She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins. Now all this has happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel” (which is translated, God with us). (Matt. 1:21-23)
We know that here the Lord has two particular names: one is Jesus, which means “Savior,” and the other is Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” This One is God with us.
Where there are two or three gathered into My name, there am I in their midst. (18:20)
Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the consummation of the age. (28:19-20)
Please take notice that the book of Matthew, the first book of the Gospels, refers three times to the Lord’s being with us. The first time is at the beginning, where it says that the Lord’s name is called “God with us.” The second time is in the middle, where the Lord promised that whenever we are gathered into His name, He would be with us. The last time is at the end, where He promised to be with us until the consummation of the age.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh and tabernacled [dwelt] among us...full of grace and reality. (John 1:1, 14)
In the beginning was the Word, and this Word was not only with God, but He was God. One day this Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and reality.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (v. 4)
In the Word, the incarnated Word, was life.
I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly. (10:10)
The purpose of His coming was for man to have life and to have it abundantly.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter, that He may be with you forever, even the Spirit of reality, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him; but you know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you. (14:16-17)
Here we see that the Lord’s presence goes a step further. Not only is He with us outwardly, but He will enter into us to abide in us.
I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. Yet a little while and the world beholds Me no longer, but you behold Me; because I live, you also shall live. (vv. 18-19)
In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (v. 20)
When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and while the doors were shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be to you. And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples therefore rejoiced at seeing the Lord. Then Jesus said to them again, Peace be to you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. (20:19-22)
And they passed through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, yet the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. (Acts 16:6-7)
Notice the two different titles of the Holy Spirit in this passage. Verse 6 speaks of the Holy Spirit, whereas verse 7 refers to the Spirit of Jesus. This shows that at this time the Spirit of Jesus was the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was the Spirit of Jesus.
You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. (Rom. 8:9-11)
It clearly shows here that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of Christ is Christ Himself, and this Christ is dwelling in us. Brothers and sisters, you need to be very clear about this point. Never think that only the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us. Here it says that Christ is in us because He is the Spirit, who was the Spirit of God but who is now the Spirit of Christ and the Spirit of Jesus.
The last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. (1 Cor. 15:45)
Life-giving Spirit is a better rendering than quickening Spirit (KJV). The last Adam is the Lord Jesus as a man. The Lord Jesus first became a man and then became a life-giving Spirit.
If we, being enemies, were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more we will be saved in His life, having been reconciled. (Rom. 5:10)
In this verse of the Scriptures two matters are mentioned: the first matter is the death of God’s Son, and the second is His life. This verse tells us that while we were enemies of God, we were reconciled to God through the death of the Lord Jesus, and the problems between us and God were solved. Moreover, since we have been reconciled, we will be saved in the life of the Lord Jesus. Being reconciled to God through the Lord’s death is one thing, and being saved in the Lord’s life is another thing. Here, our being saved refers not only to our being saved by believing in the Lord but even more to our being saved by the Lord step by step, after we believe in Him, from the old creation and the self into His glory. On the negative side, we were saved through the Lord’s death to be reconciled to God, thereby solving the problems between us and God. On the positive side, we are being saved in the Lord’s life from the old creation and the natural being to enter fully into the glory of God.
And not only so, but also boasting in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (v. 11)
In this verse whom refers to the One who is in resurrection. The Greek word for boasting means “to boast” and also “to exult.” This is to say that since we were reconciled to God through the Lord’s death, we now have God as our boast, our exultation, our rejoicing, and our enjoyment in the Lord’s resurrection through His life.
The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death. (8:2)
That the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For those who are according to the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. (vv. 4-6)
But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. (vv. 9-11)
For you have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father! The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. (vv. 15-16)
And not only so, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly awaiting sonship, the redemption of our body. (v. 23)
Moreover, in like manner the Spirit also joins in to help us in our weakness, for we do not know for what we should pray as is fitting, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. But He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to God. And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Because those whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the Firstborn among many brothers; and those whom He predestinated, these He also called; and those whom He called, these He also justified; and those whom He justified, these He also glorified. (vv. 26-30)
Concerning His Son, who came out of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was designated the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness out of the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1:3-4)
I exhort you therefore, brothers, through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. (12:1)
For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (14:17)
Holy here is an emphasized word. In Greek Holy comes after the Spirit, meaning that the Spirit is “the Holy”; hence, the Holy Spirit.
Romans is a book that particularly gives an outline of the Christian life. It speaks clearly concerning three great matters to which every Christian must pay attention. The first great matter concerns our salvation or, we may say, justification. The second great matter is on how we should live in the Spirit after we have been saved. The third matter is on how, by such a living, we may become living members to live the church life, the Body life. It speaks first about our salvation, then about our living in the Spirit, and then about our service and coordination in the Body. Our salvation is for us to live in the Spirit, and by living in the Spirit we become living members coordinating in the Body. Therefore, living in the Spirit is the key to the Body life.
Formerly we were sinners and also enemies of God. We offended Him and had a problem with Him. The Lord Jesus, however, reconciled us to God by dying for us sinners and solving the problems between us and God. Therefore, today when we believe in the Lord, we are justified and have no more problems with God. This is what the Lord’s death has accomplished for us. After we have been saved, we have the life of the Lord Jesus in us. First, this life sets us free from all kinds of bondage, such as the world, the flesh, the law of sin, and the old creation. Second, this life is saving us. With regard to our bondage, we need to be freed; with regard to our fallen condition, we need to be saved. The Lord Jesus is doing the work not only of setting us free to deliver us from all kinds of bondage but also of saving us day by day and moment by moment so that we may come out of our fallen situation. Third, He is doing the work of transformation. Fourth, He is doing the work of sanctification to set us apart and make us holy so that we may be separated from all things and all worldly people. Fifth, eventually He will glorify us to make us as glorious as He is. Dear brothers and sisters, all these items are included in our being saved in the life of the Lord Jesus. Our salvation through the death of the Lord Jesus resolves the problems we had with God in the past. Our being saved in the life of the Lord allows Him to work in us to set us free, to save us, to transform us, to sanctify us, and to glorify us. How does the Lord Jesus carry out all these works in us? It hinges on His being a living Spirit. Hence, the first section of Romans shows us that the Lord Jesus died for us on the cross, and the second section shows us that He is in us living instead of us. Previously Christ died on the cross, but now He is living in us.
The clause in the beginning of Romans 8:10, Christ is in you, is a great word; it is the key to the entire book of Romans. God works to such an extent that Christ is wrought into us, and this Christ who is in us is the Spirit. In Romans this Spirit has four different titles: first, the Spirit of life; second, the Spirit of sonship; third, the Spirit of firstfruits; and fourth, the Spirit of holiness. If you have a clear view of these few points, then you have grasped the key to Romans. Over the years, among the children of God many books were written concerning Romans, but the key to this book was never clearly pointed out. At this time I hope to impress you with this crucial point. The key to this book is “Christ in you,” and this Christ is the Spirit.
Some may ask, “How can Christ be this Spirit?” This is a mystery that is hard to explain thoroughly. Second Corinthians 3:17 says that “the Lord is the Spirit”; then it goes on to refer to “the Spirit of the Lord.” On the one hand, it says that “the Lord is the Spirit”; hence, the Lord and the Spirit are one. On the other hand, it mentions “the Spirit of the Lord”; hence, the Lord and the Spirit are two. However, the two aspects are mentioned together. Furthermore, John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When it says that the Word was with God, it means that the Word and God are two. Yet it also says that the Word was God, meaning that They are one. Therefore, They are two yet one and one yet two. Although we do not understand this doctrine, we still need to accept this fact. The Christ who dwells in us is the Spirit.
To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, the called saints, with all those who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, who is theirs and ours. (1 Cor. 1:2)
Christ “is theirs and ours”—this is a word of great emphasis. Christ is the blessed portion given to us by God, just as the land of Canaan was the blessed portion given to the children of Israel by God. This is our portion, our inheritance.
God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (v. 9)
For indeed Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. (vv. 22-23)
Here we see that signs and wisdom may become replacements of Christ. We may want signs or wisdom instead of Christ. Jews require signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became wisdom to us from God: both righteousness and sanctification and redemption. (v. 30)
After reading these verses, we realize that chapter 1 shows us how Christ is our portion. Today God has given us Christ to be our everything. What God gives to us is not signs, nor wisdom, nor any other thing, but Christ.
That in everything you were enriched in Him, in all utterance and all knowledge. (v. 5)
So that you do not lack in any gift. (v. 7)
The church in Corinth was enriched in all utterance and all knowledge and did not lack in any gift, yet the Corinthians were very poor in their spiritual life. This shows that utterance, knowledge, or any gift is not Christ. Utterance, knowledge, signs, and wisdom—all these are not Christ. What God wants to give us is not these things, but Christ. First Corinthians 1 is a strong chapter in the Bible which proves that Christ is not utterance, knowledge, gifts, signs, or wisdom. This is very clear. You may have all spiritual utterance and all knowledge, you may have various gifts, and you may have signs and wisdom, but you may have missed Christ. You may use these things to replace Christ.
As it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not come up in man’s heart; things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (2:9)
What are the things which God has prepared for those who love Him? In my youth I heard people say that these things are related to the blessing of going to heaven. But if you read the New Testament and the context of this passage in 1 Corinthians, you will see that these things denote Christ Himself. The blessing which God has prepared for us is the Spirit of sonship, the life-giving Spirit, who is leading and working in us continually until we are brought into glory. Not to mention that our eyes have not seen and our ears have not heard of this blessing, but even our hearts have never thought about it.
To us God has revealed them through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For 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. (vv. 10-11)
Brothers and sisters, what are the things of God? The things of God are the things concerning Christ, whom God has wrought into our being as the Spirit of sonship to work in us and bring us into glory.
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; which things also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things with spiritual words. (vv. 12-13)
Here Paul does not speak about dreams or visions but concerning how God accomplished redemption and works His Son into us as the Spirit of sonship to transform, sanctify, and glorify us that we may be like His Son.
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 because they are discerned spiritually. But the spiritual man discerns all things, but he himself is discerned by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord and will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.” (vv. 14-16)
We see two kinds of men here: One is a spiritual man, and the other is a soulish man. A spiritual man is not only regenerated in his spirit, but he also has the mind of Christ in his mind, which is referred to in Romans 12:2 as being transformed by the renewing of the mind.
First Corinthians 1 is on Christ, and chapter 2 is on the Spirit. Christ is our portion and our all. Utterance, knowledge, gifts, signs, or wisdom is not Christ. Only Christ Himself is Christ. In a sense, the Jews knew God, but their knowledge was insufficient; they still required signs. The Greeks were active in their mind, and they sought education and wisdom. But the apostles were commissioned by God to preach Christ crucified, not signs required by the Jews or wisdom sought by the Greeks. Only Christ is real wisdom and real power. Just as God had put the children of Israel in the land of Canaan, so God has also put us in Christ and has made Him our wisdom, redemption, righteousness, and sanctification. In other words, God has put us in Christ so that Christ may become our all. Christ is theirs and ours (1:2). He belongs to all of us who have believed in Him. God has called us into the fellowship of Christ as our portion. All these things are covered in chapter 1.
However, I would like to tell you, brothers and sisters, that although the things covered in 1 Corinthians 1 are perfect, they are merely objective facts and not our subjective experience. Hence, there is the need for chapter 2, which is on the Spirit. Chapter 2 speaks not only about the Spirit of God objectively but also about our spirit subjectively. At the end it concludes by asking whether we are soulish or spiritual. What is it to be soulish? Do not think that a soulish person is a bad person. No, the best person in the world may be altogether soulish! To be soulish means to live by the soul and in the soul. To be spiritual means to live by the spirit, in the spirit, and under the direction of the spirit. This spirit is the mingled spirit: the life-giving Spirit of God mingled with our created and regenerated spirit. If we want to know the blessings and the riches in Christ, we must be in the spirit. We cannot comprehend them in the soul; we can touch them only in the spirit.
The One who firmly attaches us with you unto Christ and has anointed us is God, He who has also sealed us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. (2 Cor. 1:21-22)
Since you are being manifested that you are a letter of Christ ministered by us, inscribed not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone but in tablets of hearts of flesh. (3:3)
Who has also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant, ministers not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (v. 6)
The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit. (vv. 17-18)
The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly but powerful before God for the overthrowing of strongholds, as we overthrow reasonings and every high thing rising up against the knowledge of God, and take captive every thought unto the obedience of Christ. (10:4-5)
Test yourselves whether you are in the faith; prove yourselves. Or do you not realize about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disapproved? (13:5)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (v. 14)
First Corinthians shows us the building Spirit. The primary need for building is transformation. Therefore, 2 Corinthians goes on to show us the transforming Spirit. The Spirit in 2 Corinthians is the transforming Spirit.
Second Corinthians 1 shows that the transforming Spirit is in us as three items doing three things. First, He is the ointment to anoint us; second, He is the seal to impress us; and third, He is the pledge to guarantee to us. These three matters alone require us to have much knowledge, explanation, and experience.
The first portion in the Bible that mentions the anointing of the Spirit who dwells in us is 2 Corinthians 1. As the ointment, the Spirit anoints us and “rubs” God’s elements into us. When you apply any kind of ointment to an object, the more you apply, the more the element of the ointment is added to the object. The life-giving Spirit works within us, and the first thing He does is to rub God’s elements into us. His anointing within is His moving, and this moving is a rubbing to apply the divine elements into us.
Second, the Spirit is the seal. This is for us to have God’s image. A seal is a matter of image. If your seal is square, the impression it makes will also be square. If your seal is round, the impression it makes will also be round. As the seal in us, the life-giving Spirit not only affirms that we belong to God but also impresses God’s image into us so that we have God’s image. Let us give an example. Sometimes we meet someone in a train, in a steamboat, or in other situations. Although we do not know that person, by his or her appearance we know that this one is a brother or a sister. That appearance is the impression of the seal. This seal is living and is a reality. When we truly live in the Spirit and walk according to the Spirit, wherever we are, we have a kind of image, a kind of impression, a kind of appearance, by which others can recognize that we belong to God.
Third, the Spirit is the pledge. In Greek, this word has many denotations. It may be translated as “evidence, pledge, guarantee, deposit, earnest, sample, or foretaste.” This Spirit as the ointment in us anoints us with God’s elements, and as the seal He impresses us with the image of God, affirming that we belong to God and have God’s image. Furthermore, as the pledge, He guarantees that all the fullness of the Godhead is our portion for our enjoyment and application. This Spirit enables us to have a foretaste of God, to enjoy God in advance.
Now we come to 2 Corinthians 3. This chapter first shows that this Spirit, who is in us as the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging, is also the inscribing Spirit. We are like a piece of paper, and the Spirit of life is like ink, with which Christ is inscribed into us. This thought is deep and meaningful.
Many different expressions are used in the Epistles to describe the indwelling Spirit. Some of the titles are found in Romans, and other expressions are found in 1 Corinthians. Now in 2 Corinthians there are still more utterances. In Romans and 1 Corinthians there are no words referring to the anointing, the sealing, the pledging, or the inscribing. Then 2 Corinthians 3 shows that the Spirit is the inscribing Spirit (v. 3) and the Spirit who gives life (v. 6). Moreover, verse 8 of the same chapter mentions “the ministry of the Spirit.” Therefore, the Spirit is also the ministering Spirit. This ministering Spirit is the Spirit of life, the writing or inscribing Spirit. By this you can see that chapter 3 of 2 Corinthians alone has added a number of different expressions.
We have said before that the first thing in the degradation of the church on earth is that the replacements of Christ were brought in, and the next thing is that man’s will, organization, and methods have replaced the Holy Spirit. You see here, however, that the Holy Spirit is the inscribing Spirit. What does He inscribe? The Spirit inscribes Christ. Paul says, “You are being manifested that you are a letter of Christ” (v. 3a). This letter speaks about Christ. Whatever is written in this letter is Christ. This tells us that today when we help others, whether it is to preach the word, to give a message, to preach the gospel, or to visit and fellowship with others, what we are doing is to write Christ into others through the Spirit. This is to work Christ into others, to minister Christ into others. You do not merely preach to people a message about Christ; rather, you work Christ into them.
This requires you to exercise your spirit. You cannot minister Christ merely by doctrines or theories. You must be in spirit in order to touch the spirit in man’s deepest part. It is neither a matter of how many messages you preach concerning Christ nor a matter of how many things you speak about Christ. Rather, it is a matter of the exercise of the spirit, the release of the spirit, and the going forth of the spirit. It is better that we give fewer messages. Our spirit must be strong, rich, living, and full of supply. When our spirit goes forth, it touches others’ spirit. What this spirit does in others is to write Christ into them.
The conclusion of 2 Corinthians 3 tells us that the Spirit is the Lord Himself. Moreover, it says that where the Spirit is, there is release, there is freedom. Therefore, the Spirit is also the freeing Spirit, the Spirit who sets us free. Then it goes on to say that this Spirit is also the transforming Spirit. The latter part of verse 18 says, “Being transformed...even as from the Lord Spirit.” The same word for transformed is also used in Romans 12:2, which says, “Be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Therefore, in 2 Corinthians the Spirit is the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging, and He is also the inscribing Spirit, the ministering Spirit, the Spirit who gives life, the freeing Spirit, and the transforming Spirit. The utterance here is truly rich. I have a strong feeling that today we do not have adequate knowledge of the Spirit. I hope that in these days the Lord will cause us to see that the most important thing in following the Lord is to know the Spirit. We ourselves must have the experience, and then we have to preach and teach about this Spirit, showing others how this Spirit inwardly anoints us, rubbing God’s elements into us. We should describe to them how this Spirit seals us, not once for all but continuously, so that the more He seals us, the more we become like God, the more we have God’s image. We should also illustrate to them how the Spirit is in us as the foretaste, sample, and earnest, guaranteeing that everything of God is for our enjoyment. We should also explain to them that the Spirit is inscribing Christ into us daily. Hence, today when we help others, whether in ministering the word, in preaching the gospel, in fellowshipping, or in visiting, we should exercise our spirit to let the Spirit inscribe, add, work, and minister more of Christ into them. Furthermore, we should explain to them how the Spirit enlivens us from within and gives us life. We should show them that our service, our ministering, and our ministry should issue out of the Spirit. We should also show them how the Spirit releases us, because where the Spirit is, there is freedom; He has loosed all confinements, bondage, and restraints so that we are liberated, transcended, uplifted, and ascended. We should also illustrate to others how the Spirit is doing a transforming work in us daily and how we need to open our mind, our heart, our spirit, and even our entire being to afford Him the opportunity to flow in us and carry out His transforming work. The more He transforms us, the more we bear His image.
Now we come to the book of Galatians. The sequence of the books of the Bible is very meaningful, and we believe it is the arrangement of the Holy Spirit. In Romans we see how the Spirit of sonship carries out a sanctifying work in us so that we may have the image of God’s Son. Then 1 Corinthians tells us how this Spirit is building us. The building Spirit carries out a building work in us mainly by transforming us. Therefore, 2 Corinthians goes on to show how the transforming Spirit is doing a transforming work in us. This is a general outline. Then from Galatians to Philemon we see a more detailed explanation of how we can become sons of God, how the Son of God can be wrought into us, how we can live by the Son of God, and how we can become the Body of Christ, thus completely living in the life-giving Spirit.
It pleased God...to reveal His Son in me. (Gal. 1:15-16)
The first concept given to us in Galatians is that it pleased God to reveal His Son in us, to put His Son in us.
I through law have died to law that I might live to God. I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (2:19-20)
What these two verses mean is that the Son of God is in me, the faith of the Son of God is in me, and I live by the faith of the Son of God. Chapter 1 says that it pleases God to put His Son in us. Chapter 2 says that the Son of God has not only been put in us, but He is also living in us, and we are living by His faith.
My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you. (4:19)
The above three passages are the basic thoughts in the book of Galatians. First, the Son of God is revealed in us and is put in us. Second, the Son of God lives in us. Third, the Son of God is being formed in us. Being put in us is the first step, living in us is the continuation, and being formed in us is the result. How is this matter being accomplished? It is altogether accomplished in the Spirit.
Just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now. (v. 29)
Here we have the matter of being born according to the Spirit, which means the same thing as being born of the Spirit in John 3.
When the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law, that He might redeem those under law that we might receive the sonship. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father! (Gal. 4:4-6)
The gospel preached in Christianity always contains an inaccurate concept, that is, that Christ has redeemed us out of the law for us to enjoy the blessing of heaven. However, Galatians 4 does not say this. Instead, it says that God has redeemed us out of the law that we might receive the sonship. The central purpose of Christ’s redemption is not for us to enjoy the blessing of going to heaven but for us to receive the sonship and become sons of God. Furthermore, the Spirit of the Son here is somewhat different from the Spirit of sonship in Romans 8. Here it is the Spirit of Christ as the Son of God. Whereas Galatians 4:29 says, “Born according to the Spirit,” here in 4:6 it says that God has sent forth “the Spirit of His Son” into our hearts.
This only I wish to learn from you, Did you receive the Spirit out of the works of law or out of the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? (3:2-3)
He therefore who bountifully supplies to you the Spirit and does works of power among you, does He do it out of the works of law or out of the hearing of faith? (v. 5)
The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles out of faith, announced the gospel beforehand to Abraham: “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” (v. 8)
Christ has redeemed us out of the curse of the law, having become a curse on our behalf; because it is written, “Cursed is everyone hanging on a tree”; in order that the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (vv. 13-14)
The blessing which God intended to give to Abraham was the promise of the Spirit. Many Christians do not see this. They think that the gospel is for the forgiveness of sins, which surely is a blessing. In the Gospels, however, the principal blessing is the life-giving Spirit whom God intended to give us according to what He had planned and ordained in eternity. Therefore, in time, God promised Abraham, saying that in his seed, who is Christ, all the nations would be blessed.
I have never read a spiritual book or heard a message saying that this blessing is the life-giving Spirit. It was not until over ten years ago, when one morning I came to this passage in my studying of the Bible, that my eyes were opened by God to see that this blessing is the promise of the Spirit. This Spirit includes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Not only so, this Spirit also includes the human element, the effectiveness of Christ’s death, and the power of resurrection. This Spirit is truly the all-inclusive Spirit.
Many Christians consider the Holy Spirit to be very simple. There have even been theological debates on whether or not the Holy Spirit is a person. In the early days the general concept was that the Holy Spirit was merely a power, an agent. Later, advancement in theology led to the discovery of the Holy Spirit as a person. Today we must see that the Spirit is not only a person, but He also incorporates the Father and the Son. Moreover, He is all-inclusive. He has the elements of human living, the effectiveness of death, and the power of resurrection. The Spirit, therefore, is exceedingly rich.
Galatians 3:5 shows that God is supplying, not just giving, the Spirit to us. To supply means to meet our need continuously. God not only gives us the Spirit; He supplies to us the Spirit. This Spirit is the blessing which God planned and prepared throughout the ages for us. When you have this Spirit, you have eternal life. When you have this Spirit, you have redemption. Comfort, peace, and power are in this Spirit. Do not misunderstand me, but even forgiveness of sins is in this Spirit.
I hope that here I can give you a simple yet deep impression. This Spirit is a tremendous Spirit. All that God is and all that Christ has accomplished, obtained, and attained are in this Spirit. When we believe the gospel, God puts this Spirit into us. When this Spirit comes in, forgiveness of sins, redemption, justification, peace, life, comfort, power, and light come in. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit come in, and even the effectiveness of the death of Christ, which solves all our problems, and the power of resurrection come in. Hence, this is an all-effective dose. He can handle your every problem and supply your every need.
Following the book of Galatians is the book of Ephesians. The Spirit in Galatians is for us to have Christ, live by Christ, and live out Christ, or we may say, for us to have the Son of God, live by the Son of God, and live out the Son of God. We should not merely speak about Christ and the Son of God. Unless we know the Spirit and live in the Spirit, everything we say about Christ is doctrinal, not experiential. All our speakings concerning Christ must be in the Spirit. If we want to receive Christ and let Him come into us, and if we want to live out Christ, express Him, and let Him become the outward fruit, then we must have the “story” of the Spirit and be in the Spirit.
The Spirit in Galatians is for us to live by Christ and live out Christ, whereas the Spirit in Ephesians is for us to have the Body life, the church life. Many people know that Ephesians is a book on the church, the Body of Christ. Please remember, however, that the church is not a doctrine. In church history there was a group of people, the so-called Brethren, who had a great many discussions and wrote much concerning the church. They said that the church is heavenly, is seated with Christ in the heavenlies, and has received every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. These truths are accurate, yet it is a pity that they have become doctrines because the emphasis of the Brethren is merely on the objective aspect of the church. May I ask you, How can the fact that the church is in the heavenlies be fulfilled in you? How can you experience the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies that were given by God to the church? This requires you to live in the Spirit. If you do not live in the Spirit, the fact that the church is in the heavenlies has nothing to do with you. There is an abundant supply of electricity in the power plant, but unless the electrical current is transmitted to your electric fan, the electricity in the power plant has nothing to do with you. Therefore, the reality of the church is not a matter of doctrine or a matter of interpretation but a matter of having the life-giving Spirit connected to your spirit. Once you live in the Spirit, you have the reality of the church, and you have the church life.
The spiritual life, the church life, and the reality of the Body hinge on the Spirit. The key to knowing the Lord, following the Lord, fellowshipping with the Lord, contacting the Lord, having the church life, and having the reality of the Body is the Spirit. Only when you have the Spirit can you have a spiritual goal. Regrettably, many Christians have lost the goal. Some of them care only for studying the Bible and learning the doctrines, while others pay attention to rituals and ordinances. Still others want to receive a surge of power from on high, so they pray continually, hoping that one day this surge of power from on high will be poured upon them. Their reasoning is based solely on the book of Acts, without caring for the other aspect revealed in the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John shows us that this power flows out from within instead of from on high. The Lord Jesus said that if anyone drinks of the water that He gives, the water will become in him a fountain of water springing up all the time (4:14). He also said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes into Me...out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water” (7:37-38). Here it does not speak of only one river but many rivers, a variety of rivers, such as the river of love, the river of patience, and the river of humility. These rivers are abundant, rich, and multifaceted.
There are two brothers with us in these meetings who are from America, and both of them are Texans. The western part of Texas, where the hometown of one of the brothers is, is famous in the world for its cotton production. I have been to his hometown for a short stay. The place is a vast plain spreading out beyond the horizon with cotton fields everywhere. I asked the brothers about a little shed that was built in the field and was told that it is used for irrigation equipment. I learned that underneath there is a subterranean river flowing wide and deep, so the people dug a deep well to draw the water up to irrigate the region. Therefore, the cotton fields there do not depend on the rain from heaven, yet they have an abundant harvest yearly because they never lack water.
O brothers and sisters, there is also a river flowing richly within us Christians, yet we neglect it and are ignorant of it. We forget that when the Lord Jesus was resurrected, He breathed into the disciples. Then at the end of the New Testament, it is still John’s message that shows us a river of water of life proceeding from the throne. If anyone drinks of this water, the water will become in him a fountain flowing continuously. If this water cannot flow out, it is not because the river has no water but because it has been shut up. The Lord Jesus is already in you, but if you do not open to Him, He cannot flow freely. Dear brothers and sisters, if you say that prayer is the secret of power, then let me tell you that the secret of prayer is to dig the well so that your inner being will be opened through prayer. The more you pray, the deeper your digging is, and the result is that the living water within you will flow out.
I know that for me this will turn out to salvation through your petition and the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I will be put to shame, but with all boldness, as always, even now Christ will be magnified in my body, whether through life or through death. For to me, to live is Christ. (Phil. 1:19-21a)
In this portion of the Word, the fact that Christ will be magnified as always whether through life or through death is mentioned together with the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This proves that the supply of the Spirit is absolutely related to the magnification of Christ.
Not that I speak according to lack, for I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content. I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me. (4:11-13)
The apostle was content in whatever circumstances he was because he had learned the secret of doing all things “by depending on” Christ who empowered him (Chinese Union Version). According to the Greek, by depending on should be rendered “in.” The apostle was able to do all things in the One who empowered him. There is a great difference between these two translations. For example, when we ride on a boat, strictly speaking, we are in the boat. When we board a boat, we get into the boat and sail by staying in the boat. We can walk, eat, sleep, play, and work in the boat without affecting its ability to sail on. This is what it means to be in the boat. In contrast, to depend on or hang on to the boat, we have to use our strength. It is dependable if we have the strength. However, if we let go because we have no more strength, then it is no longer dependable. Please remember that our dependence on the Lord is not outward but inward. Since we are in Him, whether or not we depend on Him, we are already in Him. As long as we are in Him, we have rest. This was Paul’s secret.
Only, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, that whether coming and seeing you or being absent, I may hear of the things concerning you, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving together along with the faith of the gospel. (1:27)
If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any tenderheartedness and compassions. (2:1)
We are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. (3:3)
The book of Philippians has a special position in the Bible, which is to show us how to experience Christ. Philippians is a book on the experience of Christ. We need to see that these three small books—Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians—are connected. After them, there is the book of Colossians. Hence, there is a total of four short books. The fact that these four books were put together is very meaningful, and I believe that their sequence is the arrangement of the Holy Spirit. Galatians tells us that Christ is our life, Christ is revealed in us, Christ lives in us, and Christ is being formed in us. We need to live in Christ, who is everything to us. After Galatians, there is Ephesians. If we truly live by Christ and take Christ as our life, the church immediately emerges. Christ as life produces the church. Hence, Galatians is on Christ as life, whereas Ephesians is on the church as the Body of Christ.
At this point it seems that everything is complete, so why do we still need Philippians? Please remember that Galatians merely speaks about Christ as life, but it does not show us how to experience Christ. Hence, after Ephesians, there is another book, Philippians, which shows us how to experience Christ. Philippians has four chapters. Chapter 1 shows us Christ as our manifestation; chapter 2, Christ as our pattern; chapter 3, Christ as our goal; and chapter 4, Christ as our power. You may write in your Bible: manifestation, pattern, goal, and power or strength.
After Philippians, the book of Colossians shows us that the One who is the Head is everything. He is God’s centrality and universality, He has the preeminence in all things, and He is all and in all. This reaches the pinnacle. Therefore, when you view these four books together, they are very meaningful.
Our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit. (1 Thes. 1:5)
You...having received the word in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit. (v. 6)
In the term the Holy Spirit mentioned in the two verses quoted above, the word Holy is an emphasized word. These two verses say that the preaching of the gospel is in the Holy Spirit and that the receiving of the word, the receiving of the gospel, is also in the Holy Spirit. The Thessalonians received the gospel with joy of the Holy Spirit. The history of a Christian begins with the receiving of the gospel in the Holy Spirit.
Consequently, he who rejects, rejects not man but God, who also gives His Holy Spirit to you. (4:8)
The Holy Spirit mentioned in this verse is a term with very strong emphasis in Greek. A better rendering of this term is “the Spirit the Holy.”
Do not quench the Spirit. (5:19)
The Spirit here refers to the Spirit of the Lord who is in us and who is joined with our spirit as one spirit.
We ought to thank God always concerning you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. (2 Thes. 2:13)
These are the only places in 1 and 2 Thessalonians that mention the Spirit, but they are very meaningful. In these verses the apostle was saying to the Thessalonians, “The gospel was preached to you in the Holy Spirit, and you received the gospel in the joy of the Holy Spirit. After you received the gospel in this way, God has given to you the Spirit the Holy, that is, His Holy Spirit. You should not quench this Holy Spirit who has entered into you and has mingled with your spirit to be one spirit—two spirits having become one spirit. What kind of work is this Spirit doing in you? He is doing the work of sanctification to sanctify you over and over again.”
The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is He who calls you, who also will do it. (1 Thes. 5:23-24)
So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. (3:13)
For the sake of some brothers and sisters who are not clear concerning certain titles, such as the Spirit of God and the Holy Spirit, let us have a brief review. In the Old Testament, especially in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, the Spirit of God is always called the Spirit of Jehovah. Jehovah is God, and the Spirit of Jehovah is the Spirit of God. In the Chinese Union Version there are two or three places in the Old Testament which use the title the Holy Spirit, but that is an inaccuracy in translation. Strictly speaking, such a title is not used in the Old Testament. This title did not exist until Mary became pregnant and was about to give birth to the Lord Jesus. It was not formally used until the mention in Luke 1 and Matthew 1 concerning the Lord Jesus’ incarnation and His being conceived in a virgin.
The title the Holy Spirit means that the Spirit of God is the Holy; He is the Spirit the Holy of God. In the universe only God Himself is holy, and only God Himself is holiness itself. Everything else, all of creation, is not holy. God was incarnated through this Spirit that He might make the unholy created men holy and bring them into holiness. You must not have the concept that being unholy is bad or evil. Actually, being unholy does not mean being evil; rather, it means being void of God’s nature. Just because a certain object is not gold does not mean that it is dirty or useless. In man’s religious mind there is an incorrect concept; whenever we hear that something is not holy, we automatically think that it is defiled. This concept needs to be corrected. Holiness is God Himself; it is the nature of God. As we have said before, love is God’s heart, righteousness is God’s way of doing things, God’s procedure, and holiness is God’s nature, God’s substance. Therefore, being unholy means being void of God’s nature or essence. You may remember that in the Old Testament, the boards in the tabernacle were made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Wood equals humanity, and gold equals divinity. Originally, we had only humanity but no divinity; we were like wood without gold. This does not mean that the wood was decayed or defiled. This is also what we mean when we refer to being unholy.
When man was created, nothing in the universe had the nature of God. Only God Himself had the divine nature. None of the millions of creatures were holy; only God Himself was holy. But one day this God, who is Spirit and who is holy, became flesh to be mingled with man and to put on humanity. He did this because He wanted to make man holy, to sanctify man. The basic principle of incarnation is that the Spirit the Holy of God entered into the unholy man to make him holy. In other words, He wanted to make the man who was without God’s nature into a man with God’s nature. Thus, from this time onward, the title the Holy Spirit appeared in the Bible. Strictly speaking, therefore, the Holy Spirit is for the purpose of making the unholy man holy, that is, making the man who is without God’s nature into a man with God’s nature.
I think the brothers and sisters are clear about my speaking. You may say that God in eternity was Jehovah, and you may also say that He was God. At that time, the Spirit of God was called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Jehovah as well. It was not until later, when God became flesh, that the Spirit of God began to be called the Holy Spirit. After the incarnated God entered into death and also into resurrection, His Spirit had a new title, that is, the life-giving Spirit. It was at this time that the incarnated God became the life-giving Spirit, because He had passed through death and resurrection. His death solved all the problems between man and God, and His resurrection released the life that was within Him. Therefore, by this time He was not merely the Spirit, but He was also the Spirit who gives life.
The Spirit was first the Spirit of God because He was God. God is Spirit, and the Spirit is the Spirit of God. Later, at the time of God’s incarnation He became the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit the Holy. He came to make the unholy man into a holy man, that is, to make the man who is without the divine nature into a man with the divine nature. Therefore, He is the Holy Spirit. Then the Lord entered into death and resurrected. In this death and resurrection, the Spirit became the life-giving Spirit. Whose Spirit is this life-giving Spirit? He is “the Spirit of Jesus Christ.” This Spirit can sometimes also be called “the Spirit of Jesus,” and sometimes “the Spirit of Christ.” Under what circumstances is He called “the Spirit of Jesus”? If you read Acts 16, you will see that the Spirit of Jesus is a title used in times of the apostles’ sufferings for the Lord in hardships, in persecutions, in taking the way of poverty, and in being reproached for His sake. This is the Spirit who led Jesus of Nazareth to live a life of poverty on earth and to suffer persecution and shame. Therefore, Acts 16:7 refers to “the Spirit of Jesus.” What about the Spirit of Christ? “The Spirit of Christ” is in Romans 8:9. Moreover, Romans 8:11 says that “if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,” then this One “will also give life to your mortal bodies.” Therefore, Romans 8 does not emphasize the aspect of following the lowly Nazarene by suffering hardship, being put to shame, and taking the way of the cross. Rather, it emphasizes living out the Lord’s life. Thus, the Spirit of Christ is mainly for resurrection. Romans 8 is a story of resurrection in which not only the spirit is made alive but even the mortal body is made alive. Hence, the Spirit of Jesus is one story, and the Spirit of Christ is another story.
Moreover, Philippians 1 mentions the Spirit of Jesus Christ, joining the words Jesus and Christ together. This is because in Philippians there is a story of suffering. The apostle seemed to be saying, “The bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ will be my salvation. Even though I am here in prison, in bonds and chains, yet this Spirit, who is not only the Spirit of Jesus but also the Spirit of Christ, and not only the Spirit of suffering but also the Spirit of resurrection, will enable me to overcome the afflictions and bonds.” Therefore, in Philippians there is suffering and there is also release because the Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus Christ.
This Spirit of Jesus Christ is the life-giving Spirit. The life-giving Spirit refers to the function of the Spirit, whereas the Spirit of Jesus Christ is the title of the Spirit. Today this Spirit belongs to Jesus, to Christ, and to Jesus Christ. This Spirit, who is Christ Himself, gives us life. Therefore, there are not several Spirits, but there is only one Spirit in several stages. Before the Word became flesh, the Spirit of God was simply the Spirit of God. But after the Word became flesh, the Spirit of God became the Holy Spirit, the Spirit the Holy. Then later, after the Lord passed through death and resurrection, this Spirit became the life-giving Spirit, who belongs to Jesus Christ, so He is called the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ. We may use a handkerchief as an illustration. If you put a white handkerchief into a vat of blue dye, it becomes a blue handkerchief, and if you put the blue handkerchief into a vat of red dye, it becomes a purple handkerchief. The white handkerchief, the blue handkerchief, and the purple handkerchief are not three handkerchiefs; rather, they are one handkerchief in three stages.
Let us first look at the book of 1 Timothy. First Timothy 4:1 says, “The Spirit says expressly that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons.” I believe we understand now that the mention of the Spirit in this way indicates that this Spirit is not purely the objective Holy Spirit, but the objective Holy Spirit becoming the subjective Holy Spirit dwelling in our spirit and being mingled with our spirit as one spirit. This Spirit was speaking in the apostle Paul and in the saints. This is not like the prophets prophesying in the Old Testament according to the Spirit of Jehovah who descended upon them outwardly. With us in the New Testament, it is the Spirit of life dwelling in our spirit and being mingled with us as one spirit speaking the word of God.
When the apostle wrote the Epistles to Timothy, the church was already in degradation and confusion. At such times, God does not care much for the outward prophesying of the prophets because it is merely the speaking of some extraordinary words by the prophets after the objective Spirit of God had come upon them. That was the Old Testament way of prophesying, but it is not considered important in the New Testament. I am not saying that there is no such prophesying or that such prophesying is wrong. I am simply saying that it is not considered important. The New Testament pays attention to the fact that the Spirit of life comes into our spirit to be mingled with our spirit as one spirit and that we speak according to the feeling in our spirit. First Corinthians 7 is the best example of this. Obviously it was Paul speaking there because he said clearly that he was giving his opinion without having a commandment from the Lord. However, he eventually said, “I think that I also have the Spirit of God” (v. 40).
When you read the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, however, and when you read the prophecies spoken by the prophets in the Old Testament, you can see that they were not the prophets’ own way of speaking but rather God’s way of speaking. When the Spirit of Jehovah came to, or descended upon, Jeremiah, he began to speak, “I, Jehovah, say this and that.” The Old Testament prophets spoke in God’s “tone.” However, when you read the New Testament Epistles, such as Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, you will notice that none of them has God’s “tone.” Rather, they were written in the writer’s tone. Although they were the writer’s words, they were considered God’s words. This is because in the New Testament age everything is in the principle of incarnation, which is the principle of God mingled with man. In the Old Testament it was the Spirit of God falling upon man and using man as a vessel, just as the Spirit of God fell upon a donkey and used the donkey as a vessel to speak human language. That was the Old Testament principle. According to the Old Testament principle, there was no mingling of God and man. Rather, there was only God descending upon man and using man as a mouth, a vessel, a trumpet. But the New Testament principle is different. In the New Testament God enters into man and mingles with man to become one entity. Consequently, it was Paul speaking, it was Paul writing to the saints in Corinth, and it was Paul commanding and speaking. When Paul spoke, however, the Spirit who was mingled with Paul also spoke. Thus, the tone of speaking in the New Testament is man’s tone.
I am pointing out this matter with a purpose. Today you can see that the tongues spoken in the Pentecostal movement sound like God’s own speaking. These speakings are spoken in the first person: “I will do this or I will do that.” Moreover, Pentecostals frequently prophesy by saying, “O My people, My day has drawn near. Be prepared!” If you listen carefully to their words or expressions, you will notice that they are words found either in Isaiah or in Jeremiah. Brothers and sisters, you have to know that this is against the New Testament principle.
Please read the book of Acts. Does it have a record of such a prophecy spoken by the apostles? There is no such record either in Acts or in the Epistles. Today in the degradation of the church, you will be deceived if you listen to these outward speakings. In the time of the degradation of the church, the apostle Paul wrote a letter with this phrase: “The Spirit says expressly” (1 Tim. 4:1). It is not the objective Holy Spirit speaking to us, as people suppose. Rather, it is the Spirit of life who dwells in us and who has been mingled with our spirit into one spirit speaking within us.
The Epistle to the Hebrews firstly shows us that the Holy Spirit is the speaking Spirit. Hebrews 3:7-8 says, “Therefore, even as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the provocation, in the day of trial in the wilderness.’” The Holy Spirit here is a very emphatic term; according to Greek, it is “the Spirit the Holy.” Therefore, the word spoken by the Holy Spirit here in Hebrews is different from the word spoken by the Spirit in 1 Timothy 4:1. What the Spirit says there in 1 Timothy 4:1 is not a quotation from the Old Testament but the sensation given to us by the Spirit in our spirit, whereas here in Hebrews the Holy Spirit speaks by quoting the words in the Old Testament.
Hebrews 9:8 says, “The Holy Spirit [lit., the Spirit the Holy] thus making this clear, that the way of the Holy of Holies has not yet been manifested while the first tabernacle still has its standing.” You see again that the Holy Spirit uses a figure of the Old Testament. Whatever is spoken by the Spirit the Holy, whatever is purely the word spoken by God, is a quotation from the Old Testament. Hence, it is the objective Spirit speaking the Old Testament words objectively. However, the word in 1 Timothy 4:1 is a subjective word; it is the feeling given to us from within by the Spirit who is mingled with us as one spirit.
Hebrews 10:15-16 says, “The Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after having said, ‘This is the covenant which I will covenant with them after those days, says the Lord.’” Again, this is a quotation from the Old Testament. This is the objective Holy Spirit, not the subjective Spirit, speaking an objective word. In 1 Timothy 4:1, however, when the subjective Spirit speaks in us a subjective word, He does not quote from the Old Testament. Do you see the difference? Whenever the objective word is spoken, it is the Spirit the Holy who speaks to us. Whenever the subjective word is spoken, it is the Holy Spirit mingled with our spirit as one spirit—the subjective spirit—who speaks. That is a feeling that we have from deep within and not a word quoted or a figure taken from the Old Testament.
Unlike the other Epistles, the Epistle to the Hebrews does not tell us from the outset who the author is. Rather, it says that God spoke of old through the prophets and speaks now through His Son. Therefore, when it quotes from the Old Testament, it does not do so like the other Epistles by saying that it is a word spoken by Isaiah or by Jeremiah. Rather, it says that it is the Holy Spirit’s speaking. This is an amazing thing. The Epistle to the Hebrews does not indicate plainly the person who speaks but rather tells us that it is God who speaks, or the Holy Spirit who speaks. Thus, the Spirit in Hebrews is the speaking Spirit.
Those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit. (6:4)
By how much do you think he will be thought worthy of worse punishment who has trampled underfoot the Son of God and has considered the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing and has insulted the Spirit of grace? (10:29)
These two verses show us that the Spirit in Hebrews has become the blessing of which we partake. The speaking Spirit has become the Spirit of grace for our enjoyment.
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God. (9:14)
The Lord Jesus’ offering Himself to God on the cross was through the eternal Spirit. Therefore, the Spirit in Hebrews is also the eternal Spirit. These are the three aspects of the Spirit in Hebrews: the speaking Spirit, the Spirit of grace (the Spirit of enjoyment), and the eternal Spirit. It is easy to understand the speaking Spirit, and it is also easy to understand the Spirit of grace, the Spirit of enjoyment, but it is not so easy to understand the eternal Spirit. Many of us consider eternity as something in the future. However, in the Bible, eternity includes the entire span of time. May I ask you, brothers and sisters, when did the Lord Jesus offer Himself to God? In other words, when was the Lord Jesus put on the cross as a sin offering? According to history, the Lord Jesus was crucified on Calvary’s mountain almost two thousand years ago, and standing in front of Him were His disciples including Peter and John. Thus, it is true that the Lord Jesus died for those who were His contemporaries. But how could He die for people such as Abel, Job, and Abraham, who were there many years before Him? Furthermore, how could He die for people like us, who are here many years after Him and who were not yet born at His time? I do not know if you can solve this. Here we need to read Hebrews 9:14, which says that Christ offered Himself without blemish to God through the eternal Spirit. According to His flesh, He was crucified at a certain time. However, according to the eternal Spirit, His crucifixion encompasses the entire span of time. Thus, according to the sense of time, Job and Abraham were before the crucifixion and we are after the crucifixion, but according to the sense of eternity, there is no differentiation between before and after. Christ through the eternal Spirit offered Himself to become our sin offering. There is no time element with His death. In our perception and in the historical sense, there is the time element. In God’s view, however, there is no time element because God is eternal. Therefore, Revelation 13:8 speaks of “the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.” He was slain not just two thousand years ago but from the foundation of the world. His being slain meets the need of all sinners. Although His being slain was accomplished in time, in God’s view He was slain in eternity. Thus, He became an eternal sin offering. If your view is according to the flesh, He is Jesus the Nazarene who died two thousand years ago. However, through the eternal Spirit He died in the realm of eternity. His one offering accomplished redemption eternally because He died not only in the flesh but also through the eternal Spirit.
Hence, if we want to understand spiritual things, we must not remain in our mind. Instead, we must be in spirit. Once we are living in our mind, we are in time, but when we turn to our spirit, we enter into eternity. It is then that we are able to comprehend the things that transcend time.
Hebrews 5, 6, 9, and 10 speak of eternity. Hence, this is truly a book concerning eternity. However, this is not the eternity in the future but the eternity that includes all needs and encompasses all time. In this book which deals with eternity, the Spirit is not only the speaking Spirit and the Spirit for our enjoyment but also the eternal Spirit. You can understand the things of eternity only in the eternal Spirit. In other words, you can understand the things of God which are in the realm of eternity only in the eternal Spirit.
Brothers and sisters, I believe that you can sense what I am saying. If you learn to always get out of your mind and turn to your spirit, your spirit will be freed from the restriction of your little mind. Our mind cannot comprehend the eternal things. Once you fall into the mind, your understanding becomes bound, confined in every way, and is unable to comprehend. However, once you reject your mind and get into your spirit, you become like one who has soared into space; you are released. Your created mind is limited, but you have been saved, and you have the eternal Spirit in you. This Spirit has neither beginning nor ending. You cannot find the start or the finish. In this Spirit you are able to understand the eternal things.
Do you think that the Scripture says in vain: “The Spirit, whom He has caused to dwell in us, longs to envy”? (James 4:5)
Bible readers have had many arguments about this verse in James. Some think that the entire verse is one sentence, while others maintain that it is composed of two sentences, as shown in the following rendering: “Think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?” (ASV). According to the thought of the entire book and the immediate context, we believe that it is one sentence, as shown in the quotation above. The Spirit who dwells in us longs for us to love God and to turn toward Him to such an extent that He has an envying heart inside us. The four preceding verses tell us that as corrupted men, we easily incline toward the world, love the world, and become joined to the world until we have an illicit union with the world and become adulteresses before God. However, the Spirit of God who indwells us longs for us to love God and be single-heartedly focused on Him. This longing causes Him even to envy over us. The meaning of this envying is like that spoken of in Exodus 20, which says that God is a jealous God. Jealous there means “envious.” God is a God of envy. In 2 Corinthians 11 the apostle Paul says the same thing: “I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; for I betrothed you to one husband to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow...your thoughts would be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity toward Christ” (vv. 2-3). This portion also says that God has a jealous heart, an envying heart, toward us because He wants us to be solely for Him and to turn toward Him. He does not want us to have any other love apart from Him, just as a husband desires his wife to love him and wants his wife to be only for him.
The book of James talks about how we should have a godly living, a God-like living. In such a living, the first requirement is that we love God absolutely just as a wife loves her husband absolutely. The husband’s unique desire with respect to his wife is that she would be absolutely for him. If the wife has any love other than her husband, that will stir up his jealousy. The indwelling Spirit of life in us is the jealous God. He will not permit or allow us to have any love apart from Him. If we have any love apart from Him, it will arouse His jealousy. Thus, James 4:5 says that the Spirit, whom God has caused to dwell in us, longs to envy.
“Do you think that the Scripture says in vain?” Where was this word spoken in the Old Testament? You cannot find it anywhere in the Old Testament, but the entire Old Testament definitely reveals such a thought. For example, the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea contain this thought. These four books give us a deep feeling that God is the Husband to the children of Israel. In these four books, God tells the children of Israel that they were wedded to Him as a wife, but they were not faithful to Him. His love toward them was a jealous love. The general summary of these four books is that God longs for us to the extent of being envious.
We know this from our experience also. The indwelling Holy Spirit in us longs for us to love the Lord, to be for the Lord, and to pursue the Lord. When we love someone or something apart from the Lord, we can feel that in the deepest part of our being there is a story of envy, a story of jealousy. That is the story of the indwelling Holy Spirit longing to envy. Therefore, the indwelling Spirit referred to in James can be called the Spirit of envy.
This book has another verse which speaks of the opposite aspect of the Spirit. Verse 15 of chapter 3 says, “This wisdom is not that which descends from above, but is earthly, soulish, demonic.” You see that soulish is connected to earthly and demonic. Therefore, we must know that whenever we are living in the soul, we are joined to the earth and connected to demons. It says here that this kind of wisdom causes us to have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition and is not the wisdom that descends from above, but is earthly, soulish, demonic. If we do not live in the spirit, we are living in the soul. The soulish man, however, is earthly and demonic. This is a very serious matter.
First Peter has more references to the indwelling Spirit.
Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father in the sanctification of the Spirit unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (1:2)
We have a story inside us, which is the story of sanctification. This story of sanctification is the work of the Holy One, the Spirit, in our spirit to separate us, to make us holy. Thus, the sanctification of the Spirit is the work of the Spirit of God, the Holy One, in our spirit to continually separate us from all things that are opposed to God and to continually work the element of God into us, enabling us to become holy. In the sanctification of the Spirit we are able to obey the Lord.
Concerning this salvation the prophets, who prophesied concerning the grace that was to come unto you, sought and searched diligently, searching into what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them was making clear. (vv. 10-11)
Prophets here refers to the Old Testament prophets. You might ask, how could the Spirit of Christ be in the Old Testament? We need to add a word of explanation here. According to what we have said in the past, first there was the Spirit of God, then the Spirit of Jesus, and finally the Spirit of Christ; this is with regard to His process. But in another aspect, this Spirit is also timeless, just as the cross is. The crucifixion was accomplished two thousand years ago, but its efficacy is eternal, not being subject to time. In the same way, according to the process of completion, this Spirit was originally the Spirit of God; at the time of the incarnation He was the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit the Holy; and after passing through death and resurrection, He is the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus Christ. According to His efficacy, however, He is the eternal Spirit. Therefore, even in the Old Testament, the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets to enable them to understand the prophecies concerning Christ. The Spirit of Christ testified beforehand to the prophets, making clear to them the time and the manner of time concerning the sufferings and glories of Christ.
I was in spirit on the Lord’s Day and heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet. (Rev. 1:10)
Immediately I was in spirit; and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne there was One sitting. (4:2)
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits upon the many waters...And he carried me away in spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting upon a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. (17:1, 3)
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, Come here; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb. And he carried me away in spirit onto a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (21:9-10)
Please pay attention to the fact that the four passages quoted above say that the writer was “in spirit.” We must know that the visions or revelations in the book of Revelation are shown in these four times of being “in spirit.” The first time the apostle John was in spirit, he saw the seven golden lampstands and the Lord who walks in the midst of them. This is the vision in the first three chapters of Revelation. The second time, he saw a throne in heaven out of which the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls were executed. This is the vision of the throne, which is in chapters 4 through 16. The third time, he saw Babylon the harlot, which is in chapters 17 and 18 and which includes also chapters 19 and 20. The fourth time, he saw the New Jerusalem. This is in chapters 21 and 22. Revelation can be divided into four sections, covering four great visions, all of which were seen by John in spirit. Therefore, today if we want to understand these four visions in Revelation, we cannot merely read about them in our mind; instead, we must exercise to turn to our spirit. In Revelation we see that the indwelling Spirit is the revealing Spirit.
To the messenger of the church in Ephesus write: These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, He who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands...He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. (2:1, 7a)
Each of the seven epistles in Revelation 2 and 3 begins by saying that it is the Lord who speaks and ends by saying that everyone who has an ear should hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This tells us that the Lord’s speaking is the Spirit’s speaking, and it also tells us that whatever the Lord speaks must be spoken again by the Spirit. At the beginning of each of the seven epistles it is the Lord speaking to a particular church, but at the end it is the Spirit speaking to the churches. The Lord’s word at the beginning is to a certain local church, but later when the people from all the ages read it, it becomes the Spirit’s speaking to all the churches. Whatever the Lord speaks is recorded in the Bible, but when you and I read it, the Spirit still must speak it. (This Spirit refers to the Spirit who is mingled with us.) This matter proves firstly that the Lord’s speaking is the Spirit’s speaking and that the Spirit’s speaking is the Lord’s speaking. Secondly, it proves that although the Lord’s word was already spoken to a certain local church, today when the churches want to hear His word, there is still the need for the Spirit to speak it. This tells us that the Spirit we have within us is not only the revealing Spirit, the vision-imparting Spirit, but also the speaking Spirit.
Now let us look at the third aspect. The beginning of chapter 4 says that there was a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne was God. Then verse 5 says,
Out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
The seven Spirits are the seven lamps of fire.
I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures and in the midst of the elders a Lamb standing as having just been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. (5:6)
It says here that the seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the Lamb. The seven Spirits are the seven lamps and the seven eyes; this is truly difficult to understand. Are there really seven Spirits of God? No, there are not. Then why is the Spirit of God called the seven Spirits? In the past the expositors of the Bible told us that seven is the number of completion. This is correct. For example, the first time the Bible mentions the number seven is after God did the work of creation in six days, when He rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2). The Bible also says that “a righteous man falls seven times and rises up again” (Prov. 24:16) and “seven times a day I praise You” (Psa. 119:164). These passages have the meaning of completion. However, in the book of Revelation seven denotes not only completion but, even more, God’s administration.
The book of Revelation covers mainly four major topics: the first major topic is the seven golden lampstands, the second major topic is the seven seals, the third major topic is the seven trumpets, and the fourth major topic is the seven bowls. Revelation speaks mainly about these four sevens. The seven golden lampstands are the churches. Apart from the churches there are the seven seals which speak of God’s judgments throughout the ages. The seven trumpets include the seven bowls, which are God’s final judgments. Therefore, the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls are all God’s judgment, and God’s judgment is His administration. Not only so, even the seven golden lampstands, that is, even the churches, are God’s administration. When God carries out His will in the universe, that is His administration. Some people say that the book of Revelation is a book about judgment. They are right because the Lord is first in the midst of the lampstands judging the seven churches; then later through the seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls, He judges the world. However, you should remember that the judgment of God is the procedure by which He carries out His will, so these judgments are all God’s administration. Thus, in the book of Revelation, the number seven denotes administration more than it denotes completion.
Now we have found the meaning of the seven Spirits. In the book of Revelation the Spirit of God is called the seven Spirits because in this book the Spirit of God is the administrating Spirit. He has been sent out into all the world to administrate, to execute, the will of God. With respect to the throne of God, He is the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne and shining on the entire universe. With respect to the Lord Jesus, He is the seven eyes of the Lamb of God. The eyes are for moving. Every time you want to do something, you first move your eyes; without your eyes, you cannot move. Chapter 1 clearly says that when the Lord Jesus judges the churches, His eyes are like a flame of fire. These eyes as a fiery flame are the lamps of fire.
You see that there is a throne in heaven, and the One who is upon the throne is God. From the throne seven lamps of fire shine forth. These seven lamps of fire are the seven Spirits of God, and these seven Spirits of God are the seven eyes of the Lamb. Thus, you see that the One on the throne and the Lamb are one. If this were not the case, how could the seven lamps of fire on the throne become the seven eyes of the Lamb? When you read chapter 22, you notice that it refers to “the throne of God and of the Lamb” (v. 1b). That throne is not plural but singular. There are two on the throne, but the throne is one. How can two be sitting on one throne? It is possible because God is in the Lamb. Chapter 21 says that God is the light of the city, and the Lamb is the lamp (v. 23). We know that the light is inside the lamp. This proves that God is in the Lamb. Therefore, They are sitting on one throne.
With regard to the seven lamps before the throne, they are the seven eyes of the Lamb, and these seven eyes are the seven Spirits. In other words, they are God’s coming forth and the Lamb’s coming forth. These seven eyes are the expression and manifestation of the Lamb, just as your eyes are your expression and manifestation. Thus, here in Revelation it is God on the throne in the Lamb coming forth in His Spirit to execute His will for His administration in the universe. He is not hidden as in the past; He has shined forth. God’s administration in the church is His coming forth, and God’s administration in the universe is also His coming forth. God’s using seven seals to judge the world is His coming forth, His using seven trumpets to judge the world is His coming forth, and His using seven bowls to judge the world is also His coming forth. God’s administration is God’s coming forth. God’s way of coming forth is to shine with the lamps of fire. This shining in Revelation is not so much for giving grace but for observing, searching, and judging.
Brothers and sisters, you should never think that the Lord’s shining today is to give you grace. No! Even in the age of God’s grace, He is here observing you. God does not wait until the age of grace is over to judge us in a future age. Even in the church the manifestation of the Lord Jesus is for the carrying out of His judgment. His eyes are as a flame of fire, and out of His mouth proceeds a sharp sword rather than words of grace. Before, in the Gospel of John, the words that came out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus were words of grace. But here in the book of Revelation, the words coming out of the mouth of the Lord Jesus are not words of grace but words of judgment. His two feet are like shining bronze, as having been fired in a furnace. He has been tried and judged in all kinds of hardships, and now He comes to observe and judge. This is why John, who could lie on the Lord’s breast in the Gospel of John, fell flat on the ground when he saw Him. At this time He is not the dear and lovely Lord; rather, He is the awesome and dreadful Lord. He is here shining, examining, and judging to execute God’s will. This is His administration.
Dear brothers and sisters, nothing of the flesh, of the world, or of sin can stand the shining of the seven Spirits as the seven lamps before the throne and as the seven eyes of the Lamb. This shining is a burning. Whatever He shines on, whatever He searches, is judged and burned by Him. Even today the indwelling Spirit in us is sometimes this kind of shining, searching, judging Spirit. This indwelling Spirit is not only the Spirit of life, the Spirit of sonship, the building Spirit, the transforming Spirit, the Spirit for our living, and the Spirit of the Body, all of which are aspects on the sweet side. Eventually, He is also the judging Spirit, the administrating Spirit, who is in us and among us, shining over us, searching us, judging us, and burning us. We need the grace-giving Spirit, and we also need the judging Spirit. We need the Spirit as the living water flowing in us, but we also need the Spirit as fire shining, searching, judging, and burning in us. This is the seven Spirits in Revelation.
