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Scripture Reading: Heb. 4:12-16
Romans 8 reveals the processed Triune God dispensing Himself in His Divine Trinity into the tripartite man. First, Christ comes into our spirit to make our spirit life (v. 10). Then from our spirit, He spreads to our mind to make our mind life (v. 6). Third, the processed Triune God consummated as the Spirit indwells us, making our mortal body life (v. 11). The goal of the processed Triune God is to dispense Himself into the three parts of our being. The very center of our being is our spirit. Our spirit, which was deadened (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13), was regenerated and made alive, even becoming life. The indwelling One, Christ as the embodiment of the processed Triune God, spreads from our spirit to our mind, and through our mind reaches our dying body.
Hebrews 4 contains the application of the revelation in Romans 8. According to our life experience, Romans 8 and Hebrews 4 speak concerning the same thing. Romans 8 is from the viewpoint of our spirit, and Hebrews 4 is written from the viewpoint of the heavens. By putting these two ends together, we can have a clear view of the divine revelation. The link between our spirit at one end and the heavens at the other end can be compared to Jacob’s dream at Bethel (Gen. 28:10-19). Bethel means “the house of God.” Genesis 28:12 says, “He dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” We can see the ladder between earth and heaven again in John 1:51. The Lord Jesus said to Nathanael, “Truly, truly, I say to you, You shall see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Hebrews 4:12 says, “The word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” In order to apply the revelation in Romans 8, our soul must be divided from our spirit. We must discern the distinction between our soul and our spirit. The way to have this discernment is through the word. After reading a portion of the Bible in the morning, the division of our soul and our spirit will be taking place within us, even without our knowledge. Even if what we read does not mention the soul and the spirit, we will begin to sense that certain things within us are soulish, of our self and not of Christ. Some who love the Lord and love the Word may not know the proper teaching concerning the dividing of soul and spirit. But simply by reading the Word, their soul is divided from their spirit.
When Paul wrote the book of Hebrews, many Hebrew believers were lingering on the border between Judaism and God’s New Testament economy. They were hesitating and wondering in their mind. In Hebrews 4 Paul shows the believers how to have their soul divided from their spirit through the reading and understanding of the Word. By taking the word, they were able to see that they should come out of Judaism and follow their spirit and not their soul.
Verse 13 says, “There is no creature that is not manifest before Him, but all things are naked and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we are to give our account.” In human society today, many things are confused, but before God nothing is confused; everything is clear and divided. When we come into the church, we begin to be divided. We learn to discern the difference between our soul and spirit, and we learn to discern our thoughts and intentions. If we learn to discern, nothing about us will be confused; everything will be clear. When we speak a wrong word with our wife, we will immediately know that our word came from the soul. Sometimes after reading the Word, a husband may come to his wife and say, “I am sorry. I was too much in myself in the way I dealt with you.” On the other hand, if we do not love the Lord and are far away from Him, we will not be able to discern the source of our words.
The word of God is living and operative. As the word operates in us, it even has a way to heal our body. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, “My son, be attentive to my words; / Incline your ear to my sayings. / Do not let them depart from your sight; / Keep them in the midst of your heart. / For they are life to those who find them, / And healing to all their flesh.” The word is healing even for our physical body. Many lovers of God can testify that the more they read the Word, the healthier they become. If we are able, it is a healthy practice for us to fast for one meal a week. Instead of eating physical food at that time, we can eat the word of God (Jer. 15:16). When we fast, we should attach ourselves to the word of God. The word of God will make us healthy because it is living and operative.
Hebrews 4:14 says, “Having therefore a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession.” In Romans 8 the One who indwells us is Christ. In Hebrews 4 the One who approaches God is the High Priest. At our end He is Christ coming to us from God; at God’s end He is the High Priest going to God for us. Ascending, He is the High Priest, and descending, He is Christ. After His resurrection He ascended from the earth. To the disciples it seemed that He was leaving them. However, His going from the disciples was for His coming back to them (John 16:5-7). His ascending was for His descending.
The angels in Jacob’s dream were not first descending and then ascending. They first ascended (Gen. 28:12), rising from the earth to reach God. After His resurrection Christ did not come directly to dwell in His disciples. On the morning of the resurrection Jesus told Mary, “Go to My brothers and say to them, I ascend to My Father” (John 20:17). Then in the evening Jesus came to His disciples and breathed the Spirit into them (v. 22). This was His descending to enter into them. The ascending was in the morning, and the descending was in the evening. First, He ascended to the heavens to present Himself to God in the freshness of His resurrection to satisfy the Father. Then He descended to the disciples in order to enter into them to be their life and their everything for their satisfaction.
According to the Old Testament type, the high priest ministered in the Holy of Holies. Within the Holy of Holies there was the Ark, and upon the Ark there was the propitiation place, or expiation cover (Exo. 25:17, 21), upon which the propitiating blood was sprinkled. This cover signifies the throne of God, which is the throne of authority to all the universe (Dan. 7:9; Rev. 5:1) but the throne of grace to us, the believers (Heb. 4:16). Moreover, it is the throne of God and of the Lamb, Christ (Rev. 22:1). God and the Lamb sit on the one throne in the way of coinherence, in the way of being two yet one.
Today the throne of God is both in our spirit and in the heavens. This may be illustrated by electricity. Electricity is both in the power plant and in our homes at the same time. Christ is both in the heavens and in our spirit, and where Christ is, there is the throne of God. Just as the one electricity joins the power plant to our home, the Christ who is in the heavens is also within us, joining us with the heavens and bringing the heavens down to us, making us one with the heavens. Today we are in the heavens, and the heavens are in our spirit.
Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” The way to come forward to the throne of grace is to turn to our spirit. To turn to our spirit, we do not need to pray much. When we simply say, “O Lord,” we have the sensation that the throne of grace is within us. Today in our spirit there is heaven, the throne of authority, and the throne of grace with God and the Lamb. When we call on the Lord, we are in our spirit, and our spirit is in the heavens with the throne of authority, the throne of grace, and the coinhering God sitting on the throne. This is the way to apply Romans 8.
Every day we should continually come forward to the throne of grace. This is the real experience of life. Whenever I am going to speak in a meeting, regardless of how busy I am, I spend at least five minutes with the Lord. When I call on the Lord, I am in my spirit, and I meet Christ on the throne of grace. In this way I receive mercy and find grace for timely help. Then I can speak with the heavens and with the throne of grace and the coinhering God on the throne. To speak in this way is to speak in the enjoyment. The more we speak in this way, the more we enjoy the heavens, the throne of grace, and the very coinhering God.
After seeing the revelation in Romans 8, we need to come to Hebrews 4. First, we must discern our soul from our spirit. Then we need to experience the indwelling Christ and the High Priest going to God for us. Then we will receive mercy and find grace.
