We must see that the church is the new man. In the past we clearly pointed out that the church is the Body. However, we were not so clear that the church is the new man. It was not until recently that the Lord clearly showed us that the church is not only the Body but also the new man.
Why are we pointing out this matter? We are pointing out this matter because when we read the Bible, it is not easy to find verses linking the church as the Body to the Spirit. The best verse one can find is Ephesians 4:4a, which says, “One Body and one Spirit.” From this verse, it seems that the Spirit and the Body are linked. It is also possible to see this in 1 Corinthians 12:13a, which says, “For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body.” In this verse we may also see a link, although this verse is not directly about the church but about Christ, because verse 12 explicitly says that the Body is Christ. In the past we said numerous times that Christ is not only the Head but also the Body. Christ is the church, and the church is Christ, because the church is the Body of Christ. However, we did not point out clearly enough that the church is the new man. In speaking of the Body, the emphasis is mostly on Christ. In speaking of the new man, the emphasis is altogether on the Spirit.
What is the church? The church is the new man. Where is the new man? The new man is in our spirit. In the past we heard many messages on the cross, on being broken, and on being dealt with. We were told that God deals with us through our wives, our husbands, our children, illnesses, and all kinds of adverse situations. There was nothing wrong with those messages, but there was a great lack in them. It is possible to be dealt with yet not be in the spirit. It is possible to be broken yet still not be in the spirit. Only in the spirit can there be the new man. The new man is the Spirit and is in our spirit. The Spirit in the new man is the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit, who is the Lord Himself who went through death and resurrection. This life-giving Spirit in our spirit becomes the corporate new man. Therefore, the Lord is bringing us, step by step, from the Body to the new man.
Ten years ago we saw that the church is the new man, but we did not see it clearly enough, and it did not become a burden in us. I can testify that when I was releasing messages fifteen years ago, every time I spoke about the church, my burden was mainly on the church as the Body. However, today when I speak concerning the church, my inner burden is on the church as the new man. The new man is the all-inclusive Spirit in our spirit. The genuine church life is not merely a matter of receiving the cross, being dealt with, and being broken on the negative side, but a matter of touching the spirit on the positive side. It is not because we have been broken that there is the church. It is not because we have been dealt with that there is the church. It is not because we have been crucified on the cross that there is the church. No! Only when our spirit is released can there be the church. This is because the church as the new man is in our spirit. Therefore, we must turn to our spirit.
If we all could see this light and have a sufficiently clear vision concerning this matter, then we would not need to be dealt with so much by God, because by living in our spirit we would spontaneously put off our old man and put on the new man every day. Consider your experience. Is it not true that when you are truly in spirit, your old man is put off? Every time we are in spirit, we put off our old man and put on the new man. Once we put on the new man, the church becomes something practical to us-the church life. The church life is the living of the new man. How can we have such a living? We spontaneously put on such a living when we turn to our spirit. Once we turn to our spirit, we put off the old man and put on the new man.
From accounts of church history and numerous biographies, we can see that those who received the cross, the breaking, and the dealing might have gained a certain measure of spiritual edification for themselves, but they did not necessarily have the church life. Moreover, most of those who spoke concerning the cross, the breaking, and the dealing did not emphasize the church. Rather, they emphasized only individual spirituality. What God wants today, however, is not spiritual individuals. Instead, He wants the church life. We need to live in the spirit and put on the new man, because the new man is the church life. This is genuine spirituality. Our spirituality must be tested by the church. Any spirituality that cannot stand the test of the church is not genuine. Rather, it is a false spirituality, a questionable spirituality.
I have seen many people who were quite spiritual, but every one of them was individualistic. I ask you to consider whether the spiritual ones that you admired from the past to the present were individualistic or not. It seems that the more spiritual people are, the more individualistic they become. They become so spiritual that they cannot respect anyone else. They do not admire anyone except themselves. Those who are individually spiritual have little respect for others. Consequently, they cannot get along with others. I do not believe that we have ever seen two spiritual persons cooperating with each other. This is because in the past those who spoke about the breaking of the cross and the dealings through the circumstances overemphasized individual spirituality. In their sermons they rarely mentioned that the breaking is for the church.
However, what the Lord is showing us today is that we should live in spirit and not emphasize individual spirituality. To live in spirit is to put on the church life. Whether or not we are spiritual, whether or not we are broken, whether or not we are under the dealing of the cross, or whether or not we are going through circumstances, we simply need to put on the new man to reach God’s goal. The new man is not individual but corporate, having been created with two peoples-the Jews and the Gentiles. You cannot find the new man in either the breaking of the cross or in the dealings of the circumstances. You can find the new man only in the spirit. You need only to be in the spirit. Then the old man is put off and the new man is put on. When you are in the spirit, you cannot be individualistic, and you also cannot help going to the church meetings and seeking out the brothers and sisters.
In the following sections we will study the Bible. In these days the Lord has given us fresh light in His Word. Therefore, we need to study the Word carefully.
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