Search
Regarding the characteristics of the content of the new covenant, we have already mentioned two main aspects. It is true that God is propitious to our unrighteousnesses and no longer remembers our sins. This is the grace of God given to us in the new covenant. But this is merely a procedure by which God achieves His eternal purpose. It is also true that God becomes our God and we become His people in the law of life. The new covenant, however, does not stop there, but continues with, “They shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them” (Heb. 8:11). This is the deeper knowledge of God. This is knowing God Himself. Through the Spirit, God is bringing His redeemed ones to the highest point, that is, to know Himself. God imparts His laws into our mind and inscribes them on our hearts. This is merely a procedure by which God achieves His deeper purpose, which is to know God Himself. While it is true that to have fellowship with God is purposeful in itself, at the same time the fellowship we have with God is His procedure to obtain a deeper purpose, which is to know God Himself. We know that God’s purpose is to constitute us with Himself that He may become completely blended with us. Thus, the characteristic of the new covenant is that man may know God Himself in the law of life and in this way fulfill God’s purpose.
Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed / Because of a lack of that knowledge.” The lack of knowledge in this verse is the lack of knowing God Himself. The children of Israel were disobedient to the extent that they were destroyed. This was mainly due to the fact that they did not know God. But praise God, the new covenant has this characteristic — that anyone who has eternal life also knows God (John 17:3). Today eternal life has the function of knowing God. The characteristic of the new covenant is that God gives us revelation and guidance in the law of life. He enables us to worship Him, to serve Him, and to have fellowship with Him so that we may go on step by step and get to know Him more and more. Now we need to see how in this law of life we can know God without anyone’s teaching at all.
Hebrews 8:11 reads, “They shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them.” The phrase by no means is a very strong word in the original text. What is mentioned here coincides with 1 John 2:27: “The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him.”
The reason one who has the life of God does not need the teaching of others at all is that he has the Lord’s anointing abiding in him, and it teaches him concerning all things. This is a very practical matter. When God’s Word says, “By no means,” it means just that — “by no means.” The Lord’s anointing always abides in us. It seems the greater the grace is, the more difficult it is for us to believe; therefore, the Word of God says that this anointing is true and then follows with the phrase and is not a lie. We should not doubt God’s Word simply because our spiritual condition is abnormal. What God says is consistent with what He accomplishes. We need to believe God’s Word, and we also need to thank and praise Him.
To properly understand the teaching of the anointing, we need to consider the three functions of the human spirit. We have said previously that man’s spirit is composed of three parts, or functions: fellowship, conscience, and intuition. Let us consider them separately.
It is a fact that when we were regenerated, our spirit became alive. To have our spirit made alive is the first step in the fellowship between God and man. We know further that when we were regenerated, the Holy Spirit came to dwell in us. We also know that God is Spirit and that for this reason he who worships Him must worship in spirit and truthfulness. The Holy Spirit guides man in his spirit to worship God and to have fellowship with God. This shows the function of the fellowship of our human spirit.
When we were regenerated, our conscience was made alive. The blood of the Lord Jesus purifies the conscience, making it clean and causing its sense to be keen. The Holy Spirit testifies in our conscience concerning our behavior and walk. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit.” Romans 9:1 says, “My conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit.” First Corinthians 5:3 reveals that the spirit judges, and 2 Corinthians 1:12 says that our conscience testifies. These all indicate that the spirit has the function of conscience.
If we are wrong, the Holy Spirit will condemn us in our conscience. We must pay attention to the fact that what the conscience condemns, God will also condemn. It cannot be that the conscience has condemned something, yet God justifies it. If our conscience says we are wrong, then we must be wrong. Since we are wrong, we must repent, confess, and be cleansed by the Lord’s precious blood (1 John 1:9). If our conscience is pure and without offense (2 Tim. 1:3; Acts 24:16), then we can serve God with boldness and without fear.
Just as man’s body has its senses, man’s spirit also has its senses. The sense of the human spirit is in the innermost part of man’s being. Matthew 26:41 says, “The spirit is willing.” Mark 2:8 says, “Knowing fully in his spirit.” Mark 8:12 says that He “groaned deeply in His spirit.” John 11:33 reads, “He was moved with indignation in His spirit.” In Acts 17:16 we read that “his spirit was provoked”; in Acts 18:25, “being fervent in spirit”; in Acts 19:21, “purposed in his spirit”; and in Acts 20:22, “bound in the spirit.” Then 1 Corinthians 16:18 says, “They refreshed my spirit,” and 2 Corinthians 7:13 says, “His spirit has been refreshed.” These are all functions of the intuition of the spirit. (It would be right to say that the senses of the spirit are almost as many as those of the soul. For this reason we need to learn to discern what is of the spirit and what is of the soul. Not until we have gone through the deeper work of the cross and of the Holy Spirit can we know what is of the spirit and what is of the soul.)
We call the sense of the spirit “intuition” because it comes directly from the spirit. Normally, a person’s feeling is aroused by some external factors, such as persons, things, or events. If it is something that should cause rejoicing, we rejoice; if it is something that should cause sorrow, we feel sorrowful. Such feelings have their causes; therefore, we do not call these intuition. The intuition we are speaking of is the sense that comes directly from inside man without any apparent cause. For instance, we may feel like doing something because there is a valid reason for it. We like to do it, and so we decide to do it. Yet for some unknown reason there is an unexplainable feeling within us that seems to be very heavy and very depressed. It seems that something inside us is opposing what we are thinking in our mind, feeling in our emotion, or have decided in our will. Something inside, it seems, is telling us that we should not do it. This is the forbidding of the intuition.
Here is another illustration. Perhaps there is a sense to do something for which there is no reason at all. Besides having no reason, it is contrary to what we desire, and we are not willing to do it. Yet at the same time, for a reason unknown to us, there is a certain kind of urging, moving, and encouraging, wanting us to do it. If we go ahead and do it, we will feel comfortable. This is the urging of the intuition.
The intuition is the place where the anointing teaches us. The apostle John says, “The anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone teach you; but as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him” (1 John 2:27). This verse clearly shows how the anointing of the Holy Spirit teaches us. The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit, and the anointing is in the intuition of the spirit.
The Lord’s anointing teaches us all things. This means that the Holy Spirit teaches us in the intuition of the spirit, causing us to have some feeling in our spirit, just as when ointment is applied to man’s body, causing him to have some sensation. When our spirit has such a feeling, we know what the Holy Spirit says. We need to differentiate between knowing and understanding. We know in our spirit, but we understand with our mind. We know a certain thing through the intuition of the spirit; then the mind is enlightened to understand what the intuition knows. It is in the intuition of the spirit that we know the intention of the Holy Spirit, but it is in the mind of the soul that we understand the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The work of the anointing is independent and does not need any human help. Independently, it expresses its own intention. It works by itself in the spirit, enabling man to know its intention in the intuition. The Bible calls such knowing in the intuition of the spirit revelation. Revelation means that the Holy Spirit shows the true picture of a thing in our spirit so that we clearly know. This kind of knowing is deeper than the understanding of the mind. The Lord’s anointing abides in us and teaches us concerning all things. For this reason we do not need the teaching of others at all. This anointing teaches us concerning all things through the function of the intuition.
The Holy Spirit expresses Himself through the intuition of the spirit. The intuition is an innate ability to know what the moving of the Holy Spirit means. For this reason, if we want to do God’s will, it is not necessary to ask others, nor is it necessary to ask ourselves. We need only to follow the guidance of the intuition. The Lord’s anointing teaches us concerning all things. There is not one instance or one thing concerning which it does not teach us. Therefore, our only responsibility is to receive the teaching of the anointing.
A brother once told the following story. There was a certain Christian who, before being saved, drank very much. This Christian also had a friend who drank in excess. Later, both were saved. One day the younger one invited the older one to dinner. Wine was set upon the table. The older one said, “Since we are saved, perhaps we should not drink.” The younger one replied, “It doesn’t matter if we only take a little, for what we drink is ‘Timothian’ wine. This is something permitted by the Scriptures.” Later, they asked a minister of the Word this question, “After a man is saved, should he drink Timothian wine?” The minister replied that he had worked for over ten years and had never heard of anything called Timothian wine. After a few days they came to tell the minister that they were not drinking Timothian wine anymore. When asked by him whether they were taught by someone, they said, “No.” They were asked if they were taught by the Scriptures, to which the answer again was no. They said, “As a matter of fact, the Scriptures say that Timothy should use a little wine. But we do not drink because there is a forbidding within.” Brothers and sisters, this inner forbidding is the forbidding of the law of life. The law of life is living and powerful, and this law would not allow them to drink. Because the law of life can speak, can work, and can give us feeling, we should respect it.
A servant of God said that a brother came to see him one time, asking whether he should do a certain thing. The servant of God asked, “Do you know inside?” When asked this question, he immediately answered, “I know.” A few days later he came asking about something else. Again he was asked, “Do you know inside?” To this he replied, “Oh, I know, I know.” The third time he came, and the third time he was asked the same question. He immediately said he knew. Although at that time the servant of God did not say so with his mouth, he said in his heart, “Why do you need to take the roundabout way? There is something inside of you that teaches you in all things and is true and is not a lie.” This something is the law of life. It will teach us what we should do and what we should not do.
The problem, therefore, lies in whether we are willing to follow this law within us. The question is whether or not our heart is fully turned toward God. If our heart is fully turned toward God, then we do not need others to teach us, for then there is in us something living and real that will teach us. Every child of God has this kind of experience. With some it may be more, with others less, but at least we all have some experience that there is this law of life within us. This law is definitely moving and speaking, and it does not need man’s teaching.
Let us give one more example. A certain Christian liked to show hospitality to believers and especially to ministers. If he came across one, he would invite him over for dinner or give him some gift. On one occasion he was listening to a minister preaching in a certain place. What this man was preaching was not in accordance with the Scriptures, for he did not confess that Jesus Christ had come in the flesh. On the one hand, this brother felt uncomfortable while he listened, but on the other hand, according to his habit, he wanted to go shake hands with the minister and say a few words. When he was about to shake hands with him, he sensed something inside forbidding him. He hesitated for a minute. Finally, he gave up and went home. This Christian did not realize that 2 John 7-10 says that some call themselves ministers of Christ and yet do not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. This brother did not know that such a person should not be greeted nor received into one’s house, and yet the life inside of him spoke exactly this same thing. This means that while there is absolutely no need for others to teach us, still we can know. This is the characteristic of the new covenant.
No doubt, some one will raise the question, Why then do the Scriptures speak in many places of teaching? For instance, Paul says, “Because of this I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways which are in Christ, even as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Cor. 4:17). He also says, “But in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind, that I might instruct others also” (14:19). Many other places also speak of teaching such as Colossians 1:28; 2:22; 3:16; 1 Tim. 2:7; 3:2; 4:11, 13; 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:2, 24; 3:16. How are such passages to be explained? In order to answer this question, we must start from our experience and then see what the Scriptures say.
The Lord’s anointing truly is teaching us inwardly. The difficulty is that we cannot hear. Brothers and sisters, we must realize how weak we are. We are so weak that even though God has spoken once, twice, five times, ten times, or even twenty times, we still have not heard. Sometimes we hear, but we pretend that we do not. We understand yet pretend that we have not understood. Our greatest weakness before God is in the matter of hearing. The Lord said, “He who has an ear, let him hear” (Rev. 2:7a). In each of the seven epistles in Revelation it is repeated, “He who has an ear, let him hear.” The Scriptures consider hearing to be a very important matter.
When the disciples asked the Lord Jesus why in speaking to people He used parables, He answered, “For this reason I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matt. 13:13). The Lord Jesus also quoted Isaiah 6:9-10 by saying, “In hearing you shall hear and by no means understand, and seeing you shall see and by no means perceive. For the heart of this people has become fat, and with their ears they have heard heavily, and their eyes they have closed, lest they perceive with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart, and they turn around, and I will heal them” (Matt. 13:14-15). These verses show us that the problem is not that there is no teaching within or that there is not the speaking within but that man purposely would not hear.
Therefore, many times the problem is not that God has not spoken or that man does not have the speaking within but that man refuses to hear. God has spoken once, twice, five times, or even ten times, yet we still would not hear. Because we would not hear, we could not hear. Because we do not hear, we simply give up hearing. Job 33:14 says, “God speaks in one way, / Indeed in two ways, without any perceiving it.” This is the very situation of some of God’s children.
Those who have problems in the mind, who are subjective, who are stubborn in their own ways, and who are conservative are people who do not easily hear. Therefore, whenever we do not hear God’s voice and do not have the teaching of the anointing, we need to realize that something must be wrong with us. We must have some problem. The difficulty is never on God’s side; it is always on our side. But praise Him, He is patient and continues to speak to man. Job 33:15-16 says, “In a dream, a night vision, / When deep sleep falls upon men / In the slumberings upon their beds — / Then He opens the ears of men / And seals up their instruction.” If we do not hear Him, He will still use visions and dreams to instruct us. Therefore, it is not that God has said nothing; God has spoken a great deal. The difficulty is that man is very short in hearing.
When we read the Epistles in the New Testament, we realize that many teachings are repetitions. They were repeated because of some difficulties in the church. In the Epistles of the New Testament we often find the question, “Do you not know?” Such a phrase appears in Romans 6:16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 5:6; 6:2-3, 9, 15-16, 19; and James 4:4. Do you not know means that although we had heard something and we had known something inside, we had ignored it. We had simply let it go. Therefore, through the Scriptures God says, “Do you not know?” The Scriptures do not speak in place of the anointing within but simply repeat what the anointing has already said. Because we are spiritually sick and abnormal and because we have neglected the inner teaching, the Lord through His servant uses the words of the Scriptures, repeating outwardly what the anointing has spoken inwardly. The Lord’s anointing has taught us inwardly, so we must start listening from within. We must see that the inward teaching and the outward teaching are mutually helpful. The outward teaching, however, must not replace that which is inward. The inward speaking is living and of life. This is the characteristic of the new covenant. Everyone who belongs to God must pay attention to this matter.
Here we must say a few words by way of reminder to the brothers and sisters. When we help others, we should never give them the “Ten Commandments.” Neither should we subjectively teach them to do this or to refrain from that. We should not speak of God’s will to individuals as the prophets in the Old Testament did. The reason for this is that in the New Testament the prophets are only for the church and not for individuals. A prophet in the New Testament time can only point out God’s ordained will in principle. He should not point out God’s will for an individual. All of us who belong to God must learn to receive the teaching of the anointing within; otherwise, it is not the new covenant. We can only confirm what God has already spoken in man. All we can do is repeat what God has already taught within. To go further is to go beyond the new covenant. On the other hand, we should humbly receive the teaching of those who teach us in the Lord. However, the teaching that we receive must also be the teaching of the anointing within us. Otherwise, it is not the new covenant. We must remember that the letter kills; only the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6).
The Lord’s anointing is in the intuition of our spirit, and it teaches us concerning all things, but sometimes our mind cannot understand the sense in the spirit. For this reason our mind must be renewed. Only then can we understand what the anointing is teaching us. Romans 12:2 shows that first the mind must be renewed and transformed; then we can prove what is God’s good, well pleasing, and perfect will. Colossians 1:9 shows that we must first have the spiritual understanding; then we will be filled with the full knowledge of God’s will. Therefore, the renewing of the mind is essential. If our mind is not renewed, we can neither know nor understand the teaching of the anointing. On the other hand, if our mind is not renewed, we will consider the sudden thoughts, those shot into our mind like lightning, as if they were the Lord’s guidance in us. We will also consider the groundless ideas and the vain theories as if they were the Lord’s will. We will consider the senseless and worthless visions and dreams as if they were words that the Lord has spoken to us and as revelation from Him. These are harmful and of no benefit.
We admit and believe that the Lord sometimes opens ears through visions and dreams like that mentioned in Job 33:15-16, but we do not accept or believe that confusing thoughts or that senseless and worthless visions and dreams are of the Lord. Therefore, the renewing of the mind is very crucial in understanding the teaching of the anointing. Now the question is: How can the mind be renewed? Titus 3:5 speaks of the renewing of the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:1-2 makes it clear that we first must present our bodies as a living sacrifice; then we may be transformed by the renewing of the mind. We see from this that the renewing of the mind is based upon consecration. Ephesians 4:22-23 shows that for the renewing of the spirit of the mind we must, in our experience, first put off the old man regarding our former manner of life. This shows that the renewing of the mind is something that is done through the cross. Ephesians 4:23 says, “That you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” It is clear, therefore, that the renewing starts from the spirit and then spreads into the mind. We have said before that the work of the Holy Spirit starts from the center and spreads to the circumference. If there is a problem in man’s heart, that is, in the deepest part of him, and it is not dealt with, then it is impossible to have the mind renewed. Therefore, the Holy Spirit first renews the spirit of the mind and then renews the mind.
In summary, because of God’s constraining, we present our bodies as a living sacrifice. Following that, the Holy Spirit through the cross causes us in our experience to exercise our will to put off the old man, as regards his former manner of life, so that through His life entering more fully into us, our spirit may be renewed and our mind may also be renewed. This renewing is a prolonged and continuous work of the Holy Spirit. When we come to this point, we need to thank and praise God that everything is the work of His grace. We have nothing else to do except to receive His grace and to praise and thank Him. We say again that the Lord’s anointing is in us, teaching us concerning all things. This is a true and definite matter. The law of life in us does not need any man’s teaching at all. This is not an overstatement. The Scripture has indeed said so. But on the other hand, we need to prevent ourselves from being deceived and from going to extremes. We need to check our inner feeling by the words in the Scriptures.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of reality (John 14:17). He guides us into all the reality (John 16:13). Therefore, if our inner sense is of the Holy Spirit, this sense must correspond with what the Scriptures say. If the inner sense does not match the words of the Scriptures, this sense is inaccurate. We know that the inner sense is living, and we also know that the Scriptures without are accurate. If we merely have the words of the Scriptures, there is accuracy and security but no life. On the other hand, having merely the inner sense may be living but not accurate, or it may be living but not secure. Our experience needs to be like a train that has power inside the locomotive and rails outside. If there are only rails without but no power within the locomotive, the train will not move. On the other hand, if there is only power within the locomotive but no rails without, the train will run without control and have an accident. The Scriptures show us that when the Israelites came out of Egypt, they had before them the pillar of cloud as their guide in the day and the pillar of fire as their guide in the night. When our spiritual condition is normal, we are walking in the bright daylight. But our spiritual condition is not always like this. The Scriptures also say that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psa. 119:105). Without the night there is no need for the lamp and the light. When we are bright within, our inner sense is clear and sure. When we are dark within, our inner sense is blurry and uncertain. Then we must use the words of the Scriptures to verify our inner sense.
Life plus truth equals real power. Life and truth result in secure strength. We need to walk upon the secure path of life and truth. Every action, every thought, and every decision needs to be checked against the words in the Scriptures so that we may go on without being sidetracked.
Let us read Hebrews 8:11 again: “They shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them.” This verse tells us that we who are God’s people in the law of life can know God without any man’s teaching. This verse twice uses the word know. The first time it speaks of men teaching each other to know the Lord. The second time it mentions that from the little one to the great one all shall know the Lord. The first knowing signifies the ordinary knowledge; the second knowing refers to knowledge in the intuition. The ordinary knowledge is the objective, outward knowledge, and the intuitive knowledge is the subjective, inward knowledge.
We can illustrate the difference between ordinary knowledge and intuitive knowledge in the following way. Suppose sugar and salt are put before us. They both appear about the same. Both are white and fine, but when they are put into our mouth, we know which is sugar and which is salt. The sugar has the taste of sugar, and the salt has the taste of salt. Although we may use our eyes to know the sugar and the salt from without, it is not as accurate as tasting them with our tongue.
Our knowledge of God is the same. The outward knowledge is only an ordinary knowledge, but the inward knowledge is the accurate knowledge. When God gives us a taste of Himself in us, we experience unspeakable joy. Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that Jehovah is good.” It is wonderful. We can taste God. Hebrews 6:4-5 mentions “those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come.” This shows that the spiritual things need to be tasted. Thank God that the characteristic of the new covenant not only enables us to taste spiritual things; it even enables us to taste God Himself. What a great blessing and what a great glory this is!
According to the Scriptures, man’s knowing God can be divided into three steps. Psalm 103:7 says, “He made His ways known to Moses; / His acts, to the children of Israel.” The word ways in this verse is the same word used in Isaiah 55:8. The Israelites knew only God’s acts, but Moses knew God’s ways. It is clear that Moses’ knowing of God was more advanced than that of the children of Israel. But the knowing in the intuition, mentioned in Hebrews 8:11, is more advanced than knowing God’s ways. The knowing in the intuition is to know God’s nature, to know God Himself. If we read these last two verses of Scripture together, we can see that our knowing God can be divided into three steps. The first step is to know God’s acts, the second step is to know God’s ways, and the third step is to know God Himself. To know God’s acts and ways is only outward knowing, but the inward knowing of God’s nature and knowing God Himself are the deeper knowing. This is the most precious. Now let us look at these three steps separately.
To know God’s acts means to know the miracles and wonders that He performs. The children of Israel in the land of Egypt, for instance, saw the ten plagues that God sent (Exo. 7—11). Another example is when God sent a strong east wind, causing the water of the Red Sea to go back in one night so that the waters were divided and the sea became dry land (14:21). Two other examples are the children of Israel obtaining living water from the smitten rock in the wilderness (17:6) and the daily manna sent down from heaven (16:35). All of these were God’s acts. Likewise, the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish (John 6:9-12), the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, the lepers being cleansed, the deaf hearing, and the dead being raised (Matt. 11:5) were all God’s acts. Today some people have been healed of their illness by God or have been protected by God from danger on a journey. These are all God’s acts. But if we know only God’s acts, we cannot be considered as knowing God. This kind of knowing is shallow and outward.
To know God’s ways means to know the principle by which God does things. For example, when Abraham prayed for Sodom, he prayed by standing on the side of God’s righteousness. Abraham knew that because God is a righteous God, He could not act contrary to His righteousness. This means that Abraham knew God’s way of doing things. Another example can be seen in the incident where Moses saw the glory of Jehovah manifested and told Aaron, “Take the censer and put fire in it from the altar, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the assembly, and make expiation for them. For wrath has gone forth from Jehovah; the plague has begun” (Num. 16:46). This means that Moses knew God’s ways; he knew that if man would act in a certain way, then God would respond in a certain way.
Samuel told Saul, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, / And to heed, than the fat of rams” (1 Sam. 15:22). This refers to knowing God’s ways. A further example is when David refused to offer burnt offerings that cost him nothing (2 Sam. 24:24). This also refers to knowing God’s ways.
To know God’s nature means to know God Himself. It has been mentioned before that every kind of life has its own characteristics. Fish have the characteristic of fish, and birds have the characteristic of birds. God’s life also has its characteristic. This characteristic is His nature. His nature is goodness, uprightness (Psa. 25:8; 86:5; Matt. 19:17), and holiness (Acts 3:14; 2 Cor. 1:12). This nature will express God Himself through light. When we are born again, we obtain God’s life and receive God’s nature. When we touch His nature in us, we also touch God Himself in us. This is knowing God Himself. For instance, if there is some sin, our conscience feels that it must be dealt with, and only if it is dealt with can there be peace. Yet inside of us there is a holy sense, a sense that is even deeper than the conscience. Deep within there is a disgust and a hatred for the sin itself. This kind of hatred comes from God’s holy nature. When man touches God Himself, his knowledge of God’s holiness is beyond human description. Sometimes our sensation is the same as Job’s: “I had heard of You by the hearing of the ear, / But now my eye has seen You; / Therefore I abhor myself, and I repent / In dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).
Under the bright sunlight even the dust will be revealed. Likewise, in God’s holiness, our filthiness is always revealed. It is no wonder that when Peter met the Lord Himself, he fell down at the Lord’s knees and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord” (Luke 5:8). Many times both in our words and in our actions, although our conscience may not condemn us, there is still within a sense of discomfort, a sense that does not say Amen. This is the sense of the nature of God’s life, and it exceeds the feeling of the conscience. If we have learned and are willing to obey, it is at such times that we touch God Himself. On these occasions we will know God Himself.
Paul told the Corinthian believers, “We labor, working with our own hands. Reviled we bless; persecuted we endure; Defamed we exhort. We have become as the offscouring of the world, the scum of all things, until now” (1 Cor. 4:12-13). This shows that not only is God’s life such, but it also shows that the nature of this life is such. When Paul was so touching God’s nature, he was touching God Himself. It was then that he knew God Himself.
The following is a true story. Two brothers who were farmers and also Christians planted rice fields. The fields were in the middle of a hill. Every day the brothers pumped the water into the fields with their feet. But every day they found that the farmer whose field was below them always used subtle ways to let the water out of their fields into his field below. For seven or eight days they endured this without saying a word, but inside there was not the joy. Later, they went to have fellowship with a brother who was a servant of the Lord. He told them, “It is not enough for you to endure. You should go and also water the field of him who stole your water. Then pump the water for your own fields.” The two brothers went back to their fields and did as he had spoken. It was strange — the more they did this, the more they felt happy. The result was that the one who stole the water was touched. Not only did he no longer come to steal their water, but he came to apologize to them. Here we see that the reason they could do this, and do it so spontaneously, was that they did it according to God’s nature. Otherwise, if they did it only in an outward way, inwardly they would still have the feeling that they were being wronged. Later, they would still feel distressed within. Only the things that are done according to God’s nature make us feel comfortable inside. The more we do things this way, the more we will praise God and know God Himself.
To know God Himself is the greatest blessing and the greatest glory in the new covenant. God Himself cannot be known by the flesh but only by the intuition. Let us see what the Scriptures say about knowing God in our intuition. John 17:3 says, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Him whom You have sent, Jesus Christ.” This verse tells us that everyone who has eternal life knows God and the Lord Jesus. In other words, when a man receives eternal life, he receives a knowing of God in the intuition, which he did not possess before. This eternal life has a function that enables man to know God. We know God, the One who has been made known to us, by the life within. We are not like the people of Athens who, by reasoning and inference, worshipped an unknown God (Acts 17:23). Therefore, if someone says that he has eternal life and yet has never known God, then his claim to have eternal life is doubtful — it is only in the letter. To put it even stronger, this kind of person does not have eternal life. If we want to know God, we must first have eternal life.
First Corinthians 2:11-12 says, “Who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? In the same way, the things of God also no one has known except the Spirit of God. But we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is from God, that we may know the things which have been graciously given to us by God.” This verse tells us that it is the Holy Spirit, who is in our spirit, who enables us to know the things of God. The things of God cannot be known by man’s mind; man cannot figure them out by his own thoughts, nor can he comprehend them by his own wisdom. Therefore, the Scriptures say, “But a soulish man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him and he is not able to know them” (1 Cor. 2:14).
Ephesians 1:17-18 says, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him, the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know.” These verses tell us that the apostle prayed for the believers at Ephesus who had been regenerated, that they might receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation and that they might have the full knowledge of God in their intuition. Whether this spirit of wisdom and revelation is a function that has been hidden in the spirit of the believer and that will be uncovered by God through prayer, or whether it is through prayer that the Holy Spirit causes the believer to receive anew the wisdom and revelation in his spirit, is difficult to say; in any case, this spirit of wisdom and revelation enables the believer to have the full knowledge of God. Our intuition needs wisdom and revelation. We need wisdom to know what is of God and what is of ourselves. We need wisdom to know the false apostles and the false angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-14). When God gives us wisdom, He does not give it to our mind, but He gives it to our spirit. God wants us to have wisdom in our intuition. He wants to lead us to the path of wisdom through intuition. We need revelation to truly know Him. The spirit of revelation means that God moves in our spirit and enables our intuition to know the intent of God and to know God’s movement. It is only by receiving revelation in the spirit that we can have the full knowledge of God.
When God gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, He not only causes us to have the full knowledge of Him in our intuition, but He also enlightens the eyes of our heart. The eyes of our heart here refers to our understanding, the dianoia, found in Ephesians 4:18. This is simply the faculty of perception and understanding. In Ephesians 1:17-18 two knowings are mentioned. The first one is the knowing of the intuition, and the second is the knowing, or the understanding, of the mind. The spirit of revelation is in the deepest part of our being. God reveals Himself in our spirit so that we may have a full knowledge of Him through the intuition. This knowing, however, is only the knowing in the intuition — only the inner man knows; the outer man still does not know. Our spirit still needs to enlighten our mind with light so that our mind can understand the intent of the spirit, bringing the outer man to know as well. Therefore, revelation begins in the spirit, and then it arrives at the mind. Revelation is in the intuition of the spirit, and enlightenment is in the mind of the soul. In the intuition we know by sensing, and in the mind we understand by seeing. Thus, God gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may truly know Him and truly understand Him.
Colossians 1:9-10 says, “That you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God.” This passage shows us that we need to have spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to know God’s will, to do the things that are pleasing to Him, and to have the full knowledge of Him. We have seen that it is God who gives us spiritual wisdom in our spirit, but at the same time we must also have the spiritual understanding to understand the revelation that God has given to us in the intuition of our spirit. On the one hand, the intuition of the spirit enables us to know God’s movement, and on the other hand, spiritual understanding enables us to know the meaning of the movement in our spirit. If in all things we seek God’s will in our spirit, the result will be that more and more we will know God Himself. We will grow by the full knowledge of God. This will cause our intuition to grow indefinitely. The growth of the intuition is simply the growth of life. The more the life grows, the more God will occupy us. Therefore, we must go along with the moving of the law of life and train our spirit to know God in a deeper way. What we need is the full knowledge of Him. We must ask God to give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation and to give us spiritual understanding so that day by day we may grow by the full knowledge of God.
Matthew 5:8 says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Here again we see the matter of the heart. If our heart is pure and not double-souled, as mentioned in James 4:8, we shall see God. If our heart desires and covets things other than God Himself, there will be a veil inside. Thus, our perception of God will be blurred. Therefore, whenever we feel blurry inside, the most important thing to do is to ask God to show us whether or not our heart is pure.
The Lord Jesus said, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him” (John 14:23). This verse tells us that if we love and obey the Lord, God will make an abode with us. God will give us the sense of His presence. This corresponds with 1 John 2:27, where we are told to abide in the Lord according to the teaching of the anointing. This means that when we walk according to the teaching of the anointing, we keep the Lord’s word. Then we will abide in the Lord, and God will make an abode with us. This kind of obedience issues forth out of our love toward God and not out of coercion by others.
Brother Lawrence has said that if our heart can in any measure come to know God, it can do so only through love. He also said that the pleasures of man’s heart are different from his sentiments. The proper outlet of sentiments is love, and the object of love is God. Therefore, we should sing,
Love is surely the most proper outlet of sentiments. Love is not reluctant. We love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The more we love Him, the more we will draw close to Him. The more we draw close to Him, the more we will know Him. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him and long after Him.
The saints of old wrote in the Psalms, “As the hart pants / After the streams of water, / So my soul pants / For You, O God” (42:1). This is the longing of those who have tasted God. One of the Lord’s children has said that God gave us a heart that is so great that only He can fill it. We perhaps thought that our heart was small, but those who have tasted God will testify that the heart is so big that it cannot be filled by anything less than God Himself. Only God can fill our heart. Brothers and sisters, how much does your heart long after God?
Our outward expression of God cannot exceed our inward knowledge. The degree of our inward knowledge of God determines the extent of our outward expression of Him. In other words, the outward expression is the result of inward knowledge. Now let us consider some different aspects of this matter.
The apostle Paul says, “When it pleased God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel among the Gentiles, immediately I did not confer with flesh and blood, neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me” (Gal. 1:15-17). This shows that the reason Paul had the boldness to preach the gospel to the Gentiles was that his knowledge of the Son of God was by revelation. This kind of knowledge cannot be obtained through the flesh.
When a person knows Christ in himself, he will also know Christ in others. This is what Paul had in mind when he says, “We, from now on, know no one according to the flesh” (2 Cor. 5:16). Those who know men according to the flesh find it rather difficult to receive the life supply from men. They are easily affected by the shortcomings in men’s appearance. If there is any flaw in others, it becomes material for them to criticize and judge, and it also becomes the element for them to nourish their own pride. Therefore, whether a person can know Christ in others depends upon whether he knows Christ in himself. Paul continues, “Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him so no longer” (v. 16). The apostle John says, “Every spirit which does not confess Jesus is not of God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist...You are of God, little children; and you have overcome them because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:3-4). Those who truly know God can discern the false apostles (2 Cor. 11:13; Rev. 2:2), the false prophets (Matt. 24:11), the false brothers (2 Cor. 11:26; Gal. 2:4), and the false angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Whenever we are deceived, it must be because we do not know men by Christ, who is in us. Those who truly know God have the boldness to declare, “Greater is He who dwells in us than the spirit of antichrist!”
One who truly knows God not only has the boldness to testify and is not afraid of the spirit of antichrist, but he especially fears God. For example, the steps that Paul attempted to take in his work were, many times, forbidden by God (Acts 16:6-7). He feared God. Another example of his fear of God is given in Acts 23:3-5, when being reminded that he rebuked the high priest, he became softened. This means that he feared God.
Those who truly know God gird up the loins of their mind (1 Pet. 1:13). There is nothing loose in their words, attitude, and actions. The reason they are so girded up is not that they have some strength of their own but that the life in them is restraining them and forbidding them. They are such not only before others, but even when they are by themselves, they are girded up. Whenever their words and actions do not match the life in them, those words and actions are forbidden. Also, whenever they touch God, they become softened.
Those who are loose outwardly must first be loose inwardly. Those who are loose and without restraint, who remain the same after being saved, who are careless in what they say and in what they do, are Christians who do not fear God. Those who act one way in front of people and another way behind their backs, who are one way in the pulpit and another way in daily living, are those who do not fear God.
To fear God means that anywhere, at any time, in any activity, we dare not be loose. Within there is the attitude of fearing God. Therefore, if someone claims to belong to God, and yet his words and his actions do not indicate that he fears God in the least, we will have a genuine concern for such a person. We fear for him because the day will come when he will see God’s face, although today he does not know God in his consciousness. Brothers and sisters, if this is your case, then you need to hear God’s word: “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that if He is manifested, we may have boldness and not be put to shame from Him at His coming” (1 John 2:28).
Whenever we think of the fact that one day we will see the Lord’s face, do we feel confident within? In the future when everything will be opened before the Lord, will there be anything that will cause us to be put to shame?
There is no one who truly knows God yet does not worship God. Brother Lawrence has said, “To worship God in truth is to acknowledge Him to be what He is, and ourselves as what in very fact we are. To worship Him in truth is to acknowledge with heartfelt sincerity what God in truth is — that is to say, infinitely perfect, worthy of infinite adoration, infinitely removed from sin, and so of all the divine attributes. That man is little guided by reason, who does not employ all his powers to render to this great God the worship that is His due.”
This indicates that only the person who truly knows God can worship God in truth. For example, though Jacob’s knowledge of God at Bethel caused him to fear God, it was only an outward kind of knowledge. For this reason his vow was conditional and was concerned with his own interests (Gen. 28:16-22). But when he came to Peniel (32:24-32), Jacob’s knowledge of God was much different.
Brothers and sisters, we often say that we need to worship God. But how deeply have we ourselves known God? Has our self really fallen into the ground?
Those who truly know God will express God. This is the life of godliness. Godliness itself is a great mystery. From the time God was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), this great mystery has been revealed. Jesus the Nazarene was God being manifested in the flesh. This glorious One who is both God and man has manifested God’s holy and glorious life. Today this life is in us, and it will also be manifested through us. The purpose of the law of God’s life moving in us is to fulfill this requirement. We know that godliness is not some kind of mortification but rather a sense of life. Godliness is the nature of God’s life. Therefore, when the apostle Paul says that those who belong to the Lord should pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and meekness, he includes godliness (1 Tim. 6:11).
When we were regenerated, God, according to His divine power, granted to us all things which relate to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). Also, this godliness has the promise of the present life and of the life which is coming (1 Tim. 4:8). We know that what the Lord promises us is eternal life (1 John 2:25; Titus 1:2). When we believe into the Son of God, we receive this eternal life (1 John 5:13). However, to live out this eternal life today, to express this eternal life in our thoughts, words, attitude, and actions, depends upon the power of the moving of this life within us. Therefore, the apostle Paul says, “We have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10).
Within us we already have the godly life of God, but to manifest the nature of this life, we need to exercise ourselves unto godliness (v. 7). We know that fear of God is a matter of attitude. This means that we are afraid of having our self in anything we do. We are afraid to sin against God. On the other hand, godliness means that we let God come forth in everything we do. To exercise ourselves unto godliness, on the negative side, means to deny all ungodliness (Titus 2:12), things that do not conform to God. On the positive side, we need to let God come forth in everything. This kind of godliness is not some kind of mortification. It is not a matter of closing the doors and ignoring everything, but it is a matter of abiding in the Lord according to the teaching of the anointing and of learning to let the law of life manifest the nature of God’s life in our daily life (1 Tim. 2:2). This kind of exercising unto godliness is more profitable than bodily exercise.
Although today we cannot experience this eternal life completely, if we experience it day by day, one day we will be completely like Him when our body has been redeemed, and we will fully enjoy this eternal life. This is God’s eternal purpose. This is the glory of the new covenant. We need to praise the Lord with a heart full of expectation.
We also need to realize that there is one thing that is unavoidable to all that would live godly in Christ Jesus. Paul tells Timothy, “You have closely followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings, such as befell me in Antioch, in Iconium, in Lystra. Such persecutions I bore” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). Someone might think that it was because Paul was an apostle that he could not avoid such persecutions, but Paul continues, “Indeed all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (v. 12).
Not only can an apostle not avoid persecution, but without exception, anyone who is determined to live godly in Christ Jesus will also be persecuted. If in our daily life we will be just a little accommodating, a little complacent, a little clever and tactful, wise to protect ourselves, go along with the worldly customs, mingle with others, give in concerning the truths, and compromise with those who are not willing to pay the price and if we would just please others at the cost of truth, not seeking the inner voice, and not obeying the inner sense, then we may be a Christian, but we will be a Christian without persecution. For who would persecute us if we are the same as everyone else?
We should not think that Christians who suffer much persecution are those who have the ill fortune to be born at the wrong time and who have been destined to encounter oppositions. On the contrary, the fact is that Christians who do not suffer persecution are the ones who do not live godly in Christ Jesus; otherwise, persecution would be unavoidable. For this reason a believer once said, “The most spiritual believers are seamed with scars; martyrs have put on their crown glittering with fire.” But we need not be fearful, for either the Lord will empower us, making us able to endure, or He will deliver us from all the sufferings (1 Cor. 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:8-10; 2 Tim. 3:11).
Here also we need to mention that exercising unto godliness, or living godly in Christ Jesus, is a spiritual pursuit and an overflow of life. Some manifestations of such exercise are normal and need not be mentioned here. But we will mention certain manifestations that may be considered sick conditions and that are defects.
Some Christians, it seems, were born lazy. They neither like to labor nor to work. They use prayer and spiritual words as a shelter for their laziness. A brother told us of a certain sister who did not like to do things. Either she would have the excuse of not knowing how to do it, or she would have the excuse of not having the strength to do it. At one point someone arranged for her to pick some flowers from the garden every day and arrange them in a vase. After a few days she stopped doing it, saying that it was not spiritual. This is a sick condition. This is not godliness.
Some Christians think that godliness means to be rigid. Such rigidness makes them appear artificial. One brother met a certain one who, whenever he would say a few words, would bow down his head or raise up his head to look up into the heavens. This person was pretending to be godly. The brother who related this incident said he felt like shouting to him, “Brother, stop this nonsense!” We know what life is; it is spontaneous. It is hard for the spirit of a rigid person to come forth, and so God cannot come forth either. Therefore, whenever we exercise ourselves unto godliness, we should be living and fresh. It must be God who comes forth in our words and in our attitude.
We mentioned previously that if we live godly in Christ Jesus, we will be persecuted. This means that those who will not sin against God in order to please men will encounter persecutions. This is not to say, however, that we may be negligent in love and in courtesy toward others.
A certain sister was taking a walk in the mountains. There came another sister who greeted her and asked where she was going. She looked up into the heavens and coldly answered, “I am going to see God.” Let us not think that such a self-assumed godliness and such a cold, hardhearted attitude will ever attract others to long after God.
Some Christians who admire Madame Guyon and Brother Lawrence (who practiced the presence of God) seek to practice godliness as they did. This is something to be respected. It is even desirable. However, regrettably, there are others who imitate them and become passive. Why do we say that they learn, yet they fall into passivity? Because they often cannot hear what others say. It is right to ignore people’s gossip, but to ignore the important things said by others is an insult to them. Those who practice godliness and become passive also cannot understand what others say, nor show any concern for the affairs of others. Yet they think they are enjoying the presence of God. If this were normal, then how could Brother Lawrence handle the affairs in the midst of the noise and clatter of his busy environment? If someone asked him for a plate and he gave them a spoon, if he could not hear their first request nor understand their repeated request, would it not be a hardship for others? Therefore, we must say that it is not normal to practice godliness by being passive.
Brothers and sisters, our Lord is the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among us, full of grace and reality (John 1:14). This is a great revelation of godliness. Paul, who told Timothy that only godliness is profitable for all things (1 Tim. 4:8), is the one who said, “Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I myself do not burn?” (2 Cor. 11:29). He also worked with his own hands (1 Cor. 4:12), and he labored more abundantly than all the apostles (15:10). Brothers and sisters, this is our example. We should respect Paul and learn of him.
To exercise ourselves unto godliness is to let this godly life express itself and become a godly living, until one day we shall be completely like God. There is a hymn of prayer that properly expresses this pursuit. We print it here as our prayer.
The power of God’s life will fulfill God’s eternal purpose in us. Today on the earth we have the promise of God’s life, which is godliness. This does not mean that we are complete to such an extent that we no longer need confession, no longer need God’s forgiveness, and no longer need the cleansing of the precious blood. No, we must read Hebrews 8:12 again: “I will be propitious to their unrighteousnesses, and their sins I shall by no means remember anymore.”
In the sixth chapter of this book we pointed out that we must pay attention to the word for in this verse. It is very important, for it shows that God’s being propitious toward our unrighteousnesses and by no means remembering our sins anymore are the cause. Furthermore, God has imparted His laws into our mind and has inscribed them on our hearts and has become our God in the law of life and has made us His people in the law of life for this purpose: that we might have a deeper knowledge of Him. To know God is the purpose, so it is mentioned first; however, the forgiveness of sins is the procedure, so it is mentioned later.
A similar instance can be found in Ephesians 1. First, in verse 5 we are told that God predestinated “us unto sonship through Jesus Christ to Himself,” because this is the purpose. Later, in verse 7 it is mentioned that “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses,” because this is the procedure.
Before God can give us His life, He must forgive us and cleanse us of our sins. This also indicates that after we have God’s life, if we have sin and do not deal with it, it will hinder the growth of this life. Therefore, in order for God’s life to move within us without hindrance, we must not tolerate sin. Sin must be confessed to God, and forgiveness must be obtained. We may also need to confess to others and ask for their forgiveness.
We should not think that we can exercise unto godliness to such an extent that we no longer need God’s forgiveness or the cleansing of the precious blood. On the contrary, the more one knows God, the more he feels the poverty of his condition; the more he confesses before God, seeking forgiveness, the more he will experience the cleansing of the blood. Often those Christians whom we consider to be most holy are ones who have shed many tears before God. For it is in God’s light that we see light (Psa. 36:9), and in God’s light we will see our real condition. Our hidden flesh and our hidden self will be exposed in God’s light. At such a time we will truly say to God, “I declare my iniquity; / I am anxious because of my sin” (Psa. 38:18). We will also say to God, “Clear me of my secret faults. / Also keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins...May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart / Be acceptable before You, / O Jehovah, my rock and my Redeemer” (19:12-14).
A servant of God once gave a word based upon 1 John 1 in which he pointed out that life requires fellowship and also brings in fellowship; fellowship brings in light; and light requires the blood. Here we notice a series of experiences. If a person has life, he will seek fellowship; when there is fellowship, he will see light; and when he sees light, he will seek the blood. These four things not only constitute a series; they also are causally related to each other. Life causes us to have fellowship, and fellowship imparts life to us. Fellowship causes us to see light, and light brings a deeper fellowship. Light prompts us to seek the cleansing of the blood, and the cleansing of the blood allows us to see the light more clearly. These four items are not only causally related to each other, but they are also in a cycle, with life bringing us to fellowship; fellowship causing us to see light; light causing us to receive the cleansing of the blood; and following the cleansing of the blood, the receiving of more life. When we receive more life, we will have more fellowship, and when we have more fellowship, we will see more light; then having seen more light, we will receive more cleansing of the blood. These four items recur thus in a cycle. The experience of this cycle will cause us to move ahead in life.
As a car moves by the continuous turning of the wheels, so the experience of these four matters is just like the turning of the wheels. Whenever a cycle is completed, we move on a certain distance in life. When another cycle is completed, it carries us on further. As we pass through one cycle after another, we will continue to move on in God’s life. If at some point our experience of the cycle stops, we also come to a stop in God’s life. These are the words of one who really knew God and who knew the Word of God.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, it is in the law of life and in the intuition that we know God. This is very practical. This knowing does not need the teaching of others at all. This is the climax of the new covenant. This is also the glory of the new covenant. Hallelujah! Here we must praise and worship Him.
We have spoken a great deal concerning the characteristics of the new covenant. But to really know and understand it, we must have the revelation and the illumination of the Holy Spirit. We must remember that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). The Lord said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). Apart from the Holy Spirit nothing can quicken man.
The new covenant is a great grace; it is very rich and most glorious. Therefore, we need to ask God to give us faith. What is faith? Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substantiation of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” This is the definition of faith in the Scriptures. What is the meaning of substance? In the Greek language it means “a foundation, a standing, or a supporting ground.” For example, if we put a book on the bookshelf, it is the bookshelf that is holding the book. Or if we sit on a chair, it is the chair that supports us.
The word conviction has the sense of “proving,” which has the nature of a verb. Faith upholds the things we hoped for, allowing our heart to be at rest. The faith within can prove the unseen things to us so that our heart can say Amen to the words that God has spoken. Faith is the foundation or supporting ground that holds the things we hoped for; faith is the proof of things unseen. Second Corinthians 1:20 says, “For as many promises of God as there are, in Him is the Yes; therefore also through Him is the Amen to God, for glory through us to God.” Therefore, we do not look at ourselves but unto Him, Christ. His blood is the base of the new covenant. He has bequeathed to us the entire spiritual inheritance, and He is also the Executor of the testament, or will. What can be more secure than this?
God is faithful (Heb. 10:23). God’s faithfulness is the guarantee of His promises and is the guarantee of His covenant (Deut. 7:9; Psa. 89:33-34). If we do not believe, we commit an offense against God’s faithfulness and consider Him to be a liar. Therefore, whenever we find it difficult to believe, on the one hand, we need to condemn the unbelief as sin and ask the Lord to remove the evil heart of unbelief (Heb. 3:12); on the other hand, we need to look away unto Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (12:2). Since the Lord has created the initial faith in us (Eph. 2:8; 1 Tim. 1:14; 2 Pet. 1:1), we believe that He will also bring this faith to perfection. Oh, blessed and glorious new covenant! Let us not be too late in believing. We have repented and shed tears many times because we are so poor. We must admit that we have limited God too much and are too far short of the standards of the new covenant.
Many times, brothers and sisters, it is not that we do not seek but that we seek in the wrong way. This is a shame. We are too much in the letter and too much dependent upon ourselves. For this reason we struggle and strive. The result is only a sigh of pain. The following hymn will help remind us not to seek further in the wrong way.
In closing, let us exercise our heart to read two passages of the Scriptures and so express our deep longing and our heart’s desire. The first is Hebrews 13:20-21, which says, “Now the God of peace, He who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, in the blood of an eternal covenant, perfect you in every good work for the doing of His will, doing in us that which is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” The second passage is Ephesians 3:20-21: “To Him who is able to do superabundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which operates in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus unto all the generations forever and ever. Amen.”
