God’s intention is to work Himself into us as our life in the form of food by our eating of Him. But man became fallen. Due to the fall of man, man became involved with Satan, with the evil force of darkness. All the negative things in this universe are related to man due to his fall. Before man was created, Satan, the darkness of Satan, and the evil kingdom of Satan were there already, but man had nothing to do with these negative things. By the fall, Satan brought all these negative things to man, which are against God’s glory, God’s holiness, and God’s righteousness. God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness would not allow fallen man to touch God. However, the all-inclusive death of Christ dealt with and did away with all these negative things. Furthermore, through His death and in His resurrection Christ became a life-giving Spirit. He has made Himself available for us to enjoy. The Triune God embodied in Christ who is realized as the life-giving Spirit is the central outcome of all the works which Christ has accomplished.
The tabernacle of the Old Testament shows us that the Triune God is for our enjoyment. There are three parts to the tabernacle—the outer court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. In the outer court is the righteousness of God; in the Holy Place is the holiness of God; and in the Holy of Holies is the glory of God. If you are going to pass the outer court, you have to fulfill the requirements of God’s righteousness; if you are going to get into the Holy Place, you have to fulfill the requirements of God’s holiness; and if you are going to get into the Holy of Holies, you need to fulfill the requirements of God’s glory. In the Holy of Holies is God Himself. The ark of testimony is the very embodiment of God and inside the ark is the hidden manna, which signifies that God is our enjoyment. At the conclusion of the divine revelation, the New Jerusalem is called the tabernacle of God (Rev. 21:2-3). This tabernacle is a total, ultimate, and central outcome of all the work of God in this universe. Included with this tabernacle are justification in the outer court, sanctification in the Holy Place, and glorification in the Holy of Holies.
The book of Romans also includes the steps of justification, sanctification, and glorification to meet the requirements of God’s righteousness, holiness, and glory. The first step of justification is from Romans 1:1 to 5:11. This part of Romans tells us that we are sinful and under God’s condemnation, but through the blood of Jesus, we have been justified. From 5:12 through 8:13 is sanctification and 8:14-39 talks about glorification. God first justifies us, and then He works to sanctify us. To be sanctified means to be mingled with God. The more you are mingled with God, the more you are sanctified. According to the picture of the tabernacle, all forty-eight boards were overlaid with gold. To be sanctified means to be overlaid by God and with God. God has not only justified us, but has also put us into Christ. God has identified us with Christ, has grafted us into Christ, and has made Christ one with us. We are now in Christ. In Romans 8 the Spirit is referred to as the Spirit of life (v. 2). Christ is the Spirit, and this Spirit is the Spirit of life. He is in you, you are in Him, and you have to learn to live not by yourself but by Him and in Him. To live by and in the Spirit of life is to be in the process of sanctification. Sanctification means to be mingled with the divine nature. Only Christ in His divine nature is holy. Romans 8:14-39 tells us that after we are justified and sanctified, we will be glorified.
Romans 9—11 is a parenthetical section which talks about God’s selection. Chapters twelve through sixteen reveal the Body life. Thus, the book of Romans reveals the tabernacle of God. Justification through Christ’s redemption is in the outer court, sanctification is in the Holy Place, and glorification is in the Holy of Holies. The church life is the mingling of the Triune God with His chosen people. The three stages of justification, sanctification, and glorification embody the church life, the Body life. The church life is the Triune God (God as the source embodied in Christ and realized as the Spirit) mingled with His chosen people. These chosen people are justified, sanctified, glorified, and built together to form the tabernacle, the Body, the church. This truth is the seed of all things related to God’s purpose.