For this reason, in the living of the Body of Christ we need to take the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ as the regulation. On the negative side, we take the crucifixion of Christ as the regulation; on the positive side, we take the resurrection of Christ as the regulation. When we speak, we need to accept the dealing and regulation of the cross of Christ. Through this regulation, we will know how we should speak and what should be spoken or not spoken. Besides accepting the regulation of the crucifixion of Christ, we still need to know the resurrection of Christ and take the resurrection of Christ as the positive regulation. Christ who lives within us is not quiet and inactive; He is active and purposeful within us. He is not acting within us in a vigorous way, but is operating quietly yet powerfully within us. His operation is the power of His resurrection. If we go along with His operation, His resurrection power will come and cause us to be transcendent and victorious.
Today people are in a situation of bondage, living a life of oppression every day. Hence, we need the resurrection power, and Christ within us is this resurrection power. If we go along with Him, we can transcend all the circumstances and will not be under any oppression. On the one hand, through the crucifixion of the cross, we filter out everything that the Lord is not pleased with; on the other hand, we enjoy the transcendence of the resurrection of Christ. In Philippians 3:10 Paul says, “To know Him and the power of His resurrection...being conformed to His death.” Paul was asking and praying in this way, so we should also ask and pray in this way so that we will not be under the oppression of any of our circumstances; rather, we can transcend and carry out the living of the Body of Christ.
Our co-crucifixion with Christ is an accomplished fact; this is realized through divine revelation (Rom. 6:6). Our co-crucifixion with Christ should also be our moment-by-moment experience; this is enjoyed through the effectiveness of the Spirit (Rom. 8:13b; Gal. 5:24). Hymn #631 says, “If I’d know Christ’s risen power, I must ever love the cross; Life from death alone arises; There’s no gain except by loss.” We should have this prayer daily so that we may have this experience every moment. On the other hand, according to the New Testament revelation, our co-resurrection with Christ is also an accomplished fact (Eph. 2:6a). We were crucified together with Christ, and we were also resurrected together with Christ. Hence, to be resurrected together with Christ should also be our experience every moment (Phil. 3:10a). It is through this experience of resurrection that we can be conformed to His death.
The fourth aspect of the living of the Body of Christ is that of taking life and the Body as the principle. We have already mentioned that in the living of every kind of life there is its definite regulation and principle. The principle of the living of the Body of Christ is nothing other than life and the Body. To take life as the principle is to take the intrinsic life of God, which is Christ as the embodiment of God (1 John 5:11-12), and not man’s outward conduct and morality (Rom. 9:11b; Gal. 2:16a), as the principle. You should never have the thought that since now you are saved and are a Christian, you should take good conduct and a good moral standard as your principle. It should not be like that. That is not the living that the Body of Christ should have; that is just a living according to human goodness. We Christians are regenerated in our spirit; thus, we have life, not morality, as the principle. We have to live Christ out, not morality. Our taking Christ as life as the principle of our living should be with gentleness, politeness, honor to our parents, humility, and patience; yet all these should be the living out of Christ from within us by the Spirit, and not something worked out by our own striving and effort. Therefore, we love Christ and draw near to Christ. The Spirit of Christ fills us within so that from within us Christ may be lived out as all these virtues. Honoring others is Christ; love is Christ; forbearing is Christ; humility and patience are also Christ. All our virtues are the living out of Christ from our spirit.
Furthermore, our living also takes the Body as its principle. We all are the members of the Body of Christ. Each member lives Christ out by the Spirit of life (Phil. 1:19-21a). At the same time, we live corporately, not individualistically. Whether the living of an individual member is good or bad relates just to that member himself, not the Body. Only by a corporate living and a living out of Christ in coordination will we have the living of the Body of Christ, which will be the fullness of Christ for expressing Him (Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:23). Therefore, our normal living should have the consciousness of the Body of Christ. Any living that is not joined to the Body of Christ does not have the consciousness of the Body of Christ. We should accept the regulation of the Body of Christ in order to live out the life that has the Body of Christ as the principle.
(A message given by Brother Witness Lee on April 14, 1990, in Taipei, Taiwan.)
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