The New Man is Perfected by our Growing in Life and being Perfected in our Function

In Eph. 4 we see the perfecting of the new man through the growth in life; just as a man needs to be perfected and grow through cherishing and nourishing, so the new man needs to be perfected to function in a normal way.

We cannot have a part in the producing of the new man – only Christ can do this, and He has already done it on the cross; in His death He brought forth the one new man by terminating all the negative things and generating a new creation in Himself.

Now we as the many constituents of the one new man need to be saturated with Christ, permeated with Christ, and have Christ wrought into our being, so that Christ would become every part, every member, every person in the one new man.

In the one new man there is only one person – Christ; this One has to fill, saturate, permeate, and even replace all the other persons, so that He would be the unique constituent of this new man.

This phrase, Christ is all and is in all (Col. 3:10-11) is not a light expression; this means that God in Christ needs to become our all! He has to be in us – He is all and He is in all, and He has to become our everything, even become us as we become Him for the one new man.

Especially in this digital age, however, it seems that Satan has devised an evil system, the world, and he makes his world the ALL to people.

Take the smartphone for example; it is so useful to have the information you need and the communication device you require right in your pocket, but this device can become your all, and it may cause you to spend less time with the Lord and more and more time in the world.

From the moment people open their eyes, they have to check their phone, be on their phone, send something on their phone, call on their phone, check the email, check the social media, play a game, etc.

The technology is so advanced that we don’t even have to get out of bed; we can simply say, Turn on the light! and the lights turn on…with the advancement in technology it is so easy to make this technology our all.

But, oh Lord Jesus, the Lord wants to be our all! Satan deceives us into using all these things, and these take our time, energy, and attention, but the Lord really wants to be our all!

Instead of asking google or Alexa what to do, what to buy, how to go somewhere, where to go, etc…why not talk to the Lord! It’s best to check with the Lord about everything and take Him as our person in a practical way, not allowing anything or anyone else to replace the Lord as our all!

Nourishing and Cherishing is Needed for the Perfecting of the New Man in Function

Christ created the one new man in Himself on the cross (Col. 2:15); this new man is perfect and complete, with nothing else to be added to him. The new man created by Christ is perfect and complete organically, but he is not yet perfected according to his function.

When a baby is born, at birth he has all the necessary organs; the baby is perfect and complete organically, but he needs to grow, develop, and be perfected to have the proper function.

For a child to develop properly and to function normally, he needs to be nourished and cherished, and then he needs to be perfected in order to function.

The same principle applies to the church as the new man; in Eph. 2:15 we see the creation of the one new man organically, and in Eph. 4:13-16 we see the perfecting of the one new man in relation to his function.

Our growth in the divine life is to grow into the Head, Christ, and our function in the Body is to function out of Him. First we need to grow in life, that is, grow into Christ in all things, and then from Him we will have the supply and function for us to function according to our measure in the Body.

As members of the Body of Christ, we all have our own measure which works for the growth of the Body, and the Body causes the growth of itself through the supplying joints and working parts.

The growth of the Body of Christ is His increase in the church, which results in the building up of the Body.

Where is the one new man on earth? Where is the perfected new man who functions in expressing God and representing Him to fulfil God’s eternal purpose?

There’s much need for the new man to grow and be perfected; yes, the new man is organically perfect, but he is not yet able to function.

Just as a child needs to be perfected through nourishing and cherishing, so the organically perfect new man needs to be perfected through the growth in life in order to function in a proper way.

The creation of the new man was the Lord’s responsibility alone, but the perfecting of the new man through nourishing and cherishing is our responsibility as constituents of the one new man.

We need to grow in life by allowing Christ to grow in us in all things, and we need to be perfected for the one new man to function in a normal way for the fulfilment of God’s purpose.

We must fulfil our responsibility to perfect the new man through nourishing and cherishing; as the new man is perfected in this way, he grows and becomes perfect functionally.

The more the new man grows through receiving the proper nourishment, the more he will function normally. May we be those who grow in life in a normal way every day, and may we function according to our measure for the perfecting of the one new man.

May everything we do and say be for the nourishing and cherishing of the saints so that we may be perfected and become the new man functioning to express God and represent Him on earth.

Lord Jesus, we want to cooperate with You for the perfecting of the new man so that You may gain a corporate person who functions properly to express You and represent You on earth. Amen, Lord Jesus, may we grow in life by allowing Christ to grow in us in all things, and may we be perfected in our function for the new man to function in a normal way! Lord, may Your element increase in all the saints, and may all the saints cooperate with Your perfecting through the gifted members so that the new man can be perfected in its function!

The New Man is Perfected by our Growing in Life and being Perfected in our Function

It is only by receiving the proper nourishment that the new man can become perfect in relation to his functions.

We as the many constituents of the new man need to receive the proper nourishment by coming to the Lord and allowing Him to infuse us with Himself.

Christ needs to be wrought into us to become our life, our person, and our everything; when this takes place, we can minister to others this very Christ who has been wrought into us.

For the growth of the corporate new man, we all need to experience the crucified, resurrected, ascended, and descending Christ, so that the all-inclusive Christ is wrought into us to be our everything (Eph. 3:16-17; 4:13, 24).

When Christ is wrought into us to be constituted into the very fibres of our being, the organically perfect one new man will become perfect functionally.

The reason Satan can do so much damage today and the reason the Lord has not yet returned is that the one new man – who is perfect organically – is not yet perfect functionally.

In his function, the new man still needs to be perfected; this comes through proper nourishment and through being perfected by the gifted members. The new man need to be nourished and perfected in order to function.

Our growing up into Chris in all things is for the practical existence of the universal one new man.

The ascended Christ gave gifts to men (Eph. 4:8); He first defeated, conquered, subdued, and took captive those taken captive by Satan, and then He gave some as gifts for the perfecting of the saints.

These gifts in v. 11 refer to to abilities for service but to the gifted persons such as the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the shepherds and teachers.

After Christ conquered them and rescued them from Satan through His death and resurrection, Christ in His ascension makes rescued sinners such gifts with His resurrection life and gives them to His Body for its building up.

The Lord has given some gifts for the perfecting of the saints unto the work of the ministry, unto the building up of the Body of Christ (Eph. 4:12).

We need to be perfected by the gifts given by God so that we may also function as an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, and a shepherd and teacher. We may not be an apostle, but by being perfected we can be the sent ones, doing the work of an apostle.

The gifted saints are not to replace the majority of the saints and over function while the others listen; rather, they are for the perfecting of the saints so that the saints can function in their measure for the building up of the Body.

The more we grow in life by being cherished and nourished, the more we shall function properly in the church life.

A day is coming when everyone in all the local churches will be a functioning member in the Body; if the saints are absolute with the Lord, in a relatively short time many will come into function, and the Lord will have the new man perfected functionally.

Lord Jesus, we give ourselves to You to grow in the divine life by receiving the proper nourishment, and to be perfected by the gifted members so that we may function in the Body! Amen, Lord, You must be wrought into us to become our life, our person, and our everything. We allow You, Lord, to be wrought into us, and we give You the permission to grow, spread, and increase in every part of our inner being. We give ourselves to You and to the Body to be perfected by the gifted saints, so that we may function in our measure for the building up of the church and the perfecting of the one new man!

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. James Lee for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Ephesians, msg. 92 (Witness by Lee), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, The One New Man Fulfilling God’s Purpose in Creating Man (2019 fall ITERO), week 5, Laboring according to God’s Operation to Present Every Believer Full-grown in Christ for the Function and Consummation of the One New Man.
• Hymns on this topic:
  – O Lord, do nourish us; You are the food we need; / As we are eating You, we’ll be transformed indeed; / We’re fully satisfied as on Yourself we feed, / So nourish us, O Lord, we pray. (Hymns #1135)
  – Christ, from whom all blessings flow, / Perfecting the saints below, / Hear us, who Thy nature share, / Who Thy mystic body are. / Join us, in one spirit join, / Let us still receive of Thine; / Still for more on Thee we call, / Thou who fillest all in all. (Hymns #796)
  – Lord, as a living sacrifice, / We will be perfected by Thee / To build Thy Body, seek increase, / Lord, the commission now we receive / In spirit, soul, we’re one for His goal, / The lampstands to spread His recovery, / A local being, a global seeing, / Gospel in hand, the kingdom we’ll preach! (Song on, God’s heart’s desire, a house on earth)