The Meaning of Human Life and a Proper Consecration

We must not take the old way of Christianity to rely on pastors and preachers. Neither should we depend on the responsible brothers or co-workers. We should depend on our spirit and on the operating Spirit. If our meetings with the new ones are good, three believers will become four, four believers will become five, and five believers will become six; our number will continue to multiply. If we are willing to take this way, the Lord will be with us. In such meetings the words in the Bible will be bright and clear, full of anointing, watering, and very sweet. Not only so, our temperaments and problems will spontaneously fall away. Whenever our relationship with the Lord is normal, all our problems leave us, we become bright and clear within, and it is difficult for Satan to touch us. Gradually, we can bring our classmates to the meetings of the church. We should also fellowship with the other brothers and sisters in our school in order to help one another bring our classmates into the church. We should also establish contact and fellowship between our saved classmates and the saints in the church as well as the other brothers and sisters in our school. In this way, the new ones will be brought into the church life.

If we all have this kind of practice, we will be effective. If there are two thousand brothers and sisters in a school, that is two thousand [220] little speakers, who are more effective than one preacher. This is the Lord’s way.

THE EFFECT OF THE GOSPEL BEING CONTINUAL

Furthermore, the parents of the young people whom we gain will be affected. When young people graduate from high school and enter college, it is very easy for them to lead their parents. It is not easy for the children to listen to their parents, but it is rather easy for the parents to receive what their children say. When young people hear the gospel in school, they will tell their parents what they heard, and it will be easy for the parents to follow. Gaining a classmate is equivalent to gaining a family. This is a continual cycle, and the effect is also continual. May the Lord have mercy on us. From this day onward the work with the young people should be carried out by the young saints.

Confessing to the Lord and Obeying His Leading

The third item for the release of the Lord’s life is to confess our sins and obey the Lord’s leading. Whenever we feel that we have offended the Lord, we must immediately confess by telling Him that we are wrong. We should also ask Him to forgive us and cleanse us with His blood. After confessing in this way and asking for the Lord’s cleansing, we should put the matter that we have confessed behind us. Sometimes Satan does not want us to confess our wrongdoings, but after we confess, he wants us to remember what we have confessed so that we do not go on. However, there is no need to repeatedly confess a particular sin. After we confess our sin, asking for forgiveness and the cleansing of the blood, we should not think about that sin any longer. Otherwise, we will be deceived by Satan. We must believe God’s word, not Satan’s thoughts. First John 1:7 and 9 say, “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once we confess our sins to the Lord, He cleanses us with His blood. We should stand on the living word of God and be full of peace. If we still have a disturbing thought related to a confessed sin, we should say, “Satan, I will not listen to anything you say. The efficacious blood of Christ has cleansed me.” Whenever we sense that we have offended the Lord, we should immediately confess and ask Him to cleanse us with His blood. This is practical and definite. This is something between us and the Lord.

As we practice this, we will be clear concerning the Lord’s leading and concerning His moving within us as our person. The living [217] Jesus is in us as our person. All we have to do is follow Him closely. We should never bargain with the Lord in regard to His leading. The Lord will never change His leading. We should simply follow His leading.

A brother may consecrate himself to the Lord and ask the Lord to fill Him. As a result, the Lord may tell the brother that he has offended God and mistreated others. After he confesses these matters, he will be cleansed by the blood, and there will be no insulation between him and the Lord. Then the brother will know the Lord as his person. Suppose the Lord asks the brother to give fifty dollars to another brother who has a need. The brother may hesitate or bargain with the Lord for a reduced amount. If he bargains too strongly, the Lord may increase the amount that He wants the brother to give. The Lord never gives in. He wants us to obey. When He leads us, we should follow Him.

We all have experiences of trying to bargain with the Lord. The Lord does not bargain. When we take the Lord Jesus as our person, we should obey His leading. However the Lord leads, we should follow. The more we bargain with Him, the higher His demand will be; the more we comply with His leading, the more flexible He will be.

Suppose the Lord tells a young brother, who is consecrated, who is not ashamed of the gospel, and who experiences the Lord as his person, to apologize for offending an older brother. If the young brother obeys, he will have the Lord’s presence. However, if he bargains with the Lord by offering to write a note rather than to apologize face to face, he will lose the Lord’s presence. After a day the Lord may have mercy on the young brother and again ask him to apologize, but this time the Lord may require more. The Lord may ask him not only to apologize but also to pray with the older brother. If the young brother still does not obey but continues to bargain, the Lord may require even more. He may want the young brother to assist the older brother in some practical matter. The Lord is very persistent. The more we bargain with Him, the higher His demand will be. The Lord is always willing to “raise the price.” It is good to obey the Lord in a simple way.

THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

We must ask the Lord to fill every part of our being for the sake [218] of the gospel. The Lord is pure, holy, and righteous. When He says that we are wrong in a certain matter, we should confess that matter and ask Him to forgive us, cleanse us, and cover us with His precious blood. When we fellowship with Him in this way, our relationship with Him becomes transparent, peaceful, and bright. We are able to sense His presence and live in His presence. Then the Lord will be our person, and we will be able to follow Him in a simple way.

It may seem that there is a price to pay in following the Lord’s leading, but there is actually no price to pay. Wherever He leads, we can simply follow, and however He moves in us, we can simply say Amen. This is the way to receive the power of the gospel. When we live a life of following the Lord, the people whom we contact with the gospel will be subdued. We may not be aware of it, but those whom we contact will be subdued by the power of the gospel and will believe in the Lord. They will feel compelled to believe. Believing in Jesus is something wonderful. Sometimes a person may not be convinced in his mind, but he feels compelled to believe. This indicates that the Lord’s Spirit has reached him.

Christians always try to persuade others to believe in Jesus; however, it is very easy for people to believe in Jesus. Once a person believes, it is impossible for him to disbelieve. There is something in every genuine Christian that cannot be shaken, chased away, or beaten down. When some saints encounter difficulties, they say that they no longer believe in the Lord; however, eventually faith within them rises up. This is the Lord’s grace; this is the Lord’s Spirit reaching them. Hence, it does not matter whether we subdue people by our gospel preaching. What matters is that we are connected to the Lord. Then when we contact a person, the Lord’s Spirit will reach him. Outwardly he may feel that our speaking does not make sense, but inwardly he will sense the preciousness of the Lord. This is the Lord’s grace; this is the Spirit’s confirming our speaking and reaching him. We must always be living and connected to the Lord so that our gospel preaching will also be living. Then there will be something like electricity that flows from us to our gospel contact. We will be like electrical wires that convey electricity. Whenever a person touches us, he will immediately be “electrified” and believe in Jesus. The Lord Jesus is the Spirit who flows through us into whomever we preach the gospel to. This is the power of the Holy Spirit that transcends human knowledge. We cannot explain it. Just [219] as we are unable to explain electricity, we are unable to clearly explain the power of the Lord. However, our Lord is more real than electricity. Our experience of Him depends on our allowing Him to flow through us.

MEETING WITH NEW BELIEVERS BY THE SPIRIT

If a young saint brings a classmate to salvation, he should begin meeting with the new one immediately. We do not need formality, nor should we expect others to lead us. The young saint and his classmate should meet together. They can meet at noon for half an hour or after school for half an hour. Such informal meetings should begin as soon as someone has believed in the Lord. When another classmate believes in the Lord, there will be two meetings, and when three classmates have believed, there will be three meetings. The meetings do not have to be held in a classroom; the meetings can be on the lawn. First pray with the new one, and then read a portion of the Bible. We can teach new ones how to pray-read and pray with them. The Lord’s Spirit will follow us.

However, even if all the co-workers labored in the schools, only a few students would get saved. But if the saints who are students can preach the gospel in this way, many other students will be saved. The saints in school will be like thousands of foot soldiers. This is our burden. We have no desire to give many messages. We want to train and produce useful “foot soldiers” who will be in every city in Taiwan. Then whenever the gospel is preached, a person will be saved, and afterward, a whole family will be gained. If we gain a classmate, he will preach the gospel to his parents, and in this way family after family will be saved. This is our burden. It is the responsibility of the young people to spread the gospel all over Taiwan.

Many of the young people love the Lord and have consecrated themselves to Him. Some of them are willing to serve the Lord full time. This is more glorious than going abroad to study. The most glorious thing for our young people, especially for the Taiwanese brothers and sisters, is to receive a burden from the Lord to spread the gospel to every corner of Taiwan. Leading a thousand people to [209] salvation is more glorious than making millions of American dollars. We need to see the Lord’s way and receive a burden.

I do not intend to stir up the young people to be preachers. My desire is for them to graduate from college and then give themselves to preach the gospel throughout this island. They do not need to give up their jobs in order to preach the gospel. Before I began to serve the Lord full time, I gave messages seven days a week even though I had a job. I was working and serving the Lord at the same time. Hence, preaching the gospel does not depend on our serving full time. Preaching the gospel depends on our taking Christ as our person. If the Lord leads us to serve full time, we should serve full time. If He does not lead us to serve full time, we should not serve full time. Either situation should not be a problem. We must make a resolution and tell the Lord that we were born in Taiwan, we grew up in Taiwan, and we live for the people of Taiwan; we give ourselves for their souls to be saved. The Taiwanese need us. Therefore, we should place ourselves in the Lord’s hand. Do not wait until you graduate. Whether you are in college, high school, or junior high school, you should give yourself to the Lord while you are still a student. The students around you are your targets; whenever you gain one person, you gain a whole family. This is the Lord’s present desire.

TAKING CHRIST AS OUR PERSON

Many of the saints are willing to serve the Lord full time but are not so clear. Sometimes the more we pray, the more confused we become. Should you serve full time, or should you first go abroad to study, or should you serve full time after you graduate? There is no need to pray concerning these questions. We need only to take Christ as our person and love Him. We do not have to consider our future; we should simply take Christ as our person and let Him live in us. If we continue with our education, we should let the Lord lead us to study while we testify for Him. We do not care for old Christianity. Neither do we care for serving full time or not serving full time. Forget about these things. We all need to take Christ as our person and let Him live in us. Then we will live to Him even in our studying. We will live to Him in whatever we do.

Paul is a good example. Before he served full time, he was a tentmaker (Acts 18:3). Later, when it was needed, he made tents, and when it was not needed, he did not make tents. We are here to preach [210] the gospel until people are saved. We should not worry about whether we serve full time or go abroad to study. We should not focus on these things; instead, we should simply take Christ as our person and begin preaching the gospel. The Lord is a living person. He will lead us concerning our future.

I guarantee you that you will not need to worry about your livelihood. I cannot say that the Lord Jesus will take care of your meals, but He will bear you. He is the Lord of heaven and earth; hence, no one who lives for Him will die of starvation. We should learn to experience the Lord Jesus as our person in big things and small things. In matters related to our livelihood we should learn to experience Him as our person. In daily matters such as sleeping and eating, we must experience Him as our person. We should not worry about our livelihood.

I had a very good job before I served full time. My salary was more than a hundred silver yuan a month. That was considered a very good salary. However, the Lord led me to leave my job. When I left my job, I had nothing. At that time the practice in China was for extended family to live together. Hence, all the money in our family was controlled by my mother. My mother-in-law, who was a Christian, was concerned about our financial situation. She did not agree for me to leave my job. She said to me, “You have a good job. You can work during the day and lead the meeting in the evening. On the Lord’s Day you do not have to work. Why do you want to quit your job? What are you going to eat and drink?” In spite of her advice, I listened to the Lord and dropped my job.

More than forty years have passed, and the Lord Jesus has never allowed my family to starve. Therefore, do not make plans for your future. Your future is in the Lord’s hand. Your future is the Lord’s future, and His future is bright. Do not worry. Going abroad to study is not the way, nor is serving full time the way. We need to take the Lord Jesus as our person and live with Him. We should practice living together with the Lord, living the church life, putting on the new man, and preaching the gospel to our classmates and colleagues.

There are about two to three thousand young saints in the churches in Taiwan. We must receive the burden to take Christ as our person in a genuine way and practice what we have fellowshipped in this chapter. I believe that by the summer of next year, we will gain at least ten thousand young students all over Taiwan. This [211] should be easy to do. We must not miss this opportunity. The best time to serve the Lord is today, not in the future. A co-worker told me that there are saints who want to serve the Lord full time in the future instead of now. Do not say that you will serve the Lord in the future; rather, say that you will serve the Lord today and that you will serve in coordination with the church. Those who work in schools should serve with the students. We should all work with the students. This is my burden. After speaking this burden to the saints in Taipei, I will go down to Taichung and speak the same thing. After Taichung I will speak to the saints in Tainan, and after Tainan I will speak the same thing in Kaohsiung. I will speak to the young people in every locality until they are willing to serve in the schools. I was a student. I know that the best place to do anything is in the schools and that we will be successful if we labor in the schools. We all need to go to the schools. It does not matter whether or not we are trained; the Lord will bear the responsibility. Our need is to cooperate with Him.

Several items must be considered before translating the Bible: the study of the original languages, the study of the ancient manuscripts, and the study of translation. Since numerous manuscripts of the Bible are available, archeologists determine which manuscripts are authentic and the most accurate. The study of translation is concerned with the best way to translate the text. In order to translate the Bible, one needs to know the original languages of the Bible, one needs to consult various manuscripts and understand the manuscripts of the Bible, and one needs to know how to translate the Bible, because there are many special terms in the Bible. In around 1870 Bible scholars from both England and the United States felt that there was a need to revise the King James Version, so they proceeded with a revision. However, after the revision, the British and the American scholars had some disputes over a few points. For example, the American scholars were in favor of using the title Jehovah, but the British scholars did not agree. They wanted to translate Jehovah as “the Lord.” Therefore, the British scholars published the Revised Standard Version, and the American scholars published the American Standard Version. The text in both versions is almost identical.

Recently, the American scholars felt that the English in the American Standard Version was not current. They therefore revised it and made it more suitable for readers of modern English. This was not a new translation; it was only a revision. In this revision they changed new man in Ephesians 4:24 to new nature. This rendering [206] is very misleading. This explanation concerning the translation and revision of the Bible shows that it is not simple to understand the Bible. The translators of the Chinese Union Version translated the spirit of your mind as “will power.” This makes it very difficult for people to understand the meaning of the original text.

We must understand the spirit of your mind. When our regenerated spirit, indwelt by the Lord, is strengthened, it will spread into our mind and control, occupy, and saturate our mind. Thus, it will become the spirit of our mind. It is in this spirit that we put off the old man, our former manner of living, and put on the new man, the church life. It is also in this spirit that we are renewed.

THREE CRUCIAL ITEMS

I hope that you will not only grow in life and know the truth but also learn to apply the truth and speak it to others. This requires that we exercise our spirit, our heart, and our mind. It is not enough to have a strong spirit or a heart to love the Lord. We must have a sober mind so that we are able to speak clearly. Then we will be able to help others. This is the purpose of this training. The goal of this training is for us to be useful. In order to be useful persons, we must pay attention to these three items: growing in life, knowing the truth, and speaking the truth to others. We must learn how to speak the truth.

SCHOOLS BEING FOR THE LORD’S USE

The saints who are studying or teaching in schools are in an environment that is useful to the Lord. No other environment is better. It does not matter whether you are a teacher, a professor, a teaching assistant, or a student. The school is the best environment for the Lord. From one perspective a school may seem small in scope, but even a small school can have several thousand students. The oldest students typically are no more than twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and they are not yet set and settled. They may still be deciding which job to take. Once a person begins to work, he becomes set and settled. Whether he goes into business or another field, he will quickly become set and settled. At such a time it will be more difficult to speak to him about the Lord. The best time to speak to him concerning the Lord is while he is still a student, because students are not set or settled. Students who have not chosen a profession are [207] easy to reach with the gospel. Hence, if we desire to be used by the Lord, we should grasp the opportunity to preach the gospel in the schools.

Furthermore, the future of the church lies in the young ones. It is not easy for a couple who are in their sixties and who are set and settled to receive the truth concerning the Lord Jesus. Even after speaking to them for six months, they still may not be clear. Suppose they are clear and are saved; it will not be easy for them to go out and preach the gospel. This does not mean that we should not preach the gospel to older people. The Lord is not a respecter of persons. He will save older people and younger people. Nevertheless, our burden should be the young ones.

From the testimonies it seems that a good number of Taiwanese young people have been gained by the Lord. This is very encouraging. Hence, we should first do a thorough work in the schools to gain the young ones. Then our next generation will be Christians. It is very easy for young people to receive the gospel. Sometimes we need to speak for only half an hour, and a young person will become clear and receive the gospel. Once he receives salvation, there will be a desire and an impetus in him to tell his friends or his parents. The young people should know that their parents listen to them. After they are saved, the young people must tell their families. Initially, their parents may not be pleased, but if the young people will continue to speak, their parents will believe. Some parents say that the knowledge their children receive in high school or college is of a new era and should be right. Therefore, they will follow their children because they love their children, and they identify with what their children do. Hence, as soon as the students are saved, their parents can be saved without much effort.

The Taiwanese have a very strong practice of idol worship. If we preach the gospel to them without first saving their children, they will most likely chase us away. Young people today are very clear in their mind, making it easy to preach the gospel to them. After they believe, they will preach the gospel to their parents. This will be the easiest route for the gospel. A young Taiwanese brother testified that when he first believed in the Lord, he dared not go home during the New Year holidays, because his parents wanted to beat him. Instead, he went to the meeting hall. Recently his younger brother was saved, and his parents are ready to be saved. [208]

The young people should not only pray for their parents; they should go home to “compel” their parents, telling them how good it is to believe in Jesus. In this new age, parents will follow their children. As a parent, I know that children are capable of compelling their parents. The more the children compel, the better they become at it. However, it is not so effective for parents to compel their children. I hope that this word will encourage the young people.

SPREADING THE GOSPEL THROUGHOUT TAIWAN

Our heart is for the Lord Jesus and His church. Therefore, we truly hope that the Taiwanese people will get saved. The way to reach this goal lies in the schools. The government in Taiwan stresses education. The basic education has been increased to nine years. We must preach the gospel to the young ones during their nine years of education so that they hear the gospel. This is our responsibility. Everyone is required to finish junior high school; therefore, we must aggressively preach the gospel to the students in junior high school. After their salvation, the junior-high-school students will become gospel seeds when they enter high school. They will be gospel seeds in college also. The co-workers need to open their eyes and see that to labor in the schools will reap double the results with half the effort.

The church needs to have a person, and this person is Christ. Christ is the person in the church. In order for Him to be our person, He needs to make His home in our hearts. For this reason, we need to make room in our being and allow Christ to occupy us and be our person. Galatians 2:20 says, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me,” and Philippians 1:21 says, “To me, to live is Christ.” These verses indicate that Christ desires to be our person.

PUTTING OFF OUR FORMER MANNER OF LIFE, 
THE OLD MAN

Ephesians 4:22 says, “Put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man.” The former manner of life refers to our old way of living and contacting others. If a person lives a secluded life, whether or not he loses his temper, loves or deceives people, or honors his parents has no meaning, because he has no community, no human interactions, no social relationships, and therefore no manner of life. Our former manner of life refers to the kind of life we lived and includes our contact with others, our social activities. Hence, to put off the old man means to put off our old manner of living, that is, the living we had in the past in contacting and dealing with others.

When we take Christ as our person, we can no longer live the way we lived in the past. Since we have put off our former manner of living, we can no longer seek worldly pleasures, such as social clubs. Our former manner of life, our old life, whether it was related to a social club, a society, or a certain community, has been put off. To put off the former manner of life is to put off the kind of living we had in the past. [203]

BEING RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MIND

Verse 24 says, “Put on the new man.” To put on the new man is to put on the church life. Verse 23 says, “Be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The expression the spirit of your mind is difficult to understand. Even the translators of the Chinese Union Version did not render it correctly. They translated verse 23 as “that you be renewed in your willpower”; they missed the two words spirit and mind. Without spiritual knowledge it is not easy to understand the meaning of “the spirit of your mind.” The Chinese Bible translators, probably due to their inadequate experience, could not understand the special terms used by Paul in his Epistle.

The Bible reveals that our regenerated spirit needs to be strengthened, and then it will spread outward to all the parts of our soul. The leading part of our soul is our mind. Hence, our spirit spreads first into our mind to saturate and occupy our mind. Then it spreads into our emotion and our will. As a result, Christ will occupy every part of our mind, emotion, and will. This is how Christ makes His home in our heart. Eventually, our mingled spirit will not be limited to our spirit but will spread into our mind. Hence, we have the expression the spirit of your mind. It is in such a spirit that we are being renewed.

If our spirit cannot spread into our soul, it will be restricted within us. When our spirit is restricted, it cannot become the spirit of our mind and cannot do the work of renewing. It is only when our spirit spreads and occupies our mind and becomes the spirit of our mind that it becomes the renewing spirit. It is in this renewing spirit that we are renewed. On the one hand, the renewing takes place when we put off the old man, the former manner of life. On the other hand, the renewing takes place when we put on the new man. The putting off of the old man in verse 22 comes before the putting on of the new man in verse 24. In between these two verses is verse 23, which says, “That you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” The fact that this verse is in between the putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man indicates that the way for us to put off the old man and put on the new man is to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. In other words, to be renewed in the spirit of our mind is to put off our old man in our former manner of living and also to put on the new man. To be renewed in [204] the spirit of our mind is to put off our former manner of living and to put on the church life.

To be renewed in the spirit of our mind is to live the church life, which is the life of the new man. Putting off the old man and putting on the new man are to be renewed. This renewing is accomplished in the spirit of our mind. Hence, we must allow our spirit to spread, to subdue, and to occupy our mind and even our emotion and our will until our spirit controls all the parts of our soul. This is to be renewed. Then we will spontaneously live in the new man; that is, we will put on the new man and live the church life.

In every locality we should exercise to speak concerning the church as the Body and as the new man. We should also tell the saints how to live the life of the new man. We should begin to speak in this way. Wherever we are, we should speak concerning the church as the new man, concerning Christ being our person, and concerning putting on the new man and living the life of the new man.

In Ephesians 1 the desire of God’s heart, His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, is to have an economy according to His will. Verses 22 and 23 speak of the church as the Body of Christ. Chapter 2 says that the church is the new man, and chapter 3 speaks of Christ making His home in our hearts. Chapter 4 speaks of putting on the new man and living the life of the new man, and chapter 5 speaks of being filled with the Holy Spirit in our spirit. Ephesians is a profound book, and we can pray-read it many times.

We must practice speaking the truths in Ephesians until we are clear concerning how to take Christ as our person and how to put on the new man. We must also have many experiences of these truths. Doctrines are useless. When we have life and experience and an understanding of the truth, our speaking will convey the truth to others and supply them. This will make us useful. Hence, we must exercise to speak, seek experiences, and gain an understanding of the truth. We should be able to speak these items of the truth in a clear way. May we all exercise in this way.

Many Christians do not understand these items of the truth. Few Christians know that the church is not only the Body but also the new man. Few Christians understand the difference between the new man and the Body or can explain that the Body is a mere organ with life but that the new man must have a person in addition to life. [205] Even fewer can explain that to put off the old man is to put off our former manner of life, and to put on the new man is to put on the church life.

The most popular and authoritative version of the Bible in English is the King James Version. It was authorized by the King of England in the 1600s. In the 1800s Bible scholars acknowledged that some portions of the King James Version did not match the original text. Furthermore, new manuscripts had been discovered that were more trustworthy than those used for the King James Version. The scholars knew that the original text of the Bible was copied by hand, and as a result, some manuscripts were inaccurate. Since the manuscripts that were used for the King James Version were inferior to those that were discovered later, the King James Version needed to be revised.

CHAPTER NINE

KNOWING THE CHURCH AS THE NEW MAN 
AND 
TAKING CHRIST AS OUR PERSON 
(2)

THE CHURCH BEING THE BODY AND THE NEW MAN

It is easy for people to say that the church is the Body of Christ. However, the Bible says that the church is not only the Body but also the new man. The new man is different from the Body. Let us use the physical body as an example. A body is simply a vessel to be used as an organ. A man, however, is not merely an organ; a man has a person. A body needs life, but a man needs a person in addition to life. Life is different from a person. A plant has life, but it does not have a person. A man has not only life but also a person. In the past we saw that the church is the Body with Christ as its life. However, we did not see that the church is the new man with Christ not only as its life but also as its person.

THE REVELATION IN THE BIBLE 
OF THE CHURCH AS THE NEW MAN

The Bible says that the church is the new man. Ephesians 2:15 says that Christ abolished “in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.” Paul says that the Lord created the two—the Jewish and the Gentile believers—into one new man. Therefore, the new man is not an individual. The new man is corporate. Verse 16 continues, “And might reconcile both in one Body to God.” Verse 15 says that the Lord created the two into one new man, not an individual man but a corporate man, and verse 16 says that He reconciled both in one Body. This indicates that the Body is the new man. Moreover, in chapter 1 the Body is the church. Hence, the church is not only the Body but also the new man.

Some believers say that while the Bible says that the church is the [200] Body of Christ, it does not say that the church is the new man. These believers say that before a person is saved, he was an old man, but after he is saved, he becomes new. Hence, the new man refers to a saved individual, not to the church. Without a clear foundation in the truth, we will be influenced by such talk. We must guard against the schemes of Satan. We should ask such believers to read Ephesians 2:15 and ask them what the two refers to. If they cannot answer us, we should tell them that the two refers to Jewish and Gentile believers. Since the new man is composed of two peoples, Jews and Gentiles, the new man cannot refer to individuals. It is a corporate new man. Besides, verse 15 says that He created the two “into one new man,” not merely “into a new man.” Into a new man may be understood as each believer being a new man. However, verse 15 clearly says “one new man.” Verse 16 then says, “And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.” Ephesians 1:22b-23a says, “Gave Him [Christ] to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body.” These verses indicate that the Body is the church. According to the context, the Body also refers to the new man in chapter 2. If we see this point, we will have a firm foundation.

We need to grow in life and be clear concerning the truth, and we must also fight the battle for the truth. Fighting for the truth is not something that we began. From the time of the church fathers, believers have been fighting for the truth. The Reformation began with Martin Luther’s contending for the truth. Today the whole world is in confusion, but the truth in the Bible is crystal clear. What do we mean by truth? Here is an example: It is true that two plus two is four. To say that two plus two is 3.99 is false; it is an error. Similarly, to say that two plus two is 4.01 is also an error. Truth stipulates that two plus two is four. The truth in the Bible is very accurate and very exact. Nothing can be more accurate than the thoughts of God. The Bible as God’s revelation, His speaking, is very accurate. We must locate the truth in the Bible. Based on the Bible, we can say that the church is not only the Body but also the new man.

As Christians, we need to know how to present the truth to people; otherwise, we are useless to the Lord. We must be able to render genuine help to others. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of [201] sobermindedness.” Our spirit is a spirit not only of power but also of love and sobermindedness. The word sobermindedness indicates that our mind is clear and sober, not confused. Our spirit should be a spirit not only of power and of love but even more a spirit of sobermindedness. If we have love but are not sober, we will love in a foolish way. For example, suppose I make a cup of coffee for a brother because I love him. However, I add two spoons of spicy chilies to the coffee. When he drinks the coffee, he will surely suffer; he may even get an upset stomach. Hence, it is not adequate to have only a spirit of love. We still need a spirit of power and of sobermindedness. Power is related to our will, love is related to our emotion, and sobermindedness is related to our mind. We need to be loving in our emotion, strong and powerful in our will, and sober in our mind. Hence, it is not enough to have only life. If our mind is confused, we will not be able to help others with the truth.

Every believer should lead others to salvation. If we truly love the Lord and grow in life, the people we pray for will get saved. We must be trained so that we can lead people to salvation. We should speak the truth in life to bring people to salvation. Truth, life, and speaking are a threefold cord. We have the truth and we have life, but we also need the ability to speak to others so that they are subdued. If we have love without a sober mind, we will confuse our gospel friends, and they will be unreceptive to our speaking. Hence, we need to learn to speak the truth.

THE CHURCH HAVING NOT ONLY LIFE 
BUT ALSO A PERSON

Now we must consider a crucial point. Why is there a person in man? A man is not a machine, because machines do not have a person. However, human beings have a person. The importance of being a human being is that human beings have a person. Without a person, I am merely a body. My body is not my person. I am a man because there is life within me. This life, however, is also related to a person. Hence, in order to be a human, our life must be expressed through a person.

Our person is our personality with our ego, inclinations, preferences, and thoughts. Our body is an outward organ that needs life. A tree has a visible trunk and also life within, but a tree is not a human being. As human beings, we not only have life but also a [202] person. This means that in addition to having life in our body, we also have a personality, a person. This is what makes us different from plants. Plants have an outward form as well as life within, but they do not have a personality, a person. A human being has not only a body but also life and a personality. This personality is our person. We are human beings because of this crucial distinction: we have a person within us. Without a person, we are not human beings. Likewise, since the church is the new man, it needs a person. If the church were merely a Body, it would need only life. However, since the church is also the new man, the church needs a person.

Before we were saved, we lived a life of taking ourselves as the person. For example, a young boy in junior high school might enjoy going out with his classmates and friends and doing things with them. After he is saved, however, he should take Christ as his person and live the church life. To live the church life does not mean that he should go to the meeting on Lord’s Day morning and listen to a pastor’s sermon. Our church life should be full of Christ every day, whether in the morning or in the evening. Whenever there is the time or opportunity, the saints should come together to praise the Lord. We can pray-read together and be built up, or we can go out to preach the gospel and spread the Lord’s kingdom by saving souls. We do not rely on hired pastors or preachers. We are living members of Christ’s Body, we take Christ as our person, and we are being filled with Christ, being filled with the Holy Spirit, and being occupied [197] by God. When we let the Lord strengthen us into the inner man, He makes His home in our hearts, and we are filled unto all the fullness of God. God “is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us. To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever” (3:20-21). This is the practical living of the church; this is also the church in reality.

The reality of the church life is a living in which the believers take Christ as their person, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and are occupied by God. First Corinthians 6:17 says, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” When our spirit is mingled with the Holy Spirit, the two spirits become one. When this mingled spirit occupies our mind, it becomes the spirit of our mind. In the spirit of our mind we are being renewed in our concepts, our habits, and our views. This is the way to practically put on the new man, the church life.

Ephesians 2:15 says, “Abolishing in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.” The Lord abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances in His flesh. There are ordinances in the Old Testament laws that forbid Jews from contacting Gentiles. These ordinances cause Jews to stay away from Gentiles. However, on the cross Christ abolished all the ordinances. If we have ordinances, we can never take Christ as our person. In order to take Christ as our person, we must put off all ordinances. Verse 18 says, “Through Him we both have access in one Spirit unto the Father.” In order to take Christ as our person, we must not only put off the ordinances but also be in one Spirit. For this reason, we should pay attention to the Spirit, not to ordinances.

We each have many self-made ordinances. Ordinances are our forms or ways of living and worship. For example, when I sleep at night, I must close the window; this is my ordinance. There may be a young brother who likes to sleep with the window open. Hence, my ordinance is to close the window at night, and his ordinance is to open the window. How can we be together in peace? The main ordinances in Judaism include dietary regulations, such as not eating pork. However, Gentiles eat pork. These dietary regulations are [194] a middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles (v. 14). Ordinances separate and bring in enmity between people. Regardless of whether we are Jews or Gentiles, we need to drop our ordinances and turn to the Spirit. If the Spirit wants us to eat meat, we should do so whether it is beef, pork, or lamb. If the Holy Spirit does not want us to eat meat, we should not eat it. When John the Baptist came, he neither ate nor drank. But when the Lord Jesus, the Son of Man, came, He both ate and drank (Matt. 11:18-19). Hence, do not pay attention to ordinances; pay attention to the Spirit. It does not matter whether or not we eat meat or whether we open or close the window; none of these matter. What is crucial is to follow the Spirit.

In the church life we should never hold on to our ordinances; we should be in the Holy Spirit. Some saints have an ordinance to sit quietly in their chair during the meeting. This becomes an ordinance of being quiet. Some younger saints like to pray loudly and shout. They are not satisfied unless they shout. This also becomes an ordinance. Thus, being quiet is an ordinance, and shouting is also an ordinance. In the end, those who are quiet cannot be one with those who shout. Since the Lord has abolished the ordinances, we are one in the Lord in reality. However, when we hold on to our ordinances, we cannot be one in practicality. The Bible clearly says that the Lord nailed all the ordinances to the cross (Col. 2:14; Eph. 2:15-16). Hence, we should drop all the ordinances and turn to the Spirit. If the Spirit wants us to shout, we should shout, and if the Spirit wants us to be quiet, we should be quiet.

Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with Your lovingkindness / That we may give a ringing shout and rejoice all our days.” This verse says that we should give a ringing shout not only in the morning but from morning to evening all our days. I do not quote this verse to encourage you to shout. This verse shows that in our Christian life we touch the Lord inwardly. When we touch the Lord and are released, we will shout. A Christian who has never shouted has not touched the Lord in a released way. A brother said that the young saints were shouting too much. Even though I concur with this comment, I feel that those who are opposed to shouting should shout. If we insist on not shouting, we make it an ordinance, which will become a chain that binds us.

Please do not misunderstand me. Whether we should shout or be quiet is not a problem. The problem is that the demand for others to [195] be quiet or to shout comes from the self. When we make such a demand, we are the person. We must give ourselves completely to the Lord and let Him be our person. Once the Lord becomes our person, we will have joy and peace within. Of course, the young saints should not be too loud. They should take care of the older saints who may have heart problems or high blood pressure. To insist on shouting is an ordinance. Satan, the cunning one, hides behind every ordinance in order to create division and cause people to be in discord.

We must allow the cross to eliminate all our ordinances. Those who promote shouting should leave their shouting on the cross, and those who are in favor of being quiet should leave their being quiet on the cross. The Lord has abolished the law of the commandments in ordinances and slain the enmity. Let us turn to the Spirit and not be under any regulations. The quiet saints should not rebuke the saints who shout, nor should the saints who shout criticize the quiet saints. The cross has abolished all the ordinances, and we are in one Spirit. We should not decide to be quiet or to shout; rather, we should let Christ be our person in everything. Then we will be full of joy, the Lord Jesus will be very precious, and the brothers and sisters will be lovely.

We have said that if we, as Christians, are not beside ourselves, we are not qualified to be Christians, because the Bible says that we should be beside ourselves toward God (2 Cor. 5:13). We are blessed to enjoy God to the extent that we are beside ourselves. However, this is not a performance or an ordinance. It is the result of living in our mingled spirit and taking Christ as our person. Taking Christ as our person is not an ordinance. It is the way for us to live in our spirit.

Putting Off the Old Man and Putting On the New Man

Ephesians 4:22 and 24 speak of putting off the old man and putting on the new man. Since the new man in 2:15 is the church, to put on the new man in 4:24 must be to put on the church life. The New American Standard Version renders the Greek words translated “new man” in verse 24 as “new self.” This rendering does not match the context of Ephesians. Since the new man is the church in chapter 2, it cannot change its meaning in chapter 4 and become the new self. Such a translation is against the principle of Bible exposition. To put [196] on the new man is to put on the church life. This is not to put on a new self but to put on the church life.

Being Renewed in the Spirit of the Mind

The secret to putting on the new man lies in 4:23, which speaks of being “renewed in the spirit of your mind.” To be renewed in the spirit of the mind is to let our spirit become the spirit of our mind. We need to be renewed in the spirit of our mind. Our mind with its thoughts must be controlled, directed, saturated, and occupied by our spirit. As a result, our spirit will become the spirit of our mind, and we will be renewed in the spirit of our mind. This is the way to put on the church life.

Putting Off the Former Manner of Life and 
Putting On the Church Life

Verse 22 says, “Put off, as regards your former manner of life, the old man.” Our former manner of life includes everything related to us: what we are, what we have, our family life, and our social life. Our living and walk are related to our parents and children and to our siblings, classmates, colleagues, neighbors, and relatives. Every point and aspect of our living and walk are involved with human communities. Our living is a corporate living. The Bible says that we need to put off the old man, the former manner of life, that is, the old social life, and that we need to put on the new man, the church life.