Every truth in the Bible has two aspects. It is the same with the one new man. The first aspect concerning this one new man is that Christ through His death on the cross in the flesh has completed the creation of this one new man. Ephesians 2:15 is one verse in the whole Bible which is so strong to tell us that this one new man has been created- “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.” In the eyes of God, the one new man was created two thousand years ago on the cross, in Christ, of two peoples-the Jews and the Gentiles. Ephesians 2:15 covers nearly every aspect of this one new man, yet this verse still leaves out a major point. This major point is the existence of the one new man. The creation of the one new man was completed on the cross, but before Pentecost this one new man had still not come into existence. The existence of the one new man began on the day of Pentecost, but that was not the completion. That was the beginning of the existence of the one new man. Even today the existence of the new man is still going on to be perfected.
Due to the degradation of the church and due to many frustrations from the natural, fallen, and religious mind through the nearly two thousand years of church history, the existence of the one new man has not been realized to a full extent. Where is this one new man today? The vision of this one new man has been nearly missed. Some teachers have said that this new man is the reborn new nature. I was taught in this way, and I believed it. One day the Lord showed me that this one new man could not be our regenerated new nature because it is a man created of two peoples. It is not only a man but also a corporate man. Christ on the cross created this one corporate man. In this chapter we want to see something further concerning how the existence of this created one new man can be realized.
In the last chapter we saw that the first step needed for the existence of the one new man is the baptism in the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) and in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:34-48), Christ as the Head of the Body baptized all the members in one Spirit into one Body. First Corinthians 12:13 says that we were all baptized into one Body. This verse refers to Jews, Greeks, slaves, and free. These are different races and different ranks in society. All the different races and people with all different ranks have been put into the Spirit that they all may be one Body.
God’s chosen people are not only from one race. Revelation 5:9 tells us that Christ has purchased to God by His blood “men out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” On the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, Christ as the Head of the Body put all these chosen and called ones into one Body. This was the first step needed for the existence of the one new man, which had already been created on the cross. We just need to accept this divine fact by faith. The accomplishment of this first step is included in the perfect and all-inclusive gospel. This gospel includes the baptism in the Spirit by the Head, Christ. Christ has accomplished incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and the baptism of His many members in one Spirit into one Body.
First Corinthians 12:13 also tells us that we were all given to drink one Spirit. The baptism in the Spirit was accomplished once for all, but the daily drinking of the one Spirit is still going on. We need to drink of the one Spirit day by day and hour by hour. We should thank the Lord that He has accomplished the first step. Now we have to carry out the second step by drinking of the Spirit.
Spiritual things are very mysterious and abstract. This is why it helps to have something physical as an illustration. I drink a great amount of water every day. Every morning after I arise, the first thing I do is to drink a cup of water. At breakfast I drink three cups of water. Then around 10:30 a.m. I take a break and have another cup of water. At lunch time I take two cups of water. Around 3:30 p.m. I also drink one cup of water. At dinnertime I drink two cups and before going to bed I drink one cup. I drink about twelve cups of water daily with little fluctuation. This drinking of water is good for my health. This is an illustration of my spiritual drinking. We need to drink spiritually in the same way. Some of the saints are frustrated in their spiritual drinking. Their drinking of the Spirit fluctuates. At times they will drink a lot and at other times they will not drink for a week. If our drinking of the Spirit is inconsistent and irregular, we cannot have a healthy spiritual situation. Without drinking, it is hard to be healthy. The more that we drink, the more we bring in the existence of the one new man.
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