THE GOAL OF THE LORD'S RECOVERY—TO BRING FORTH THE ONE NEW MAN
Message One
Our Urgent Need to See the Vision of the Church as the One New Man
Scripture Reading: Prov. 29:18a; Acts 26:19; Eph. 2:15-16; 4:24; Col. 3:10-11
I. In the last days of this age, before the Lord is able to return, we must see the vision of the one Body and the one new man—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 2:15; 4:4, 24:
A. In the Bible vision denotes an extraordinary scene; it refers to a special kind of seeing—a glorious, inward seeing—and to the spiritual scenery we see from God—Prov. 29:18a; Acts 26:19; Ezek. 1:1; Dan. 7:1, 9-10, 13-14:
1. The heavenly vision governs us, restricts us, controls us, directs us, preserves us, revolutionizes us, keeps us in the genuine oneness, and gives us the boldness to go on—Prov. 29:18a.
2. Under the heavenly vision we are directed toward God's destination, and our life is controlled according to God's economy—Phil. 3:13-14; 1 Tim. 1:4.
B. Ultimately, the Bible speaks of the church as the one new man—Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:15; 4:24; Col. 3:10-11:
1. As the one new man, the church is a corporate person and needs Christ not only as its life but also as its person—Eph. 3:17a; 4:24; Col. 3:4, 10.
2. For the practical existence of the one new man, we all need to take Christ as our person—Eph. 3:17a.
II. The church is the one new man to accomplish God's eternal purpose—1:9, 11; 3:11; Rom. 8:28; Eph. 2:15-16; 4:22-24:
A. God's intention in His creation of man was to have a corporate man to express Him and to represent Him—Gen. 1:26:
1. God's creation of man in Genesis 1 is a picture of the one new man in God's new creation; this means that the old creation is a figure, a type, of the new creation—Eph. 2:15; 4:24.
2. God created man in His own image and then gave man His dominion—Gen. 1:26.
3. Eventually, the church as the one new man is the corporate man in God's intention—Col. 3:10.
B. The Bible reveals that the one new man is a corporate, universal man—Eph. 2:15; 4:24:
1. We, the believers in Christ, are all one with Christ to be the new man; thus, we all are parts, components, of the corporate one new man—Col. 3:10-11.
2. The one new man is a corporate God-man, the aggregate of all the God-men—Eph. 2:15; 4:24.
III. The one new man was created through Christ's death on the cross—2:15-16:
A. The one new man was created by Christ with two kinds of materials—the redeemed created man and the divine element; on the cross Christ put these two elements together to produce a new man—v. 15.
B. Apart from being in Christ, we could not have been created into one new man, because in ourselves we do not have the divine essence, which is the element of the one new man—v. 15:
1. Only in the divine essence and with the divine essence were we created into the one new man; it is possible to have this essence only in Christ.
2. In the one new man Christ is all because He is the essence with which the new man was created; therefore, the one new man is Christ—Col. 3:10-11.
IV. The one new man is Christ constituted into us—vv. 10-11:
A. The Christ who indwells us is the constituent of the one new man—1:27; 3:11.
B. As we experience and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, He is constituted into us, and we become the one new man—1:12-13; 3:10.
C. In the one new man Christ is all the members and is in all the members—v. 11.
D. The only way that Christ can be all and in all in the one new man is for Him to be constituted into us—Gal. 4:19; Eph. 3:17a.
V. The goal of the Lord's recovery is to bring forth the one new man—2:15; 4:22-24; Col. 3:10-11:
A. What the Lord has been doing and is doing now in His recovery is bringing forth the one new man with Himself as the life, person, and constituent—Eph. 3:17-19; Col. 3:4, 10-11.
B. The Lord wants to show Satan that He can produce and bring forth the one new man out of every tongue and people from among the nations; this is not an outward movement—it is Christ Himself within us as our life, person, and constituent—Rev. 5:9-10; Eph. 3:17; Col. 3:4, 10-11.
C. The one new man will usher in the kingdom of God and will bring Christ, the King, back to the earth—Rev. 11:15.
VI. Now is the time for God to accomplish His purpose—to perfect the one new man, who will come into full existence on earth—Eph. 4:24:
A. The world situation has been raised up for the goal of bringing forth the one new man; everything that the Lord is doing in the present age is to usher in the practical existence of the one new man.
B. When the one new man is full-grown and perfected, that will be the time for the Lord's coming, and the full-grown, perfected one new man will be the bride—vv. 12-13; Rev. 19:7.
C. "Today everything is ripe, ready, and prepared for the new man to come forth. We all have to see where we are. We are at the end time, and this is the most golden time. This is the right time for the Lord's recovery. Our view must be broadened" (The One New Man, p. 26).
D. "The Lord today is doing this work on the earth, and this is the goal of the Lord's recovery today" (One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man, p. 101).