Ⅱ
In the Body there can be no independence or individualism, for we are members, and members cannot live in detachment from the Body—1 Cor. 12:27; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 5:30:
Ａ
Every believer is a member of the Body of Christ, and every member is indispensable—1 Cor. 12:15, 21; Rom. 12:3.
Ｂ
“If we truly see our position in the Body, it will be as though we were saved a second time” (W. Nee, The Mystery of Christ, p. 16)—John 1:50-51; 1 Tim. 3:15.
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Those who see that they are members of the Body will surely treasure the Body and honor the other members—1 Cor. 12:23-24; Phil. 2:29; 1 Cor. 16:18; Judg. 9:9.
Ｄ
Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individualistic thought and action are ruled out:
１
If we want to know the Body, we need deliverance not only from our sinful life and our natural life but also from our individualistic life.
２
Just as the Father is versus the world, the Spirit is versus the flesh, and the Lord is versus the devil, so also the Body is versus the individual.
３
Just as we cannot be independent from the Head, we cannot be independent from the Body.
４
Individualism is hateful in the sight of God:
ａ
The enemy of the Body is the self, the independent “I,” the independent “me”—Matt. 16:21-26.
ｂ
If we would be built up in the Body, the self must be condemned, denied, rejected, and renounced.
ｃ
We should be dependent not only on God but also on the Body, on the brothers and sisters—Exo. 17:11-13; Acts 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33.
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What I do not know, another member of the Body will know; what I cannot see, another member of the Body will see; what I cannot do, another member of the Body will do.
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If we refuse the help of our fellow members, we are refusing the help of Christ—1 Cor. 12:12.
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Sooner or later all individualistic Christians will dry up.
Ⅲ
As members of the Body, we must allow ourselves to be limited by the other members, not going beyond our measure:
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A basic requirement for the growth and development of the Body is that we recognize our measure and not go beyond it—Eph. 4:7, 16.
Morning Nourishment
1 Cor. 12:14-15 "For the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body, it is not that because of this it is not of the body."1 Cor. 12:21 "And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you."
If we truly see our position in the Body, it will be as though we were saved a second time.
First Corinthians 12:14 through 27 speaks of two erroneous concepts that members may have: (1) “Because I am not…, I am not of the body” (v. 15). This is to despise oneself and covet the work of others. (2) “I have no need of you” (v. 21). This is to be proud of oneself, thinking that one man can be all-inclusive and despising others. Both concepts are harmful to the Body.
We should all…[have] the consciousness of the Body so that we can live together with other members in the Body of Christ. Wherever there is Body-revelation, there is Body-consciousness, and wherever there is Body-consciousness, individual thought and action are automatically ruled out.
The adamic life is individualistic and independent. Even though everyone in Adam shares the same life, there is no fellowship among them.…Everyone in Adam lives as separate individuals. In Christ everything that is individualistic is ruled out. If we want to know the Body life, we need deliverance not only from our sinful life and our natural life, but also from our individualistic life. All individual elements must go because nothing that is individualistic can reach God's goal. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “pp. 794, 796-797, 794)
Today's Reading
Seeing the vision of the self has much to do with the Body. Today we are in the Lord's recovery, and the recovery will eventually come to this crucial matter—the building up of the Body. The enemy of the Body is the self. The greatest problem, the greatest frustration and opposition, to the Body is also the self. When we have the self, we do not have the Body. When we have the Body, we do not have the self. In order for the Body to be built up, the self, the independent soul, must be dealt with. The self is the independent “I, “the independent “me.” When we are independent, we are in the self, the Body is gone, and we do not have peace.We must be built up in the Body, but the hindrance to this building is the self, one of the last things in us to be dealt with by the Lord. If we would be built up in the Body, the self must be condemned, denied, rejected, and renounced. Day by day the self must be renounced in all things. Only when the self is renounced will we have the Body and be genuine members of the Body.
Because the self is something independent, the self is the greatest problem to the building up of the Body. We should be dependent not only on God but also on the Body, on the brothers and sisters. Whenever we are independent of the brothers and sisters, we are in the self, in the independent soul. For us today, being independent of the Body is equal to being independent of God.…If you check with your experience, you will realize that when you were independent of [or isolated from] the brothers and sisters, you had the sense that you were also independent of [or isolated from] God. (CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision, “pp. 198, 190, 195)
If you are simply a believer, you can act as you please, but if you are a member of the Body, then you must allow yourself to be limited by the other members.…It is essential for the development of the Body that we each recognize our measure and not go beyond it. This is a basic requirement for the growth of the Body. The Body of Christ is not only a protection to the members but a limitation to all the members. Every Christian is but one member in the Body of Christ and must accept the limitation of the Body. We should not allow ourselves to go our own way; rather, we should learn to be blended with other brothers and sisters. (CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “p. 805)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 44, “The Mystery of Christ, “chs. 99-100; CWWL, 1965, vol. 3, “The Heavenly Vision, “chs. 3-4