罗十二5 我们这许多人，在基督里是一个身体，并且各个互相作肢体，也是如此。

　　太十六18 …我要把我的召会建造在这磐石上…。

　　Rom. 12:5 So we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

　　Matt. 16:18 …. upon this rock I will build My church, ….

　　神救恩的目的，是要在千万圣徒里面，得着基督的繁殖，使他们成为祂身体的肢体，不是成为分开而完整的个别单位，乃是成为活的，有功用的，配搭一起，整体的许多部分。这许多部分虽然有不同的功用，却不是彼此分离的，乃是“各个互相作肢体”。每个肢体都在生机上，联于所有别的肢体，每一肢体也都需要所有其他肢体的功用。所有的肢体，必须配搭一起，实行〔罗马十二〕章所启示的身体生活（新约圣经恢复本，罗十二5注2）。

　　The purpose of God's salvation is to have Christ reproduced in millions of saints that they may become the members of His Body, not separate and complete individual units but parts of a living, functioning, coordinated, corporate whole. Although these parts have different functions, they are not detached from one another. Rather, they are “individually members one of another.” Each member is organically joined to all the others, and each needs the function of all the others. All the members must be coordinated together to practice the Body life that is revealed in Romans Chapter 12. (New Testament Recovery Version, Romans 12:5 footnote 2)

　　召会〔一辞原文是〕艾克利西亚（ekklesia），…是指蒙召出来的会众。古时候一个城市将市民召聚在一起，那个会众就是艾克利西亚。主耶稣在新约马太十六章开始用这个字来表明召会（18）。召会乃是蒙神呼召出来归祂自己的会众。弟兄会比较喜欢用召会（assembly）这个辞。我相信召会这个辞比教会（church）好，因为教会一辞已经相当受到破坏了（圣经中的基本启示，六五至六六页）。

　　旧约虽然有好些预表，表征召会，但旧约没有召会这个辞。所以召会在旧约乃是一个隐藏在神里面的奥秘，…旧约的圣徒不知道他们为什么在那里敬畏、事奉神，神为什么眷顾他们。…他们…不知道，神所要得着的，乃是一个召会，作基督的身体。到了新约，施浸者约翰来了，叫人悔改相信福音。主耶稣又接着约翰所传的，于是彼得、雅各、约翰等许多人都接受了。主又设立他们十二人作使徒，也去传扬福音；但这些人一点也不了解，这一切都是为着召会。

　　The church is firstly an ecclesia…. denotes a called-out congregation. In ancient times when the city called its citizens together for a gathering, that congregation was an ecclesia. The New Testament, beginning with the Lord Jesus in Matthew 16, uses this word to denote the church (v. 18). The church is a congregation called out by God unto Himself. The Brethren prefer to use the word assembly. I believe this is a better word to use, because the word church in English has been very much spoiled. (The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, pp 65-66)

　　Although there are several types in the Old Testament typifying the church, the word “church” is not found in the Old Testament. Therefore, in the Old Testament the church is a mystery hidden in God. None of the ones…. The Old Testament saints did not know why they were fearing and worshipping God and why God was caring for them…. They did not know that God wanted to obtain a church as the Body of Christ. In the New Testament, John the Baptist appeared, calling people to repent and to believe in the gospel. The Lord Jesus continued what John had preached, and as a result, Peter, James, John, and many others received it. Of these, the Lord appointed twelve as apostles and sent them out to preach the gospel, but none of them knew that all this was for the church.

　　〔有一天，主带门徒到〕该撒利亚腓立比的境内，…就问他们说，“你们说我是谁？”彼得回答说，“你是基督，是活神的儿子。”（太十六15～16。）…他得着启示，看见主耶稣按着祂的职分说，是神所膏，要完成神旨意的；按着祂的身位说，是神的儿子，是神的具体表现。彼得在此说出惊天动地的大话。主马上对他说，这不是人启示他的，乃是父神启示他的；并且主还告诉他：“我要把我的召会建造在这磐石上。”（18。）主进一步给他看见，只认识祂是基督仍不够，还必须认识…祂要建造一个召会。祂仅仅是头，还需要一个身体，就是召会，与祂相配。头和身体是分不开的；基督与召会乃是极大的奥秘（弗五32）。我们不光要认识基督，还要认识召会（神的经纶与基督身体的建造，五四至五五页）。

　　[One day the Lord brought the disciples] to the region of Caesarea Philippi.... There the Lord asked them, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16)…. He received the revelation and saw that according to His ministry, the Lord Jesus is God's Anointed for the fulfillment of God's purpose, and that according to His person, He is the Son of God, the embodiment of God. Here Peter uttered some stunning words. Immediately the Lord told him that this was not revealed to him by man but by God the Father. Furthermore, the Lord said, “On this rock I will build My church” (v. 18). In this word the Lord showed Peter that it is not enough just to know Him as the Christ; Peter must also know that…. He will build the church. Christ is only the Head; He needs a Body, which is the church, to be His match. The Head and the Body cannot be divided; Christ and the church is a great mystery (Eph. 5:32). Not only must we know Christ; we must know the church as well. (The Economy of God and the Building Up of the Body of Christ, pp 54-55)