Search
In this chapter we will speak concerning Christ and the cross.
Question: How does the experience portrayed in Romans 7 relate to the way of the cross?
Answer: Among those who study the Bible and pursue spirituality, there has been much controversy concerning Romans 7 during the past few centuries. In his exposition of Romans, W. H. Griffith Thomas said that Romans 7 was not the experience of Paul after his salvation. Griffith Thomas based his statement on the following points. First, Romans 7 was Paul’s experience as a Jew under the law; it was his experience of the Jewish religion. This is a strong point. If chapter 7 was Paul’s experience after his salvation, he would not have used the word now in 8:1. His saying “now then...to those who are in Christ Jesus” indicates that formerly he was not in Christ. Second, in his concluding word in Romans 7, Paul declared that he was a person corrupted in the flesh and, as such a one, cried out, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (v. 24). He later found the answer; he found that he could be delivered through the Lord Jesus Christ. This shows that his experiences in chapter 7 were not in Christ.
Third, all who have studied the Bible in depth acknowledge that even though Romans 7 follows chapter 6, it does not connect the thought in chapter 6 to the thought in chapter 8. Some people say that chapter 7 is Paul’s experience after his salvation, and others say that it is his experience prior to his salvation. Everyone acknowledges that chapter 7 is a big parenthesis according to its content. In other words, we can read chapter 8 immediately following chapter 6, because chapter 8 is the continuation of chapter 6. In chapter 6, when speaking of being delivered from sin, Paul intended to show that because we are not under law but under grace, we have been delivered from sin, and sin has no power over us. He then inserted a parenthesis to explain the function of the law. Hence, when speaking of those under the law, Paul says that the law lords it over a man as long as he lives (7:1). Since we have died in Christ, the law can no longer lord it over us. Even if we wanted to live under the law, this would be futile. Therefore, Paul used his past experience as an example, saying that even though he willed and strived, eventually all he had was a heart to will but not the power to do what he willed; he prostrated himself before the law. It seemed as if the law was helping him, but in reality it was doing him harm; there was nothing he could do to fulfill the law. As a result, he felt so wretched that he cried out, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death?” (v. 24).
Those who assume that Romans 7 was Paul’s experience after his salvation base their consideration on Paul’s use of the expression the inner man in verse 22: “I delight in the law of God according to the inner man.” They think that if Paul were not saved, he could not refer to the inner man. Since Paul was not yet regenerated as a Jew under the law, how could he have an inner man? It is true that in the New Testament the inner man refers to a regenerated being, but in the context of Romans 7 the inner man does not refer to a regenerated new man. In verse 22 Paul says that he delights in the law of God according to the inner man; then in verse 23 he refers to the law of his mind. Moreover, in verse 25 he says, “With the mind I myself serve the law of God.” The mind in verses 23 and 25 is rendered “heart” in the Chinese Union Version. The Greek word is nous, which refers to the mind, a part in the soul. We consider that we have a body outwardly, which is called the outer man, and that we have two parts inwardly, the soul and the spirit. In the soul are the mind, emotion, and will, and in the spirit are the conscience, intuition, and fellowship. The spirit is in man’s innermost part, but the soul is also in man. Therefore, does the inner man in Romans 7 refer to the spirit or to the soul? According to the context, we know that it refers to the mind. In 7:25 Paul says that with the mind he himself serves the law of God. In verse 22 he says that he delights in the law of God according to the inner man. This shows that here the inner man refers to the mind.
We cannot say that the inner man in Romans 7 refers to the person in our spirit simply because 2 Corinthians 4:16 mentions the inner man. In Romans 7 the inner man refers to the soul, not to the spirit as the regenerated inner man. Paul willed to please God, but there was a different law in his members warring against the law of his mind. This is a war between reason and lust (vv. 22-23). This picture shows that even though a person may not be saved, he has outer members and an inner mind. His mind wants to do good, but the lust in his members prevents him from fulfilling his desire. Hence, the inner man in Romans 7 must refer to one’s mind.
Although Romans 7 speaks of Paul’s experience prior to his salvation, for many of us it is our experience after salvation.
Question: How do we experience Romans 8:6: “The mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace”?
Answer: Even though Romans 7 was Paul’s experience prior to his salvation, it has become the experience of many Christians after their salvation. Paul, as a Jew, strictly kept the law under the teaching of the Jews before he was saved. In Philippians 3:6 he says that as to the law, he was blameless. In contrast, we, the Gentiles, were living in dissoluteness before our salvation. After repenting and believing into the Lord Jesus, we immediately have the concept that we must no longer live dissolutely but conduct ourselves properly. This concept makes us those who live under the law, that is, it makes us “Sauls” living under the law, just as Paul was Saul when he was living under the law. We should live under the cross of Christ after our salvation. However, because of the influence of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we think that since we did many wrong things in the past and now have repented and believed into the Lord, we should change our conduct. This places us in the same position as Paul before his salvation, when he was Saul in Judaism.
Moreover, many of the believers at the time when Paul wrote the book of Romans were like the Christians of today; they were Judaistic believers, even though they had believed in the Lord Jesus. They did not know God’s salvation; rather, according to their natural concept, they tried to do good and keep the law. This unknowingly brought them back into the Jewish religion. Before their salvation some Chinese have also had the experience of Romans 7. They paid much attention to virtue and morality and tried their best to do good, but later found out that even though they wanted to do good in their mind, there was a different law warring against them. So they wrote books that portray the same situation that Paul depicted in Romans 7. This shows that they had these experiences before they were saved and became Christians.
Some gospel friends might ask, “You say that when the Lord Jesus enters into people, He gives them a sense of right and wrong in different matters. Many of us who have never heard the gospel already know that certain matters are wrong, and we also have a sense within us. For example, we know it is not right for a couple to quarrel. How does this differ from the Lord Jesus being against the flesh of a person after their salvation?” We must see that the struggle in Romans 7 is different from the war between the Holy Spirit and the flesh in Galatians 5. The struggle in Romans 7 is not spiritual; it is a struggle between the mind with its reason and the flesh with its lust. This struggle is not a recent discovery; it has been here for a long time. It has nothing to do with the spirit.
Today, however, our experience is more complicated. After we are saved and have consecrated ourselves, we have the life that is described in Galatians 5, but it is intermixed with the life that is illustrated in Romans 7. We have the experience of the Holy Spirit warring against the flesh as well as the struggle between the law of good in our mind and the law of death in our flesh. We can have the experience of Romans 7 as well as the experience of Galatians 5. What is spoken of in Romans 7 can still be our experience. However, after experiencing the failure in Romans 7, we can enter into the glorious reality in Romans 8.
Question: In my experience I have an uncomfortable feeling when I am rebuked, but this feeling vanishes when I set my mind on the spirit. Is this an experience of Romans 7 and 8?
Answer: This experience has nothing to do with Romans 7. This chapter speaks of trying to obey the law of God with the mind but inwardly being frustrated. For example, the law says that we should not covet; thus, we do not want to covet. Consequently, in the “right” circumstances covetousness will be activated in us, and we will fail in spite of all our attempts to not covet. Moreover, the more we try not to covet, the stronger our covetousness will become. This is the experience described in Romans 7. Paul says that we should not covet, for this is one of the Ten Commandments. After receiving this commandment, we may resolve to be absolute in keeping the law. However, in the “right” circumstance, we may be shaken inwardly; the more we try not to covet a particular thing, the more actively we will covet it. In the end we will realize that even though to will is present with us, we have no power; when the “right” circumstances come our way, we can do nothing. Hence, the experience in Romans 7 has nothing to do with the spirit. Man tries to obey the law of God with his mind, but he eventually fails because he is frustrated inwardly.
For example, a believer may read about honoring his parents in the Ten Commandments and in the books of Ephesians and Colossians (Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20). After seeing this, he may immediately receive it in his mind and pray, “O Lord, forgive me for not honoring my parents in the past. I will honor my parents from this day forward.” However, when a certain situation arises, his flesh that wants to honor his parents fails. There is a law in the flesh that cannot fulfill the commandment. The Bible also requires man to be meek and humble. After reading this, one may be touched and therefore decide to obey this word. However, when the situation changes and he tries to be meek and humble, he will fail. Instead, he is full of pride and temper. This is the experience of Romans 7.
We cannot enter Romans 8 through Romans 7; rather, chapter 8 is a continuation of chapter 6. Both chapters 6 and 8 show that we need to see that we are in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. These two “seeings” are actually one. Romans 6:3 says, “Are you ignorant that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?” To be baptized into Christ’s death is to be baptized into Christ, that is, to grow together with Him in His death and resurrection (v. 5). Then chapter 8 speaks of “those who are in Christ Jesus” (v. 1). Hence, we see that chapter 8 is a continuation of chapter 6 and that chapter 7 is only a parenthetical word.
First, we need to see that we are in Christ Jesus. However, chapter 7 can become our experience because we are not clear concerning this status. Romans 6:3 asks emphatically, “Are you ignorant...,” indicating that even though we should know this, we do not know it and are not clear about it. Since we have been saved and baptized into Christ Jesus, we should know that we are in Christ, yet we are not clear about this. Therefore, the first item of our experience in chapter 8 is related to our eyes being opened to see that we are in Christ Jesus.
Second, we need to see that as those who are in Christ Jesus, we have been baptized into Christ; we have been baptized into His death and buried with Him. We have also been raised with Him. It is not a matter of doing good or evil; as long as our old man has been terminated through death and burial with Him, we will be raised with Him. Then we will experience the liberating work of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of life, who is in us. In brief, we need to see that we are in Christ, we need to see that we are in Christ’s death and resurrection, and we need to see that the Holy Spirit, the life-giving Spirit, the law of the Spirit of life, is in us.
After seeing these three items, we need to cooperate with Him. The law of the Spirit of life in us requires our cooperation, by setting our mind on the Spirit of life (vv. 5-6). Our mind occupies a major part of our soul, and our soul is our personality, our representative. In our flesh there is the law of sin, the satanic life; in our spirit there is the divine life. As far as our fallen flesh is concerned, we belong to Satan; however, the divine life is in our regenerated spirit. In other words, even though Satan is in our flesh, God has come into our spirit. Both God and Satan are in us.
Before the fall of Adam, man was outside the realm of good and evil. However, when Adam fell and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the satanic life entered into man’s flesh, becoming the law of sin and of death in man’s flesh. At our salvation we exercised our spirit to receive the Lord who is the Spirit; He entered into us, and we now have the divine life with the law of the Spirit of life in our spirit. Hence, there are two laws within us: one is the law of sin and of death, which is the issue of Satan entering into our flesh, and the other is the law of the Spirit of life, which is the issue of God entering into our spirit. Whether we follow Satan by standing with our flesh or follow God by standing with our spirit, it all depends on us. Our personality is represented by our soul, and a major part of our soul is our mind. Hence, our mind plays a crucial role. If we set our mind on the flesh, we will stand with the flesh and follow Satan; however, if we set our mind on the spirit, we will stand with the spirit and follow God. The mind set on the spirit is life and peace (v. 6).
We are situated between God’s enemy, Satan, and God. The strength of the enemy is in our flesh, but the power of God is in our spirit. The side that we lean on depends on where we choose to set our mind. If we choose the spirit, the pneumatic Christ will immediately gain ground in us. When Christ comes, the cross will come, and the issue will be verse 13, which says, “If by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” If we stand with the spirit, we will defeat the enemy by the cross.
We must not confuse Romans 7 and 8. In Romans 7 man is a captive who wills to break away from the usurpation of the flesh. However, every time he struggles, he is attacked and defeated; therefore, he must dutifully surrender to the flesh, to Satan. This can be compared to a mouse that has been cornered by a cat. As soon as the mouse moves, the cat pounces on the mouse and throws it up in the air. In the experience of Romans 7, when a man struggles, trying not to covet or not to have filthy thoughts, the “cat” immediately pounces on him. The law of sin comes to subdue man as soon as he makes up his mind to do good; man has no way to overcome. Instead, man needs deliverance, the deliverance that is in Christ.
After this painful experience Paul says, “Who will deliver me from the body of this death? Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (7:24-25). We are unable to overcome, but the Lord comes to be our deliverance. In 8:1 Paul says, “There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Although the Deliverer has come, we must still ask ourselves: On whose side are we? Are we on the enemy’s side or on Christ’s side? Are we on the side of the flesh or on the side of the Spirit? In our experience we do not enter into the experience of chapter 8 because we have had sufficient failures in chapter 7. Rather, we enter into the experience of Romans 8 because our eyes have been opened. When we give ourselves to the Spirit, rely on the Spirit, choose the Spirit, and stand with the Spirit, we put to death the enemy in the flesh by the Spirit and thereby overcome him.
Question: In my experience it takes me a long time to set my mind on the spirit. How should I experience this matter?
Answer: At Paul’s conversion the light of the universe came to him and terminated everything in him. Moreover, because the law of the Spirit of life indwelt him, in every circumstance he endeavored to set his mind on the spirit, not the flesh. However, this is not our experience. After we were saved, we may not have seen much of the cross. After attending meetings for a period of time, we receive help and our inner being is unveiled a little more. This makes it easier for us to set our mind on the spirit, but it depends entirely on how much light we have received. The more we see, the more we are able to set our mind on the spirit. Eventually, without consciously setting our mind on the spirit, our mind is already set on the spirit.
The light that Paul saw was great. He saw that the entire old creation was terminated on the cross, that Christ had become everything in him, and that He, as the Holy Spirit, had dealt with all things in him. Hence, in Paul’s living and service to God, there was no ground for the flesh. In our experience, however, because of our inadequate seeing of the flesh, the Holy Spirit, the cross, and Christ in our daily living, we may be inwardly troubled, and it is difficult for us to set our mind on the spirit. As we receive more dealings and have more experiences inwardly, however, it will become easier to set our mind on the spirit. The more we exercise, the easier it will be for us to set our mind on the spirit, and the more we will know that we need to stand with the Holy Spirit. Thus, in our experience everything depends on the seeing of light. Nothing is more crucial than receiving light.
Please bear in mind that we are ushered into the experience of Romans 8 through seeing. If someone testifies that he has the experience of chapter 8 because of the help he received in chapter 7, we cannot completely discount this, but the fact is that chapter 7 cannot usher us into the experience of chapter 8 directly. Our struggles and failures enable us to see that the flesh is incapable of pleasing God by doing good, that the flesh is unable to fulfill the will of God, and that nothing good dwells in the flesh. This causes us to be subdued and have no hope in the flesh. Hence, if we want to enter into Romans 8, we must see two aspects. First, on the positive side, we must see that we are in Christ, that we grow together with Christ in His death and resurrection, and that we are in God’s life. Second, on the negative side, we must see that the flesh is not only unable to please God, it is God’s enemy. If we see these two aspects clearly, we will not set our mind on the flesh in an effort to do good. We will bow our head and tell the Lord, “Lord, we give ourselves to You!”
Question: What is the definition of the realm of the flesh?
Answer: The ultimate definition of the realm of the flesh is the entire old creation. Before the fall, man had only the created body but not the satanic life. At the fall, the satanic life entered into man’s body and changed man’s body into flesh. Body and flesh are two different words in English and in Greek. Man’s body was created by God with clay before the fall. However, when the satanic life entered into man, it transmuted man’s body into the flesh. Therefore, the flesh denotes man’s fallen body. Not only so, after the fall, man’s mind replaced the spirit’s leading function and subdued the soul so that the soul also followed the flesh. God called man flesh (Gen. 6:3) and ordained death to be man’s final destiny. However, because of the Lord’s mercy, we have seen that we are in Christ, that we have died and have been raised with Him, and that the Spirit of life dwells in us. Therefore, we must stand on His side and give ourselves to Him. This is what we should and must do.
Question: What is the relationship between the experience of the cross and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit?
Answer: Before the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out, and the disciples had not yet received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In our experience, if we live by our flesh, it is unlikely that we will receive the outpouring of the Spirit of God. Even if the Holy Spirit descended upon us, if we are living by our flesh, we would apply this power in an improper way. In the Bible the first group of people to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit knew Christ’s death and resurrection, and they allowed the Holy Spirit to dwell in them. Formerly, they were in the flesh, arguing with one another concerning who was greater, with no comprehension of the spiritual things that the Lord was speaking to them. In Acts 1, however, they experienced a drastic change while praying. They no longer argued with one another regarding who was greater; rather, they were able to expound the Word that they previously could not comprehend.
The fishermen of Galilee left their hometown, relatives, and occupation and followed Jesus the Nazarene with no reservation. They did not fear man’s persecution and killing. This shows that this was not from themselves but from their knowledge of Christ’s resurrection. In the Lord’s resurrection they received the Holy Spirit and were able to live before the Lord by the Holy Spirit in them. They no longer argued in the flesh as before, and they did not want the world. They are typical examples of those who were used by the Lord. On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended on this group of people, they were able to be used by the Holy Spirit and could work by the power of the Holy Spirit. They had a realization of life and the inward ruling of the Holy Spirit so that when the outward power of the Holy Spirit was poured upon them, they could use it properly.
Within the past hundred years of church history, with the rise of the Pentecostal movement, many people who received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit have created many problems. They think that receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the same as receiving the Holy Spirit inwardly, that is, to receive the inner life. They do not know that the regeneration of the Holy Spirit is different from the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1 those who received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit were those who were praying in the upper room in Jerusalem. They were a group of people who knew resurrection. Since they were in resurrection, the contentions of their flesh were gone. Only such ones are qualified to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and can properly use the Holy Spirit who is outpoured upon them. Some people, however, have not been prepared in this way. Hence, when the Holy Spirit is poured out upon them, they are puffed up because they have received the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, some people have the erroneous concept that they should feel elated after receiving the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. For this reason they repeatedly ask for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for their personal enjoyment. However, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is not for one’s personal enjoyment; it is so that the gospel may be preached to the uttermost part of the earth. When someone who is prepared and whose heart is pure receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, what he manifests will be normal; however, when someone with an impure motive receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, what he manifests will be abnormal.
Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, God wants to expose our genuine, inward condition. As a rule, if we desire to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we must have the experience of the cross. Without the experience of the cross we can never use the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a proper way. If we have our own preference and pride, we will use the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to do all kinds of strange things. Hence, whoever receives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit must receive and apply it in a proper way; this requires the experience of the cross. Without the experience of the cross there will not be a proper response to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
During 1943 and 1944 there were some in the church in Tsinan, Shantung Province, who claimed that they had received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. One of the brothers walked on the floor with all four limbs, saying that he was the colt on which the Lord Jesus rode on the way to Jerusalem. Everyone watched him with godly fear. After running intensely, this brother laid down to rest. In this way the church in Tsinan was brought into a chaotic situation. This shows that the experience of the cross was absent; they might have received the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but their flesh had not yet been dealt with. We can declare before the Lord that we do not oppose the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But in order for us to receive and use the outpouring of the Holy Spirit properly, we must pass through the cross; otherwise, it will eventually cause problems.
We must remember that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit transpired after Golgotha, Christ’s resurrection and ascension, and His entering into man to be man’s life through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must know Golgotha and Christ’s resurrection and ascension, we must learn to allow the flesh to pass through the dealings of the cross, be delivered from the earth and earthly attractions, and allow the life in ascension to solve all our problems. Then it will be easy to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and to apply it profitably.
Question: Does a person still need the outpouring of the Holy Spirit after experiencing the cross?
Answer: After experiencing the cross, we still need the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. However, when we have an adequate amount of the experience of the cross, we will no longer need to plead for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that the outpouring, the outward filling, of the Holy Spirit is unrelated to our praying in spirit; the two are closely related. If we experience the cross and pray more in spirit, we will not need to pray for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit will certainly be poured out. We will not need to pray for the outward filling of the Holy Spirit, but we will have the outward filling of the Holy Spirit. We will not wait for the feeling that the Spirit has been outpoured before we preach the gospel. Rather, we will speak by the Spirit, and others will spontaneously sense power coming out from us. We must have the experience of the cross and then receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit based on this experience.
Question: How does the experience of the cross relate to the dividing of the soul and the spirit? What is the experience of the cross? Is it the all-inclusive death of Christ that becomes the experience of the cross in us?
Answer: When we see what it means to be in Christ, to die and be raised with Christ, and to have the move of the Holy Spirit in us, we will know what it is to be under the Holy Spirit. If we see this, we will know clearly what is of ourselves and what is of the spirit. Here the spirit does not refer to the Holy Spirit but to our human spirit. Our spirit is connected to our soul. Only when we are under the cross will we be able to discern what is of the spirit and what is of the soul.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He always stood on the position of denying the self. For example, His brothers in the flesh said to Him, “Depart from here and go into Judea, so that Your disciples also may behold Your works which You are doing; for no one does anything in secret and himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, manifest Yourself to the world” (John 7:3-4). His brothers in the flesh thought that He should go and keep the feast in Jerusalem, instead of hiding Himself, so as to manifest Himself to the world. But the Lord Jesus said, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready...I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet been fulfilled” (vv. 6, 8). When He was on earth, He completely put Himself to death. This was to bear the cross. Eventually, He was crucified. Before His crucifixion He told the Father, “Not as I will, but as You will...If this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt. 26:39, 42). Hence, the ultimate purpose of the cross in us is the will of God; it is to rid us of our self and to let God and His will be fulfilled in us.
When the Lord Jesus was on the earth, He lived in death until He went to the cross to fully accomplish death. When we are saved, Christ enters into us with the demand of death, requiring us to be freed from the self through His death. If we receive the demand of His death, we will receive the cross, that is, we will experience the cross.
Question: What is the difference between death and the demand of death?
Answer: In experience, the demand of death is death itself. If we have not had this experience, we will think that death and the demand of death are two separate items. If we tell the Lord, “O Lord, I am willing to let You live out from me,” immediately the demand of death will be upon us. Our self may be very strong, but when the demand of death comes, the strong self will be terminated. Soon after praying such a prayer, the Lord’s speaking will come to show that we still have the self in certain aspects. We may immediately say, “O Lord, yes.” At this time we may still rely on the self, but death continues to kill the particular aspect that the Lord has pointed out. What we experience may be only a small “surgery,” a small enlightening. When Paul encountered the great light, all his being was terminated; his flesh, natural man, and self were not able to rise up. God’s shining kills our self; this is the experience of the cross, but there is a difference in degree with different people.
Question: Does the cross become heavier or deeper?
Answer: There is a hymn that says, “The cross that He gave may be heavy, / But it ne’er outweighs His grace” (Hymns, #722). This kind of utterance is not scriptural; we cannot find it in the Bible. In experience, however, this utterance is correct. This is like the experience Madame Guyon describes in her book Fragrance of Myrrh. However, we must carefully study this saying, because it has too much of the Catholic background. Catholicism understands the cross as a suffering, and this concept has spread to Christianity in China; thus, many Christians also regard the cross as a suffering.
Thomas à Kempis once said that if we remove one cross, we will receive a heavier one. How many crosses are there? There is only one cross; there are not many crosses. From the experience of the mystics, the expression that à Kempis used is correct but not scriptural. From the perspective of the truth, there is only one cross. The mystics had such an experience because they loved the Lord, earnestly desired the Lord, absolutely put themselves aside, and let the Lord reign in them. However, they did not receive the light that we see. They considered their wives, their superiors, and the leading ones in the church as crosses. How this differs from the light the Lord has given us! The thought that the cross becomes heavier is the result of insufficient light concerning the cross. The work of the cross can be deeper but not heavier; only suffering is heavier.
We need to be clear that suffering is not the cross. Both the Catholic Church and Christianity think that the cross is a suffering. However, even though suffering and the cross are somewhat related, suffering is not the cross. The cross is for our termination. When Christ puts the demand of the cross in us, His intention is to terminate us; He requires us to surrender to Him. When He shows us that certain aspects of our personality are too strong, the cross requires us to be broken; however, we may be unwilling to submit. Then He must use an outward environment of suffering to intensify the light of the cross in us, to the extent that we will surrender and completely yield to Him. Even though we should surrender and be broken, we may be unwilling; even though we know that the Lord has an inward demand, we may be unwilling to obey. At such times the Lord will raise up the environment to deal with us, to compel us, and to defeat us. This is the reason Catholics say that the cross is a suffering. However, the cross itself is not a suffering. When we are unwilling to submit to the demand of the cross, God uses the outward environment as a means to help us. God uses the light of the cross inwardly and the dealing of the environment outwardly to subdue us. In brief, the cross is the inward light; the suffering is the outward environment.
Question: It seems that those who experience the cross suffer a great deal. Does the Lord’s cup of suffering refer to the suffering of the cross?
Answer: Those who are unwilling to be subdued in their experience of the cross will feel pain. We may see the light, love the Lord, and know that we need to cooperate with the Lord, and still be unwilling to immediately submit and be subdued, because of our opinion. If this is our situation, the environment gradually grinds away this particular resistance in our being so that we will be subdued, regardless of our preference. The breaking work of the cross in us is in coordination with the outward environment. However, if we are willing to submit to the cross, we will not need the many outward circumstances and difficulties. The principle is that outward circumstances and sufferings cooperate with the light of the cross within us in order to subdue, break, and defeat us.
Although the cross is for termination, no one should say that there is no pain in relation to the cross. It is true that suffering is involved with the cross, but the focus is not on suffering but on death and termination. The Lord Jesus was willing to take the cup of suffering. But His focus was not on suffering but on the cup. As far as the cup is concerned, it is sweet. Experience tells us that when we receive the death of the cross, it is painful yet exceedingly sweet.
Question: The Lord Jesus was with His disciples before His crucifixion. At that time did the disciples have the Spirit of the Lord in them?
Answer: Before the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, based on the fact that He had not yet resurrected and ascended to heaven, the disciples did not yet have the Spirit of the Lord. However, the disciples, like the Old Testament saints, had the work of the Holy Spirit upon them; they did not have the Holy Spirit entering and indwelling them. It was only after the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension that He breathed Himself into the disciples in resurrection, and the Holy Spirit began to indwell them (John 20:22). Although they did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them prior to this, they had the Holy Spirit upon them as in the Old Testament.
Question: After seeing the great light of the cross and the putting to death of our flesh, if we sense that our death is a suffering, have we truly died? If we are dead, will we be like Paul and never sense that it is a suffering?
Answer: If we have truly seen the great light of the cross, the cross will not merely be a suffering to us, even though from the human perspective, it is still a suffering. Sister M.E. Barber wrote a hymn that says, “Let the spirit praise Thee, / Though the heart be riven” (Hymns, #377). We often reverse the emphasis and say, “The heart is riven, though the spirit praises Thee.” We should realize that the purpose of the experience of the cross is death and termination, not suffering, even though some suffering is involved in the process. Our experience confirms this.
Some people think that there is a contradiction in the Bible because it speaks, on the one hand, of our crucifixion through the cross of Christ and, on the other hand, of the putting to death by the Holy Spirit. In our experience the putting to death of the self is based on seeing our “co-crucifixion” with Christ. Only those who have seen their co-crucifixion with Christ can experience the killing of the cross. In 2 Corinthians 4:10 the “putting to death,” the killing, the deadening, is the operation of the death of the cross, which kills us daily. This daily killing is the putting to death in Romans 8:13 and Colossians 3:5. Putting to death is based upon the effect of the killing of the cross. Hence, the putting to death, the killing, and death are all the same thing.
