GROWING IN LIFE THROUGH KEEPING THE ONENESS
Now we come to what the building is. The building is simply the growth in life. I would remind you that the title of this message is building by keeping the oneness through growing in life. By considering our experience and by examining the Word, we have found that if we do not keep the oneness, we have no way to grow in life. Breaking the oneness spoils the growth in life. Genuine growth in life is safeguarded by keeping the oneness. In other words, once the oneness is damaged, there is no growth in life. This is not a mere doctrine; it is our experience. Through our experience we have learned that true growth in life is in the keeping of the oneness. We may advance in knowledge or improve our behavior, but we cannot have the genuine growth in life apart from keeping the oneness. The genuine growth in life is regulated by the maintaining of the oneness. Thus, it is crucial that we know how to be one.
KEEPING THE ONENESS AND ARRIVING AT THE ONENESS
Ephesians 4:3 tells us to keep the oneness of the Spirit (Gk.), and in verse 13 we see that we need to arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God (Gk.). In these verses we see the two ends of oneness: keeping the oneness and arriving at the oneness. On the one hand, we have the oneness already. If not, how could we keep it? Keeping it implies having it. The oneness we have already is the oneness of the Spirit, and the oneness of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself. Because we have the Spirit within us, we have the oneness. Now we simply need to keep it. For example, the lamps in the meeting hall have the same electricity. The electricity within them is their oneness. They are one not in themselves, but in the electricity. Likewise, we have the one Spirit in us. This Spirit is our oneness. Hence, the oneness is called the oneness of the Spirit.
We need to keep this oneness until we arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. At one end of the oneness is the oneness of the spirit, and at the other end is the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God. We need to keep the oneness of the Spirit as we go on to arrive at the oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God.
The oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God is a full-grown man. Arriving at this oneness means arriving at a full-grown man. This oneness is also the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Christ has a fullness, the fullness of Christ has a stature, and the stature has a measure. Thus, Ephesians 4:13 speaks of the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. As a man, I have a stature, and my stature has a measure. The measure of this stature is my fullness. The oneness of the faith and of the full knowledge of the Son of God is both the full-grown man and the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
ARRIVING BY GROWING IN LIFE
Although we have not yet arrived at a full-grown man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, our destiny is such an arrival. Today we are on the way. Some of us may be very close to this destination, and others may be quite far from it. The way to arrive is by growing in life. The more we grow, the closer we come to the end. When we are fully grown, we shall arrive at our destination. This means that full growth is our destination. Thus, the process of coming to our destination is the growth in life.
(Life Messages, Vol. 1 (#1-41), Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)
