蒙召的人藉着将基督献给神，与基督联合
在旧约中，每当人献祭给神的时候，就按手在祭牲身上，表明与祭牲联结或联合。神要亚伯拉罕将牲口和鸟献给祂，含示亚伯拉罕必须与他献给神的一切东西成为一。神似乎对他说，“亚伯拉罕，你必须与你献给我的一切东西联结。你必须与那些牲口和鸟联合。”这指明我们也必须在基督的劈开里被劈开，在祂的钉死里被钉死。我们天然的人，我们的肉体和我们的己，必须被劈开，被钉死。当我们在祂的钉死里与祂联合，也就在祂的复活里与祂联合。我们在祂的死里死了（罗六5上，8上），我们在祂的复活里活着（罗六5下，8下），以成就神的目的。我们在祂的钉死里被了结，在祂的复活里有新生的起头。这样，就使我们能达成神永远的目的。
天然的人不可能过教会生活。在我们中间，有各式各样的弟兄姊妹。按着人说，我们不可能成为一。然而，在教会中，因着钉死并复活的基督，我们的确是一。我们都已经在基督的钉死里被了结，在祂的复活里有新生的起头。在祂的复活里我们都是活着的，不是凭我们自己，乃是凭复活的基督；祂活在我们里面，使我们能过教会生活。
现在我们看见，神如何能得着这样奇妙的后裔和地，后裔是子民，地是范围，在这范围内，且凭着这后裔，神就能建立祂的国度，建造祂的居所，作祂的彰显和代表。神怎样才能作这事？只有藉着基督被钉死作我们的平安祭、赎罪祭和燔祭，并复活作我们的生命。现在我们蒙召的人，就是将基督献给神并与祂联合的人，与基督乃是一。基督被钉且复活，我们也与祂同钉且同复活。我们在祂的钉死里被钉，在祂的复活里复活。现在我们都能宣告：“现在活着的，不再是我，乃是基督在我里面活着。”（加二20）。藉着这事实，我们今天就能是活的，为着过教会生活。在教会生活中，我们有基督在里面作后裔，并有基督在外面作地。我们如何能进入这样的地，进入这样的教会生活？只有藉着钉死并复活的基督。一面我们都已经被钉死了；另一面我们都是活的。所以在这里神能得着后裔和地，好达成祂永远的目的。阿利路亚！我们有这样一位基督，祂是那后裔，叫我们凭以活着；祂也是那地，叫我们活在其中。
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God’s Covenant with Abraham (6) – Rom. 6:5
The Called Ones Are United with Christ by Offering Him to God
In the Old Testament, whenever someone offered a sacrifice to God, they laid their hands on the sacrifice, signifying identification or union with it. God wanted Abraham to offer the animals and birds to Him, implying that Abraham must become one with everything he offered to God. God seemed to say to him, “Abraham, you must be united with everything you offer to Me. You must be one with those animals and birds”. This indicates that we also must be divided in the dividing of Christ and be crucified in His crucifixion. Our natural man, our flesh and our self must be divided and crucified. When we are united with Him in His crucifixion, we are also united with Him in His resurrection. We died in His death (Rom. 6:5a, 8a), and we live in His resurrection (Rom. 6:5b, 8b) to fulfill God’s purpose. We were terminated in His crucifixion and have a new beginning in His resurrection. This enables us to achieve God’s eternal purpose.
The natural man cannot live the church life. Among us, there are all kinds of brothers and sisters. Humanly speaking, it is impossible for us to be one. However, in the church, because of the crucified and resurrected Christ, we are indeed one. We have all been terminated in the crucifixion of Christ and have a new beginning in His resurrection. In His resurrection we are all living — not by ourselves, but by the resurrected Christ; He lives in us, enabling us to live the church life.
Now we see how God can obtain such a wonderful seed and land. The seed is the people, and the land is the realm. Within this realm, and by means of this seed, God can establish His kingdom and build His dwelling place as His expression and representation. How can God do this? Only through Christ being crucified as our peace offering, sin offering and burnt offering, and being resurrected as our life. Now we, the called ones, are those who offer Christ to God and are united with Him; we are one with Christ. Christ was crucified and resurrected, and we are also crucified and resurrected with Him. We were crucified in His death and raised in His resurrection. Now we can all declare: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). By this fact, we can be living today for the sake of the church life. In the church life, we have Christ inwardly as the seed and Christ outwardly as the land. How can we enter such a land and such a church life? Only through the crucified and resurrected Christ. On one hand, we have all been crucified; on the other hand, we are all living. Therefore, here God can obtain the seed and the land to fulfill His eternal purpose. Hallelujah! We have such a Christ — He is the seed by which we live, and He is also the land in which we live.