Now we need to consider the riches of Christ. The items of His riches in the Scriptures are much more numerous than the items of God. Whatever God is, dwells in Christ, but the Bible does not tell us that God is the door, the Lamb, or the offerings. Christ is the door (John 10:9), the Lamb (1:29), and the reality of all the offerings (Heb. 10:5-10). With Christ we also have the element of incarnation because Christ is not only the complete God but also the perfect man. With Him there are the elements of crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
Christ is also the way (John 14:6). This means that He is the way for us to enter into God. Also, He is the way for us to behave as Christians. The way for us to live and to deal with people is Christ. Christ is our way not only for us to enter into God but also for us to live. If we have Christ, we have the way to live, the way to behave, and the way to do things.
John 10 says that Christ is the door. According to this chapter He is not the door to heaven but the door to the sheepfold. Judaism as the religion of the law is the sheepfold. Christ was the door of the sheepfold for Moses, David, and all the prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. To them He was the door through which they entered into the custody of the law. In the New Testament, Peter, John, James, and Paul experienced Christ as the door to come out of the fold of Judaism with its law. Through Christ as the door all the early disciples came out of the custody of the law. The thieves and robbers in John 10 signify those who came into Judaism, but not through Christ (vv. 1, 8). These were the unbelieving Pharisees who opposed Christ.
In John 10:9 the Lord said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and go out and shall find pasture.” When the pasture is not available, in the wintertime or in the night, the sheep must be kept in the fold. In the Old Testament, before Christ came, it was the time of night. Thus, God’s flock was put into the fold to be kept in custody during the night. When Christ came, the day dawned. Thus, the flock had to be released from the fold into the pasture. Christ is the living pasture as the feeding place for the sheep.
Christ was the door for all the Old Testament sheep to enter into Judaism for protection, for being kept in custody. When Christ came, they needed to be let out of the fold of Judaism to enjoy Him as their living pasture. They entered into Judaism through Christ and were released from Judaism through Christ.
We need to apply this revelation to ourselves. Christ is also the door for us to come out of any religious fold into Himself as the rich pasture. Formerly, this religion may have been our protection. But when we met Christ, it became a bondage. Christ then became the door to us to release us from the bondage of religion so that He could become our pasture. If we are enjoying Christ, He is the door and the pasture to us, and we are out of the fold. Without Christ, we would be kept in the fold. When someone realizes Christ as his enjoyment, he will come out through Christ as the door to enjoy Christ as the pasture.
The sheep to which the Lord referred in John 10 were those in Judaism. He went on to say, “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must lead them also, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd” (v. 16). The other sheep are the Gentile believers (Acts 11:18). The one flock signifies the one church, the one Body of Christ (Eph. 2:14-16; 3:6). The Lord would bring the Jewish and Gentile believers together to make them one flock, one Body. Thus, there should no longer be any fold but only the one flock and the one Shepherd.
The way to get people out of the religious fold is to help them enjoy Christ. When they enjoy Christ, He will become the door to them to release them from the fold. When they come through the door, Christ will become their pasture. The only thing that can keep us from becoming a religious fold is the enjoyment of Christ. Only the enjoyment of Christ can keep us in a proper relationship with the Lord. Without the enjoyment of Christ, we will become a fold. But when we enjoy Him, He becomes the door to release us and the pasture to feed us. Christ is the door for us to be released from bondage and the pasture for us to enjoy.
(The Enjoyment of Christ, Chapter 2, by Witness Lee)