The Gospel
LESSON FOUR
CHRIST IS THE MEANING OF HUMAN LIFE
Hymn 1326
Scripture Reading:
Col. 3:4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
John. 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who hears My word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment but has passed out of death into life.
GOD’S NEED FOR US AND OUR NEED FOR CHRIST
God needs man, and man needs Christ. Without man, God cannot fulfill His purpose. Without man, God can do nothing. On the other hand, we also have to say, “Without Christ, I can do nothing.” Without us, God can do nothing, and without Christ, we can do nothing. God needs us, and we need Christ. We are here for God, and Christ is here for us.
If we were not for God and if we did not have Christ for us, we would be miserable and pitiful. Unfortunately, this is the real situation of today’s world. The people in the world are not for God and they do not have Christ for them. They just go along by themselves and by trusting themselves. But we Christians are different in that we are for God and we have Christ for us.
TAKING CHRIST AS OUR LIFE
Humanly speaking, we may be incapable of doing many things, but all of us can breathe, drink, and eat. Even the little babes know how to do these things. There is no need for anyone to teach them. In the same manner we are incapable in the spiritual realm, but we can breathe in Christ (John 20:22), drink Christ (4:14; 7:37), and take Christ in as our food (6:35, 51, 57). Christ is the air, the breath; Christ is the water, the drink; and Christ is the bread, the food. Therefore, we all can take Christ in. God has no intention for us to express Himself by ourselves or to do anything for Him by ourselves. God’s intention is that we express Him and do things for Him by taking Christ as our life (Col. 3:4; John 6:57; 14:19).
There are two big mistakes – one made by the worldly people and the other by the Christians. The big mistake of the worldly people is that they do nothing for God. The Christians, on the other hand, try to do something for God by themselves. This also is a big mistake. The right way for us is to do something for God, not by ourselves but by taking Christ as our life. The Lord Jesus said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5b). Yet the apostle Paul said, “I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me” (Phil. 4:13). Without Christ, we can do nothing. But with Christ and in Christ, we are able to do all things. In John 14:20 the Lord told the disciples, “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Hence, we are not without Christ. We have Christ and we are in Christ.
In today’s human society, there is nothing except vanity and misery because people are on the wrong way. They have nothing to do with God. The Christians, however, are trying to do something for God by themselves. Now, at the end of this age, the Lord is going to recover something mainly through the younger generation. Therefore, you young people all have to learn how to be for God by taking Christ as your life. If I ask you what you are doing here, you should not say that you are here studying or working. Rather, you have to say, “I am here in Southern California for God!” What are the young people doing here? They are here for God! By what way? By taking Christ as their life! This means they are breathing Christ, drinking Christ, and eating Christ.
Without us, God can do nothing, and without Christ, we can do nothing. We are vessels for God who need to take Christ as our life. How wonderful it is that we are good for taking Christ as our life! The animals were not created for taking Christ but we were. We all are qualified to take Christ.
OUR NEED FOR CHRIST AS LIFE
In order to do anything, we need the proper life. A dog barks because it has the dog life, which is a barking life. A cat is capable in catching mice because of the capacity in the cat life, but we do not have this capacity. Likewise, if we want to express God and exercise God’s authority, we need the life to do it. The human life is good neither for expressing God nor for exercising God’s authority. But the human life is good to receive another life that is capable of expressing God and representing God. All the animal lives, such as the dog life, the cat life, or the bird life, are not good for receiving another life. God did not create them in this way. But God did create us in a way that we can receive another life. This life is the eternal life of God Himself, which is Christ.
God created us with a human spirit as the receiving organ to receive God Himself into us as our very life. The human life is not capable of expressing God and not good for exercising God’s authority. But the human life is good for one thing, that is, for receiving the life which is capable—the eternal life (1 John 1:2). “He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life” (5:12).
OPENING OURSELVES UP TO CHRIST
AND RECEIVING HIM AS OUR LIFE
Without Christ everything is vanity. Man is the meaning of the universe, and Christ is the meaning of human life. Although man is the meaning of the universe, without Christ man has no content or reality. Without Christ, man is merely an empty vessel. Man as an empty vessel needs Christ as the content. This is why we have to open ourselves up to Christ and receive Him as our life.
You need to open yourself up all the time and call on His name. Do not keep anything religious or spiritual in your mind. Then you will see that He is the instant, present, up-to-date, moment-by-moment Christ. He is the Christ at this moment. At the moment when people reject and persecute you, He is the Christ. Do not keep so many doctrines in your mind. Doctrines do not work. Only Christ works. This Christ is the living Christ. He is not the doctrinal Christ nor the Christ in teachings, but the Christ who is so present, real, and practical as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Simply call upon Him.
He is the living Spirit who is with us all the time. He is present, prevailing, available, and instant. No matter where you are, no matter what situation you are in, whether you are dealing with someone or you are being dealt with by someone, forget about yourself and your reasonings; simply open to Him and call, “O Lord Jesus.” Just enjoy Him. He is your life and your content. He is the meaning of your human life. (The Life for the Preaching of the High Gospel, pp 13, 23-25, 36-39)
Reference: The Life for the Preaching of the High Gospel, chs. 3-4; Life-study of Colossians, msg. 45.
