THE NEW MAN
Ephesians 2:15 says that Christ through the cross "abolished in His flesh the law of the commandments in ordinances, that He might create the two in Himself into one new man." Then in Ephesians 4:22-24 we are told to put off the old man and to put on the new man. This new man is the Body of Christ. To put on the new man means to live a life by the Body. Before our salvation we were living in the old man, in the old society, but now we are members of Christ! living in His Body. We should put off the old man with the old social life, and we should put on the new man, the church. In this new man there is nothing natural, nothing Jewish, nothing Greek, nothing of social rank; everyone is full of Christ, so Christ is everyone and Christ is in everyone (Col. 3:10-11). There is nothing but Christ in the new man. Our life is Christ, our living is Christ, our intention is Christ, our ambition is Christ, our will is Christ, our love is Christ, and everything else about us is Christ. He saturates our entire being.
This new man, according to Ephesians 4:17-32, lives a life by grace and truth. These are the two main factors in the living of such a new man to fulfill God’s purpose. God needs a new man on this earth to fulfill His purpose, to carry out His intention.
THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
In Ephesians 5 we have the church as the bride of Christ (vv. 25, 29, 32; see also John ‘3:29; Rev. 19:7; 21:2, 9; 22:17). Christ gave Himself on the cross not just for you and me individually, but for the church. When we think about Christ’s death, we usually consider only ourselves individually. Yes, Christ loved us and died on the cross for each one of us, but His death was mainly for the church.
Christ also nourishes and cherishes the church (v. 29). To nourish is to feed. To cherish is to embrace with loving care, full of warmth, like a mother holding her child in her bosom. Christ treats His church in this nourishing and cherishing way.
The great mystery mentioned in 5:32 refers to Christ and the church. Chapter five refers to love (vv. 2, 25) and light (vv. 8, 9, 13). Love is the source of grace, and light is the source of truth. When light shines, there is truth. When love is expressed, there is grace. In chapter four as the new man, the church experiences grace and truth, but in chapter five the bride that satisfies Christ experiences something deeper and higher, that is, love and light. As the new man, the church fulfills God’s purpose. As the bride, the church satisfies Christ’s desire. He is the Husband and the church is His wife, satisfying her Husband’s desire.
(The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures, Chapter 5, by Witness Lee)
