Living in the Inward Parts of Christ and Realising our Equal Status in the New Man

In the church as the one new man all believers have an equal status, for they all are filled and saturated with Christ, and they love one another in faith by living in the inward parts of Christ.

In Colossians we see both the definition and the practical application of the one new man with Paul, the saints with him, and the saints in Colossae.

First, Paul defined the one new man as being the corporate entity created in Christ on the cross, an entity where there’s no room for natural man but where Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:10-11).

There are many kinds of people in the church life as the one new man, but in spite of all the differences among nationalities, races, and classes, there is on earth in a practical way the one new man created in Christ Jesus.

We see this in as a wonderful illustration in Col. 4:7-17, where Paul listed many kinds of people with their specific burden and situation. These ones were of different social status and race, but they were in reality part of the one new man, seeking to build up the church as the Body of Christ.

Paul also wrote that the letter to Laodicea should be read in Colossae, and the letter to the Colossians should be read in Laodicea; his word implies fellowship, oneness, harmony, and intimate contact.

In the genuine church life as the practical expression of the one new man we need to love one another in faith, seeking to be filled with Christ, saturated with Him, and permeated with Him, until He replaces us organically, and we will see ourselves as no different than any other saints, but we will love one another in faith in the Lord.

There should be not merely many local churches on earth that are composed of saints of different races, nationalities, and cultures, but there should be the one new man in a real and practical way expressed in all the local churches.

The one new man is brought forth by Christ saturating us, and as He does this, we will still look different outwardly, but inwardly we will be replaced by Christ and be one and the same, having an equal status in the one new man, where Christ is all and in all.

When others see us they may see what we look like outwardly, but when they talk to us, only Christ will be expressed, and our living of the church life will be with the consciousness of the one new man. May we be those who are daily living in the inward parts of Christ for the one new man!

All Believers have an Equal Status in the One New Man, with No Difference between them

The epistle to Philemon should be regarded as a continuation of Colossians 4, for it talks concerning two brothers in Colossae, Onesimus (who was a slave according to the flesh) and Philemon (who was a master according to the flesh), who were both brothers in the Lord.

Onesimus was a slave that ran away from his master Philemon and, by the Lord’s sovereignty, ended up in prison with Paul, who preached the gospel to him, saved him, and has him as his own spiritual child. Now Paul was sending him back to his master Philemon not only as a slave but as a brother in Christ.

The most despicable social institution ever to enter humanity is the system of slavery, which was practiced in the Roman empire; the slave had no rights, he was a nobody, he belonged to his master, and he was the master’s property – the master could terminate him if he wishes, and that was not a crime.

Paul was not a social reformer, so he didn’t directly engage to reform that system; rather, he did something more radical in his letter to Philemon.

Paul realized that he had to send Onesimus back to Philemon, but he didn’t know Philemon’s heart in this matter, and he didn’t want to do anything without his fellowship; so he said, I’m sending Onesimus back to you no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother.

This shows that, in the church as the one new man, we all have an equal status – we are all on the same level, and we should receive one another based on the Lord’s life within us.

This has to permeate our consciousness thoroughly, for many people today who have been discriminated against will feel whether we’re genuine or not in our receiving, or whether we put on a fake smile and affection. Do we have an air of superiority when we meet with the saints, or are we pure and genuine, loving one another in faith, not talking down to others or condescending them?

In the church life we don’t merely “tolerate” one another – we are really all the same, and we all need to take Christ as our person, no matter who we are and how we look outwardly. The case of Onesimus and Philemon really illustrates that in the new man all the believers have an equal status.

The distinction between social rank and status has been nullified because the believers have been constituted with the all-inclusive Christ, who is their life (Col. 3:4).

Because Christ is our life, He saturates us, He permeates us, and He replaces us; therefore, we become the same as Christ inwardly, and when we meet with the saints, we are just one with them, knowing that we all have an equal status as brothers in the church.

In the practice of the economy of God, it is crucial that all the social ranks and differences among races and nations are swallowed up.

In the church as the new man, the Germans love and fellowship with the French, the Korean and the Japanese truly love one another, and the American and the Russian fellowship in oneness; the Palestinians and the genuine Jews break the bread together, and the saints enjoy the Lord who makes them one and who is in every one of them.

However, if we are filled with self-consciousness, if we realize who we are in regards to those around us, then we need more saturating with Christ. If we see that the believers have an equal status in the new man, there will be no problems among us concerning social rank, nationality, or race (see 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:10-11).

There will be no problem, no feeling in this respect; rather, we can receive anyone in our home to fellowship, we can give hospitality to any saints that need it, we can serve together with all the saints, and we can submit to anyone who is in the lead.

This is the church life practiced with the consciousness of the one new man, where the believers have an equal status.

Lord Jesus, grant us to see the equal status of the believers in the church as the one new man. Thank You Lord, we all are just believers, members of the Body of Christ, and we are one in You, with no difference between us inwardly, no matter how we look outwardly and what our social status is. Lord Jesus, saturate us and permeate us with Yourself until we are conscious only of You, realizing that Christ is all and in all in the new man. May we see that all the saints have an equal status in the new man, and may we receive one another and love one another in faith!

Living in the Inward Parts of Christ Jesus for the One New Man

In order for us to practice the church life in the consciousness of the one new man, we need to live in the inward parts of Christ Jesus and take Christ’s inward parts as our own (see Phil. 1:8; Col. 3:10-12; Eph. 3:16-17; 4:22-24).

First, we need to see that we need to live the church life with the consciousness of the one new man; then, we need to live in the reality of the Body of Christ by living in the inward parts of Christ Jesus. Finally, we need to have the consciousness of the one new man through living in the inward parts of Christ Jesus and allowing Christ’s inward parts to become ours.

Only Christ can live the church life, and only His inward parts being wrought into us and expressed in us bring us into the right kind of living for the one new man.

On His side, the Lord has fully opened His being to us, and Paul became a pattern of one who can say to the Philippians, God is my witness how I long after you all in the inward parts of Christ Jesus.

When we sense the Lord’s inward being with its deep longing, we will really touch something deep that melts our inner being; even though the Lord is on the throne, yet He is the Bridegroom, and He wants to see the issue of His death and resurrection in the churches.

The longing in His heart can be imparted into us to become the longing in our heart. He opens His inward parts to us, and He is praying and ministering to us that we also open our inward parts to Him; He wants us to open the depths of our being to Him, the most delicate parts, the secret thoughts, and the tender feelings and longings in our being to Him, so that He may live there.

When we live in His inward parts and He lives in our inward parts, His view becomes ours, His love becomes ours, His feelings become ours, and we are one with Him on the level of inward parts. It is here in such a living that we have not only the church as the Body of Christ but the consciousness of the one new man.

The inward parts signify inward affection, tenderheartedness, and compassions (see Phil. 1:8; 2:1; Col. 3:12).

As a man, Christ had the human inward parts with their various functions, and Christ’s experiences in His inward parts were His experiences in His mind, emotion, will, soul, heart, and spirit, including His love, desire, feeling, thought, decision, motive, and intention (Luke 2:49; John 2:17; Matt. 26:39; Isa. 53:12; 42:4; Mark 2:8).

He said in Luke 2:49, I must mind My Father’s business. The Lord’s mind was occupied with His Father’s business, and He was for the Father inwardly. In John 2:17 we see that the zeal of the Lord’s house devoured Him; the zeal within the Lord was His burning emotion for God’s house.

Furthermore, in Matt. 26:39 the Lord prayed, Not as I will, but as You will. The Lord’s will was fully subdued to His Father’s will; He took the Father’s will as His will, and He did the will of the Father.

We need to live in the inward parts of Christ Jesus and take His inward parts as our own for the church as the one new man.

Lord, thank You for opening Your inward being to us. Thank You for showing us Your deep longing for the church as the one new man. We open to You, Lord, with all that we have in our being. We open to You from the depths of our being, with all our private parts and secret thoughts, our tender feelings and our longings. Lord, come into our inner parts, make Your inner parts become our inner parts, and may we live in the inward parts of Christ for the church as the one new man!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Philemon, msgs. 1-2 (by Witness Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The Genuine Church Life (2017 Thanksgiving Conference), week 6, Practicing the Church Life in the Consciousness of the One New Man.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Song on Titus 3:15, note 1, “Faith and love are two inseparable, excellent virtues of the believers in Christ. Faith is given to us by God (note 15 in 2 Pet. 1) that by it we may receive Christ (John 1:12), the embodiment of the Triune God (Col. 2:9), and thereby enter into the Triune God and be joined to Him as one, having Him as our life, life supply, and everything. Love issues out of such a wonderful faith and enables us to live out all the riches of the Triune God in Christ with those who have believed into Christ with us, that the Triune God — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit — may have a glorious expression.” (listen to it on youtube)
  # Prone to be misled, I know it, / By my lofty thoughts of Thee, / Easy ’tis for self to seek Thee, / Yet not touch reality, / Oh, how much I need to find Thee, / In Thy members here below. / God eternal dwells among us, / Manifest in flesh to know. (Hymns #1225)
  # More of our heart, dear Lord, we’d give You now; / Even more ground to You, Lord, we’d allow. / All that distracts us we’d despise, / All that draws away our eyes— / Lord, do fill our vision / ‘Til the morning star has risen! / We would count all things loss, but Jesus gain; / Our inward parts cry out for You to reign. / Worthy You are our heart to claim— / Come, engrave on us Your name, / We would love You, Jesus, more. (Song on, More of our heart dear Lord – hymnal.net and youtube)
  # O Lord, You know what’s in my heart, / Desires concealed in my inward parts; / Though “I am Yours” my mouth’s confessed, / By many loves my heart’s possessed. / O Lord, my desp’rate cry now heed— / Regain my heart! Your help I need! / O’erturn, expose what weighs me down, / That in these things I would not drown. (Song on, O Lord, You Know What’s in My Heart)