约三29~30 “娶新妇的，就是新郎；…祂必扩增，我必衰减。”

　　34 “神所差来的，就说神的话，因为祂赐那灵是没有限量的。”

　　新妇，就是借重生所产生，并由基督这新郎所娶得的，乃是基督的扩增，扩大（因此，作基督扩增的新妇，也是基督自己，如林前十二章十二节所说，基督的身体也是基督）。这位基督赐那灵是没有限量的，祂也是无法测度的一位，将永远的生命（无限的生命）赐给祂的信徒（约三29~30、34、36）。…基督得以扩增，乃是借着重生蒙救赎的罪人，使他们成为祂的新妇，祂的妻子。这新妇就是基督的扩增（约翰福音结晶读经，六九页）。

　　John 3:29-30 He who has the bride is the bridegroom….He must increase, but I must decrease.

　　34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for He gives the Spirit not by measure.

　　The bride, produced by regeneration and taken by Christ as the Bridegroom, is the increase, the enlargement, of Christ. (Hence, the bride as the increase of Christ is also Christ Himself as 1 Corinthians 12:12 says that the Body of Christ is also Christ.) Christ gives the Spirit not by measure and, as the immeasurable One, gives eternal life (the unlimited life) to His believers (John 3:29-30, 34, 36).…Christ increases by regenerating the redeemed sinners, making them His bride, His wife. This bride is Christ’s increase. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” p. 381)

　　亚当和夏娃预表基督和祂的扩增。…夏娃是亚当的扩增，而亚当借着他妻子得了亿万的后代，他们也是亚当的扩增。…不仅妻子是丈夫的扩增，所有的儿女也是他的扩增。

　　为使基督扩增，我们必须个别地接触人，使他们得重生。我们不该用名讲道人召聚大会的方式来得人。我们必须个别地，一个一个地接触人。然后我们就像他们的父母一样，借着活力排，渐进而稳定的，以适当的照顾，天天喂养并顾惜他们。这样，基督就会不断地得着扩增。我们每一个人都必须在小排里，产生新的属灵儿女。

　　施浸者约翰说，他必衰减，基督必扩增。我们都应当渴望看见基督扩增，我们衰减。为此，我们需要讲说主的话。讲说神的话之真正、内在的意义，乃是扩展神。当我们讲说圣言，真理，神圣的启示时，我们就扩展神。基督借着我们这些祂的肢体解释神，说明神，最终彰显神，而将神讲说出来。彰显神就是扩展神。基督是讲说神的话，并赐那灵没有限量的一位（约三34）。当一个人接受了祂的话，那灵就跟着成为所说之话的实际。基督扩增祂自己，乃是借着讲说神的话扩展神，并借着赐给神的灵作祂所说之话的实际，为要将永远的生命分赐到人里面，使他们成为神类，神的儿女，神的种类，神的家庭，作基督的扩增。这就是基督如何成为扩增的基督（约翰福音结晶读经，七○至七一页）。

　　身为使徒，就是奉神差遣者、大使，基督…说神的话。基督所说的话乃是雷玛，这话就是灵，就是生命。…我们许多人都能作见证，我们运用灵好好接触神的话时，进到我们里面的话就成为灵，话一成为灵，也就成为生命。话说出来的时候，仍旧是话；但话进到我们里面以后，就成为灵，成为生命。然后我们把在我们里面成为灵与生命的话说出来，它就再一次成为话。这样的话进到别人里面以后，便又成为灵，成为生命。这样，是灵、是生命的神自己，就说到我们里面来了。借此，神的素质就说到我们全人里面。

　　主耶稣的话实际上就是神的素质。因此，这话进到我们里面时，神的素质就进到我们里面。这个素质就是灵。…如果我们接受话〔雷玛〕，并且被那灵充满，我们就会享受永远的生命。结果，我们就成为新妇，成为无限基督的宇宙扩增（李文集一九八二年第二册，二○一、二○八页）。

　　参读：约翰福音结晶读经，第五篇；约翰福音生命读经，第八至十篇。

　　Adam and Eve are a type of Christ with His increase…. Eve was Adam’s increase, and through his wife Adam has billions of descendants, who are also his increase…. Not only the wife but also all the children are the increase of the husband.

　　In order for Christ to increase, we need to contact people individually to get them regenerated. We should not take the way of big speakers gathering big congregations in order to gain people. We have to contact people individually, one by one. Then gradually and steadily with the proper care, we as their parents should feed, nourish, and cherish them day by day through the vital groups. In this way Christ will increase continually. Each of us must be in a small group to produce new spiritual children.

　　John the Baptist said that he should decrease and that Christ should increase. We should all desire to see Christ increasing and ourselves decreasing. For this we need to speak the Lord’s word. The real intrinsic significance of speaking the word of God is to spread God. When we speak the holy Word, the truth, the divine revelation, we spread God. Christ speaks God through us, His members, by defining God, explaining God, and eventually expressing God. To express God is to spread God. Christ is the One who speaks the words of God and who gives the Spirit not by measure (John 3:34). When someone receives His words, the Spirit follows to be the reality of what is spoken. Christ increases Himself by speaking God’s word to spread God and by giving the Spirit of God to be the reality of what He spoke in order to dispense the eternal life into people, making them Godkind, the children of God, the species of God, the family of God, to be Christ’s increase. This is how Christ becomes the increasing Christ. (CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” pp. 381-382)

　　As the Apostle, God’s sent One and Ambassador, Christ speaks the word of God. The word Christ speaks is the rhema, the word that is spirit and life. Many of us can testify that when we handle the Word of God properly by exercising our spirit, the word that comes into us becomes spirit, and when it becomes spirit, it also becomes life. When the word is spoken, it is still the word. But after it comes into us, the word becomes spirit and life. Then as we speak out [that] word,… it once again becomes the word. After such a word enters into someone else, it again becomes spirit and life. In this way God, who is Himself Spirit and life, is spoken into us. By this means God’s essence is spoken into our being.

　　The word of the Lord Jesus is actually the essence of God. Therefore, when this word enters our being, God’s essence comes into our being. This essence is the Spirit. If we receive the word [rhema] and are filled with the Spirit, we will enjoy eternal life. The result is that we become the bride, the universal increase of the unlimited Christ. (CWWL, 1982, vol. 2, “The Fulfillment of the Tabernacle and the Offerings in the Writings of John,” pp. 157, 163)

　　Further Reading: CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 4, “Crystallization-study of the Gospel of John,” msg. 5; Life-study of John, msgs. 8-10