The one Body is also based on the one Christ in His incarnation (Matt. 1:16). Matthew 1:18-20 says, "Now the origin of Jesus Christ was in this way: His mother, Mary, after she had been engaged to Joseph, before they came together, was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being righteous and not willing to disgrace her openly, intended to send her away secretly. But while he pondered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife, for that which has been begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit." The phrase that which has been begotten in her indicates a birth. God was born into a virgin, and He remained in her womb for nine months. Then, after nine months Christ came out, not merely as God but also as man. He was intrinsically God, yet it seemed that He was only a man-child. However, Christ was not only a man; He was God mingled with man. Merely to say that He was Emmanuel, God with us (1:23), is inadequate. He was God mingled with man. This is incarnation. This incarnation is the strong base of the one Body. The one Body is based upon the one incarnation to bring forth the one Christ for God’s unique economy.
In the four Gospels there are many stories concerning Jesus from the time of His birth to the time of His crucifixion. He made the blind to see (John 9:1-7), and He enlivened the dead (11:25, 43-44). These deeds are great, but the most crucial thing is that one day such a God-man went to the cross. In one sense, He was arrested and put to death, but in another sense, He handed Himself over to the Jewish leaders and the Roman government (18:3-8, 12-13). The Roman imperialists helped Him to be crucified. They prepared the cross, bought the nails, and provided the soldiers to put Him on the cross. The crucifixion He accomplished was unique in the fulfillment of God’s unique purpose for God’s unique economy.
In His crucifixion Christ terminated the old creation (Rom. 6:6), the creation created through Him (John 1:3). He ter-minated everything, including you and me. In God’s eyes His death was also vicarious; He died for you and me. Without this aspect, we would all be finished. On the one hand, He died for us to redeem us, and on the other hand, He terminated us to put us to death so that we could be germinated with His life in His resurrection. This shows that Christ’s crucifixion was a great matter.
In His crucifixion Christ dealt with Satan, the world, sin, and all negative things (Heb. 2:14; John 12:31; 1:29; Eph. 2:15-16; Col. 2:14). While Christ was hanging on the cross, there was a warfare between God and the evil angels (Col. 2:15). On the cross Christ died an all-inclusive death, crucifying at least eight negative things: sin, sins, Satan, the world, the flesh, the old man, the old creation, and the ordinances of the law. Satan with his authority of darkness was not happy to see what the cross would accomplish. Thus, as Christ was being crucified, Satan with his evil angels came in to fight. God stripped off and openly shamed the evil angelic rulers and authorities on the cross and triumphed over them in it.
Christ’s crucifixion is also a part of the base of the one Body. Without the proper spiritual sight, we cannot see these things. All the divisions among Christians come from this one factor: not seeing the cross. If anyone has really seen the crucifixion, the all-inclusive death that Christ died on the cross, he will never create a division. Division surely does not belong to the new creation; division belongs to the old creation. The entire old creation, including division, was terminated by Christ in His crucifixion. All the divisive factors were terminated there. As long as someone is in the new creation, he can never carry out a division.
(One Body and One Spirit, Chapter 1, by Witness Lee)