«　WEEK 3　DAY 2　»

　　1 Cor. 1:2-4 To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place…: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always concerning you based upon the grace of God which was given to you in Christ Jesus.

　　“To the church of God” [1 Cor. 1:2a]… indicates that the church is not only being possessed by God, but it has God as its nature and essence, which are divine, general, universal, and eternal. “The church … in Corinth” (v. 2b) was a church in a city, remaining in a definite locality and taking it as its standing, ground, and jurisdiction for its administration in business affairs …The church remained in that locality for a local testimony of Christ, … a part of the universal testimony of Christ. The universal testimony is composed of and constituted with the local testimonies. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Genuine Church,” p. 376)

　　The church is “sanctified in Christ” (1 Cor. 1:2c), having been sanctified, made holy, in Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed Triune God in His fullness, as its element and sphere. Christ is the embodiment of the processed Triune God in all His fullness. Now we are in this Christ, and we have this Christ as our element and sphere …Christ is the element of the church. He is also the sphere, the realm, of the church.

　　The church is composed of the “called saints” (v. 2d)—the assembly of the saints, the sanctified ones, who have been called out of the satanic world. We have been called by God to be sanctified in Christ, … a wonderful person, …our element within and our sphere without.

　　The fifth qualification [(v. 2e) is] that the church which is genuine is related with all the saints who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in every place around the globe.

　　Verse 3… indicates that the [genuine] church… is under the dispensing of “grace,” which is the embodiment of the processed Triune God for the enjoyment of His called ones, and “peace,” the processed Triune God as the issue of the enjoyment of Him as grace by His called ones. Grace and peace are dispensed to the church from God the Father as the source of the Divine Trinity, from the Lord Jesus Christ as the course of the flow of the Divine Trinity, and from the Holy Spirit as the reaching of the flow of the Divine Trinity…(2 Cor. 13:14)…The Triune God is the grace and peace to His called ones for their enjoyment. The grace of God is not given to the church based upon the spirituality or condition of the church [but upon] the grace of God alone… Paul’s thanks to God in 1 Corinthians 1:4 was based upon the gift of grace which was given to the church in Christ Jesus. In the New Testament the phrase in Christ is mainly used in relation to the Triune God (2 Cor. 5:19) and the believers corporately (1 Cor. 1:30). Therefore, the grace of God given to the believers is the Triune God Himself.

　　The church is standing on the base of grace in order that it may receive further grace. We have received grace as our base, and today we are standing upon grace, not upon our attributes, virtues, or excellencies. Therefore, we are qualified to receive more grace, even grace upon grace. John 1:16 says, “Of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.” We are qualified by grace to receive grace upon grace. We have to thank the Lord that the more storms there are in the church, the more “waves” of grace there are. Every storm brings another “wave” of grace. Moreover, this grace issues in peace. In His Divine Trinity, God is not only grace but peace to us. After receiving grace, we are at peace, and we can say, “Hallelujah, Amen!” We are in the peace because we have enjoyed grace, and we have grace because we have received grace upon grace. (CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Genuine Church,” pp. 376-379)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1990, vol. 2, “A Genuine Church,” pp. 373-382; Life-study of 1 Corinthians, msg. 2