We know that the one book in the Scriptures which most clearly depicts the levels of our spiritual life is the book of Romans. This book tells us clearly the stages of the believer’s spiritual journey, spiritual experience, before God. From chapter one through the first half of chapter three Romans shows us that all the people in the world are sinners who do not know God and who are under God’s condemnation. From the second half of chapter three through chapter four it shows us that by believing and receiving Christ’s redemption, sinners are justified and accepted by God and thereby reconciled to God. In chapter five it tells us that those who have been redeemed and justified by God were formerly in Adam and had inherited sin and death. Chapter six tells us that through faith and baptism we are united with Christ, that we are in Christ, and that we have received Christ’s death and resurrection. Through Christ’s death we have been delivered from the sin in Adam, and through Christ’s resurrection we have been delivered from the death in Adam. Chapter seven tells us that in our experience we know the old creation, in our practical daily life we know the impotence of our flesh, and as a result we realize that the old creation and our flesh are incurable. The first half of chapter eight tells us that if we live by the law of the Spirit of life and walk according to the spirit, we are those who live in the Holy Spirit. The second half of chapter eight tells us that we are being conformed to the image of God’s Son, not only through the work of the Spirit of God within us but also through the working together of all things outside of us arranged by God. Therefore, when we arrive at chapter eight, inwardly we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and outwardly we have been broken by the environment; our entire being is conformed to the image of Christ. At this point we have completely received Christ as our life and are also completely living in Christ. Chapters nine through eleven are a parenthetical word. Chapter twelve, continuing chapter eight, tells us that we have to consecrate ourselves to God in a practical way by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice to God. We live in our body, so we have to present our body to have a practical consecration. Chapter twelve goes on to say that we are one Body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. When we present our bodies, the Body of Christ is perfected and manifested.
In Romans 12 there are two bodies: our body and the Body of Christ. If we hold on to our body, the Body of Christ cannot be perfected. If we want to build up the Body of Christ, we must present our body. The question is, do we intend to keep our own body, or do we desire to build up the Body of Christ? If we hold on to our own body, there cannot be the Body of Christ. If we hold on to our self, there cannot be the church. To have the church, we must let go of our self. We must present our body a living sacrifice. Only then can we become members of the Body of Christ in practicality, and only then will gifts and functions be manifested in us.
Some have been saved for many years, yet there is no function or gift manifested in them. This is because they are not willing to present their bodies; they are not willing to live in the Body of Christ. Romans 12 shows us that even things in our daily life, such as showing mercy and loving the brothers, are gifts. You may not be able to preach the word, and you may not appear to know much, but if you are considerate toward others and have a heart to love the brothers, these are also gifts. Romans 12 joins the spiritual life and spiritual gifts together. The apostle mentions various gifts, including prophesying as prophets, serving as deacons, teaching, exhorting, giving, leading, showing mercy, and loving the brothers. He tells us that all these are gifts. Not only prophesying, teaching, and leading are gifts, but even giving, showing mercy, and loving the brothers are gifts. All these are spiritual gifts as well as aspects of the spiritual living. The Spirit shows us here that when we present our bodies, the result is that all these gifts, functions, will be manifested in the Body of Christ, which is the church, for the building up of the Body of Christ.
In Colossians 1 the apostle Paul said that he suffered for the Body of Christ to fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ. We have to know that Christ underwent two kinds of suffering. The first kind of suffering is the suffering for substitution in which He was judged and stricken by God for our sins. None of us can have any share in this kind of suffering. He alone went through this kind of suffering for us. The second kind of suffering is the suffering for germination. This kind of suffering can be likened to a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying and thereby bringing forth many grains. This kind of suffering is for the releasing and imparting of life to us for the producing of the church. Christ has not yet completed this aspect of His suffering; there is still a lack. This is what Paul referred to as “that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ” (v. 24). This kind of affliction needs to be filled up by all the lovers of the Lord throughout the ages. The three thousand and the five thousand who were saved in the early days of the church could not have been saved without the sufferings experienced by the first group of apostles. The early churches could not come into existence without the sufferings experienced by Paul and his co-workers. Likewise, if we do not undergo sufferings, we cannot cause others to receive Christ as life, bear many grains, or gain many members for the building up of the Body of Christ. Therefore, we who serve the Lord should fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for His Body.
The apostle Paul said that his sufferings were for the church and his serving as a minister was also for the church. He served the Lord as a minister of the church to complete the word of God, which was the mystery hidden from the ages and from the generations, which is Christ in us, the hope of glory. Therefore, Paul preached Christ, and the issue was the church. His work was to release Christ for the building up of the church. He ministered Christ to every man in all wisdom that he might present every man full-grown in Christ for the building up of the Body of Christ, which is the church (vv. 25-29). Therefore, the work of the apostle was, on the one hand, for people to receive Christ as their life, and on the other hand, for people to take the church as their living. This should also be our service today. In all of our service in the church, we should bring Christ to people that they may receive Him and be built up in the church.
If we desire to serve the Lord according to this vision, we must be prepared to satisfy the requirements of this vision. A person who serves according to this vision must be willing to pay a price and to suffer. It is not enough to just pay a price; we must also accept sufferings. Hence, the apostle said that there is the need to fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ. If you truly live by Christ and serve God by Christ, and if you truly desire to admonish others in all wisdom for them to gain Christ and be built up into the Body of Christ, then you must be ready to pay a price and also to undergo sufferings. Only those who are willing to pay a great price and to undergo sufferings can walk on the way of service.
Please remember, however, that the price we pay will enable us to gain the glorious Christ and the glorious church, and the sufferings we undergo are for us to gain the glorious Christ and the glorious church. Compared to the glory which will be manifested to us in the future, the momentary lightess of affliction means nothing. Therefore, we should not hesitate from going forward, considering the price to be too great and the afflictions too heavy. We have to see what we will gain for the price we pay and the afflictions we experience. Praise God, what we get instead is a priceless treasure.
If we see this vision, we will know what race we are running, what work we are doing, and whom we are serving. If we have seen this vision, no amount of opposition and hardship will be able to cause us to be shaken or to be disobedient. This is because this vision is glorious and has eternal worth.
Finally, we need to pursue to know Christ, and we also need to pursue to know the church. Christ is our life, and the church is our living. For us to live is Christ, and what we live out is the church. When Christ grows in us, the church is built up. If we truly let Christ live in us, He will not allow us to be independent, nor will He allow us to always be horizontal, without any order and without any authority. That the church is our living is seen clearly in two matters: first, that the members cannot be independent but are coordinated with one another; second, that there cannot be the absence of order and authority. This is just like our body—no member is independent; instead, every member is coordinated with other members. Furthermore, every member has its order, and with this order there is authority. To cease from being independent is to be coordinated, and to keep the order is to be vertical. This is the church life.
May the Lord grant every one of us to have this glorious vision of Christ and the church.