CHAPTER NINE
KNOWING THE CHURCH AS THE NEW MAN
AND
TAKING CHRIST AS OUR PERSON
(2)
THE CHURCH BEING THE BODY AND THE NEW MAN
It is easy for people to say that the church is the Body of Christ. However, the Bible says that the church is not only the Body but also the new man. The new man is different from the Body. Let us use the physical body as an example. A body is simply a vessel to be used as an organ. A man, however, is not merely an organ; a man has a person. A body needs life, but a man needs a person in addition to life. Life is different from a person. A plant has life, but it does not have a person. A man has not only life but also a person. In the past we saw that the church is the Body with Christ as its life. However, we did not see that the church is the new man with Christ not only as its life but also as its person.
THE REVELATION IN THE BIBLE
OF THE CHURCH AS THE NEW MAN
The Bible says that the church is the new man. Ephesians 2:15 says that Christ abolished “in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man, so making peace.” Paul says that the Lord created the two—the Jewish and the Gentile believers—into one new man. Therefore, the new man is not an individual. The new man is corporate. Verse 16 continues, “And might reconcile both in one Body to God.” Verse 15 says that the Lord created the two into one new man, not an individual man but a corporate man, and verse 16 says that He reconciled both in one Body. This indicates that the Body is the new man. Moreover, in chapter 1 the Body is the church. Hence, the church is not only the Body but also the new man.
Some believers say that while the Bible says that the church is the [200] Body of Christ, it does not say that the church is the new man. These believers say that before a person is saved, he was an old man, but after he is saved, he becomes new. Hence, the new man refers to a saved individual, not to the church. Without a clear foundation in the truth, we will be influenced by such talk. We must guard against the schemes of Satan. We should ask such believers to read Ephesians 2:15 and ask them what the two refers to. If they cannot answer us, we should tell them that the two refers to Jewish and Gentile believers. Since the new man is composed of two peoples, Jews and Gentiles, the new man cannot refer to individuals. It is a corporate new man. Besides, verse 15 says that He created the two “into one new man,” not merely “into a new man.” Into a new man may be understood as each believer being a new man. However, verse 15 clearly says “one new man.” Verse 16 then says, “And might reconcile both in one Body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity by it.” Ephesians 1:22b-23a says, “Gave Him [Christ] to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body.” These verses indicate that the Body is the church. According to the context, the Body also refers to the new man in chapter 2. If we see this point, we will have a firm foundation.
We need to grow in life and be clear concerning the truth, and we must also fight the battle for the truth. Fighting for the truth is not something that we began. From the time of the church fathers, believers have been fighting for the truth. The Reformation began with Martin Luther’s contending for the truth. Today the whole world is in confusion, but the truth in the Bible is crystal clear. What do we mean by truth? Here is an example: It is true that two plus two is four. To say that two plus two is 3.99 is false; it is an error. Similarly, to say that two plus two is 4.01 is also an error. Truth stipulates that two plus two is four. The truth in the Bible is very accurate and very exact. Nothing can be more accurate than the thoughts of God. The Bible as God’s revelation, His speaking, is very accurate. We must locate the truth in the Bible. Based on the Bible, we can say that the church is not only the Body but also the new man.
As Christians, we need to know how to present the truth to people; otherwise, we are useless to the Lord. We must be able to render genuine help to others. Second Timothy 1:7 says, “God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and of love and of [201] sobermindedness.” Our spirit is a spirit not only of power but also of love and sobermindedness. The word sobermindedness indicates that our mind is clear and sober, not confused. Our spirit should be a spirit not only of power and of love but even more a spirit of sobermindedness. If we have love but are not sober, we will love in a foolish way. For example, suppose I make a cup of coffee for a brother because I love him. However, I add two spoons of spicy chilies to the coffee. When he drinks the coffee, he will surely suffer; he may even get an upset stomach. Hence, it is not adequate to have only a spirit of love. We still need a spirit of power and of sobermindedness. Power is related to our will, love is related to our emotion, and sobermindedness is related to our mind. We need to be loving in our emotion, strong and powerful in our will, and sober in our mind. Hence, it is not enough to have only life. If our mind is confused, we will not be able to help others with the truth.
Every believer should lead others to salvation. If we truly love the Lord and grow in life, the people we pray for will get saved. We must be trained so that we can lead people to salvation. We should speak the truth in life to bring people to salvation. Truth, life, and speaking are a threefold cord. We have the truth and we have life, but we also need the ability to speak to others so that they are subdued. If we have love without a sober mind, we will confuse our gospel friends, and they will be unreceptive to our speaking. Hence, we need to learn to speak the truth.
THE CHURCH HAVING NOT ONLY LIFE
BUT ALSO A PERSON
Now we must consider a crucial point. Why is there a person in man? A man is not a machine, because machines do not have a person. However, human beings have a person. The importance of being a human being is that human beings have a person. Without a person, I am merely a body. My body is not my person. I am a man because there is life within me. This life, however, is also related to a person. Hence, in order to be a human, our life must be expressed through a person.
Our person is our personality with our ego, inclinations, preferences, and thoughts. Our body is an outward organ that needs life. A tree has a visible trunk and also life within, but a tree is not a human being. As human beings, we not only have life but also a [202] person. This means that in addition to having life in our body, we also have a personality, a person. This is what makes us different from plants. Plants have an outward form as well as life within, but they do not have a personality, a person. A human being has not only a body but also life and a personality. This personality is our person. We are human beings because of this crucial distinction: we have a person within us. Without a person, we are not human beings. Likewise, since the church is the new man, it needs a person. If the church were merely a Body, it would need only life. However, since the church is also the new man, the church needs a person.