After renewing, we come to know the Body. Now we will consider how to be built up together in the Body of Christ to be saved from the individualism of the natural life. If we are unwilling to live the Body life, we are individualistic. Man is prone to be individualistic. Even when he is young, he finds it hard to get along with his parents and his brothers and sisters. He also cannot readily coordinate with others. This proves that the natural life of man is individualistic. However, God’s salvation in life is to deliver us from this individualism so that we can be built up together in the Body of Christ.
The purpose of God’s New Testament economy is first to make sinners the members of Christ so that they can be constituted the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5). The third stanza of Hymns, #541 speaks of this truth:
Not philosophy nor Any element Can to Christ conform us As His complement; But ‘tis Christ Himself who All our nature takes And in resurrection Us His members makes.
This is a miniature of Romans 12. This hymn was written thirty years ago and shows that the light was very clear among us concerning this matter even in 1960. We can see that to constitute sinners as the Body of Christ is fully a matter of life. The purpose of God’s New Testament economy is to make this Body the fullness, the corporate expression, of the processed Triune God.
First, we have to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1). Second, we have to be renewed in the mind for the transformation of the soul (v. 2). Third, we have to be burning in spirit to serve the Lord always (v. 11). Fourth, we have to live an excelling life by the divine love, a life which is so high that it would even care for our enemies (vv. 8b-21). This kind of life is not found in the world. It far excels all philosophies throughout the ages. The Confucian ethical teaching in China is quite profound. But it never goes as deep as to teach one to love his enemies, or to feed them when they are hungry, or to give them water when they are thirsty, or to supply whatever they lack (12:20). This life reaches such a height that it even loves its enemies. Today, in the church life, we should excel to such an extent that we love our enemies. If we can love our enemies, we can surely love every member. But if we cannot love our enemies, then it will be difficult to love the members, and the Body life will not be realized.
Salvation is redemption plus saving. Redemption is brought to us by the death of Christ, and saving is brought to us by the life of Christ. In the outline at the beginning of this chapter, we preceded the word salvation with the word enjoying. This means that the salvation in life is to be enjoyed. Its taste is sweet. Hence, you must not only understand these truths and the way to present them, you must also learn when and how these truths should be presented according to the circumstances so that your expression of these truths can be more attractive. After we enjoy salvation in life, we can no longer be isolated and peculiar. Instead we will care for others and forget ourselves. Thus, we will be saved from the individualism of the natural life.
Home | First | Prev | Next