THE RECOVERY OF THE DIVINE REVELATION CONCERNING CHRIST
The second major item of the Lord’s recovery is the recovery of the divine revelation concerning Christ.
In Eternity Christ Being the Word of God and God Himself
In eternity Christ was the Word of God and God Himself (John 1:1). He was not only the Word of God, but He was also God Himself. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word was not only with God, but the Word was God.
In Time Christ as the Word of God Becoming Flesh to Be a Man and to Tabernacle among Men, Full of Grace and Reality
In time Christ as the Word of God became flesh to be a man and to tabernacle among men (v. 14), full of grace (God for men to receive as their enjoyment) and reality (God to be realized by men as their reality).
Christ Being Both the Complete God and the Perfect Man, Possessing the Divine Nature and the Human Nature as Well, to Be the Embodiment of the Fullness of the Godhead
Hence, Christ is both the complete God and the perfect man, the Triune God and the tripartite man, possessing the divine nature and the human nature as well, to be the embodiment of the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9).
Christ Being the All-inclusive and All-extensive One
Christ is the all-inclusive and all-extensive One (Eph. 1:23b). According to Ephesians 1:23, Christ is the One who fills all in all; hence, He is all-extensive. As the all-extensive One, surely He is all-inclusive.
Being the Only Begotten Son of God from Eternity, and the Firstborn Son of God from His Resurrection in Humanity This all-inclusive, all-extensive Christ is the only begotten Son of God from eternity (John 3:16a; 17:24b), and the firstborn Son of God from His resurrection in humanity (Rom. 8:29b; Acts 13:33). Christ as the Son of God has two statuses—the only begotten Son of God and the firstborn Son of God. Most Christians have no realization concerning this, and some may even say that this is heresy. However, this is not heresy, for it is clearly mentioned in John 3:16, which says that Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and in Romans 8:29, which says that He is God’s firstborn Son among many brothers.
As the Son Given, Being Called “Eternal Father” and, Hence, Being One with the Father
As the Son given, Christ is called “Eternal Father” (Isa. 9:6); hence, He is one with the Father (John 10:30; 14:8-10). We can say that Christ is both the Father and the Son because He is all-inclusive. If He were only the Son and not the Father, He would not be all-inclusive.
In His Resurrection Becoming the Life-giving Spirit and, Hence, Being the Spirit and the Lord Spirit
In His resurrection Christ became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). He is not only the Son and the Father; eventually, He became the life-giving Spirit as well. Hence, He is the Spirit and the Lord Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17-18).
Shortly after I came to the United States, a dear friend warned me, saying that although this kind of teaching is in the Bible, Christianity would not accept it. So he advised me to put this teaching aside. In response I told this brother that since this teaching is in the Bible, he should give me the liberty to speak this matter as the Lord had led me to do. I told him that if I could not speak on Christ as the Spirit, I would have nothing to speak. Now, twenty-six years later, it is common to hear the saints in the Lord’s recovery speak of Christ being the Spirit. In the Lord’s table meetings, many of the saints praise the Lord not only for dying for us on the cross and resurrecting from the dead but also for being the life-giving Spirit who indwells us. If we could praise the Lord only for dying for us on the cross, for resurrecting, and for now being seated in the heavens, our feeling would not be so sweet, for Christ would be far away from us. But, Hallelujah, today the crucified and resurrected One has become a life-giving Spirit indwelling us! No one can deny this. This is an important item in the New Testament. It is also a major item in the Lord’s recovery.
In His Resurrection and Ascension
Becoming Both the Lord of All and the Christ of God In His resurrection and ascension Christ became both the Lord of all and the Christ of God (Acts 2:36; Rev. 11:15). He became the Lord of us, and He became the Christ of God to carry out God’s economy. He is the Christ of God, the anointed One of God to carry out God’s economy.
Being the Firstborn of All Creation and the Firstborn from the Dead
Christ is the Firstborn of all creation and the Firstborn from the dead (Col. 1:15, 18). God has two creations, the old creation and the new creation. The old creation came into being by God’s creating work. Colossians 1:15 says that Christ is the Firstborn of the old creation. The second creation, God’s new creation, came into being by and in resurrection. According to Colossians 1:18, Christ is the Firstborn from the dead. Thus, Christ is the Firstborn of both creations.
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