西四16 这书信在你们中间念了之后，务要叫在老底嘉的召会也念，你们也要念从老底嘉来的书信。

　　启一11~12 你所看见的，当写在书上，寄给那七个召会：给以弗所……。我转过身来，要看是谁发声与我说话；既转过来，就看见七个金灯台。

　　新人实际的存在并活出，是具有重大意义的事。罗马帝国幅员辽阔，种族繁多。为求文化统一，罗马帝国使用希腊文。不过罗马帝国融合各民族没有成功。国家、种族以及社会阶级的区别仍旧存在。犹太人仍是犹太人，希利尼人也仍是希利尼人。奴隶和主人的区分无法消除。但是国籍、种族、阶级的区别虽然存在，在基督耶稣里所创造的新人却实际地在地上出现了。不仅有在各城里的地方召会，还有一个新人真实而实际地显出来了（歌罗西书生命读经，三二一页）。

　　Col. 4:16 …When this letter is read among you, cause that it be read in the church of the Laodiceans also, and that you also read the one from Laodicea.

　　Rev. 1:11-12 …What you see write…and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus…and to Laodicea. And I turned to see the voice that spoke with me; and when I turned, I saw seven golden lampstands.

　　The existence and living of the new man in a practical way is a matter of tremendous significance. The Roman Empire covered a vast area and embraced many different peoples. In the attempt to unify the people culturally, the Roman Empire used the Greek language. However, the Roman Empire was not successful in uniting the various peoples. The differences among the nations, races, and social classes remained. The Jews were still Jews, and the Greeks were still Greeks. The distinction between slaves and masters was by no means eliminated. But in spite of all the differences among nationalities, races, and classes, there was on earth in a practical way the one new man created in Christ Jesus. There were not merely local churches in various cities—there was one new man in a real and practical way. (Life-study of Colossians, p. 260)

　　任何地方的召会向其他召会孤立，乃是羞耻。我们避开别地的召会，害怕他们会干涉我们的事或麻烦我们，这种态度何等错误！……任何召会持这样的态度，就是只对自己有感觉，没有整体新人的感觉。任何人坚持这态度，就会叫新人支离破碎。虽然如此，许多召会和信徒个人的态度是你不管我，我也不管你。他们不关心其他地方的召会，他们也不愿与其他的召会有来往。持这种态度的人缺乏一个新人的感觉，缺乏“新人感”。赞美主，在〔歌罗西四章七至十七节〕里有一幅新人生活的图画！从〔这段经文〕我们看见新人实际的彰显。

　　保罗的心中不是只有某个地方的召会，或是某位圣徒；他心里所有的是一个新人。保罗认识许多圣徒。但是在专门为着交通的那几节里，他提到一些人作为各种不同人的代表，这些人是以基督作他们的成分而构成新人。这样，他就把新人生活一幅完整的图画呈现出来。……盼望我们对这个重点有深刻的印象。

　　我们若有一个新人的感觉，就不该再认为我们本国的召会与别国的召会毫无关系，反而会看见今天所有的召会乃是一个新人。愿我们仰望主，叫我们一点也不分门别类。不论是作为个别的信徒，或是作为团体的地方召会，我们都不分门别类。……假如在保罗那个交通不便的时代，召会之间还能有来往，我们今天有这么多现代化的交通工具，彼此之间岂不更该多有交通？借着众召会之间的交通，我们就实际地经历新人的生活。

　　保罗告诉我们基督是我们的生命，也是新人的成分之后，又嘱咐我们要让基督的平安在我们里面作仲裁，并让基督的话住在我们里面。……在巴别，人类开始有文化的分裂。……然而，照以弗所二章十五节来看，基督在十字架上的死，已经废掉并了结一切文化的规条及分歧。基督如此行的目的，乃是要在祂自己里面创造一个新人，而成就和平。……这一个和平，也就是基督的平安，乃是保罗在歌罗西三章十五节所指的（歌罗西书生命读经，三二一至三二三、三四三至三四四页）。

　　参读：新约总论，第二百一十六篇。

　　It is shameful for the church in any locality to isolate itself from other churches. How wrong it is for us to have the attitude of standing apart from other local churches, fearing that others may interfere with our affairs or otherwise trouble us…. Any church which holds such an attitude has a consciousness only of itself, not of the totality of the new man. Those who insist on this attitude cause the new man to be fragmented, to be broken into pieces. Nevertheless, many churches and many individual believers as well have the attitude that they will leave others alone if others in turn will leave them alone. They do not care about the churches in other places, and they do not want other churches to be involved with them. Those who have this attitude lack the sense, the consciousness, of the one new man. Praise the Lord for the portrait of the living of the new man in Colossians 4:7-17! By these verses we see the practical expression of the new man.

　　In Paul’s heart was not simply a particular local church or a certain saint, but the one new man. Paul knew a great many saints. But in the verses devoted to fellowship, he mentions certain ones as representatives of the various peoples who, with Christ as their constituent, compose the new man. In this way he presents a full picture of the living of the new man. My burden in this message is that we would be impressed with this crucial point.

　　If we are conscious of the one new man, we should no longer think that the churches in our country have nothing to do with the churches in other nations. Instead, we shall realize that all the churches are the one new man today. May we look to the Lord that we may not be sectarian in any way. We would not be sectarian either individually as believers or corporately as local churches…. If at the time of Paul, when travel was not convenient, there could be traffic among the churches, how much more should there be today with all the modern conveniences? By means of the traffic among the churches, we experience in a practical way the living of the new man.

　　After Paul tells us that Christ is our life and the constituent of the new man, he charges us to let the peace of Christ arbitrate in us and to let the word of Christ inhabit us…. At Babel the cultural divisions of mankind came into being…. But according to Ephesians 2:15, Christ’s death on the cross has abolished all the cultural ordinances and differences and terminated them. Christ’s purpose in doing this was to create in Himself one new man and thereby make peace …. This very peace, the peace of Christ, is what Paul refers to in Colossians 3:15. (Life-study of Colossians, pp. 260-262, 278)

　　Further Reading: The Conclusion of the New Testament, msg. 216