God’s Economy: recovered by Witness Lee, enjoyed by local churches

The Steps of God’s Economy

Crucifixion

Jesus Christ was eventually betrayed, arrested, and unrighteously condemned to death as a criminal. His death, however, was neither shameful nor tragic. He did not die as a helpless human martyr; He died as the victorious God-man (Matthew 27:51-54), voluntarily entering into death as the next step in His eternal economy. Thus, His death had tremendous and far-reaching results. Before Christ’s death, there were many negative items in the universe opposing God’s economy—including sin, the flesh, the old man, the world, and Satan—that needed to be terminated. Through His all-inclusive death, Christ

took away the sins, the sinful deeds, of the world (John 1:29),
condemned man’s sinful nature (Romans 8:3),
crucified the old man and the flesh (Romans 6:6; Galatians 2:20; 5:24), and
destroyed Satan (Hebrews 2:14, John 12:31)
and Satan’s evil system, the world (Galatians 6:14).

Thus, every obstacle to the carrying out of God’s economy was removed, and the universe was prepared for God’s dispensing into man.

Not only did Christ’s death deal with every negative element, but it also released the divine life. In John 12:24, the Lord Jesus likens Himself to a grain of wheat that fell into the ground and died:

Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

The death of Christ therefore stands as a turning point in the history of the universe, and plays an indispensable role in the accomplishment of God’s economy.

In Christ’s incarnation, the divine life and glory were concealed within the “shell” of His humanity. When He died, however, this shell was “broken” and the divine life within Him was released. In resurrection, this life was imparted into millions of believers, regenerating them as the “much fruit,” the many grains prophesied in John 12:24. These many grains are the many sons of God (Hebrews 2:10) and the many brothers of Christ (Romans 8:29). The death of Christ therefore stands as a turning point in the history of the universe, and plays an indispensable role in the accomplishment of God’s economy.