Ephesians is a book concerning the Body of Christ. Chapter one shows us God’s eternal plan, that is, God’s economy, from the heavens, and from eternity past. In God’s economy, first, it is God the Father who has chosen us that we should be holy and without blemish. He has also predestinated us to obtain the sonship, that is, to share the life and position of His Son (1:4-5). Second, it is God the Son who came to accomplish redemption according to the selection and predestination of God the Father. Then, it is God the Spirit who applies to us and seals within us what God the Son has accomplished according to the selection and predestination of God the Father.
The Holy Spirit being the seal means that, at the time of our believing, the Holy Spirit applies within us the seal, which is constituted of what God the Father is and what God the Son is, plus what God the Father has done, that is, His selection and predestination, along with the redemption that God the Son has accomplished, plus God the Spirit Himself. The Holy Spirit applies this Triune God with all He is, all He has done, all He has attained, and all He has accomplished, as a seal within us so that all these can become our possession. Included within this possession are divinity, humanity, and the processes He has gone through, that is, His incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
This seal is like an all-inclusive dose which contains many different elements with different kinds of effectiveness. It is not only able to kill germs and remove the uncleanness, but also able to supply all the life elements needed by the body. When this seal is applied within us, the death of Christ becomes effective within us, killing our naturalness, our flesh, our old creation, and our self. This seal also supplies within us the needed elements of the Spirit, with all the positive things. This sealing of the Holy Spirit as the seal within us is not a once-for-all matter, but a daily, unceasing sealing until the day of the redemption of our bodies (Eph. 4:30). The redemption of our bodies implies that the Holy Spirit will have eliminated all the things within us that are of our natural constitution, of our self, of our flesh, and of our old creation, and will have sealed within us all the elements of the Triune God, having saturated and transformed our bodies. Regeneration is the beginning of the sealing of the Holy Spirit, transformation is the continuation of this sealing, and glorification is the completion of this sealing. Our glorification through the sealing of the Holy Spirit is in reality the glory of God saturating and permeating our entire being from within. Therefore, the sealing in Ephesians chapter one includes regeneration, transformation, filling, transfusion, saturation, and glorification. This sealing is a slow process. It may be likened to a doctor’s dispensing of medication and nourishment into a patient by injecting it into his bloodstream, thus transfusing it into every part of the patient’s body so that the patient is eventually healed, becomes strong, and is transformed. The Holy Spirit is carrying out this work of transfusion within us day by day; even at the time we lose our temper, He does not stop. This is the sealing in Ephesians chapter one. The result of this sealing is that the contents and elements of the Triune God with all that He has accomplished are transfused into us.
Although in Ephesians chapter one we cannot find such terms as regeneration, filling, or transformation, yet we are shown what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the operation of the might of His strength (v. 19). First, this power raised Christ from among the dead. This proves the greatness of this power. This is like a seed that falls into the earth and dies. For it to grow up from the earth, it must have the power of resurrection. Second, this power caused Christ to ascend to the heavens. Just for mankind to land on the moon required the expenditure of a tremendous effort. For Christ to ascend to the third heaven, the highest place in the universe, how great a power was required! Third, this power has subjected all things under Christ’s feet. Fourth, this power caused Christ to be Head over all things to the church. This power operates in us with the result that the church may become the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ in Ephesians 1:23 is produced in this way. This is the first scene in the book of Ephesians concerning the vision of the Body of Christ.
This morning you should have a clear impression concerning how the Body of Christ is produced. In God’s economy, this great seal of the Holy Spirit came into being after the process of God’s selection and predestination and after Christ’s redemption. In this seal are the all-inclusive contents of the Triune God for the dispensing of these contents into us. This seal is living. It is living within us and saturating us all the time so that all that Christ is, all He has done, and all He has attained and obtained can be sealed within us. This is how the church is produced.
This church, the Body of Christ, is unique in the universe. She is the Lord’s own Body, the Father’s dwelling place, the gathering of the called ones, God blended with man’s race (see Hymns, #824). The Body of Christ in Ephesians 1:23 is the mingling of God and man. The all-inclusive, processed Triune God is mingled with the God-created, regenerated, transformed, conformed, and glorified tripartite man. This is the Body of Christ.
I believe that all the truths the Lord has released among us will one day be known by all the saved ones of God. In the Lord’s recovery, we are not merely helping you trainees go out to knock on doors, preach the gospel, and baptize people. These things need to be done. The goal, however, is that you will release the truths the Lord has shown us all these years. What I am concerned about today in your going out to knock on doors, preaching the gospel, and setting up home meetings, is what kind of home meetings are actually being set up. What are the contents of the home meetings? There are differences between one home meeting that is set up and another. This altogether depends on your knowledge of the truths. You need to know Christ, and you also need to know the church. I really hope that we can see more people saved and more home meetings set up. But the home meetings need to have solid contents in order to reach our goal. I really desire to have three or four years of time to be with you week after week, so that you can obtain the transfusion of the truths. After such a time, when you go out again, you will definitely be full of the riches of Christ and be able to supply people with the riches of the truths.