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In this enlightening book, Witness Lee discusses how the good land described in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy is a complete picture of Christ that we can enjoy today.
In the post Christ Is the Reality of the Good Land for Us to Enjoy, we gave a brief introduction of The All-inclusive Christ. In this post, we’ll use excerpts from the book that highlight the spaciousness of the good land and how this applies to our Christian life.
In Exodus 3:8, God described the land of Canaan:
“And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Since Christ is the reality of the good land, the land being spacious points to the fact that He is spacious. But what does this mean?
We’ve probably never thought of Christ as being spacious, but this excerpt from pages 22 and 23 shows us that the Christ who lives in us is immeasurably spacious:
“You understand what spaciousness is. But can you describe the spaciousness of this land? Can you tell us the extent, the expanse, of Christ? In other words, do you know how big Christ is? Everyone of us has a certain measurement, but what is the measurement of Christ? The Apostle Paul gives it to us in Ephesians chapter 3. The measurements of Christ are the breadth, the length, the height, and the depth. Can you tell how broad is the breadth, how long is the length, how high is the height, and how deep is the depth? If you asked me, I would have to say, ‘I don’t know. It is unlimited.’ The breadth of Christ is the breadth of the universe. Christ is the breadth, Christ is the length, Christ is the height, and Christ is the depth of the whole universe. If the universe has a limit, that limit must be Christ. You can never measure the dimensions of Christ. This is the first item of the goodness of the land. The land is good in the unlimited measurement of Christ.”
We all have to admit that we ourselves are very limited. For example, we may be able to be patient to a certain extent, but not for a lengthy period, with no end in sight. In difficult circumstances, and perhaps particularly with certain people, our patience eventually runs out. Worse still, we might even react by losing our temper, unable to bear the strain of trying to be patient.
Lee says on page 25,
“There is a limit to human goodness, but the goodness of Christ is without limit. If your patience has a limit, that patience is not Christ. If you are patient with Christ’s patience, the more wrongly you are treated, the more patient you will be. This patience can never be exhausted. Christ is good in His unlimitedness; Christ is good in His spaciousness. With everything of Him, there is no limit and no change.”
The key isn’t to strive to use our own meager store of patience, but instead to experience Christ’s inexhaustible patience. It’s impossible to fathom how patient Christ is. His patience is as infinite as He is; it has no end! Yet we can actually experience the immeasurable Christ in all the situations in our life. He supplies us bountifully with whatever we need to an unlimited degree.
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Lee’s emphasis in The All-inclusive Christ isn’t that we just know the features of the good land and how they’re pictures of Christ; it’s that we actually experience Christ as the reality of those features. On page 26, Lee testifies of his own experience of the inexhaustible Christ, even through years of increasing difficulties:
“I have realized that Christ is without any kind of limitation. There can never be a problem which is bigger than Christ. There can never be a situation which He cannot cover. I have a handkerchief which is only so big—perhaps twelve inches by twelve inches. It can only cover so much. It can never cover the whole room; it is not big enough. But you must realize that Christ is like a piece of cloth without limit. You cannot tell how broad and how long He is. There is no limit. He can cover anything and everything. No matter how great a problem may be, Christ can cover it. Christ is good in His unlimitedness. Christ is good in His breadth and length and height and depth. Christ is such a spacious land for us to experience and enjoy in every situation.”
Each day brings us new opportunities to experience the spaciousness of Christ with our children, our boss, our spouse, or our coworkers, in matters both big and small. When we feel like we’re running out of patience, love, or whatever it may be, one way to experience Christ is to stop what we’re doing and pray. We can pray,
“Lord Jesus, I turn to You right now. I can’t take this situation anymore. Lord, I need You. Be my unlimited patience.”
When we pray, even for just a few moments, we contact Him in our spirit and breathe Him in. We breathe in the One who is inexhaustible.
At any time, in any place, we can also simply call on His name. Romans 10:12 tells us the Lord is “rich to all who call upon Him.” As we call, “Oh, Lord Jesus,” we can enjoy the never-failing riches of all the Lord is to us, no matter what our circumstances are.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this post on the spaciousness of Christ. We invite you to learn more by reading all of chapter 2 of The All-inclusive Christ, which you can download for free here.
Did you know you can download a free book from Bibles for America called The All-inclusive Christ? This book by Witness Lee is a must-read for every Christian who wants to have a richer, fuller experience of Jesus Christ.
The title of the book itself is very interesting. By definition, the word all-inclusive means something that includes everything. For example, you may have seen this word used to describe a vacation package. An all-inclusive vacation package would include every necessity and then some, such as transportation, accommodations, food, and so on. You don’t need to go anywhere else for anything; it’s all right there for you to enjoy.
To say Christ is all-inclusive means He includes everything we need. This description of Christ is based on the good land God gave His people in the Old Testament. That land included everything the children of Israel needed for their living and enjoyment and is a detailed picture of Christ, whom every believer has already received.
Witness Lee goes through the book of Deuteronomy to show how the details of the good land represent many of the unsearchable riches of Christ. Even the topography of the land reveals Christ to us. But the book doesn’t stop there. Because Lee’s intention wasn’t that we would merely gain knowledge about various aspects of who Christ is, but that we would experience Him, he applies those aspects to our life in very practical ways. This opens up a whole realm of Christ for us to enjoy! And as we experience and enjoy Christ, not only are our own needs are met, but God’s eternal purpose is fulfilled.
It’s a fact that Christ—the reality of the Old Testament good land with all its riches—has been given to us New Testament believers to be our true life and enjoyment. But in order to actually experience Christ as all the different aspects of the good land, we first need to see all the things He can be to us. That’s where this book comes in. It opens up God’s Word and helps us see how rich Christ is and how we can experience Him.
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The table of contents of The All-inclusive Christ shows the six major sections of the book:
The All-inclusive Christ—An Introduction
The Goodness of the Land
How to Possess the Land
Entering the Good Land
Life in the Good Land
The Issue of the Land—The Temple and the City
Let’s get a taste of what’s in The All-inclusive Christ from Chapter 4, which is about the goodness of the land with relation to water. On page 37, Lee says:
“Deuteronomy says that the land is good in water. Listen to the different terms that are used: ‘a land of brooks of water’—that means a land full of streams of waters—and a land ‘of fountains and springs’ (8:7).”
Continuing on page 38, Lee explains the meaning of these waters:
“The spring, the deep waters, and the streams. Brothers and sisters, what is the meaning of these waters? We can immediately turn to the Lord’s word for the answer. The Lord said that the water He gives will be in us a well of water, a fountain, springing up unto the life of eternity. These waters are types of the various kinds of supply of Christ’s life. The life of Christ as the supply to us is just like the different kinds of waters. The Lord told us that out of the innermost part of those who believe on Him will flow rivers of living water. What is this? This is the supply of the life of Christ as living water. If you reflect upon your experience and consider it carefully, you will realize that in one aspect Christ is so spacious and exhaustless and in another aspect Christ is transcendent and in the heavens. Then, if you view it accurately, you will realize that the supply of the life of Christ is just as living water within you. Many times you are thirsty—not thirsty in your physical body, but thirsty in your spirit. When you come athirst to the Lord and contact Him, you have a certain sense within you. You feel refreshed, you feel watered. When you are thirsty, it means that your spirit, your inner man is dry. But when you contact the Lord Jesus, it is not long before you feel watered and your thirst is quenched. You are refreshed more by this drink than by any physical beverage. Then, if you contact the Lord more and more and even moment by moment, you will feel more than watered; there will be a stream flowing forth from within you.”
What are these streams of living water in our experience? On pages 39–40, Lee explains:
“In this land there is not only one stream, but many streams; not just one spring and one fountain, but many springs and many fountains. What does this mean? Sometimes when you are beset with troubles and trials, you contact the Lord and receive something from Him. You experience the Lord as a spring, as a fountain and as a stream in your trial. What kind of spring, what kind of fountain and what kind of stream is this? Can you give them a name? I believe you can give them many names. Sometimes you experience Him as a spring of joy, sometimes as a spring of peace, and sometimes as a spring of comfort. Sometimes you experience Him as a fountain of love, a fountain of grace, and a fountain of light. At other times Christ is a stream of patience, a stream of humility, and a stream of forbearance to you. You see, there are many springs, many fountains, and many streams. There are many kinds of heavenly supplies.”
Christ as our good land is so enjoyable, even just in this aspect of water!
We hope this post has whetted your appetite to experience Christ as the good land. We invite you to learn more by downloading a free copy of The All-inclusive Christ here. Each chapter is packed with wonderful aspects of who Christ is, and practical examples of how we can apply Him in our daily life.
We can find many promises God has made to us in His Word. For instance, He promises to care for us faithfully and to never forsake us. But in 2 Peter 1:4, some of His promises are strikingly described as precious and exceedingly great.
Are these precious and exceedingly great promises related to material things like a better car, a life without financial challenges, or a trouble-free family life with the best spouse and children? To answer this question, let’s first see why God gave these extraordinary promises to us. This will help us see what makes them so precious and exceedingly great.
Let’s read 2 Peter 1:4-5:
“Seeing that His divine power has granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who has called us by His own grace and virtue, through which He has granted to us precious and exceedingly great promises that through these you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption which is in the world by lust.”
The context of these verses tells us that the precious and exceedingly great promises Peter speaks of aren’t related to prosperity or a trouble-free life. And they aren’t for something in the far-off future, nor are they for after we die. They’re related to something profound that we can enjoy here and now.
The verses tell us God gave us such promises so that through them we can partake of the divine nature of God today. No wonder Peter calls them precious and exceedingly great. The fact that we human beings can partake of the divine nature of God is tremendous!
To partake of something means to take it into us and experience it. Just as we partake of food daily, we can partake of God’s divine nature through His precious and exceedingly great promises. As we partake of His nature, something happens in us: we begin to express God.
To illustrate, let’s say a person eats a lot of carrots. Eating so many carrots can eventually cause his skin to develop an orange tint, expressing the carrots he’s become constituted with. In the same way, the more we partake of God’s divine nature, the more we become constituted with and express His nature.
Knowing we can partake of God’s nature will truly revolutionize our Christian life. Expressing God isn’t the result of our self-effort or outward behavior, but of partaking of His divine nature. So as we partake of Him, God works out His purpose to join Himself to us and mingle with us so we become His expression for His glory.
Note 2 of verse 2 Peter 1:4 in the New Testament Recovery Version says:
“Through and on the basis of the Lord’s glory and virtue, by and to which we have been called, He has given us His precious and exceedingly great promises, such as in Matt. 28:20; John 6:57; 7:38-39; 10:28-29; 14:19-20, 23; 15:5; 16:13-15. All these promises are being carried out in His believers by His life-power as the excellent virtue, unto His glory.”
Now, let’s take a look at just the first four passages listed in this note to get a taste of these promises.
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Note 2 on with you says,
“The heavenly King is Emmanuel, God with us (1:23). Here He promised that in His resurrection He will be with us all the days, with all authority, until the consummation of the age, that is, until the end of this age. Hence, wherever we are gathered into His name, He is in our midst (18:20).”
At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, an angel told Joseph before the Lord’s birth that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, which means God with us. Matthew ends with the resurrected Lord commissioning His disciples to go forth with the gospel. Then the Lord Jesus’ final word in Matthew is His promise to be with us always. As we journey through life, He is with us—not occasionally, but all the time, every day. He was with us yesterday, He’s with us today, and He’ll be with us tomorrow, until the end of this age. Whatever our circumstances may be, we can enjoy His presence every day. How encouraging is this precious promise from the Lord!
In John 6, the Lord Jesus presents Himself as the living bread from heaven for us to eat. Note 1 on verse 57 explains what eats Me means:
“To eat is to take food into us that it may be assimilated organically into our body. Hence, to eat the Lord Jesus is to receive Him into us that He may be assimilated by the regenerated new man in the way of life. Then we live by Him whom we have received. It is by this that He, the resurrected One, lives in us (14:19-20).”
We live physically by the food we eat. In the same way, we live spiritually by eating Jesus as our food in the Word of God. According to this promise in John 6, if we eat the Lord Jesus in His Word, we’ll live by Him and He’ll be lived out of us. This is how we live the Christian life; it’s not by striving with our own energy but by taking in the nourishing supply of Christ as the bread of life.
First Corinthians 15:45 tells us that in resurrection, the Lord Jesus became the life-giving Spirit. As the Spirit, He’s the living water for us to drink. The Lord promised us that when we come to Him, believe in Him, and drink Him, our inner thirst will be quenched. Anytime, anywhere, we can drink the Spirit by turning to our spirit, where He is. When we drink the Spirit, He satisfies us with Himself as the living water.
The Lord also promises that when we drink of the Spirit, rivers of living water will flow to others. What does this mean? Note 2 of verse 38 explains:
“The rivers of living water are the many flows of the different aspects of life (cf. Rom. 15:30; 1 Thes. 2:13; Gal. 5:22-23), originating from the one unique river of water of life (Rev. 22:1), which is God's Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2).”
When we drink the Spirit, the unique river, our need is met. Then as we enjoy God this way, spontaneously out of our being will flow love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, and so many more aspects of God’s life to meet the needs of those around us.
Note 1 on eternal life and hand helps us appreciate the Lord’s promise here:
“Eternal life (see note 151in ch. 3) is for the believers’ living. The Father’s hand, by which He chooses in His love according to His purpose (17:23; 6:38-39), and the Son’s hand, by which He saves by His grace for the fulfillment of the Father’s purpose (1:14; 6:37), both of which have the keeping power, are for the believers’ protection. Eternal life will never run out, and the hands of the Father and the Son will never fail. Hence, the believers are eternally secure and will never perish.”
The Lord gives us eternal life for our living today. We have the eternal life, which will never run out, and we’re kept safe in both the Father’s hand and the Son’s hand. We are eternally secure. We’re safe in the hands of the Father and the Son forever! Since we’re so secure in Him, we can partake of His eternal life every day without doubt or fear.
Thank God for granting us these precious and exceedingly great promises! We encourage you to order your free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version so you can read the notes for the rest of the promises listed in note 2 on 2 Peter 1:4, especially those in John 14, a deep chapter in the New Testament.
