Ⅱ
We live in the Divine Trinity by living Christ for His magnification by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—Phil. 1:19-21a:
A
The believers live Christ by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the Christ who is the life-dispensing Spirit—v. 19; 1 Cor. 15:45b; 2 Cor. 3:6:
１
This bountiful supply includes divinity, humanity, crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, the divine attributes, and the human virtues.
２
Everything we do and all our living should come about by the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ—Phil. 1:19.
３
Under the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity, we will spontaneously receive the supply of Christ within and will live a life that expresses Christ—vv. 20-21a.
B
All of Paul’s life and work were not for expressing himself or for displaying his knowledge, his ability, or his other merits and strong points; what he was and what he did were for expressing Christ, even for magnifying Christ—v. 20; 3:3-10; 2 Cor. 4:5.
C
In the apostle’s suffering in his body, Christ was magnified; that is, He was shown or declared to be great (without limitation), exalted, and extolled—Phil. 1:20:
１
The apostle’s sufferings afforded him opportunity to express Christ in His unlimited greatness—Acts 9:16; 2 Cor. 6:4; 11:23; Col. 1:24.
２
To magnify Christ under any circumstances is to experience Him with the topmost enjoyment—Phil. 1:18; 4:23.
３
As Paul was held captive in a Roman prison, he magnified Christ, making Him to appear great in the eyes of his captors; regardless of the circumstances, Paul was full of joy and rejoicing in the Lord—1:4, 18, 25; 2:2, 17-18, 28-29; 3:1; 4:1, 4.
４
Paul’s shining forth and expressing Christ in his joy were a declaration of the unlimited greatness of Christ and a declaration that Christ is inexhaustible—Eph. 3:8, 18; cf. Isa. 9:6.
D
To live Christ for His magnification is to participate in Christ’s salvation in life, in which we are saved from the failure of not living Christ and from the defeat of not magnifying Christ—Rom. 5:10.
E
As the believers’ pattern, Paul lived a life in Christ’s ascendancy, a life that was fully dignified, with the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one that the Lord Himself had lived on the earth years before—1 Tim. 1:16; Acts 27:21-26; 28:3-6, 8-10.
Morning Nourishment
Phil. 1:19-21 For I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.To live in the Divine Trinity is to live Christ for His magnification (Phil. 1:20-21a)….We live Christ for His magnification only through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (v. 19). When we live by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit, spontaneously we live Christ to magnify Him. The factor, the element, and the sphere of our living should be the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ as the bountiful supply. The term the Spirit of Jesus Christ means that the Spirit is Jesus Christ. He is the rich Spirit as our life supply, and He is in our spirit. This is why we need to stress the matter of our spirit…. We need to turn to our spirit, exercise our spirit, and stir up our spirit because in our spirit is the very resurrection, who is the living One, the pneumatic Christ, the life-giving Spirit. (CWWL, 1988, vol. 1, “Living in and with the Divine Trinity,” p. 351)
Today’s Reading
In the bountiful supply of the Spirit we have Christ’s divinity, humanity, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The Spirit today is not merely the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Jehovah, or the Holy Spirit. Having passed through the process of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, the Spirit is now the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Within Him there is a living supply which includes all kinds of divine, spiritual, heavenly ingredients. Through this bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, Paul’s circumstances turned out to his salvation. He was saved constantly and instantly through this bountiful supply.In Paul’s bodily sufferings, Christ was magnified, that is, shown or declared great (shown to be without limitation), exalted, and extolled. His sufferings afforded him opportunity to express Christ in His unlimited greatness. Only Christ would he have magnified in him, not the law or circumcision…. To magnify Christ under any circumstances is to experience Him with the topmost enjoyment.
The word magnify means to make something large to our sight. Perhaps you are wondering how Christ can be magnified since He is already universally great. According to Ephesians 3, the dimensions of Christ—the breadth, length, height, and depth—are immeasurable. They are the dimensions of the universe. Although Christ is vast, extensive, and immeasurable, in the eyes of the praetorium, the imperial guard of Caesar, Christ was virtually nonexistent. In their eyes, there was not such a person as Jesus Christ. However, Paul magnified Christ; he made Him great before the eyes of others, especially before the eyes of those who guarded him in prison. As a result, some eventually turned to Christ. Evidence of this is found in Philippians 4:22, where Paul speaks of the saints of Caesar’s household. Through Paul’s magnification of Christ, even some in Caesar’s household were saved.
At the time of Paul’s imprisonment, the Jews were despised by the Romans. The Romans were the conquerors, and the Jews were the conquered ones. Among these conquered ones there was a man named Jesus. Although He is great and most wonderful, in the eyes of the Romans He was nothing. But as Paul was held captive in a Roman prison, he magnified Christ, making Him to appear great in the eyes of his captors.
Where you work or go to school people may look down on Christ. They may ridicule Him and take His name in vain…. Therefore, you need to let others see Christ not in a small way, but in the way of enlargement, of magnification. (Life-study of Philippians, pp. 422, 424, 47-48)
Further Reading: Life-study of Philippians, msgs. 6, 31-32, 34, 47-48; Life-study of the Psalms, msg. 40