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After consecration a believer needs to learn to walk according to the spirit.
In general, Christians do not know what spirit refers to in the phrase walking according to the spirit. They think that spirit refers to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God. Hence, with regard to walking according to the spirit, they have a common but inaccurate understanding: they think that this means to obey the Holy Spirit. Strictly speaking, walking according to the spirit and obeying the Holy Spirit are not exactly the same. Although they are very similar, they are also quite different. The expression obeying the Holy Spirit is neither clear nor accurate. People understand this teaching to mean that they need to obey the Holy Spirit when He touches them. However, how does the Holy Spirit touch us? And how do we obey Him? Even those who speak of obeying the Holy Spirit are not clear concerning this.
When we speak of walking according to the spirit, we are referring to the regenerated human spirit. This is a very practical lesson. If we do not know how to walk according to the spirit once we have been saved, have terminated the past, and have consecrated ourselves to the Lord, it will not be easy for us to grow properly. Every Christian needs to know the simple way to grow in life. We will divide this lesson into ten points.
Most people divide man into two parts: an outward part, which is the body, and an inward part, which is the “spirit-soul.” Psychologists also divide man into two parts: a physical part and a metaphysical part. But the revelation in the Bible shows that man is of three parts: a visible body outwardly, an invisible spirit inwardly, and a soul between the body and the spirit.
In Chinese, the term ling-hun, literally, “spirit-soul,” refers to one thing. However, in the original text of the Bible, spirit and soul are two separate words that refer to two different things (1 Thes. 5:23). Hence, the soul is one thing, and the spirit is another. The soul is man’s personality, man’s self, including the mind, emotion, and will. Thoughts and considerations, joy and anger, preferences and decisions are all matters related to the soul, not the spirit. There is another part within us that is deeper than our mind, emotion, and will. This is our spirit. The spirit is the deepest part within man. The outermost part of man is the body, within the body is the soul, and deeper than the soul is the spirit.
When a believer wants to do something, he often considers whether or not it is right to do it. If his emotion feels happy doing it, his will often decides to do it. But at that moment, in the deepest part of his being, there may be some resistance, disagreeing with the action and disapproving of it. This protest from deep within comes from his spirit. Our spirit is the deepest part of our being. Walking according to the spirit is walking according to the deepest part within us.
The spirit within man has three parts: conscience, intuition, and fellowship. Fellowship governs our communion with God. Intuition is a sense that is not based on the reasonings of the mind. For example, when a person wants to do something, he thinks about it, searching for a reason to do it. If he feels happy about it, he decides to do it. The feeling of resistance, however, which comes from his deepest part, is not based on any reason; hence, it is intuition.
In the spirit there is also the conscience. The conscience is a major part of the spirit. The Chinese people often say that the conscience has been discovered. This means that the function of the conscience has been activated. They also say that we need to act according to the conscience, which means acting according to the feeling of the conscience. The feeling of the conscience is often contrary to the mind’s reasonings, to the emotion’s likes and dislikes, and to the will’s decisions. Often when a person is about to do something, there is a protesting in the deepest part of his being, even though his mind, emotion, and will approve of the action. This protest within most probably comes from the conscience. This function of the conscience is a function of the spirit. The feeling of the conscience is also the feeling of the spirit. The reason the conscience is most commonly associated with the spirit is that it is a major part of the spirit. Once we know the function of the conscience, we will have some understanding concerning spiritual matters.
When God created man, He created a spirit in man so that man can commune and fellowship with God, intuitively know God’s desire, and determine whether a matter is proper or improper. At the time of man’s creation, the spirit was living and functioning. However, because man sinned, the human spirit was damaged, and the function of the spirit was nearly lost. Consequently, sinners do not like to contact God and cannot contact God because their organ for contacting God has been damaged. Our ears are for hearing, but we will be unable to hear any sound if our ears are damaged, and we are deaf. Likewise, the capacity of our human spirit to contact God was damaged, and the function of our spirit was therefore lost because of sin. Even though unbelievers say that they act according to their conscience, their conscience is actually insensitive, and the feeling of their conscience is inaccurate. According to the Bible, they are dead in relation to the function of their spirit (Eph. 2:1).
Confucius taught that the highest principle involves learning to develop the “bright virtue.” The bright virtue actually refers to the function of the conscience in the spirit. This is what Wang Yang-ming, a Chinese philosopher, called “innate knowledge and ability.” They taught that a man’s bright virtue needs to be cultivated and that his innate knowledge and ability need to be developed. These teachings prove that the spirit within fallen man has problems because it is not bright.
However, at the moment we were saved, our spirit was made alive and renewed. As we were listening to the gospel, the Holy Spirit moved us and touched our conscience. He caused the truth of the gospel to penetrate our mind and enlighten our spirit, particularly our conscience, enabling us to realize that we were sinners before God. After the Holy Spirit touched, enlightened, and condemned us, we condemned ourselves, and the conscience began to function properly (Rom. 2:15). Then we confessed and repented before God and received the Lord Jesus as our Savior according to the feeling in our conscience, which is the feeling from the moving of the Holy Spirit. As a result of our confession and repentance, God forgave us and cleansed us by the blood of the Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit entered into our spirit, regenerating us. Our deadened spirit was made alive. Our spirit was renewed once it was made alive.
Salvation is twofold. First, a person’s sins are forgiven before God, and the record of his sins is annulled. Second, he is regenerated within, and his spirit is made alive and renewed. Therefore, a person’s salvation is not merely a matter of his position before God, but it is also a matter of receiving life within him and having his spirit enlivened and renewed. If salvation is only a matter of man’s position before God, there could be no change in the life and living of a believer. Believers experience a change in their life and living because their spirit has been made alive and renewed. This results in a change in the deepest part of their being. The Spirit of God enters into their deepest part, transforming them in their spirit. The Spirit of God brings the life and nature of God, that is, God Himself, into our spirit. He brings an additional element into our spirit. This element causes our spirit to be enlivened and renewed. Hence, we have a conscience that is fresh, living, and much stronger than the conscience of unbelievers. The conscience of unbelievers is dead, but our conscience is living; the conscience of unbelievers is old, but our conscience is renewed. When we were saved, the Holy Spirit brought the life of God and God Himself into our spirit so that our spirit was made alive and renewed.
After the enlivening and renewing of our spirit, the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit and lives in our spirit. The Holy Spirit is now mingled with our spirit, which is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit.” This indicates that the Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit and also is mingled with our spirit as one spirit. Therefore, not only is our spirit, including the conscience, made alive and renewed, but the life and nature of God Himself dwell within our spirit, which is mingled with the Holy Spirit as one spirit. The Holy Spirit who indwells us is always operating within us and anointing us. Our spirit is no longer merely a human spirit because something new has been added into it.
For example, grape juice, sugar, and a little fruit syrup can be added to a glass of pure water. Once these ingredients are added to the water, it becomes a delicious drink. Likewise, there are new “ingredients” in the spirit of a believer. The spirit that is frequently referred to in the New Testament Epistles, such as the spirit according to which we should walk in Romans 8:4, is a spirit with these new “ingredients.” In the Chinese Union Version of the Bible, small dots are often placed beside the word Holy when the words Holy Spirit are used in the Epistles. This indicates that the word Holy is not in the original text. The word spirit in many of these places refers not only to the Holy Spirit of God but also to the mingled spirit — the Holy Spirit mingled with our spirit as one spirit.
Ephesians 6:18 speaks of praying at every time in spirit. In this verse the Chinese Union Version translates spirit as “Holy Spirit,” even though the word Holy is not in the original text. Spirit in this verse actually refers to our mingled spirit with its new “ingredients.” The apostle exhorted us to pray in such a spirit.
Romans 8:4-6 says, “That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” In these verses the Chinese Union Version again translates the word spirit as “Holy Spirit.” There are small dots beside the word Holy, indicating that the original text does not have this word. Therefore, the spirit in these three verses is not simply the Holy Spirit but the spirit that is mingled with the Spirit as one spirit. Our spirit, which is mingled with the Spirit, is versus the flesh. As Christians, we should not walk according to the flesh but walk according to the spirit, that is, the mingled spirit. Romans 8:2 speaks of the law of the Spirit of life. The Chinese Union Version translates this as “the law of the Holy Spirit who gives life.” However, the words Holy and gives are not in the original text. Hence, the literal translation is simply “the law of the Spirit of life.” The Spirit of life is also the spirit that is the mingling of the Spirit with our spirit.
Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk by the Spirit and you shall by no means fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Verse 25 says, “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” The Chinese Union Version uses Holy Spirit in both verses, but it should simply be the Spirit, which is the mingled spirit. In the Bible there are many such examples. Walking according to the Spirit is to walk according to our enlivened and renewed spirit, which is the issue of the mingling of the Spirit with our spirit.
Since our spirit has been enlivened and renewed, the function of our conscience has been restored, the life of God, even God Himself, is moving in us, and the Spirit of God is anointing us. Therefore, our spirit is full of feelings. Our human spirit has been made alive and is fresh, our conscience has been enlightened, the life of God, even God Himself, is moving within us, and the Holy Spirit is anointing us within. It is difficult to comprehend just how living and how full of feelings we are within.
To walk according to the spirit is to walk according to the sense of the spirit. Whether we should speak, how we should speak, how much we should speak, to whom we should speak, and where we should speak should all be according to the sense in our spirit. Whether we should do a certain thing, go to a certain place, or contact a certain person should all be according to the sense in our spirit. Whether we should use a certain thing, buy a certain thing, speak a certain message, or pray for a certain matter should be according to the sense in our spirit. Whenever we walk according to the sense in the spirit, we are following the spirit.
If someone asks us whether he can go to a movie or wear certain clothing, we should direct him to his sense within. We should not ask others whether we should do something; we should check the sense in our spirit. Our living and walk as Christians are not according to the teachings we hear in sermons or the opinions and suggestions of other people. We should reject not only our flesh and lust but also the common, traditional teachings and general concepts of Christianity. We should put aside all of man’s views, ideas, and opinions and turn to our deepest part to walk according to the sense of our spirit. Whenever we follow our flesh, indulge our lust, or live according to our preference, we are defeated Christians. Whenever we follow our concepts and walk according to our opinions, we are natural Christians. Neither of these walks is acceptable to God. God desires Christians who are simple, direct, and single, caring only for the sense of the spirit and walking according to the sense of the spirit before Him. This is to walk according to the spirit.
After a person is saved and is genuinely open before the Lord, having consecrated himself to the Lord, the Holy Spirit within him has the ground to operate and anoint him. As a result, there is much feeling in his spirit, and he will have a sense concerning all matters. When he is about to speak, a sense within may tell him not to speak. When he wants to say something additional, the sense in his spirit may tell him that enough has been said. When he wants to criticize someone, his spirit will feel uneasy. The sense in his spirit even guides him in the things that he buys. When he wants to contact his friends, the sense in his spirit will indicate whether it is appropriate. All these senses come from the spirit. Sometimes it is from the conscience, but most of the time it is from the intuition, a sense that comes directly from the spirit.
When I was young and newly saved, my heart was burning for the Lord. At the time, the Chinese New Year was coming, but I had not thought much about it. Early in the morning, on the day of the New Year, I knelt down to pray and read the Bible and was full of the Lord’s presence. I had no thought or feeling in regard to the Chinese New Year. After praying, I saw my mother, and she said, “Son, have you forgotten the Chinese New Year? You have not put on your new clothes.” She then took out a new robe, which I put on. After finishing breakfast, I went back to my room to pray. However, my spirit was uneasy, and I could not touch the Lord in my prayers. When I asked the Lord about this, I only had a sense that the problem was related to the New Year robe. I immediately took off the robe, changed back to my old clothes, and knelt down to pray again. Immediately, the spirit within was alive. This shows the intuition of the spirit. It was my first clear experience of the sense of the spirit.
This shows that being a Christian is not a matter of following numerous regulations involving what we should and should not do. Within Christians is a wonderful mingled spirit. From the day of our salvation, the Holy Spirit lives in our spirit and is mingled with our spirit as one spirit. This Holy Spirit is constantly operating in our spirit and anointing us. He gives us feelings in everything so that we may know how to conduct ourselves.
The sense given to us in the operation of the Holy Spirit often seems like it is our feeling, because this function comes out of our spirit. This feeling of the Holy Spirit is the feeling of the Spirit that is mingled with our spirit.
Many Christians expect the Holy Spirit to knock them over like a violent wind when they pray, causing them to be greatly moved and to repent in tears. Although I dare not say that this is not good, I can say that this is not very precious. The most precious thing about being a Christian is that in our spirit there is a constant speaking, a constant sense; it is a sense and a speaking at the same time. Often we think a reaction is simply a thought, but actually it is the feeling of our spirit. This kind of feeling continues unceasingly even though it is gentle and does not compel. We should treasure, focus on, and take care of this feeling. We should immediately obey this feeling; we do not need a strong wind to blow upon us. Waiting for the Holy Spirit to blow upon us as a strong wind is not normal. A powerful “moving” of the Holy Spirit can be Satan in disguise and thus not reliable. The most reliable and proper feeling is often a gentle sense that does not compel. It is like a voice but not a voice; it is a sense that prompts but does not compel. This most precious sense is the operating and anointing of the Holy Spirit within our spirit.
When the Bible speaks of the work of the Holy Spirit within the human spirit, it speaks of operation and anointing. Although this operation and anointing is powerful, it is not violent. It can be compared to applying ointment to one’s skin. No one violently applies ointment to his skin, as if he were beating his skin. The applying of ointment is always gentle, tender, and full of feeling. The operation of the Holy Spirit within our spirit is also gentle and tender. The Holy Spirit is not like a tiger; rather, He is like a dove. He is not rough but gentle. When we are rough, a dove will often fly away. The operation of the Holy Spirit within us is tender yet powerful. He never stops operating within us, even when we reject Him. If we ignore the sense He gives us in the morning, He will still operate during the night. If we ignore His operation during the night, He will still anoint us in the morning, because He continually operates within us. This is the work of the Holy Spirit within our spirit.
We should not think that this moving of the Holy Spirit is something extraordinary. Some people have an inaccurate concept regarding the moving of the Holy Spirit. When they pray, they anticipate something extraordinary, thinking that the moving of the Holy Spirit will rush upon them. They prepare themselves for a powerful move of the Holy Spirit. But the moving of the Holy Spirit is not like this. From the day we were saved, the Holy Spirit lives in us and mingles with our spirit as one spirit. Like an ointment, He operates and anoints us within. It is impossible to distinguish between the feeling of our spirit and the feeling of the Holy Spirit. We should not even try. Whenever there is a sense in our deepest part, in principle, we should pay attention to it and take care of it. We should walk before God according to the sense in our spirit. This is to walk according to the spirit.
In a Christian’s living the most important thing is to obey God. However, these words seem very abstract and are not easily realized. Obeying God really means to walk according to the spirit. To obey God is not merely to walk according to the letter of the Bible nor according to the teachings in the Bible. To obey God is deeper than following the letter and teachings of the Bible. It is so deep that it involves the feelings of the spirit, the deepest part of our being. When we walk according to the sense of our spirit, we are obeying God. Hence, in principle, a Christian’s living, walk, motives, thoughts, speaking, and attitude must absolutely follow the sense in our spirit. If we walk in this way, we will be persons who obey God.
Romans 8:6 says that the issue of walking according to the spirit is life and peace. The issue of not walking according to the spirit is death, which often involves the sense of restlessness. In contrast, peace involves calm, comfort, and a sense of rest. This is easy to understand and comprehend. If we follow the spirit, we will have peace. For example, we may want to watch a movie, even though there is a sense in our spirit not to do this. In such a case, we should follow the sense in our spirit and acknowledge that we are consecrated persons and, therefore, obey the sense in our spirit. If we do this, we will immediately sense the peace within. If, however, we do not follow the sense in our spirit and insist on watching the movie, we will lose our sense of peace. On the way to the movie we will sense an inward restlessness that deprives us of our peace. Once we are in the theater, this sense of uneasiness and restlessness will grow stronger. This feeling of unease will not dissipate once the movie is over. Even as we sleep, there will not be peace. Peace is the issue of following the spirit; having no peace is the issue of not following the spirit.
Let us consider another example. A sister may see an inexpensive piece of fabric that she wants to buy. However, because she has already designated the money in her pocket as an offering to the Lord, there is a struggle within her. She may say to herself, “This piece of fabric is so cheap that I should not miss this opportunity to buy it!” However, she also has a sense that she should not use this money because it has already been designated as an offering. If she follows her logical judgment and buys the piece of fabric, she will lose the peace within. She will have no peace on her way home. Even at home she will still have no peace and be unable to pray. This struggle may continue for a couple of days. After fellowshipping with a sister, she may have a sense to sell the fabric and offer the proceeds to the Lord according to the original plan. Then the inward peace, which she lost by not walking according to the feeling in her spirit, will be restored. Peace always returns when we deal with our disobedience, either through action, as in the case of the sister, or repentance, as in the case of watching the movie.
It is easy to understand the sense of peace, but what about the sense of life? The sense of life involves a sense of satisfaction. It also involves strength as opposed to weakness, and light as opposed to darkness. The sense of life involves satisfaction, strength, and light. If we want to watch a movie but have no sense to do so, we will feel satisfied, strong, and full of light if we follow this feeling. On the contrary, if we disobey this feeling and go to the movie, we will feel empty, dissatisfied, weak, and full of darkness within. The absence of life is death. The issue of obeying the sense in our spirit is satisfaction, strength, light, comfort, peace, and rest. The issue of not obeying the sense in our spirit is emptiness, weakness, darkness, uneasiness, and restlessness. These are the issue of not walking according to the spirit and disobeying the sense in our spirit.
As Christians, it is unnecessary for us to exercise our will to do good, to strive and struggle, or to determine to please God because to will to do good is present with us but to work it out is not (Rom. 7:18). To will, to strive, to determine, and to struggle is the philosophy of moralists and religionists. Being a Christian does not require all these things. A Christian needs only one thing, that is, to constantly walk according to the spirit. We do not need to determine to be humble, to obey our parents, and to love others; all these determinations are futile. Even if we succeed according to our determination, God will not approve of our success because it is not God living out of us.
To be a Christian does not require anything except that one learns to turn to the spirit and walk according to the feeling of the spirit. Day by day he needs to take heed to the inward feeling, and in everything he does, he needs to obey the feeling of the spirit. If we obey the feeling of our spirit in this way, we will not need to make up our mind to be humble; we will spontaneously be humble. We will not need to make a determination to honor our parents; we will do so spontaneously. We will not need to struggle and pursue to love; we will spontaneously be loving. Moreover, this kind of humility, honor, and love surpasses human humility, honor, and love, because they do not come out of us; rather, they are God living out of us.
In the New Testament there are many commands, such as husbands loving their wives, wives submitting to their husbands, and children honoring their parents. These demands are not meant to be fulfilled by our own efforts. Rather, they require us to obey the feeling of the spirit within so that God may be lived out of us. When we walk according to the spirit within, husbands will spontaneously love their wives, wives will submit to their husbands, and children will surely honor their parents. This is not our doing; it is God living out through us. As a result, we live out Christ. In this way Christ not only lives in us, but He is expressed through us.
After salvation almost every believer determines to do good, to improve himself, to try his best to be humble, meek, and patient, to honor his parents, and to love his neighbors as himself. He does not realize that all these determinations are to no avail. Although these commandments are in the New Testament, we need to realize that they are for man to live out in Christ and in the Holy Spirit. God never requires us to do all these things by ourselves. Rather, He wants us to turn inwardly. He wants us to take care of and obey the feeling of the spirit in our living, our actions, and our walk. When we walk according to the spirit in this way, all the virtues of Christ will be lived out from us. Therefore, to be a Christian requires nothing other than walking according to the spirit.
When a person is willing to walk according to the spirit, he will overcome sin, the flesh, the world, and Satan. If we walk according to the spirit, we will spontaneously overcome sin, the flesh, the world, and Satan with no effort. On the contrary, those who constantly focus on how to overcome sin and the world will easily fall into sin and are bound and entangled by the world. Likewise, the more a person pays attention to overcoming Satan, the easier it is for Satan to attack him. Hence, the secret to living an overcoming life is to walk according to the spirit. As long as we live in the spirit and walk according to the spirit, we will overcome.
We praise the Lord that there is only this one matter in being a Christian. Whether in giving messages, praying, staying at home, doing business, being parents or children, being husbands or wives, being employers or employees, and in relation to our clothing, food, lodging, and transportation, in big things and small things, all we need is to walk according to the spirit. There is no need to will, to run, to determine, or to strive. If we walk according to the spirit, we will overcome sin, the flesh, the world, and Satan; we will be filled with life and peace inwardly. Day by day the life of Christ within us will gradually grow unto maturity. Ultimately, we will be full of the measure of the stature of Christ.
