In the previous lesson we saw that by being filled in spirit by the processed Triune God and letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly (Eph. 5:18; Col. 3:16), we experience and enjoy the dispensing of the Divine Trinity in the divine transformation for the divine conformation. In this lesson we will look at two aspects of the living produced by this kind of filling and indwelling.
When we are filled in spirit by the Spirit and let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, we live a life that matches the new man in grace and reality (Eph. 4:21, 24, 29). In 4:24 Paul says that we have “put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.” The new man is of Christ. It is His Body, created in Him on the cross (2:15-16). It is not individual but corporate (Col. 3:10-11), created of two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles, and composed of all the believers of different races. In this corporate new man there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all. This indicates that in the new man, Christ is all the people, and Christ is also in all the people. This also indicates that Christ is the constituent of the corporate new man.
The corporate new man should live a life, as Jesus did on earth, that is, a life of reality that expresses God and causes God to be realized as the reality by man (Eph. 4:21).
Ephesians 4:17-32 describes the believers’ daily living with reality and grace as the basic elements. In this portion of the Scriptures Paul indicates that our living should be like the living of Jesus, a living full of grace and reality (John 1:14, 17). Grace is God given to us for our enjoyment; reality is God revealed to us as our reality. When we live reality and speak reality (Eph. 4:21, 24), we express God as our reality, and others receive God from us as grace to be their enjoyment (v. 29).
Grace is the enjoyment of the Triune God in all that He is to us. When He is life to us, that is grace. When He is power to us, that also is grace. Grace is Christ being subjective to us as our enjoyment. Daily, even hourly, we need the enjoyment of Christ as our life, our power, and everything to us. The Triune God has come to us so that we may gain Him, experience Him, and enjoy Him. When we experience Him as our enjoyment, He becomes grace to us.
In Paul’s exhortation in 4:17-32, reality is clearly mentioned, but grace is somewhat hidden, being implied in the details related to our daily living. If we are short of grace, we cannot meet the standard in relation to these details. The principles for our learning Christ (v. 20) are related to reality, whereas the details are related to grace. If we would be conformed to the image of Christ, that is, if we would learn Christ, we need both the principles and the details. If we have reality, we have the principles; if we have grace, we will meet the standard in all the details.
If we are filled with grace, then in place of bitterness, wrath, anger, and clamor, we will have kindness, patience, mercy, forgiveness, and love. These qualities do not come from self-effort but from Christ as our enjoyment. When we enjoy Christ, we have no appetite for bitterness, wrath, anger, or clamor. Instead, we desire to have kindness, patience, endurance, gentleness, mercy, love, and other virtues and qualities. What a difference it makes in our daily living when we are happy and satisfied through the enjoyment of God in Christ as grace!
Verse 29 says, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only that which is good for building up, according to the need, that it may give grace to those who hear.” This shows that the word out of our mouth should give grace to those who hear and convey grace to others. The word that builds up others always ministers grace to the hearer. Our word should communicate God in Christ as enjoyment, imparting Christ to others as their life supply.