2005国殇节
总题:承继一切的时代异象
总题:承继一切的时代异象
Message Three God's Complete Salvation and Reigning in Life for the Body Life
Scripture Reading: Rom. 1:16-17; 5:10, 17; 12:1-3
I. God's complete salvation of two sections is unveiled in Romans 5:10— "For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled":
A. The first section, the section of foundation, is by the redemption of Christ judicially as the initiation and procedure of God's salvation to satisfy His righteous requirements—1:16-17:
1. God redeemed us judicially by the blood of Christ (3:24-25) on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24a), from our sins (Rev. 1:5b), from God's righteous judgment, wrath, and condemnation (Rom. 2:5-6, 16; 3:19b; John 3:18b), from eternal perdition in the lake of fire (Rev. 21:8; 22:15), and from the accusation of Satan, God's enemy (cf. 12:10-11).
2. The judicial aspect of God's complete salvation, His judicial redemption, was accomplished by Christ in the flesh in His earthly ministry and includes the forgiveness of sins (Luke 24:47; Eph. 1:7), the washing away of sins (Heb. 1:3), justification by God (Rom. 3:24-25), reconciliation to God (5:10a), and positional sanctification unto God (1 Cor. 1:2; Heb. 13:12).
B. The second section, the section of consummation, is by the life of Christ organically as the completion and purpose of God's salvation to fulfill His heart's desire:
1. God saves us organically by the life of Christ (Rom. 5:10b) in the Spirit of life (8:2) from the indwelling sin (7:17; 8:2), from the condemnation due to the sinful action of the indwelling sin (7:17-20; 8:1), from the old man (6:6), from the natural I (Gal. 2:20), from the self (Matt. 16:24), from the flesh with its passions and its lusts (Gal. 5:24), from worldliness (1 John 2:15-16), from tribulations and all kinds of environmental troubles (Rom. 5:3; 8:35-39), from spiritual death and weakness (vv. 5, 7, 24-26; Rev. 3:1-2), and from the vanity and slavery of corruption (Rom. 8:20-21).
2. The organic aspect of God's complete salvation, His organic salvation, is carried out in Christ's heavenly ministry by Christ as the Spirit with our spirit in the following steps—v. 16:
a. The generating Spirit in our spirit, quickened by Christ, regenerates us, giving us authority to be the children of God, begotten of God—John 3:6b; 1:12-13.
b. The nourishing Spirit in our spirit, cherished by Christ, feeds us with the spiritual milk of the Word that we may grow unto salvation—1 Pet. 2:2.
c. The sanctifying Spirit from our spirit, captivated by Christ, sanctifies us with the nature of God, making us holy unto God—Rom. 15:16; 1 Thes. 5:23; Eph. 5:26.
d. The renewing Spirit in our spirit, indwelt by Christ, renews us so that we may put on the new man through the breaking of the cross—Titus 3:5; Eph. 4:23; 2 Cor. 4:16.
e. The transforming Spirit in our spirit, filled by Christ, transforms us into the glorious image of Christ for His expression—3:17-18.
f. The building Spirit in our spirit, possessed by Christ, builds us into the house of God and the Body of Christ for Their dwelling—Eph. 2:21-22; 4:15-16; Col. 2:19.
g. The maturing Spirit in our spirit, enriched with Christ, conforms us to the image of Christ, the firstborn Son of God—the model of God's sons—1:28; Eph. 4:13; Rom. 8:29.
h. The sealing Spirit in our spirit, exulting with Christ, saturates us with and brings us into the glory of God for our glorification—Eph. 1:13; 4:30; Rom. 8:23, 30; Heb. 2:10; Phil. 3:20-21.
3. Furthermore, the intensified work of God's organic salvation by the inten-sified Spirit in our spirit, drawn by the Lamb, motivates us to overcome the degradation of the church for the Body of Christ to consummate the New Jerusalem—Rev. 4:5; 5:6; 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10; 14:4.
II. God's complete salvation for us to reign in life is unveiled in Romans 5:17—"For if, by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ":
A. The gift of righteousness (Christ as our covering) is for God's judicial redemp-tion; grace (Christ as our enjoyment) is for us to experience God's organic salvation—Luke 15:22-23.
B. Reigning in life, which is to be under the ruling of the divine life, is the full experience of the organic salvation of God—Mark 4:26; 1 John 3:9; Rom. 5:17; cf. Matt. 8:9; 2 Cor. 2:12-14.
C. In the New Testament, the overcomers are kings who let God bless them so that they may reign in life over Satan, sin, and death—Rom. 5:17, 21:
1. The overcomers are also priests who contact God to receive God's word, God's speaking, God's instructions, through Christ as the reality of the Urim and the Thummim—1 Pet. 2:9; Exo. 28:28-30; Rev. 3:14; Heb. 1:2.
2. When the priests speak for God, they become prophets speaking Christ into people; prophesying makes us overcomers; prophesying is the function of the overcomers—1 Cor. 14:1, 3-6, 24, 31, 39.
D. The issue of our reigning in life, living under the ruling of the divine life, is the real and practical Body life expressed in the church life:
1. We reign in life, live under the ruling of the divine life, in living the Body life by the presenting of our bodies (Rom. 12:1), by the renewing of our mind (vv. 2-3), by the exercise of the gifts (vv. 4-8), by living a life of the highest virtues (vv. 9-21), by being subject to authorities (13:1-7), by practicing love (vv. 8-10), and by living a watchful life (vv. 11-14).
2. We reign in life, live under the ruling of the divine life, in living the church life by receiving the believers according to God's receiving and Christ's receiving in the light of the judgment seat of God, in the principle of love, and for the kingdom life—14:1—15:13.
3. We reign in life to become the New Jerusalem; by reigning in life we become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead—Rom. 5:17; cf. John 4:14b.