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Scripture Reading: Rom. 8:2, 14, 16, 23
Chapter 8 of Romans is very rich. We have seen that in this chapter we have the Divine Trinity — the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. In this chapter we also have the process through which the Triune God has passed for the purpose of dispensing Himself into us as life and as our life supply. Furthermore, in this chapter we have the divine provisions and the enjoyment of the divine dispensing.
Romans 8, of course, is not the conclusion of the book of Romans. We need to go on from chapter 8 to chapter 12, where we see the Body of Christ. Then from chapter 12 we need to go on to chapter 16, where we see the church life in a practical way.
As a sketch of the Christian life, the book of Romans has four stations. With each of these stations there are four chapters. In the first four chapters we come to the station of justification. Then in chapters 5 through 8 we reach the stage of sanctification. In the third group of four chapters, chapters 9 through 12, we reach the stage of the Body of Christ. Then in the last four chapters, chapters 13 through 16, we have the practical church life. Therefore, the sequence in Romans is justification, sanctification, the Body of Christ, and the church life.
The subject of Romans is the gospel of God. The introduction to this Epistle, 1:1-17, indicates that the gospel of God is the subject of this book. In 1:1 Paul speaks of himself as “a slave of Christ Jesus, a called apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” In 1:9 Paul goes on to say, “God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of His Son.” Then in 1:15 and 16 he says, “So, for my part, I am ready to announce the gospel to you also who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Therefore, the gospel of God is the theme of this Epistle. The entire book of Romans unfolds the gospel, the glad tidings of God, in a full way.
If we would be faithful in preaching the complete gospel of God, we need to preach concerning all four stations in the book of Romans. This means that we should preach justification by faith and sanctification by the Spirit. We should also preach regarding the Body of Christ and the church life. The practical church life is also part of the gospel of God. The important point for us to see is that the book of Romans, which reveals the gospel of God, includes the four stations of justification, sanctification, the Body of Christ, and the local church life.
Many Christians today talk about the Body of Christ. However, they may not know how to reach the Body of Christ revealed in chapter 12. How can we reach this chapter in order to have the Body? Actually, the answer to this question is not merely a doctrinal matter. In order to reach the Body of Christ, we need to participate in all the divine provisions afforded us in Romans 8. As we have seen already, in this chapter we have not only the trinity of the Godhead and the process through which the Triune God has passed in order to dispense His riches into our tripartite being, but in this chapter we also have the divine provisions. Let us now consider these provisions.
The first of the divine provisions revealed in Romans 8 is the Spirit of life. In 8:2 Paul says, “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.” In this verse the law is not a kind of commandment, such as a commandment of the Mosaic law. Rather, in this verse the law of life is a principle that operates automatically and spontaneously. We may say that in speaking of the law of the Spirit of life, Paul is referring to something that can be compared to a scientific principle. Paul understood that this law of life is a principle that is working in us automatically.
Because of the influence of modern scientific studies, it is not difficult for us to understand what a natural law is. For example, we may speak of the law of digestion. The food that we eat is digested according to this law. What do we mean by a natural law? A natural law is an automatic, spontaneous action that is caused by a natural power or strength. After we eat a meal, there is no need for us to work consciously at digesting the food, for a particular law in our body spontaneously works to cause the food to be digested. This is the law of digestion. After the food we eat passes into our stomach, this law begins to work. Through the working of this law, our food is digested automatically. This law of digestion is an illustration of what Paul means by law in 8:2.
We may also use fruit trees to illustrate the meaning of law in 8:2. A peach tree produces peaches according to the natural law of a peach tree. Therefore, there is no reason to order a peach tree to bear peaches and not apples. No one would be so foolish as to say to a peach tree, “Peach tree, I would remind you that I want you to produce peaches and not apples. You must produce peaches for me this year.” A peach tree will automatically produce peaches according to the natural law of a peach tree.
The peach-tree law will also determine the shape of the peaches produced by a peach tree. The peaches will all be somewhat round in shape and not cubical. Have you ever seen a peach tree that bore peaches with the shape of a cube? A peach tree would never produce fruit with such a shape, because that would be contrary to the law of a peach tree. Because the peach-tree law shapes the fruit into a certain form, there is no need for us to say, “Peach tree, do not produce fruit in the form of a cube. I want all the fruit you produce to be round. To help you, I will place a model in front of you. Now I want you to shape all the peaches into a round form like this model.” How ridiculous it would be for anyone to give such instructions to a peach tree! The fruit produced by a peach tree is shaped according to the natural law of the peach tree. A peach tree automatically will produce fruit that is round and not cubical.
With every kind of living thing, whether plant or animal, there is a law. This means that wherever there is a certain life, there will be a certain law. Actually, the life is the law. For example, a dog has the natural law of the dog life, and a cat has the law of the cat life. The principle is the same with human life. Therefore, in the natural life of a human being there is the law of human life.
Praise the Lord that through regeneration we have received the highest life! This life is eternal life — the divine, uncreated life. This life is nothing less than the very life of God. Because we have been born of God, we have received the life of God. Hallelujah for the divine birth that gives us the divine life!
As those who believe in Christ, we all have had two births: the human birth and the divine birth. First, we were born of our parents. Then at the time of our conversion, we believed in the Lord Jesus and had another birth. This means that we were born of God. John 1:12 and 13 say, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the authority to become children of God, to those who believe into His name, who were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” These verses tell us clearly that we have been born of God to be children of God.
In his first Epistle John also refers a number of times to the divine birth. For example, in 1 John 3:9 he says, “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been begotten of God.” In 1 John 4:7 he says, “Everyone who loves has been begotten of God.” Then in chapter 5 of his Epistle, John says, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten of God” (v. 1); “Everything that has been begotten of God overcomes the world” (v. 4); and “Everyone who is begotten of God does not sin, but he who has been begotten of God keeps himself” (v. 18). From these verses we can see clearly that we who believe in Christ have been born of God. We have experienced the divine birth, and through this divine birth we have received the divine life, the highest life.
We know that the animal life is higher than the plant life and that the human life is higher than the animal life. Now we need to see that the divine life is higher than human life. Because the divine life is the highest life, its law is the highest and most prevailing law. Praise the Lord that the highest life with the highest law is within us!
Because the highest law, the law of the divine life, is operating within us, there is no need for us to strive to overcome negative things. Instead of striving, we should simply allow the law of life to work within us. However, we need to see that this law works only as the divine life grows.
Let us once again use a peach tree as an illustration. If for some reason a peach tree is not allowed to grow, the law of the peach tree will not work. But if the peach tree is watered and fertilized, it will grow, and as it grows, the law within it will work spontaneously. Through the working of the peach-tree law, the tree will automatically produce peaches.
The principle is the same with the working of the highest law, the law of the Spirit of life. The essence of this law is the Holy Spirit and the divine life. It is not the law of letters; it is the law of the Spirit. Likewise, it is not the law of knowledge; it is the law of life. Hence, this law is the law of the Spirit of life. Although this law is now within us, the operation of this law depends upon the growth of the divine life. How marvelous that we have such a law as the first of the divine provisions revealed in Romans 8!
Many of us who were Christians for years before we came into the church life in the Lord’s recovery can testify that we never heard that in the New Testament there is a law called the law of the Spirit of life and that this law is working within us. We need proper teaching regarding this law working in us. Furthermore, we need an unveiling, a disclosure, of the fact that within us as Christians there is such a divine, profound, and mysterious law.
If we had only doctrine and teachings and not the experience of the law of the Spirit of life working in us, then to us God’s salvation would become a religion or a system of ethics similar to the ethical teachings of Confucius. Confucius could teach ethics, but he could not impart into others the law of the Spirit of life. What we need is not ethical teachings but the inward working of this divine law. Husbandmen and gardeners know that it is not necessary to teach plants and trees to grow. Living plants do not take “classes” and then after a period of time have a “graduation.” Instead of teaching plants and trees, gardeners fertilize them, water them, and kill the bugs that destroy them. Gardeners do anything necessary to protect the trees and help them grow. Then as the plants and trees grow, the law within them will work automatically.
When I came to this country, I began to tell the Lord’s people that we need the living Christ, not doctrine or theology. We need the divine life, and in this life there is the divine law. Our need today is not for more doctrine; our need is for the marvelous divine provision of the law of life. May we all realize that we have this divine law within us.
We can understand more concerning the working of the law of the divine life by considering how the natural law of the human life works in a baby. There is no need, for example, to teach an infant not to eat things that taste bitter. If something bitter is placed into a baby’s mouth, the baby will automatically try to spit it out. However, the baby will spontaneously drink what is pleasing to the taste. In either case, there is no need for teaching, for the human life in the baby operates automatically according to its law. In the physical life of a child is the law of human life. As soon as a child is born, this law begins to operate. The principle is the same with the divine life that we received through regeneration.
We have emphasized the fact that in the divine life there is a divine law and that this law works automatically. Suppose someone repents and believes in the Lord Jesus. The next day he may begin to realize that there is something living within him that does not agree with certain things. This new believer has not been taught to refrain from those things. But through regeneration he has received the divine life with the divine law, and this law is now working within him. As a result of the working of the divine law, this new believer has the feeling that he should no longer do certain things. This is the operation of the law of life on the negative side. On the positive side, this new believer can now receive the rich provisions of the divine life to live the Christian life. The law of life is the first provision in the divine life for us to live a proper daily Christian life.
Paul speaks of a second divine provision in 8:14: “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” In this verse we have the leading of the Spirit. Some Christians have received inaccurate teachings concerning the leading of the Spirit. They may think that in order to have the Spirit’s leading they need to follow a certain procedure. However, the genuine leading of the Spirit is within our spirit. This means that in our spirit there is a divine provision called the leading of the Spirit. A divine person, the Spirit of God, indwells us, and this indwelling Spirit is now leading us.
Suppose a young brother is considering what to do on the weekend. He may desire to engage in a certain kind of worldly amusement. But within him there is Someone — the Spirit — leading him, and this One does not agree with that desire. As a result, there is a struggle within this young brother, a struggle between his own desire and the leading of the Spirit. Although he cannot see the invisible Spirit, he can sense the Spirit’s leading within him. I would even say that he can sense not only the Spirit’s leading but also the Spirit Himself. Deep within, this brother may sense the Spirit saying, “You want to do that thing, but I don’t agree with you. You should go to the church meetings.”
Praise the Lord that we have a Leader in us, and this Leader is the Spirit! Because we have the indwelling Spirit leading us, we are not under the control of some powerful person who exerts a strong influence upon us. No, we have a divine Leader, the Spirit who dwells in our spirit, leading us day by day.
Many of us can testify that we experience the leading of the Spirit even in such a small matter as a haircut. In our church life we do not have a regulation which says that the brothers should have their hair cut in a certain way. Instead of regulations, we have the indwelling Spirit leading us. Suppose a young brother wants to have his hair cut in a particular way, but the leading Spirit within him does not agree. The brother wants to keep his hair rather long, but the Spirit prefers that it be cut short. If this brother does not care for the Spirit’s leading and offends Him, he will have no joy within him. He will not be able to sing that song concerning being happy in the splendid church life. However, if he has his hair cut according to the leading of the indwelling Spirit, he will have joy. When he comes out of the barbershop, he may find himself singing about the splendid church life. This is the result of following the leading of the Spirit of God.
How can we know that we are sons of God? We know that we are sons of God because we are led by the Spirit. This leading is not accidental or occasional. Rather, the leading of the Spirit should be habitual, constant. Continuously in our daily life we should be led by the divine Indweller. If we are led by the Spirit all day long, then we are living as sons of God. This means that we not only are sons of God, but we are actually living as sons of God in a practical way.
If a brother needs to get a haircut, there is no need for him to pray for the Spirit’s leading. This brother does not need to say, “Lord, I’m going to the barbershop to get a haircut. How long should my hair be? Lord, show me the right length for my hair.” Instead of praying like this, the brother should simply go to the barbershop according to the Spirit’s leading. Because he has the leading of the indwelling Spirit, he will know spontaneously how he should have his hair cut. Have you not had similar experiences? We not only have the law of the Spirit of life within us — we also have the leading of the Spirit.
This leading One is also the witnessing One. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.” There is a Witness within us who testifies that we are children of God. This means that within us Someone is reminding us that we are children of God. Sometimes this reminding One regulates us or safeguards us. This regulating comes from a living person, the Spirit, who is witnessing with our spirit.
Often we have exercised our mind to try to figure out certain things related to our Christian life. We know from experience that this is a distraction. What we need is the living witness of the Spirit. According to 8:16, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit, not with our mind. Paul says clearly and explicitly that the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. However, the human spirit is neglected by most Christians.
Let me tell how a certain sister experienced the Spirit witnessing with her spirit that she is a child of God. This sister went into a restaurant and ordered two hamburgers. But the one serving her charged her for only one. Within this sister was a reminder that she is a child of God. The sister was thinking that perhaps others would laugh at her if she said that she was charged for one hamburger instead of two. But as she was considering what to do, she continued to sense the Spirit reminding her that she is a child of God. Therefore, she told the person who sold her the hamburgers, “I am a child of God, and I need to pay you for the second hamburger.” I believe that many of us have had similar experiences of the Spirit witnessing with our spirit that we are children of God. This is also a divine provision.
Thus far, we have seen from Romans 8 that we have three divine provisions: the law of the Spirit of life (v. 2), the leading of the Spirit (v. 14), and the witness of the Spirit (v. 16). Now in verse 23 we see another divine provision — the firstfruits of the Spirit. The word firstfruits here refers to a foretaste that is a guarantee that we will experience the full taste. God Himself is the full taste, and He has given us His Spirit as the firstfruits to be our foretaste. This means that within us we have the Spirit of God for our enjoyment, and this enjoyment is the foretaste and guarantee that we will have the full taste. This is the guarantee that at the Lord’s coming back we will enjoy God in full. Praise the Lord that we have the Spirit within us as the foretaste!
In chapter 8 of Romans we see the wonderful divine provisions. We have the divine law, the leading of the Spirit, the witness of the Spirit, and the Spirit as the foretaste for the coming full taste. The Triune God has afforded us these rich, divine provisions.
Every aspect of the divine provisions is actually the processed Triune God who is now within us. The law of the Spirit of life, the leading of the Spirit, the witnessing of the Spirit, and the Spirit as the foretaste are all the processed Triune God. After passing through the process of incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, our God has become the Spirit dwelling within us. Now in this Spirit we have the law, the leading, the witnessing, and the foretaste. Praise the Lord for these provisions!
