Ⅰ
“The co-workers and the elders, who take the lead in the Lord's recovery, must realize that the Lord's recovery is resting upon their shoulders. What the recovery will be depends upon what they will be” (The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “The Divine and Mystical Realm,” p. 99):
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“I am quite concerned for all the co-workers and elders. It may be that a good number of them do not have a complete understanding of what the Lord's recovery is” (p. 92).
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“Regarding the Lord's present recovery, I hope that none of you would be held back by your old theology or by your old understanding of the recovery” (p. 93).
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In the last days of this age, before the Lord will be able to return, we must see the vision of the one Body and the one new man—1 Cor. 12:12; Eph. 4:4; 2:15-16; 4:24.
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The church, the Body of Christ, is the one new man to accomplish God's eternal purpose—1:9, 11; 3:9; Rom. 8:29; 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 2:15-16; 4:22-24:
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The emphasis on the church being the Body of Christ is on life, whereas the emphasis on the church being the one new man is on the person.
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As the Body of Christ, the church needs Christ as its life; as the one new man, the church needs Christ as its person.
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The Bible reveals that the one new man is a corporate, universal man—Eph. 2:15; 4:24; Col. 3:10-11:
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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.
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The one new man is a corporate God-man, the aggregate of all the God-men; when we put all the God-men together, we have the one new man.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 2:15-16 …He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace, and might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.4:24 And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.
The Bible never says that there are many new men. The Bible tells us that there is only one new man (Eph. 2:15). This one new man is not an individual; he is a corporate man, and this corporate new man is the aggregate of all the God-men. When we put all the God-men together, we have one man. This one man is called “the new man” (4:24; Col. 3:10), referring to the new mankind. Adam was the old mankind. All his descendants are one with him to be the old man. Today we, the believers in Christ, are all one with Christ to be the new man. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 2, “The God-men,” p. 441)
Today's Reading
One day the Lord opened my eyes and showed me through the book of Ephesians that the new man is not plural. Rather, the new man is uniquely one. There is only one new man in the universe. We are not individually new men; instead, you are a part of the new man, I am a part of the new man, and all the saved ones are also parts of the new man. The new man is uniquely one, yet this new man has millions of parts. There is only one Body, and there is only one new man—one Body and one new man. Ephesians 2:15…is sufficient proof that the new man is corporate, not individual.Verse 16 says, “And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.” The creation of the one new man is in verse 15, and the one Body is in verse 16. This shows us that the one new man in the former verse is the one Body in the latter verse, and it also shows us that the Body and the new man are absolutely related.
The Bible has a few passages that are so profound that our natural mind cannot understand them at all. Why is the one new man also the one Body? Why does verse 15 say that Christ has created the two in Himself into one new man, while verse 16 says that He has reconciled both in one Body to God? There must be a reason and an explanation for this. What then is the difference between the Body and the new man? First, we must see that the Body is a matter of life, and the new man is a matter of person. Our body has life in it; without life it is not a body but a corpse. When we speak of the Body, we understand that it has life in it. Thus, the Body is a matter of life. When we speak of one new man, though, it is a matter of person. A man has a person. Today my body does not need a person; my body only needs life. In other words, my body needs to be healthy, and health is life. When I have a rich and proper life within me, my body is healthy. If my life has a problem, my body becomes sick. Therefore, the body is a matter of life. The new man, however, is a matter of person. My body cannot plan where it will go, but my person can make a plan. There is a person within me who decides, saying, “This morning this body will go to this place, and this evening this body will go to that place.” By this you can see the difference between the person and the life that is in the body. The person makes a decision about where to go, and the body immediately takes action. The Body of Christ is a matter of life, whereas the new man is a matter of person.
Still, you all must know that both the life and the person are Christ. The life in this Body is Christ, and the person in this one new man is also Christ. The church is the Body, and this Body needs Christ to be in it as life. The church is also the one new man, and this one new man needs Christ to be in him as his person. (CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man,” pp. 306-307)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1977, vol. 3, “One Body, One Spirit, and One New Man,” chs. 5-8