THE PROPER HUMANITY
Paul also says that every one of us should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thes. 4:4). We know that our “vessel” means our body. We all need to keep our body in sanctification and honor because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15-16, 18-19). We should not misuse our body.
We must keep our mind healthy, and our body in sanctification. This means that we are in a battle. The church life is a real battle life. We are not battling with human beings, but against the subtle enemy, Satan. If we do not have a sound mind and if we do not keep our body in sanctification, we are defeated already. If we would fight the battle, we need a proper humanity. And a proper humanity is one not only with a strong, living spirit, but also one with a sound mind and a body kept in sanctification. This is the humanity which Satan fears so greatly. Consider today’s society. Do you believe that you could find such human beings among the human race? I do not believe so. I even doubt if Christians in Christianity today have such a humanity. So many are dead in their spirit and unhealthy in their thinking, unsound in their mind. And, shameful as it is, even among Christians there is fornication. Satan seems to have gained the victory over all humanity.
But praise the Lord! The church is here with the humanity of Jesus. Such a humanity has a strong, living spirit, a clear, healthy, and sober mind, and a body kept in sanctification. This is the humanity that is qualified to fight the battle for God today. We long to see the church life in all the local churches with such a humanity. To some extent we can say that the church life is like this among us. But I feel burdened to share that the church life is not just a church life; it is also a battle life. We are not fighting against flesh and blood or any human beings, but against the principalities, the powers, and the darkness in the air.
If we do not have the proper humanity, we have lost the ground. Some may say that we have the ground of the precious blood. I agree; we do have the blood to cover us, but we still need the proper humanity with a living spirit, a sound and clear mentality, and a holy body, separated by God for His purpose. If we are wrong in any of these three matters, we are finished in the spiritual warfare. We simply do not have the ground to fight the battle.
Praise the Lord that the humanity of Jesus is not only necessary and sufficient to produce the standing boards, the uniting bars, the proper gifts, and the flow of life; it is even more necessary and sufficient for the spiritual warfare. For the church to fight the spiritual warfare, we all need the proper humanity. By ourselves we cannot be such a person, but He is such a Person in us, and His humanity is such a proper humanity for the spiritual warfare. The meal offering we present to God is composed of such a humanity. It is this humanity that constitutes the real worship to God, affords the priestly diet, produces the standing boards, forms God’s building by the uniting bars, produces the proper gifts, gives us the flow of life, and fights the battle for us. We all must be bold in the humanity of Jesus so that we can fight the battle for God’s kingdom.
(Christ as the Reality, Chapter 13, by Witness Lee)
