The Bible Structure of the Riches of Christ

 

The Bible Structure of the Riches of Christ

In terms of typology, leading the Israelites into the Promised Land of Canaan, flowing with milk and honey, symbolizes leading them into the all-inclusive Christ and His unfathomable riches—verse 8, Colossians 1:12.

The purpose of God's calling is to lead His people into the Promised Land so that they may enjoy the all-inclusiveness of Christ—Ephesians 3:18, Colossians 2:6-7, 16-17, 3:11.

The church is produced by the unfathomable riches of Christ, which are Christ's being for us—his light, life, righteousness, holiness, etc.—and what He possesses for us, and what He has accomplished, attained, and obtained for us. 

Biblical Stage	Revelation of Christ	Riches of Christ Revealed	Purpose	Key Scripture
Creation	Through creation	Light, life, air, food	Show Christ as life supply	Gen 1–2
Promise after fall	Prophecy	Seed of the woman	Announce coming Redeemer	Gen 3:15
Patriarchs	Types in persons	Abel, Isaac, Joseph	Portraits of Christ	Gen 12–50
Exodus & Law	Sacrifices & tabernacle	Lamb, offerings, tabernacle	Redemption and God's dwelling	Exo 12; 25
Wilderness	Spiritual experiences	Manna, rock, cloud	Christ as supply and guidance	Exo 16–17
Good land	Inheritance	Rich produce of land	Christ as rich portion	Josh 5
Kingdom	Kings as types	David, Solomon	Christ as king	2 Sam; 1 Kings
Psalms/Wisdom	Spiritual experience	Shepherd, refuge, rock	Personal enjoyment of Christ	Ps 23
Prophets	Prophecy	Messiah, suffering servant	Foretell redemption	Isa 53
Gospels	Incarnation	God becoming man	Reveal Christ Himself	John 1:14
Acts	Expansion	Risen Christ moving	Produce the church	Acts
Epistles	Explanation	Christ as life and Body	Build the church	Eph 1
Revelation	Consummation	Lamb and New Jerusalem	Fulfill God's plan	Rev 21–22

 

*Spiritual Integration and Seeing (Key Point)

The entire Bible actually has only one central thread:

 

Genesis → Revelation

Reveals one thing:

The unfathomable riches of Christ

Its development:

Christ revelation → Christ redemption → Christ impartation → The church arises → The New Jerusalem is completed

 

*A prophetic summary:

The structure of the entire Bible is the revelation of the riches of Christ, imparted into people, producing the church, and ultimately completing the New Jerusalem.

 

*Ultimate Conclusion

The Bible is not a book of morality, nor a book of religion,

but a book that reveals Christ.

 

*Ultimate goal:

Christ fills all things.

*Spiritual Application

1. Seeing Christ through Bible Reading

Learn to see Christ in every book.

 

2. Experiencing Christ

Let Him be:

 

Life

Supply

Light

Power

 

3. Living out Christ

Let His human virtues and divine attributes be manifested.

 

4. Building up the Church

Let the riches of Christ become the fullness of the church.

 

*Please refer to Life-Study of Ephesians, Chapter 30: The Riches of Christ Produce the Church

 

Three-Layer Spiritual Structure Table (The spiritual life path from Soul Life → Cross → Sacrifice Life → Overcomer)

 

Three-Layer Spiritual Structure Table (The spiritual life path from Soul Life → Cross → Sacrifice Life → Overcomer)

Matthew 16:23 But he turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are my stumbling block, for you set your mind on human things, not on the things of God.”

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—even his own soul and life—he cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 9:23 Jesus also said to the crowd, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” 

Layer	Spiritual Stage	Life Characteristic	Main Problem / Experience	God’s Work	Spiritual Result	Key Scriptures
Layer 1	Soul-Life (Self-Life)	Living by natural ability, wisdom, and zeal	Satan is joined to man’s soul-life causing self-reliance	God exposes the self and natural life	Man realizes the weakness of the self	Matt. 16:23-24
Layer 2	The Work of the Cross	Denying the self and taking up the cross	Natural ability and fleshly strength are broken	The cross deals with the natural life	Only what is from God remains	Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20
Layer 3	Drink Offering Life	Christ fills and saturates the believer	Living no longer for oneself	Christ pours Himself into the believer	Becoming an overcomer who satisfies God	Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6; Rev. 12:11

 

*Integrated Spiritual Insight (Key Point)

The whole Bible reveals a spiritual progression of life:

Soul-life → The Cross → The Drink Offering Life → The Overcomers

The spiritual principles are:

• If the soul-life is not dealt with → Satan has ground.
• If the soul-life is put to death by the cross → The life of Christ is manifested.

Therefore:

The cross is not the goal; it is the pathway leading to the fullness of Christ’s life.

The final outcome is:

Man is filled with Christ and poured out, becoming a drink offering to God for the fulfillment of God’s economy.

*One-Sentence Prophetic Summary

The cross terminates the soul-life so that Christ may fill us, making us overcomers who are poured out as a drink offering to God.

*Ultimate Conclusion

God’s goal is not to improve man’s natural life, but:

1️⃣  To terminate the soul-life through the cross
2️⃣  To allow Christ to become man’s life
3️⃣  To fill man with Christ and pour him out as a drink offering

As a result:

• Satan is overcome
• Christ is manifested
• The church is built up
• God is satisfied

This is the life pathway of the overcomers in Revelation 12.

*Spiritual Application

Practice	Explanation
Deny the Self	Do not rely on natural ability or wisdom
Accept the Cross	Allow God to deal with the natural life
Live Christ	Let Christ be our life and power
Become a Drink Offering	Be willing to be poured out for God’s will
Live in Victory	Do not love the soul-life

  

*Please refer to the 2025 Winter Training: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (Part Four), Chapter Eight: The Male Child, the Heavenly Battle, and the Victorious Saints.

“Not Loving the Soul-Life vs Loving the Soul-Life”

 

“Not Loving the Soul-Life vs Loving the Soul-Life”

Matthew 16:23 But he turned to Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are my stumbling block, for you set your mind on human things, not on the things of God.”

Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—even his own soul and life—he cannot be my disciple.”

Luke 9:23 Jesus also said to the crowd, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” 

Category	Not Loving the Soul-Life	Loving the Soul-Life
Meaning	Denying the self and rejecting the natural life so that Christ may live	Preserving the self and natural life, living by oneself
Reason	Realizing that Satan is joined to man's soul-life after the fall	Not seeing the connection between the self and Satan
Figure / Metaphor	A drink offering poured out to God	Dust becoming food for the serpent
Explanation	The cross deals with the natural life so that God's life may be manifested	Serving God by natural strength and ability
Result	Overcoming Satan and expressing Christ	Giving Satan ground and becoming his instrument
Purpose	For God's satisfaction and the building up of the church	For self-preservation and self-expression
Relationship	When the soul-life is dealt with, Satan loses his ground	When the soul-life is preserved, Satan gains ground
Biblical Examples	Paul as a drink offering; Moses after being broken by God	Peter speaking from the natural life to stop the Lord
Application	Not trusting natural ability but depending on the Lord	Acting by talent, wisdom, and eloquence
Burden	To pass through the cross and have natural ability dealt with	To rely on natural ability in service
Prophetic Direction	“Deny the self, take up the cross, and live Christ.”	“Preserve the self, boast in ability, live by the self.”
Conclusion	Not loving the soul-life produces overcomers and God's building	Loving the soul-life results in spiritual defeat
Related Scriptures	Rev. 12:11; Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23; Luke 14:26; Phil. 2:17	Matt. 16:23; 1 Cor. 2:2-4; Phil. 3:3

Development of Spiritual Principles

Spiritual Principle	Explanation
Satan’s Strategy	To cause believers to serve God by their natural strength
The Work of the Cross	To deal with the natural life and ability
God’s Goal	To leave only what comes from God
The Way of Overcoming	Not loving one’s soul-life
Spiritual Result	Christ is expressed and Satan is defeated

Biblical Figures Comparison

Person	Loving the Soul-Life Stage	Not Loving the Soul-Life Stage
Moses	Acting in natural zeal to kill the Egyptian  (Acts 7:23-25)	Serving God after being broken  (Acts 7:30)
Peter	Natural love yet denying the Lord  (Luke 22:32-34)	Humble shepherd after being dealt with  (1 Pet. 5:5-6)
Paul	Zealous persecutor of the church	Poured out as a drink offering  (Phil. 2:17; 2 Tim. 4:6)

*Integrated Spiritual Insight (Key Point)

The Bible reveals a spiritual equation:

Soul-life + Satan = The self (natural man)
Cross + Denying the self = The expression of Christ

Therefore:

• Preserving the soul-life → Satan has ground
• Losing the soul-life → Satan is defeated

This is the life principle of the overcomers.

* Prophetic One-Sentence Summary

Victory is not a matter of ability but a matter of whether the soul-life has been dealt with by the cross.

Final Conclusion

Not loving the soul-life is the mark of the overcomers:

• Satan is overcome
• Christ is manifested
• The church is built up
• God is satisfied

Practical Application

Practice	Description
Deny the Self Daily	Reject self-confidence and natural strength
Accept the Cross	Allow the cross to deal with natural ability
Depend on Christ	Live and serve by Christ’s life rather than by self
Become a Drink Offering	Be willing to be poured out for God’s purpose

 

 *Please refer to the 2025 Winter Training: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (Part Four), Chapter Eight: The Male Child, the Heavenly Battle, and the Victorious Saints.