Message Two—The Unsearchable Riches of Christ as the Gospel
Eph. 3:8 To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.
Col. 1:12 Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.
Announcing the Unsearchable Riches
of Christ as the Gospel
Fundamental Christianity emphasizes doctrines, and the Pentecostal movement stresses speaking in tongues; furthermore, to some extent both practice healing and the casting out of demons. Neither fundamental Christianity nor the Pentecostal movement preaches the gospel in Romans but rather the gospel in the four Gospels. The gospel that most Christians preach may be considered as a transitional gospel, not the complete gospel. The saints in the Lord’s recovery must faithfully preach the gospel in Romans in order to arrive at the destination. We must ask ourselves which gospel we preach. In other words, do we preach the gospel of casting out demons, healing, performing miracles, and expounding doctrines, or do we preach the gospel of life by announcing the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel? In Ephesians 3:8 Paul says, “To me, less than the least of all saints, was this grace given to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ as the gospel.” This indicates that Paul did not preach the gospel of casting out demons, healing, performing miracles, or expounding doctrines; he preached the dispensing of the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Christ’s Unsearchable Riches
Being the Rich Produce of the Good Land
Colossians 1:12 says, “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light.” What the apostle Paul had in mind here was the good land, which was allotted to the twelve tribes of Israel when they entered it. Our portion means the part of the good land allotted to us.
Christ in Colossians is no longer merely the Passover or the manna but rather the final portion of God’s chosen people, that is, the good land. Colossians 2:6 bears this out: “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him.” We could not walk in the passover lamb or in the manna, but Christ as the good land is spacious and rich. Our lot is a rich land that produces many passover lambs and many grains, as well as oil and wine.
Christ in this book is “all and in all” (3:11). Such a description does not fit the passover lamb or the manna; only the good land can be described in such an inclusive way.
The same is true of the unsearchable riches of Christ, a term found in the book of Ephesians (3:8). The passover lamb and the manna cannot be considered as unsearchably rich. Christ’s unsearchable riches are surely the rich produce of the good land. (CWWL, 1971, vol. 2, “The Great Mystery—Christ and the Church,” msg. 15)
The Land Being a Figure of Christ
as Everything to Us
The Lord called out Abraham, telling him that He would bring him to a certain land, which was the land of Canaan. You can recall how many times from the twelfth chapter of Genesis to the end of the Old Testament the Lord stressed and referred to the land again and again. The land…the land…the land I promised to your fathers. The land I promised Abraham; the land I promised Isaac; the land I promised Jacob; the land I promised you. I will bring you into the land. It was the land, the land, always the land.
The land is but a figure of Christ as everything to us. Everything that God prepared for mankind is concentrated in the land. Man was created to live on the land to enjoy all the provision of God. All things related to man are concentrated in the land, which is a type of Christ. All things that God has prepared for us are concentrated in Christ.
Later you will see how God brought His people into the promised land and how His people remained there and enjoyed all its riches. The result was that the city and the temple came into being. The city and the temple are the result of the enjoyment of this land. What are the city and the temple? The city is the center of God’s authority, God’s kingdom; and the temple is the center of God’s house, God’s dwelling place. The kingdom of God and the house of God are the result of the enjoyment of the land. When the people of God enjoy this land to a certain extent, something comes into existence—the authority of God and the presence of God or, in other words, the kingdom of God and the house of God. If we possess Christ as a piece of land and enjoy all His riches, after a certain extent something will issue forth—the church with God’s kingdom, the temple in the city.
Now you can apply all these things to the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures. In principle, everything recorded in the Old Testament is exactly the same as that in the New; there is no difference. God’s intention revealed in both the Old and New Testaments is that Christ should be the land to us. We have the ground to enjoy all the riches of Christ. God gave us this ground. After a certain amount of enjoyment of His riches, something will issue forth—the kingdom of God and the house of God, the church with God’s kingdom. This is the central thought of God’s eternal plan.
Enjoying the All-inclusive Christ
as the Good Land
What is this piece of land? Never forget that this land is the all-inclusive Christ. It is not just Christ but the all-inclusive Christ. If I were to ask you if you have Christ, you would answer, “Praise the Lord, I have Him; I have Christ.” But I would ask you what kind of Christ you have. I am afraid that in your experience you have just a little Christ, a poor Christ, not an all-inclusive Christ.
I deeply feel that most of the Lord’s children are still remaining in Egypt. They have experienced only the passover; they have just taken the Lord as the lamb. They have been saved by the lamb, but they have not been delivered out of the world. Yes, some have come out of Egypt, some have been delivered from the world, but they are still wandering in the wilderness. They enjoy Christ a little more; they enjoy Him as their daily manna. They can boast that they enjoy Christ as their food and they are so satisfied. But, brothers and sisters, is this good enough? I think when we meet those who enjoy Christ as their daily manna, we are very happy. We say, “Praise the Lord, here are some brothers and sisters who really enjoy the Lord as their manna day by day.” But we must realize that this falls far short of God’s purpose. God’s purpose is not just that we enjoy Christ a little but that He should be the all-inclusive One to us. Look at this verse: “As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him” (v. 6). He is a sphere, a realm for us to walk in. He is not just some food or water but a realm, a land within which we can walk. We must walk in Him. He is our land; He is our earth; He is our kingdom. Walk in Him.
I believe that the picture is very clear. In Egypt was the lamb, in the wilderness was the manna, and ahead of the people of Israel was the land of Canaan. That is the goal; that land is the goal of God. We have to enter in. It is our portion. It is the all-inclusive gift of God to us. We must take possession of it. It is ours, but we must enjoy it. (CWWL, 1961-1962, vol. 4, “The All-inclusive Christ,” ch. 1)
