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When we believe into Christ and are joined to Him in life, His life in us produces a sense of life, which we who are joined to Him, who are one spirit with Him, and who experience Him must pay attention to and obey in our spiritual life.
In order to obey the sense of life, we must know the six items which we have once we are saved.
1) “He who has the Son has the life” (1 John 5:12); “The life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
The moment we receive the Son of God as our Savior, we have the Son of God and we have the life, because the life is in Him (1 John 5:11). This life is the light of men. Therefore, since we have this life, we also have the light of life illuminating us within.
1) “I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them” (Heb. 8:10).
In the Old Testament God’s laws were written on tablets of stone outside of man. In the New Testament, God imparts, or puts, His laws into our mind within us and inscribes them on our hearts. This is accomplished through God imparting His life to us and putting it inside of us, that the law within His life may become the law of our heart and of our mind. A law is not necessarily a life, but a life surely is a law with an innate ability and function. Furthermore, the higher the life, the higher the law of this life. Since the life of God within us is the highest life, this life in us is not merely a law, but the highest law with the highest innate ability and function. Once we are saved and have the life of God, we have this law of life inscribed on our hearts.
1) “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2).
The Spirit of life is the Spirit of God in our spirit. Since the Spirit of God is of life, His law must also be of life. This is the law of the Spirit of life. Hence, the law of the Spirit of life and the aforementioned laws written on our hearts are related and are one. That the laws are written on our hearts indicates that these laws are in life, the emphasis being on the function of life. The law of the Spirit of life indicates that the law of life within us is of the Holy Spirit, who is in our spirit, the emphasis being on the function of the Holy Spirit. As soon as we are saved, we have both.
1) “...God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
Once we are saved, God comes to live in us and to operate in us that we may will within and work without to fulfill His good pleasure.
1) “Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
Once we are saved, we also have Christ living in us as life. His living in us is both effectual and active.
1) “The anointing which you received from Him [the Son with the Father] abides in you” (1 John 2:27).
In the Bible the anointing oil refers to the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18). As soon as we are saved God anoints us with His Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21-22). The anointing is the inward moving of the Holy Spirit, with whom we are anointed. The moving of the Holy Spirit is like an ointment anointing us within, causing us to sense God’s mind and teaching us in all things.
1) The shining of the light of life within us causes us to have a sense within.
Since the light of life is the Lord’s life shining in us, this shining will definitely produce a sense of life within, so that we may sense what is of the Lord and what is pleasing to Him.
2) The manifestation of the function of the laws inscribed on our hearts by God and the law of the Spirit of life also enables us to have a sense within.
Since both the laws written on our hearts by God and the law of the Spirit of life within us are an innate function of the Lord’s life in us, whenever this function is manifested, we will have a feeling. This feeling is the sense of life, which we can perceive through the function of the law of life.
3) God’s operating in us also causes us to have a sense within.
Since God’s operating in us is an activity, it will produce a feeling within. This feeling is the sense of life in us, which causes us to sense what God desires us to will and to do.
4) Christ’s living in us also causes us to have a sense within.
Christ’s living in us is full of doings, definitely causing us to have a sense within. Since this sense is out of the activities of Christ’s life within, it is surely of life. Therefore, it also is the sense of life.
5) The anointing in us also causes us to have a sense within.
The Holy Spirit anoints us as the ointment within us. His moving also causes us to have the sense of life in our spirit. Hence, after we are saved, we have not only life but also the sense of life within that we may know inwardly the mind of God and the things pertaining to God.
1) “Walk...according to spirit;...the mind set on the spirit” (Rom. 8:4-6).
The sense of life in us is from the Spirit and is also in our spirit. Thus, our first responsibility toward the sense of life is to walk only according to spirit, setting our mind on the spirit. That is, we should obey the spirit and mind the spirit in everything.
1) “The mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).
When we set our mind on the spirit, we have life and peace within. Both life and peace are the sense of life within, which can be perceived by us. Hence, we need to care for the sense of life and peace within.
1) “Even as you have always obeyed...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
We must obey with fear and trembling the operation of God which we sense within, whether this operation is for the willing or the working. Fear is our inward motive, and trembling is our outward attitude. We should obey in this way the sense of life within us.
1) “As His anointing...has taught you, abide in Him [the Lord]” (1 John 2:27).
The anointing in us teaches us to know the Lord and the things pertaining to the Lord. We should abide in the Lord to have fellowship with Him according to this teaching.
1) “The mind set on the spirit is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6).
By setting our mind on the spirit, we have the sense of life. If we obey this sense of life, we will enjoy life and peace. Life is satisfaction, and peace is rest. The enjoyment of the satisfaction of life and the rest of peace is an immediate issue of our obeying the sense of life.
1) “As His anointing...has taught you, abide in Him [the Lord]” (1 John 2:27).
The teaching of the anointing gives us the sense of life within. By obeying this sense of life, we can abide in the Lord. This also is an issue of obeying the sense of life.
1) “You...obeyed,...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12).
We have obtained salvation, but after obtaining salvation, we still need to live out this salvation, as this verse says, “Work out your own salvation.” When we obey with fear and trembling the sense of life that comes from God’s moving within us, we live out the salvation that we have obtained. This also is an issue of our obeying the sense of life.
1) “You...obeyed...God who operates in you both the willing and the working for His good pleasure” (Phil. 2:12-13).
The fulfilling of God’s good pleasure is another issue of our obeying the sense of life from the operation of God in us.
