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. 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.Eph. 3:8 To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.
At the time Paul wrote the book of Philippians, he was an elderly person. No doubt, the guards expected him to be exhausted by his imprisonment. But far from being exhausted, Paul was full of joy and rejoicing in the Lord. I am confident that he was shining forth Christ and expressing Him. Such an expression was a declaration of the unlimited greatness of Christ and a declaration that Christ is inexhaustible. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 49)
Today’s Reading
Our natural patience is limited, but Christ as our patience is without limit. We all have the capacity to be patient, but only to a certain extent. Then we become provoked and angry…. Although our natural patience is so limited, Christ as patience is inexhaustible and immeasurable.Even though Paul must have been mistreated in prison, he could be happy and display to the guards the unlimited greatness of Christ. In particular, Paul displayed Christ’s inexhaustible patience. Christ certainly was magnified in Paul’s physical body. DAY by day, Paul was happy in the Lord. His happiness did not diminish as time went by. In his happiness he could show forth the immeasurable Christ he experienced and enjoyed. By this way Paul expressed, exhibited, exalted, and extolled Christ. I do not believe that Paul was offended by the jailers or that he offended them. Rather, he was a living witness of Christ, testifying of His ability, power, patience, love, and wisdom, all without measure. The guards may have considered Paul to be strange or peculiar, viewing him as possessing something which they did not have. What they sensed in Paul was Christ magnified. While he was in prison, Paul expressed the greatness of Christ in an enlarged way. He magnified Christ with all boldness both through life and through death. By magnifying Christ in this way, Paul could overcome any situation. (Life-study of Philippians, p. 50)
Paul’s living was actually the expression of the life-giving Spirit. In every situation of his daily living, Paul was the expression of the very Christ he preached….On the island of Malta he lived such a Christ as the all-inclusive Spirit…. As we read Luke’s account [in Acts] of Paul’s living, we see that his living was the all-inclusive Spirit as the consummation of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ.
On the sea in the storm, the Lord had already made the apostle not only the owner of his fellow voyagers (Acts 27:24), but also their life-guarantee and comforter (27:22-25). Now on the land in peace, the Lord made him further not only a magical attraction in the eyes of the superstitious people (28:3-6), but also a healer and joy to the native people (vv. 8-9). All during his long and unfortunate imprisonment-voyage, the Lord kept the apostle in His ascendancy and enabled him to live a life far beyond the realm of anxiety, but fully dignified with the highest standard of human virtues expressing the most excellent divine attributes, a life that resembled the one that He Himself had lived on earth years before. This was Jesus living again on the earth in His divinely enriched humanity! This was the wonderful, excellent, and mysterious God-man, who lived in the Gospels, continuing to live in Acts through one of His many members! This was a living witness of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and God-exalted Christ. Paul in his voyage lived and magnified Christ. No wonder the people honored him and his companions with many honors (v. 10), that is, with the best respect and highest regard! (Life-study of Acts, pp. 616-617)
Further Reading: Life-study of Acts, msgs. 70-72; Life-study of Jeremiah, msgs. 3-4; CWWL, 1972, vol. 1, “The Living and Practical Way to Enjoy Christ,” chs. 3-4