THE LOVE OF CHRIST
CONSTRAINING US TO LIVE TO CHRIST
In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul spoke of the love of Christ constraining us to live to Christ. Verses 14 and 15 say, "For the love of Christ constrains us because we have judged this, that One died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all that those who live may no longer live to themselves but to Him who died for them and has been raised." We have to be constrained to such an extent that we lose ourselves, forget about ourselves, and live to Christ.
GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS IN CHRIST
Verse 21 says that Christ was made sin and that we are made the righteousness of God in Him. This does not mean that we are righteous, but that we are righteousness itself through the redemption of Christ. We were sin itself. To turn sin into righteousness required much work. Christ was made sin for us to be judged and done away with by God that we might become God’s righteousness in Christ.
THE MEEKNESS AND GENTLENESS OF CHRIST
Chapter ten speaks of Paul’s experience of the meekness and gentleness of Christ (v. 1). This cannot be worked out by teaching. Someone may tell you to look at how gentle and meek Christ was on earth and that you need to learn of Him, but this does not work. We need Christ wrought into us so that His meekness and gentleness can be ours.
TAKING CAPTIVE EVERY THOUGHT
UNTO THE OBEDIENCE OF CHRIST
In 10:5 Paul said, "As we overthrow reasonings and every high thing rising up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ." Our thoughts have to be brought into captivity. They must be taken captive to obey Christ. Often, we are rebellious in our mind. Our mind is wild, natural, rebellious, and unrenewed. This is why we need to be transformed by the renewing of the mind (Rom. 12:2). By being renewed, our mind will be subdued and brought into captivity unto the obedience of Christ. How much has our mind been renewed, subdued, and captured? This is not a matter of doctrine but of experience.
THE VIRGINS OF CHRIST
Thus far, we have seen that we are the captives of Christ, the letters of Christ, the mirrors of Christ, and the vessels of Christ. Chapter eleven goes on to tell us that we are the virgins of Christ who have been betrothed to Christ (v. 2). To marry someone is not a matter of doctrine but a matter of experience. Do we have the real experience of being a virgin to Christ?
(The Experience of Christ as Life for the Building Up of the Church, Chapter 7, by Witness Lee)
