Date: November 13, 1940, midweekPlace: Hardoon Road, ShanghaiScripture Reading: John 6:63; Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 2:15
I know that some of you who are sitting here tonight do not need my word, but I hope that I am not mistaken in my leading. I wish to say something more concerning the Lord's word.
Second Timothy 2:15 shows us that God's worker must cut straight the word of the truth. Today many people pay attention to different ways of cutting God's word. They are clear whether a passage applies to the Jews or to the Gentiles. They know whether a passage is for Christians or for sinners. It seems that most of this so-called cutting work involves ascertaining whether a certain passage applies to a certain group of people.
However, something far more important is mentioned in Hebrews 4:12, yet this is merely doctrine to many people. They know what it says, but they have not actually seen it. This verse says that God's word is sharper than any two-edged sword. Have you ever experienced this? God's word divides the bones from the marrow, as well as the spirit from the soul. Do you know what this means? When a man asks whether something is of the flesh or of the Spirit, of God or of man, this indicates that this person does not have any light within him. If a man is living in the light, he will not ask such questions. A man is void of light because God's word has not divided his spirit from his soul. God's primary intention is not for us to divide His word, but for His word to divide us. We must be dealt with first. If we have not been dealt with, we cannot go too far. Whether a worker can render help to others depends on whether or not his spirit and soul are divided. Our spirit must be divided from our soul. Only after we have experienced such a dividing can we divide God's word.
God's word can be experienced in two different realms. The first is the realm of doctrine and theology. The second is the realm of spirit and life. It is not wrong to divide God's word, because Paul did tell us to divide or cut straight the word of God. However, much of the so-called dividing that we see today is not proper dividing, because the principle behind it is wrong. We must realize that the Bible is incomprehensible to the human mind. It cannot be understood by casual reading. God has no intention for man to fully understand His Word. If He wanted man to be fully clear, He could have written in explicit terms line by line. He did not write it in this way, but in the way described in Isaiah 28:10: "For his words are: Rule upon rule, rule upon rule;/Line upon line, line upon line;/Here a little, there a little." Many times when we read the Bible, we categorize, put words together, and then draw conclusions. Actually, we are not even that clear about our own salvation. How then can we possibly understand God's Word? God's Word is revealed to us a little here and a little there. Sometimes the words even seem contradictory. Take for example the truth of justification by faith. If it were up to us, we would have asked Paul and James to sit down together and work out a consensus before writing their Epistles. The same is true of the truth concerning holiness; many people have debated this truth and have ended up in quite an unholy condition. Many people misunderstand God's Word, yet God allows His Word to remain misunderstood. Many people dare not say the things that John, Peter, and Paul said because they are afraid of being misunderstood. Without some kind of categorization, it is true that God's Word can easily lead to misunderstanding.
Hebrews 6:10 says, "For God is not unrighteous, so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name in having ministered to the saints and in ministering still." The Lord does not clearly explain what this refers to. If I had written this verse, I would surely have explained what it referred to. All Scripture is God-breathed. Since He has chosen not to explain things as clearly to us as we would like, why should we be His counselor? Romans 11:33-34 says, "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become His counselor?"
Many passages in the Bible cannot be put together. Even though the theologians try to put them together, they cannot do it satisfactorily. Do we know what salvation, justification, and sanctification are? Can we really know God's Word? Thank God that although God's Word is beyond our full understanding, it becomes clear to us in our experience. If someone asks you whether you are a son of God, you may not be able to explain or write about it, but deep within, you are very clear about what you know. Others may ask whether you are saved or justified, and you may not be able to articulate it in an outward way, but inwardly you know. You may not have the doctrinal knowledge, but you know that you are a son of God and that you are saved.
Our knowledge of God's Word does not come through our categorization of His Word, but of His Word taking control of us from within. This is the way to know the Bible. God's Word can only be understood in a spiritual way, in the way of life. His Word cannot be understood in the flesh or the mind. If we do not understand God's Word in the way of spirit and life, we are on the wrong track. We can take the way of the theologians or Bible expositors, but this is not the way of life.
When a brother stands up to speak, others can tell whether he knows doctrines or life. If he speaks doctrines, he has to be cautious about what he speaks. Many people carefully word their speaking; there is no danger of making any errors. Their words are full of logic, sense, and reason. But these are merely theological teachings. Today speakers like to speak with clarity, and listeners like to hear words of clarity. But a speaking that is in life does not depend on perception, reason, logic, or classification. It depends on the dividing of the soul and the spirit.
Let me illustrate by an example. Andrew Murray once wrote a book on sanctification. But there was no conclusion to the subject of sanctification. After a person reads this book, he still may not know what sanctification is, yet he will receive the help. Mrs. Penn-Lewis, Oswald Chambers, and many others are not exactly accurate when it comes to using verses, yet their messages dispense life to others. Hundreds and thousands of men may quote verses better than they did, but they do not have the power of the Spirit. Some people are very accurate in their use of verses; they are careful to point out which passages are for the sinners, which passages are for the Christians, and which passages are for the Jews. But there is neither life nor spirit in their speaking. Some may not be able to give a complete message, yet they supply others with spirit and life. The outstanding thing about theology is its systematization of God's Word and the exposition of it. The goal of theology is to safeguard anyone from misunderstanding God's Word. However, the Bible never provides systematic judgment on such doctrines as salvation or sanctification. It does not explain itself, nor is it afraid of being misunderstood. The Bible does not lead men to God's Word through the mind, but through the spirit. The former line brings profit to the mind, while the latter line reaps profit in spirit and in life.
I once asked Miss M. E. Barber if there were any books on the cross that I could read. She answered, "Yes. But at your present stage, you cannot read them, and it would be unprofitable for you to read them." I could not hold back my curiosity, and a few days later I learned the names of the books in the course of our conversation. Later, someone gave me copies of those books, and I read right through them. On the one hand, I got some help, but on the other hand, I was greatly disappointed because the books did not answer my questions concerning the cross. I wished that the books had been written in a systematic way, but they were not written this way. My mind tried to sort out the theology and the doctrines, but God was trying to give me life. The books by Madam Guyon, which Brother Yu translated, do not contain much Bible exposition. But after one reads them, he receives the help. When one reads these books, he gets nourishment in life. But when he reads books on knowledge, he receives no nourishment in life. As servants of the Lord we should supply others with life and should not merely teach others doctrines.
Perhaps I should criticize myself a little. The Spiritual Man was published as a result of outward demands. As far as I was concerned, I was not that qualified to write that book. At that time the doctor said that I had only a few months more to live, and my thought was to put down what I had learned from the Lord. (Originally, I had thought of writing a very comprehensive exposition on the Bible, expounding all the subjects that men do not understand, could not understand, or would not understand.) I have decided not to publish this book again. This does not mean that there is anything wrong with The Spiritual Man. The problem is that the book is too complete; it contains theology and answers. As a result it is somewhat unspiritual — this is where the problem lies. God is after broken vessels, not nice vessels. God has no intention to see a book or a sermon so complete that a man can find all the answers without the need of the Spirit. The Lord knows the human weaknesses in every book and every sermon. This is why we need the leading of the Holy Spirit from within.
There are many passages in the Bible that we do not understand. We should not try deliberately to understand them, and even if we try to understand them, they will be of little profit to us. The Bible is for the nourishment of our life, not for knowledge. For example, we do not need a complete exposition on the doctrine of salvation. Even if the exposition is very complete, others may not be saved by it. Many people do not know very much, but they know that they are saved. Some think that after a man is saved, he should know whether or not "the root of sin" is eradicated. But all I know is that there is the law of sin in man, and that I cannot overcome it; I need God's law of life to overcome this law of sin within me.
God's Word is merely theological knowledge to many people; it is not life to them. But the Lord says that His word is spirit and life. The word of God touches our spirit and our life; it does not relate to our mind. It matters little if the mind does not understand. In reading a book or listening to a sermon, we can tell immediately whether we have touched spirit and life within or whether we have touched the mind. If we have heard only knowledge, the result is death, and we feel uneasy within. If we have heard spirit and life, the result is peace and assurance within.
The less mature a Christian is, the more answers he has. But God does not furnish definitive answers in the Bible. It is a sign of hyperactivity of the mind to demand clarity in doctrine. All we have to do is to take a passage, a verse, or a few sentences from the Scripture and speak it plainly. We only need to touch spirit and life; we do not need to build up others' intellect or give them much knowledge. If we touch spirit and life, others will be refreshed, and they will receive the genuine help.
When I was in London, I once sat with some out-of-town visitors during a message by Brother Sparks. Afterwards I asked whether they had received any help. They answered that the teaching was good, but that he had omitted many points. They only paid attention to theology. They were not there to receive life-nourishment, but mental knowledge. We would rather not touch so many points, but concentrate on one point which renders help to others. This is the value of spirit and life: It is sufficient if only one point within a broad subject touches others and meets their needs.
God is after a weak person, one who is dependent on Him. Those who truly know the cross are weak. May the Lord take away our desire to deliver perfect messages or to write perfect books, and may we not hinder the work of the Spirit. May we not exercise the kind of human wisdom and natural eloquence that will induce others' expectation for our speaking. A good message that only reaches others' minds is unprofitable. Many people are too good at speaking. As a result, others only see the speaker; they do not see God. They only hear man's words of wisdom; they do not hear the word of God.
I used to have my own standard concerning the messages I delivered and the books I wrote. Sometimes I would feel bad after delivering a message on Sunday, because I felt that I came short of my own expectation. Actually, God does not need to use our entire message, nor all the verses that we quote. Sometimes He only uses one or two words. The Bible says that God's word is life. We can ignore man's misunderstanding. If God is not afraid of misunderstanding, why should we be afraid of it? He is responsible for everything. Only the flesh tries to have a perfect message. God has no intention of achieving any perfection in the mind; He is only after perfection in spirit and life. We often feel discouraged when others do not understand our message. But actually, the hungry ones receive the help, while those who understand the message do not receive anything. The word of God is spirit and life; it divides the soul from the spirit. If a man has nothing to give except Bible knowledge, those who listen will find his speaking fruitless and childish.
Once I was about to meet a sister. Before she came to me I asked the Lord to stop me from using any words of wisdom. Words of wisdom can only educate the mind. I asked the Lord to give me words of light. When she came, I spoke much, but she was still unenlightened. At a certain point in the conversation, she suddenly became clear and asked me to repeat the sentence that had just helped her. She wanted to remember what I had just said. I told her that I did not know what I had said that had helped her. Later, I recalled what I had said and repeated it, and she tried to memorize it. This shows that the profit derived from God's word has nothing to do with one's memory; it has to do with spirit and life. Many people remember words that others have said, but these words do not render anyone any help. But many forgotten words are often the source of life supply.
Dividing the word of God does not mean merely breaking it down into sections and subdivisions. It has to do with the dividing of the soul and the spirit. It is like dividing the bone from the marrow by a sword. God's word often can bypass our mind and go straight into our spirit. Christ did not say that His words are theology, teachings, or answers. We know that many people are anti-theology and anti-teaching, but we are not talking about that here. We are saying that the Lord's word is spirit and life. Paul told Timothy to cut straight the word of the truth. However, only those who are cut by God can cut straight God's word. In our Bible we have to put Hebrews 4:12 before 2 Timothy 2:15. May the Lord speak to us within and deliver us from doctrines and theology, and may we truly know that God's word is spirit and life.
Prayer: Lord, remove our ambition for gaining knowledge. May we gladly prostrate ourselves in the dust. May we be delivered out of the superficiality of the Bible and into its depths.
