God’s intention in His New Testament economy is to have a new man to replace the old man. What the Lord has shown us is something new to our concept, but it is so clear in the New Testament. Ephesians 4:22-24 says, “That you have put off...the old man...and have put on the new man.” Such a view of the new man has been covered by our natural and religious concept. Even certain Bible translators, who were scholars, were veiled in their understanding by the natural and religious concept. The New American Standard Version says in Ephesians 4:24 that we need to put on “the new self.” To speak of the “new self” as being created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth is not proper, according to the context of Ephesians (cf. 2:15). However, in the natural concept of the translators there was not such a thing as to put off the old man and to put on the new man. They only knew of the old nature and the new self. We must drop the natural concepts which we picked up in our background; these become frustrations, veils, to our understanding of the Bible. We must be here with an unveiled face.
Ephesians 4:22 and 24 speak of the old man and the new man, but according to chapter two, verse 15 of the same book, the new man is corporate. Ephesians 2:15 says, “Having abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, making peace.” “The two” refers to two peoples, the Jewish people and the Gentile people. Of these two peoples, one new man was created. Surely this one new man is a corporate man. In the same principle, the old man must also be the corporate old man. We have to put off the corporate old man and put on the corporate new man. God’s intention is not merely that we be saved, learn to be spiritual, or even that we grow in Christ. It is also not merely that we have the proper church life, the local church established according to the New Testament economy. All these are proper, but God’s intention in His New Testament economy is to have a new man to replace the old man.
Humanly speaking, according to the situation in the world and in Christianity today, it seems that it is not possible for God to have the one new man. It is possible for God to save many souls and for many Christians to attain to a certain level of spirituality. It is possible for us to have a proper church life according to the New Testament with elders and deacons, but do you believe that it is possible for God to have the one new man? Although we may see the vision that God desires to have a new man to replace the old man, when we view the situation around us, we may feel that it is not possible. Among the believers there are many negative, disappointing, and discouraging elements, and almost no genuine oneness. But I am fully convinced and have the full assurance that God will have the new man. Some day God will point to us and say, “Look at the new man, Satan. See My masterpiece, the new man.” According to the Bible, according to prophecy, and according to history, whatever God says becomes so. The Lord said that He would come quickly (Rev. 22:20), but with Him a thousand years is as one day (2 Pet. 3:8).
In the past two thousand years the Lord has accomplished so much, including the raising up of the Roman Empire, the reformation of Christianity, the discovery of the new land, the defeat of Spain by Britain, and the raising up of the United States. It is a great thing that such a country as America is right at the center of the inhabited earth. Five hundred years ago this entire continent was not yet discovered by the Europeans, but within such a short time this country has become the leading nation on earth. God has done this, and this is a strong confirmation to me. If there could be such a nation as this on this earth, I do believe that within a short time there will also be the new man. It is almost a miracle that such a country could be here. Who put this country here, and who selected its location at the center of the globe? If you have the vision that God has miraculously raised up such a country on this earth, then you must also believe that within a short time the new man will be on the earth.
The Lord’s recovery today is not an ordinary Christian work. Rather, it is something particular and uncommon. This is the space age. Human culture has come from the river to the sea, from the sea to the ocean, and from the ocean into space. After this, where shall human culture go? This space age is the end time. At this end time the Lord is going to bring forth the new man. The Lord today is going to raise up His believers throughout all the world, in so many countries, to seek after Him. When we seek after Him, we will see that what He wants is such a new man.
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