may not accomplish anything as far as the building up of the Body is concerned. Only those who live in the person of Christ can build up the Body. Such a living is not a matter of power or behavior. It is altogether a matter of life, of living in the person of Christ. This is one way in which Paul experienced the riches of Christ.