The three steps in God’s manifestations mentioned above are in the Old Testament. There are two great steps in God’s manifestation in the New Testament. The first step is seen in Christ. We all know that Christ is the manifestation of God; He came to earth for the expression of God. This is a great event recorded in the New Testament, and we need to speak more concerning it.
The Bible tells us that Christ is the mystery of God (Col. 2:2). What is a mystery? It is something that exists yet cannot be understood, touched, seen, or searched out. If something really exists but is either not clear or understandable to man, it is called a mystery. In the universe God is a mystery. Does God exist? Yes, He exists, but what do we know about God? This matter is quite puzzling to man; hence, God is a mystery. Suppose I stood and did not speak anything. You would know that I have something to speak, but if I did not say anything, everyone would be puzzled and consider me a mystery. Having words but not speaking them makes me a mystery. However, once I speak all of these words, I am no longer a mystery. My words reveal the stories that are within me. Therefore, words are the revelation of a mystery. In the same way, the Word who was in the beginning with God revealed the stories of God (John 1:1). Therefore, this Word is the revelation of the mystery of God. Who is this Word? This Word is Christ. Christ is the mystery of God. Do you want to know the story of God? Do you want to know about God? Do you want to know what kind of God He is? All you need to do is look at Christ, because the story of God, that is, everything concerning God, is hidden in Christ. Christ declared all of the things of God. Therefore, we can know God only through Christ.
When he was preaching the gospel, a brother once said, “Many people think that God is a very strict God who resembles one of the fierce-looking idols in the temples. People do not know the real story concerning God. But then Christ came; He was so compassionate that even lepers could approach and touch Him and even a sinning woman could avoid His condemnation (8:11). Through Christ people know the things concerning God, especially His great love.”
Here, I am using a shallow illustration. The story of God is too complex, too mysterious. If we read through the four Gospels, we would see many intricate matters concerning God. The records concerning Christ, the footsteps in His life, including His words, deeds, and manners, are all expressions of God. No one has ever seen God, but Christ has declared Him (1:18). The four Gospels are not merely a record concerning Christ; they are a detailed portrait of God. From the record in the Gospels concerning Christ, we know about God. Christ is the mystery of God, the story of God. Christ is not only our Savior but also God’s expression. As God’s expression, Christ has become our Savior. We need to know Christ thoroughly in order to understand the stories of God. Everything in the Gospels is nothing less than a portrait of God, an expression of God.
Christ could express God because all the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him (Col. 1:19; 2:9). All the content of God, all the fullness of the Godhead, all of God’s substance is in Christ. Therefore, in order to know the content of God and to touch the fullness of the Godhead, we need to know Christ and gain Christ.
Christ is the only begotten Son of God (John 1:18). As the only begotten Son, the life of God the Father is given to Him alone, and all that God is can be found in Him. As the only begotten Son of God, Christ is the unique expression of God. Let us not forget the meaning of being a son. A son is the expression of the father. All that God is can be seen in the Son. The Father and the Son are one (10:30). The substance of the Son is God, and the Son is God’s expression (Heb. 1:3). Therefore, the Son was the temple of God on earth (John 2:19-21). In the Son and through the Son, God was expressed before men.
Even though all the fullness of the Godhead was hidden in Christ when He was on the earth, He did not show forth the full measure of the glory of God. He completely entered into God’s glory only after His death and resurrection. Before His resurrection, He briefly showed forth the glory of God during His transfiguration on the mountain (Luke 24:26). When He was transfigured, He entered into God’s glory; in other words, God was glorified and shined out of Him. This may be likened to the shining of electricity. When a light switch is off, electricity is hidden, and there is no shining. However, when the switch is turned on, electricity shines out. When electricity is “glorified,” the entire meeting hall enters into “glory.” When people looked at Christ before His transfiguration, they saw only a Nazarene whose visage, whose form, was marred and who had no attractive form nor majesty (Isa. 52:14; 53:2). He was only thirty years old, but He may have appeared to be fifty years old. When He was on the Mount of Transfiguration, His appearance was briefly changed, and God was glorified and shined out from within Him. But this was only for a brief moment; He immediately appeared again as a man with a marred visage. Later He passed through death and resurrection and fully entered into God’s glory. God was completely glorified and manifested through Him. The glory of God, which had been concealed within Him, was released, shined out, and manifested through His death and resurrection. In His resurrection He entered into the glory of God, and this glory was God’s manifestation, just as electric light is the shining of the electricity, the manifestation of the electricity.
The resurrected Christ who entered into God’s glory is a complete expression of God. Furthermore, in His resurrection He became the firstborn Son of God and was no longer merely the only begotten Son of God (Rom. 1:4; Acts 13:33; Heb. 1:4-5). When He was resurrected, He dispensed the life of God within Him into thousands and millions of those who believe into Him. As the one grain of wheat, He became many grains. The life of God within Him, as the one grain, was dispensed into many grains. In this way, the only begotten Son of God became the Firstborn among many brothers, the many sons of God, thus enabling God to have an enlarged expression (Rom. 8:29). This enlarged expression is the church.