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I. Not of the letter but of the Spirit — 2 Cor. 3:6.
II. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life — v. 6.
III. In spirit, not in letter — Rom. 2:29.
IV. In newness of spirit and not in oldness of letter — 7:6.
V. Burning in spirit — 12:11.
VI. Serving in spirit — 1:9.
VII. The Spirit of the Lord gives us freedom, setting us free from the letter — 2 Cor. 3:17.
VIII. We are transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit — v. 18.
In this chapter we will fellowship concerning the ministry of the new covenant. The ministry of the new covenant is the service of the new covenant. We may also say that it is the living of the new covenant. In the new covenant, this service, this ministry, is a living. We cannot separate the living from the service. If we separate these two matters, then our service becomes a performance or a show. An actor who is only twenty years old may play the part of an old man in a theater performance. Although he may act like an old man in the theater, he still lives the life of a twenty-year-old man in his actual living. His acting is merely a performance and has nothing to do with his real daily life. Another actor who is a man may even play the role of a woman. However, the two — the actor and the woman whom the actor is pretending to be — are not the same at all. Today we must not serve the Lord in the way of performing. The ministry of the new covenant is the living of the new covenant, and the living of the new covenant is the ministry of the new covenant. The living and the ministry must be one; they cannot be separate.
Why are we considering this matter of the ministry of the new covenant? We are considering this matter because of our background. The Bible is composed of the Old Testament and the New Testament. If we read the Bible carefully, we will see that in the Old Testament the emphasis is on laws and regulations. The totality of these laws and regulations is known as the letter because all these laws and regulations were written down sentence by sentence and word by word (2 Cor. 3:6). The Pentateuch, which was written by Moses, talks about the way to keep the Sabbath, the way to offer sacrifices, and the way to slay an animal when offering it — how to cut the animal, how to skin it, how to drain and apply its blood, and how to burn it. These regulations were all written down sentence by sentence and word by word. They are the letter. The ministry or service of the old covenant was of the letter; thus, an Israelite who came to offer a sacrifice had to follow what Moses had written down. He could not say, “I have an idea. Today instead of offering a sacrifice, I will sing a song.” This would have been a terrible thing. To do this in the Old Testament times would have been to stray from the Scriptures and to disobey God’s word.
It is quite amazing, however, that the New Testament does not begin with the law of Moses but with the genealogy and origin of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ is the Son of God who became a man, a descendant of David. He was born in a manger in Bethlehem and grew up in Nazareth. When He was thirty years old, He began His ministry, and the Spirit of God descended upon Him. After three and a half years He went to the cross to die, redeeming us from our sins. After He was buried, He resurrected and ascended. Then He descended as the Holy Spirit. In His resurrection, as the last Adam He became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b).
The Greek word that we translate “spirit” can also be translated “breath.” Breathing is the foremost need of our physical life. A person can live thirty to forty days without food or three to four days without water. However, if a person stops breathing for five minutes, he will die. Our greatest need is to receive air into us, to breathe.
I believe that we all have read the Gospel of John. What is the subject of this Gospel? The Gospel of John says that in the beginning was the Word and that the Word was God (1:1). It also tells us that this Word became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and truth (v. 14). What is truth? Is truth the same thing as doctrine? It would be wrong to say that the Word was full of grace and doctrine, for truth is reality. The Gospel of John also reveals that the Word who was God and who became flesh is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (v. 29). John 19 further reveals that this One suffered death by crucifixion. While on the cross, blood and water flowed out from His pierced side (v. 34). Then John 20 tells us that He resurrected. Where did He go after He resurrected? We should not say that He went to heaven, because the Gospel of John does not say this. On the night of the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples were in fear of the Jews, so they went into a house, closed the doors, and shut themselves inside. They were feeling lost and bewildered. Then suddenly the Lord Jesus stood in their midst. While the disciples stood there, still having doubts, what did the Lord Jesus say to them? Did He tell them, “Moses gave you ten commandments, but I am going to double that number and give you twenty commandments. The first commandment is that you shall be zealous, the second commandment is that you shall love others as yourselves, and the third commandment is that you shall lose your life and suffer martyrdom for My sake”? Did the Lord Jesus say this? He did not. Then what did the Lord Jesus do while He was there in the midst of the disciples? He did not talk about doctrines; He simply breathed into the disciples. Can you believe that this is what the Lord Jesus did? He was the Son of God, the resurrected Christ, but He did not give them any regulations. Instead, He simply breathed into them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (v. 22). Do not forget that spirit can also be translated “breath.” Thus, it would be correct to translate the Greek phrase rendered “Holy Spirit” as “holy breath.” If we were to do this, John 20:20 would say, “Receive the holy breath.” Who is the holy breath? The holy breath is the Holy Spirit. And who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is our wonderful Lord! In the beginning He was the Word who was God. Then He became flesh, and eventually He became breath. This breath is the Spirit.
After breathing into them, the Lord Jesus did not say, “Peter and John, My time is up. I have to go. Goodbye.” He did not say this. The Gospel of John mentions His appearing to His disciples, but it does not mention His departing from them. Where was the Lord after He breathed into the disciples? He was in each and every one of them. Therefore, when the disciples came together to meet in the evening on the Lord’s Day, the Lord Jesus appeared to them again. Later, some of the disciples went fishing. They fished the whole night but did not catch anything; their nets were empty. The fish did not come, but suddenly the Lord Jesus came. When the disciples first saw Him, they asked themselves, “Who is this?” Then after watching Him and listening to Him, they realized that He was the Lord. What was the purpose of these events? The purpose of these events was to show the disciples that after the Lord’s resurrection, He would be with them in their spirit and would never leave them again. This is also true today. Not only is the Lord with us when we are praying and reading the Bible, but even if we go back to the world to “fish,” the Lord will go with us.
The point of my fellowship is that in the New Testament there are no regulations or rules; there is only the living Lord Jesus. From beginning to end, the New Testament reveals the living Lord Jesus. If the Lord Jesus were a religious figure, then His religion would need doctrines. Without doctrines there can be no religion. This, however, is not the Lord’s way. Thus, the New Testament does not deal with doctrines. Every book of the Bible speaks about the Lord Jesus and tells us many things about Him. The Bible reveals that the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17). It also declares that the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). The Lord is the Spirit, not a doctrine. He is the Spirit, not the letter. Thus, today when we serve God in the new covenant, we should serve not according to doctrines but according to the living Spirit.
The Jews invented Judaism based upon the Old Testament, and Christians invented Christianity based upon the New Testament in addition to the Old Testament. However, if we read the Bible, we can find the terms Christ and Christians (which means “Christ-men”), but we cannot find the term Christianity. This is because Christianity is man’s invention and is apart from Christ.
Then what is the chief concern of Christianity? We should not say that Christianity is primarily concerned with Christ, because this is not the case. Christianity is primarily concerned with religious doctrines. Every religion has its doctrines. I would like to ask all of you whether or not you are in Christianity. If I asked you, and you said that you were not in any religion at all, I would not believe you. My disbelief has a basis. For example, your worship of the Lord is according to a schedule and a procedure. When you arrive at the meeting hall, you sit quietly and wait until a responsible brother calls a hymn before you sing. After singing the hymn, you know that the singing will be followed by prayer. Then after the prayer there is always a brother who stands up to read the Bible and give a message. Is this religion or not? Surely it is religion, but what kind of religion is this? This is not the Christian religion; this is a “self-religion.”
I hope that you will not be offended, but as your brother, I must speak frankly and truthfully. I am afraid that many brothers and sisters are still in a self-religion. For example, some may say, “I do not agree with disorderly meetings in which there is yelling and shouting. I would rather have quiet meetings.” This is a kind of self-religion. At the same time, those who like to shout may say, “When we meet, we must shout, because if there is no shouting, the meetings are not exciting enough.” This is another kind of self-religion. The form of religion adopted by those who prefer to be quiet is like the religion of the Pharisees, and the form of religion adopted by those who shout is like the religion of John the Baptist. You may have thrown out the old religion of Christianity, but you may have brought in a new religion. If you strongly advocate quietness, then you have a quiet religion. If you insist on shouting, then you have a shouting religion. Both are forms of religion.
You may say, “Brother Lee, you are too hard on us. Did you not bring in the practice of shouting among us?” I did bring in this practice. This can be likened to John the Baptist’s introduction of the practice of baptism. However, just as John the Baptist did not form a baptism religion, I did not lead you into a shouting religion. Neither shouting nor quietness should be a regulation. In fact, we should not have any regulations.
Perhaps you may ask, “If we should not have any regulations, then what should we do?” By asking what you should do, you are again being religious. My answer for you is, “Do not do anything.” Having received this answer, I know that you will want to ask, “How do we not do anything?” You must realize that in asking for a method, you are doing what religious people do. Our focus should not be on methods.
In Matthew 11:18-19 the Lord Jesus said, “John came neither eating nor drinking...The Son of Man came eating and drinking.” John was the Lord’s forerunner. Since John abstained from eating and drinking, logically the Lord should have done likewise. However, the Lord Jesus did not do as John did because the Lord was not under any regulations.
Perhaps you may say, “You are making things too difficult for us, so we give up. We will not come to the meetings anymore. It is too difficult here! We changed from being quiet to being loud, but now that we are loud, you still do not approve of us. You are not only against being quiet; you are also against shouting. What do you really want?” Dear brothers and sisters, you are absolutely right. We do not care for regulations; we care only for the Lord. How can we care only for the Lord? We can do this by being in the Spirit. Our Lord is the living God and the living Spirit. The entire New Testament talks about the Spirit and reveals that the Spirit eventually becomes the seven Spirits (Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6). Today the Spirit is the seven Spirits, the sevenfold intensified Spirit.
Today Christians have turned the Lord into a religious leader and the church into a religion. Although we have left the sects, denominations, and old Christianity, we have formed a new religion — a self-religion. If we read the publications of Watchman Nee, we will realize that he had this feeling many years ago. For example, he said that the practice of having one man preach a sermon every Lord’s Day morning is a custom of the Gentiles, the nations. When he spoke of the nations, he meant the denominations. He said that we should get rid of the pulpit on the Lord’s Day and go out to preach the gospel. His speaking concerning this was published in 1948, but it was not until 1968 that we got rid of the pulpit. The Lord’s Day pulpit was so difficult to get rid of because everyone was accustomed to the old practice.
Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that you can understand what I am saying. The Lord is not our religious leader, and He did not give us a religion. His words in the Bible are not mere doctrines and teachings. All of His words are spirit. The Lord said, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63). The Lord Himself is Spirit, and what comes out from Him is spirit. Today as we are serving God in the new covenant to fulfill our ministry, we should not be in the realm of doctrine and the letter. We need to see that our Lord is the Spirit and that we need to be in the realm of the spirit.
How can we be in the realm of the spirit? Suppose that there are four brothers who love the Lord very much and often have fellowship with Him. (Remember that the Lord whom they love is neither a doctrine nor a religion; He is the Spirit). Suppose that these four brothers come to a meeting with their Bibles under their arms, sit down one by one, and then remain sitting in their seats. If I saw this, I would ask them, “Why are you just sitting here?” They might answer, “We are sitting here quietly because it is not yet time for the meeting to begin.” Then I would ask, “Is the Lord, whom you serve, inside of you?” If they say yes, then I would say to them, “Then do you care about the time or about the Lord? If you care about the Lord, then you should not sit here idly. The time has not yet arrived, but you have arrived! Do not take care of the time. Take care of the Lord!”
We may say that we love and serve the living Lord and that we fellowship with Him, but in actuality we may be religious people. When we come to meet, we may not care whether the Lord is living or not. Rather, we may care for the time, we may wait for the responsible brothers to call the hymns, and we may want all the meetings to be carried out step by step in an organized way. This is to be religious.
How can we avoid being religious? Only when we are in the Spirit are we not in religion. I love my Lord, and my Lord is the living Spirit, so I have fellowship with Him from morning to evening. If I were a saint with a job, then after I get off from work in the afternoon and have dinner and a little rest, I would leave for the meeting at six-thirty. I would do this because the meeting starts at seven-thirty. While I am on my way, I would begin to sing, “Victory, victory, Hallelujah!” I would not sing the same hymn every day. In fact, I might not even sing a hymn that is in the hymnal. I would simply sing according to inspiration. While I am walking on the street, I would sing. Singing on the street is better than singing in a place of worship. If I choose to ride the bus, I would also sing and pray on the bus. I might pray, “O Lord! Bless all those who are taking this bus! Save all of them, including the bus driver!” Our service today is simply our living. Thus, when a sister goes shopping for groceries, she can shout, “Jesus is Lord! Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord!” as she is shopping. Someone may ask her if she is insane, but she can answer, “I am not insane; I am beside myself with Jesus!”
This is the way that we should come to the meetings. The meetings should start in our home. Then all the way to the meeting we should either be praising, singing, or praying. When we arrive at the meeting hall, we can begin to praise, even if we are the only one there. Dear brothers and sisters, we should not have regulations anymore. Throughout the generations God has been working against regulations. Today we are in the end times, and the Lord is coming soon. The Lord wants to do a swift work and to take a fast way. Thus, He can no longer tolerate our way, in which we maintain our regulations.
Today the service of the new covenant is not of the letter but of the spirit. Thus, we should not take any practice and make it into a habitual practice. We have to be new every day. We need to do away with the oldness of the letter and serve in newness of spirit. Our Lord is a living God and a living Spirit. Today He lives not only in heaven but also within us. We can have fellowship with Him and look to Him for the cleansing of His blood. Moreover, where the blood is applied, the ointment is applied; where there is the precious blood, there is the Holy Spirit.
When we come to meet, we should not care for the letter or for regulations; we should care only for the living Spirit. Praising the Lord and calling on His name will draw out our spirit. As a result, we will be filled with the presence of the Lord inwardly. With the presence of the Lord, we will be enlightened and burning within. One who is filled with the Spirit of the Lord will be burning inwardly since the Lord is not only the watering Spirit but also the burning Spirit.
When we are burning, we are set free. The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This freedom, which is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:17, implies freedom from regulations and freedom from the letter of the law. The letter of the law veils us. When we are filled with the Spirit of the Lord inwardly, the veil is taken away, and we are set free. Then with an unveiled face we behold the Lord as a mirror. As a mirror we reflect the glory of the Lord and are transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory. How are we transformed? We are transformed not by doctrines but from the Lord Spirit. This is the ministry of the new covenant and the service of the new covenant. May the Lord have mercy on us to deliver us from all methods, creeds, regulations, and doctrines so that we will live in the Spirit under His precious blood.
