In the previous messages we stated that we must see God’s eternal purpose and that we must also see Christ. The term Christ has become too common among people today. Today the whole world knows this term, yet very few truly know Christ. Although we may know the Bible very well, we may not have a thorough and real knowledge of Christ. We should not have merely an empty vision of the knowledge of Christ. We need to have a practical knowledge of Christ.
One time someone sincerely advised me, saying, “Do not teach anymore that Christ is the Spirit, because those in Christianity cannot understand it and do not approve of it. They consider the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to be three separate Persons. They think that the Father is high above in the heavens and that the Son came to the earth, died, resurrected, ascended to the throne, and is now sitting at the right hand of the Father. They believe that the Father and the Son are two separate Persons. Therefore, you must not say that the Son is the Father. Above all, you must not say that the Son is the Spirit. Do not say that Christ is the life-giving Spirit.”
If this were merely a matter of doctrine, I would not speak so much about it. However, the Lord is advancing in His recovery today, and the most important item in His recovery is the mingling of God with man. Today Christ is actually dwelling in us. Those in Christianity may ask, “If Christ is sitting in the heavens, how can He dwell in us at the same time? What is your scriptural basis for saying this?” Our basis for saying this is Colossians 1:27, which says that Christ is in us as the hope of glory. At the same time, however, the Bible also says that Christ is in the heavens. Therefore, in order to see that Christ is the Spirit, we must speak from the perspective of experience. If you speak according to empty doctrines, you may end up separating God into three separate Persons. However, if you consider your actual experience, you will discover that Christ is the Spirit. In my youth I was under the influence of traditional teachings. However, when I became serious and began to seek the Lord, I found out that although on the surface many of these teachings seem to be right, they do not agree with our experience. According to our experience, Christ is in us. The Bible clearly shows us that as the source, Christ is the Father, and as the One who enters into us, He is the Spirit.
Isaiah 9:6 says, on the one hand, that He is a child and a son, and on the other hand, that He is the mighty God and the eternal Father. Some people, however, only believe that the child born in the manger was the mighty God. They do not believe that the Son who was manifested is the eternal Father. Another verse, 2 Corinthians 3:17, says, “The Lord is the Spirit.” If you show these two verses to the opposers, they will have nothing to say. They will eventually have to admit that they do not understand this matter. If we cannot even understand man, who is so small, how can we comprehend the Triune God, who is so great? For decades I was cheated by Christianity and was kept ignorant, until one day I decided that I did not want to be ignorant any longer. I did not try to understand the truth in the Bible. I simply accepted it. The Bible says, “A son is given to us...and His name will be called...Eternal Father” (Isa. 9:6). The Bible also says that the Lord is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17). I must accept these words whether I understand them or not, because they are in the Bible. My understanding may be wrong, but the Bible cannot be wrong.
When Saul of Tarsus was on the road to Damascus, the Lord Jesus suddenly appeared to him, saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul must have been thinking, “I persecuted Stephen, Peter, James, and John. They are all people on the earth. I never persecuted anyone in the heavens. Yet this voice that is coming from the heavens is saying, ‘Why are you persecuting Me?’ Who could this be?” He did not understand what this was all about, so he asked, “Who are You, Lord?” The Lord then said, “I am Jesus, whom you persecute” (v. 5). Then Saul saw a vision-the vision of the Body of Christ. He saw that when he had been persecuting Stephen, he had been persecuting Christ, because Stephen was a part of Christ. Stephen had become Christ. On the day of his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was opened by the Lord to see that the church is the Body of Christ. Jesus is no longer the individual Jesus. Today He is in the heavens and also on the earth because He has become us and we have become Him.
Perhaps someone will ask, “If a Christian goes to the movies, plays mah-jongg, beats people, and commits arson, is that person also Christ?” Of course, that kind of living is of the devil and not of Christ. That is the devil in the flesh. When we say that we Christians are Christ, we are referring to the Christ in our spirit. When we live by the spirit, we are Christ. We do not mean that we have become God in His Godhead. Rather, what we mean is that we are the same as Christ is in life and nature. Praise Him! He has God’s life, and we also have God’s life. He has God’s nature, and we also have God’s nature.
Furthermore, this all-inclusive Christ, who is all, is in us. We must see such a light. We need to know such a Christ. He is so small that He can come into us, yet He is so great that the universe cannot contain Him. He is the One who fills all in all. He is so great. Moreover, all that God is and has are in Him. Apart from Christ we cannot find God. Christ is God’s story, God’s mystery. Christ is too marvelous!
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