Message One

The Purpose of God, the Gospel of God,
and the High Peak of the Divine Revelation

Scripture Reading: Rom. 1:1, 3-4; 8:3, 28-29; 12:4-5; 16:1, 4-5, 16b, 25-27

Rom. 1:1  Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 8:28-29  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Rom. 16:1  I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the church which is in Cenchrea,

Rom. 16:4-5  Who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; and greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ.

Rom. 16:16b  All the churches of Christ greet you.

Rom. 16:25-27  Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages but has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith; to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

I.      God¡¯s eternal purpose is to have the church, the Body of Christ, consummating in the New Jerusalem¡ªEph. 1:9-11, 22-23; 3:11; Rev. 21:2:

Eph. 1:9-11  Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; in whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Eph. 1:22-23  And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

Eph. 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Rev. 21:2  And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

A.    God is a God of purpose, having a will of His own pleasure; He created all things for His will so that He might fulfill His purpose¡ªEph. 1:5, 9; Rev. 4:11.

Eph. 1:5  Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Eph. 1:9  Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself,

Rev. 4:11  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created.

B.     According to His good pleasure, God made a purpose, a plan, in eternity and for eternity, and thus it is called the eternal purpose; this eternal plan was made in Christ, with Christ, through Christ, and for Christ according to God¡¯s desire and pleasure¡ªEph. 1:9-11; 3:11.

Eph. 1:9-11  Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, unto the economy of the fullness of the times, to head up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in Him; in whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

Eph. 3:11  According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord,

C.     God Himself is the initiation, the origination, and the sphere of His eternal purpose, which nothing can overthrow, for which everything is working, and regarding which He did not take counsel with anyone¡ª1:11.

Eph. 1:11  In whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

D.    God¡¯s eternal purpose is to have a corporate man to express Him and represent Him¡ªGen. 1:26; Eph. 2:15; 4:24.

Gen. 1:26  And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of heaven and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

Eph. 2:15  Abolishing 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,

Eph. 4:24  And put on the new man, which was created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the reality.

E.     In eternity past God purposed to gain a group of people to be the Body of Christ for the corporate expression of God the Father in the Son as the Spirit¡ªRom. 8:9-10, 14, 16, 28-29; 12:4-5.

Rom. 8:9-10  But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.

Rom. 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Rom. 8:16  The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

Rom. 8:28-29  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

F.His purpose in Romans 8:28 refers to the purposeful determination in God¡¯s plan; this is God¡¯s purpose to produce many brothers of His firstborn Son¡ªv. 29.

Rom. 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Rom. 8:29  Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

G.    God has saved us and called us according to His own purpose; God¡¯s purpose is His plan according to His will to put us into Christ and make us one with Christ to share His life and position so that we may be His testimony¡ª2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Cor. 1:30; 6:17.

2 Tim. 1:9  Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the times of the ages

1 Cor. 1:30  But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption,

1 Cor. 6:17  But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

II.    As the totality of all the divine truths, the gospel of God includes the highest truth¡ªthe high peak of the divine revelation¡ªthat in Christ God became man in order that in Christ man might become God in life and nature but not in the Godhead to produce and build up the organic Body of Christ, which consummates in the New Jerusalem¡ªRom. 1:1, 3-4, 15; Eph. 1:13, 22-23; Col. 1:5, 18; 3:10-11,15; Rev. 21:2, 9-10:

Rom. 1:1  Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 1:15  So, for my part, I am ready to announce the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Eph. 1:13  In whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,

Eph. 1:22-23  And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

Col. 1:5  Because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

Col. 1:18  And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things;

Col. 3:10-11  And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.

Col. 3:15  And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.

Rev. 21:2  And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:9-10  And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

A.    According to the desire of His heart and His eternal purpose, God wants to make Himself man and to make man God so that God and man may be the same in life and nature¡ªEph. 1:4-5, 9, 11.

Eph. 1:4-5  Even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him in love, predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Eph. 1:9  Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself,

Eph. 1:11  In whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will,

B.     The highest point of God¡¯s gospel is God becoming man so that man may become God in life, nature, and constitution for His corporate expression¡ªJohn 1:12-14; 12:24; Rom. 8:3; 1:3-4; 12:4-5.

John 1:12-14  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.

John 12:24  Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

C.     God became man through incarnation; man becomes God through regeneration, sanctification, renewing, transformation, conformation, and glorification¡ªJohn 3:5-6; 1:12-13; Rom. 6:19, 22; 12:2; 8:29-30.

John 3:5-6  Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 1:12-13  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, Who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Rom. 6:19  I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness unto lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness unto sanctification.

Rom. 6:22  But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit unto sanctification, and the end, eternal life.

Rom. 12:2  And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Rom. 8:29-30  Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified.

D.    It is only by God¡¯s becoming man to make man God that the Body of Christ can be produced and built up, that the bride can be prepared, and that the New Jerusalem can be consummated; this is the high peak of the vision given to us by God in the Holy Scriptures¡ªEph. 4:16; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9-10.

Eph. 4:16  Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.

Rev. 19:7  Let us rejoice and exult, and let us give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.

Rev. 21:2  And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:9-10  And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

E.     The New Jerusalem is a composition of God¡¯s chosen, redeemed, regenerated, sanctified, renewed, transformed, conformed, and glorified people who have been made God in life and nature but not in the Godhead¡ªvv. 2, 7, 9-10:

Rev. 21:2  And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Rev. 21:7  He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be God to him, and he will be a son to Me.

Rev. 21:9-10  And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

1.      On God¡¯s side, the Triune God has been incarnated in Christ to be a man¡ªJohn 1:1, 14; 14:10-11.

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14  And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.

John 14:10-11  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; but if not, believe because of the works themselves.

2.      On our side, we are being constituted with the processed and consummated Triune God so that we may be made God in life and nature to be His corporate expression for eternity¡ªEph. 3:16-17; 4:4-6, 16; Rev. 21:9-10.

Eph. 3:16-17  That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man, that Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith, that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Eph. 4:4-6  One Body and one Spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

Eph. 4:16  Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.

Rev. 21:9-10  And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

3.      This is the highest truth and the highest gospel¡ªEph. 1:13; Col. 1:5.

Eph. 1:13  In whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation, in Him also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise,

Col. 1:5  Because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

III.  The divine thought in Romans concerning the gospel of God is that God became man so that, in God¡¯s complete salvation, sinners may be redeemed, regenerated, sanctified, renewed, transformed, conformed, and glorified to become the sons of God, who are the same as God in life and nature, to be the members of the Body of Christ¡ª8:3; 1:3-4; 3:24; 5:10; 8:14, 29-30; 12:2, 4-5; 16:25-27:

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 3:24  Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

Rom. 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,

Rom. 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Rom. 8:29-30  Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified.

Rom. 12:2  And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Rom. 16:25-27  Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel, that is, the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept in silence in the times of the ages but has now been manifested, and through the prophetic writings, according to the command of the eternal God, has been made known to all the Gentiles for the obedience of faith; to the only wise God through Jesus Christ, to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

A.    In Romans we can see the high peak of the divine revelation: God became man (8:3) so that man may become God (1:3-4) for the producing and functioning of the Body of Christ (12:4-5) as the organism of the Triune God.

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

B.     Romans explains how the individual Christ becomes the corporate Christ and how we, who were once sinners and enemies of God, become parts of Christ and form His one Body¡ª9:5; 8:3; 1:3-4; 3:23-25; 5:10, 18; 8:2, 11, 32; 12:4-5.

Rom. 9:5  Whose are the fathers, and out of whom, as regards what is according to flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

Rom. 3:23-25  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God set forth as a propitiation place through faith in His blood, for the demonstrating of His righteousness, in that in His forbearance God passed over the sins that had previously occurred.

Rom. 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,

Rom. 5:18  So then as it was through one offense unto condemnation to all men, so also it was through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men.

Rom. 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.

Rom. 8:11  And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

Rom. 8:32  Indeed, He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

C.     God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and condemned sin in the flesh so that sinners¡ªserpentine beings, children of the devil¡ªcould be reconciled to God and justified by Him in order to receive eternal life and thus become children of God¡ª8:3, 16; 5:10; John 1:12-14; 3:14; 8:44; 1 John 3:1, 10.

Rom. 8:3  For that which the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh,

Rom. 8:16  The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

Rom. 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,

John 1:12-14  But as many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. and the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only Begotten from the Father), full of grace and reality.

John 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

John 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks it out of his own possessions; for he is a liar and the father of it.

1 John 3:1  Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and we are. Because of this the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

1 John 3:10  In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest. Everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, neither he who does not love his brother.

D.    Jesus Christ our Lord, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead¡ªRom. 1:3-4.

Rom. 1:3-4  Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, Who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord;

E.     The firstborn Son of God, the first God-man, is the prototype for the production of the many sons, the many God-men, who, as members of the Body of Christ, are exactly the same as the firstborn Son in life, nature, and expression¡ª8:14, 29; Heb. 1:6; 2:10-12.

Rom. 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Rom. 8:29  Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers;

Heb. 1:6  And when He brings again the Firstborn into the inhabited earth, He says, ¡°And let all the angels of God worship Him.¡±

Heb. 2:10-12  For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory, to make the Author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One, for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ¡°I will declare Your name to My brothers; in the midst of the church I will sing hymns of praise to You.¡±

F.The purpose of God¡¯s salvation is to have Christ reproduced in millions of believers so that they may become the members of His Body¡ªRom. 12:4-5.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

G.    Through God¡¯s organic salvation carried out by the divine dispensing of the Triune God as life to the tripartite man, the children of God are growing in life to become sons of God led by the Spirit¡ª5:10; 8:2, 6, 10-11, 14.

Rom. 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,

Rom. 8:2  For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.

Rom. 8:6  For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.

Rom. 8:10-11  But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.

Rom. 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

H.    The sons of God, the many brothers of Christ as the firstborn Son of God, are the members of the Body of Christ¡ª12:4-5.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

I.  We are one Body in the organic union with Christ¡ªvv. 4-5:

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

1.      The Body of Christ is the top revelation of the Bible and the focal point of Romans¡ªEph. 1:22-23; 4:16; 1 Cor. 12:13, 27.

Eph. 1:22-23  And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, which is His Body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all.

Eph. 4:16  Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.

1 Cor. 12:13  For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and were all given to drink one Spirit.

1 Cor. 12:27  Now you are the Body of Christ, and members individually.

2.      The will of God is to obtain a Body for Christ to be His fullness, His expression¡ªRev. 4:11; Eph. 1:5, 9; Rom. 12:2, 4-5.

Rev. 4:11  You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created.

Eph. 1:5  Predestinating us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,

Eph. 1:9  Making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself,

Rom. 12:2  And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

3.      We are one Body in Christ, having an organic union with Him; this union makes us one in life with Christ and with all the other members of His Body¡ªvv. 4-5:

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

a.      The Body is an organism produced and held together by the union in life that we have with Christ¡ªJohn 15:1.

John 15:1  I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman.

b.      The actuality of the Body is in our remaining in the organic union with Christ¡ªRom. 12:4-5.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

J. The local churches are the practical expression, of the Body of Christ, for the unique Body of Christ is expressed as local churches¡ª16:1, 4-5:

Rom. 16:1  I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the church which is in Cenchrea,

Rom. 16:4-5  Who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; and greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ.

1.      Although the churches appear in different places, they are not separate, and although they are local, they are still part of the unique, universal Body of Christ¡ª12:4-5; 16:16b.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Rom. 16:16b  All the churches of Christ greet you.

2.      In Romans 16 we see that all the churches and all the saints live in the universal fellowship of the Body of Christ and that all the saints in all the churches are in the blending life of the entire Body of Christ¡ªvv. 1-23.

Rom. 16:1-23  I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a deaconess of the church which is in Cenchrea, that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints and assist her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been the patroness of many, of myself as well. Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; and greet the church, which is in their house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the firstfruits of Asia unto Christ. Greet Mary, one who has labored much for you. Greet Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord. Greet Urbanus, our fellow worker in Christ, and Stachys, my beloved. Greet Apelles, approved in Christ. Greet those of the household of Aristobulus. Greet Herodion, my kinsman. Greet those of the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord. Greet Persis, the beloved sister, one who has labored much in the Lord. Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother as well as mine. Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas, and the brothers with them. Greet Philologus and Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas, and all the saints with them. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you. Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them. For such men do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own stomach, and through smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple. For the report of your obedience has reached to all; therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil. Now the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you, as well as Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my kinsmen. I, Tertius, who write this epistle, greet you in the Lord. Gaius, my host and host of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, greets you, and Quartus the brother.

3.      The key to living the Body life in the local churches is to walk according to the mingled spirit¡ªthe divine Spirit mingled with the regenerated human spirit as one spirit¡ª8:4; 1 Cor. 6:17:

Rom. 8:4  That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.

1 Cor. 6:17  But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

a.      The mingled spirit is the unique organ for God to bring forth and build up the Body of Christ¡ªRom. 1:9; 7:6; 8:16; 12:4-5.

Rom. 1:9  For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son, how unceasingly I make mention of you always in my prayers,

Rom. 7:6  But now we have been discharged from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve in newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter.

Rom. 8:16  The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.

Rom. 12:4-5  For just as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

b.      If we walk according to the mingled spirit, we will be sons of God in full, and as such sons, we will be living members of the Body of Christ for the corporate expression of the Triune God¡ª8:14; 14:17.

Rom. 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

Rom. 14:17  For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

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