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Scripture Reading: Matt. 28:19; Acts 19:5; Gal. 3:27; Rom. 6:3; 3, 1 Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:9-10; 9:21, 23; 10:12
Through the revelation in the New Testament we can clearly see that God’s intention is that we experience Him subjectively. In order for us to experience God subjectively, He became the life-giving Spirit. The term life-giving Spirit joins together the Spirit and life. God joined life to the Spirit so that we may experience Him subjectively. Since He is the life-giving Spirit, we can receive Him and also enjoy Him, and the result is that the church is produced. Therefore, our subjective experience of God is a matter in the Spirit and life, and the issue is the church.
In this chapter I would like to fellowship with you about a certain matter. This matter has been clearly and thoroughly revealed in the New Testament but totally obliterated in traditional Christianity. In other words, there is a basic revelation in the New Testament that traditional Christianity has not seen. What is this revelation? In order to speak about this matter, I must use utterance that has not been used before in Christianity.
We all know that before the Lord Jesus was incarnated, God was God. He was the eternal God and the perfect God. At that time God being only God did not have humanity in Him; He had only divinity. Neither had He gone through death. God in Himself did not need to pass through death; therefore, He did not go through death or resurrection. These are three great points: there was no humanity in God; God had not passed through death; nor had God risen from the dead. He was the eternal and perfect God.
However, one day this God in eternity came into time to become a man, putting on human nature. He was God, but He put on man. He was God, but He entered into man. He was God, the eternal God, the perfect God, yet He joined Himself to man to be mingled with man as one. From that day onward in the universe there was One on the earth who was not only God but also man; there was One who was not only man but also God. In this One, God and man became one. In this One, God was there, and also man was there. If you say that He was God, you are absolutely right; if you say that He was man, you are also absolutely right. You can say that He was God yet man and also that He was man yet God. At this time God was no longer merely God; God had become man. He was a God-man. In Him there was the human element and the human nature. In Him there was not only divinity but also humanity.
Not only so, after He lived for thirty-three and a half years in His humanity, one day He willingly walked into death. Apparently, this One who was God yet man, Jesus Christ, was killed through crucifixion by men. In reality He walked into death of His own volition. He had the absolute authority to reject death. The whole world is destined to die. No one dies willingly; rather, man dies because he is a captive of death. When a man dies, he is captured by death. Only Jesus Christ, this One who was God yet man, died not because He was captured by death but because He walked into death willingly. He entered into death, passed through death, took a thorough look at death, overcame death, and conquered death. Then He walked out of death. This is resurrection.
When He was incarnated, He put on human flesh and human nature. As He went into death and came out of death, this humanity that He had put on went through a “process.” This process caused His humanity to be uplifted, to be transformed. As a result, after His resurrection, even though He still had a human body and human nature, His body was no longer the same as before. Prior to resurrection His body was a body of humiliation; after resurrection it became a body of glory. Prior to resurrection His body was under limitation; after resurrection it was not under any limitation.
We know that before the Lord’s resurrection, when He was in Galilee, He could not be in Jerusalem. His body was under limitation. However, after resurrection He was not under any limitation. He had a body that no one could understand. He could be in Jerusalem and in Galilee simultaneously. His body was truly glorious and without limitation. We all know the record in John 20. On the evening of the Lord’s resurrection, the disciples were gathered together. While the doors were closed, suddenly the Lord came and stood in their midst with His resurrected body. This is truly a mystery. We cannot understand it, but we believe.
The Lord Jesus was resurrected, and He possessed a resurrected body that was physical yet without limitation. This body was not limited physically; it was not limited either by time or by space. Today He is the life-giving Spirit. This Spirit is the God who was incarnated as a man, who went through human living on earth, and who went through death on the cross for us sinners. The One who put on human flesh in order to shed His blood on the cross for the redemption of our sins is the Spirit. The One who through His death on the cross nullified death for man and destroyed the devil, the one who has the might of death, is the Spirit. Thus, He dealt with sin, death, and Satan. His death on the cross terminated every negative matter in the universe.
After He accomplished everything, He entered into the tomb, into Hades, and rested for three days. There He did not decay nor was He damaged; He merely rested for three days. After His rest, He came out, overcoming death, Hades, the authority of darkness, and the tomb. By this time He had become God who was “processed.” Theologians may say that they have never heard this term before. Whether or not you have heard it before, I ask you according to the facts: did the God who became the life-giving Spirit go through a “process”? Yes, He went through incarnation, entered into death, was buried, and came out of the tomb and Hades. Is this not a process? Before incarnation God was God, but He had not been processed. After incarnation, death, and resurrection, He was processed.
Perhaps we can use a type for illustration. We all know that in the Feast of the Passover the children of Israel had to eat the passover lamb. This lamb first had to be killed and its blood put on the doorposts and on the lintel for their protection so that they might be at peace. It was not enough, however, for the passover lamb just to be slain; it had to be cut into pieces and roasted by fire to be eaten. To be killed, cut into pieces, roasted by fire, and set on the table means that this lamb had to go through a process. They did not eat a raw lamb. They ate one that had been processed, one that had been slain, cut, and roasted. Not only so, while they were eating, there was further processing.
To exemplify further, after we go to the market to buy groceries, we do not set them on the table and just eat them raw. That would be barbaric. Rather, we bring the groceries back and wash, cut, cook, and boil them. This is to process them. After the process we set them on the table. Then as we are eating the food, there is further processing. We do not simply devour the food; rather, we put it in our mouth, chew it, and swallow it. The nutrients in the food are then assimilated in us.
The Lord Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” Let me ask you, without going through a process, can He become bread? The passover lamb typifies the Lord Jesus. God said that the passover lamb must not be eaten raw or boiled; it must be eaten roasted. For the Lord Jesus to be our bread of life, He had to undergo a process. He is not a raw Lamb; He is a processed Lamb. Then as we eat Him, He is being further processed by us.
This revelation is altogether contrary to the religious concept. The religious concept considers God as great and dignified. Therefore, one must exalt Him to the highest place and prostrate himself to worship Him. When you first thought about worshipping God, was this not your initial concept? When, around the age of twenty, I repented and worshipped God for the first time, I tidied myself from head to toe and then knelt down slowly to pray to the Lord, “O God, I worship You.” Did you do the same when you began to worship God for the first time? I do not believe that there is an exception.
In 1958 I went to Jerusalem and visited the place where the world’s second largest mosque is. There I saw the Arabs worshipping Allah. First they took a bath to cleanse their bodies, and then they put on clean clothes. When they came to worship, outwardly they truly had an attitude of reverence. However, this is religious worship. Those who are in religion do not realize that one day the Lord became a Lamb. John 1:29 says, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” That was the Passover lamb. As the Passover lamb, not only was He killed to shed His blood for the redemption of sins, but He was also “cut into pieces” and “roasted” for His people to eat. This concept of being “processed” and “eaten” cannot be found in religion. To this day, some theologians oppose this kind of speaking. They believe that to speak of eating God is a blasphemy to God. However, we know that in John 6:55 and 57, the Lord clearly said, “My flesh is true food...So he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me.”
I can never forget the spring of 1958, when at the meeting hall on Jen Ai Road in Taipei, I spoke for the first time about the Lord being edible. One day after my speaking, a brother who was a university professor came to me and said, “Brother Lee, your message today was very good. However, when you said that the Lord is edible, that was too wild. Can you change your utterance?” I said, “Brother, this is not my invention. This is what the Lord said in John 6. I am not the one who is wild. Since the Lord Jesus has given Himself for us to eat, why would we dare not eat Him? If you want something that is civilized or something that sounds nice, you have no way to enjoy the Lord.” If you want to enjoy the Lord, you should not care whether or not something sounds nice. Just eat.
In the past most Christians thought that to eat the Lord is to eat the Scripture. They said, “The Scripture is manna. To eat manna is to read the Scripture with meditation.” They believed that to meditate on the Word was to eat the Word. I used to have the same concept, and I even taught others to eat the Word in this way. However, no one was able to eat anything. Meditating is not eating. For example, there may be a fish here. After meditating on the fish for two hours, you still have not eaten it. Then a simple child may come; he does not meditate. While you are meditating on the fish, he will eat the fish. You are empty after meditating, whereas he is full after eating. The Bible does not tell us that to meditate on the Word is to eat the Lord.
In John 6, after the Lord Jesus said that He could be eaten, the Jewish religionists said, “This word is hard; who can hear it?” (v. 60). Thus, one by one they left Him. The Lord Jesus said to the twelve disciples, “Do you also want to go away?” (v. 67). Moreover, He said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing” (v. 63). The Lord was saying, “I can be eaten because I am the Spirit. The Spirit can be eaten. Those who eat Me are those who use their spirit to receive Me. The words which I have spoken to you are not merely letters or doctrines; rather, they are spirit and life. You must use your spirit to contact Me.”
Our Lord’s intention is to give Himself for us to eat. Elderly sisters, you must change your concept. Have you ever once gone to the Lord and said, “Lord, thank You that Your intention is to give Yourself for me to eat”? I often give thanks in this way. In the morning I come to the Lord and say, “Lord, I have come again to enjoy You by eating You. You are the bread of life to me.”
However, my main point is this: Before our Lord Jesus was incarnated, He was the perfect God in eternity. At that time He could not be eaten because He had neither been incarnated nor gone through death and resurrection. This means that He had not been processed. But after His incarnation, death, and resurrection, He could be eaten. In scriptural terminology, this Lord who can be eaten has become the life-giving Spirit, typified by the holy anointing ointment in the Old Testament. The holy anointing ointment was not merely oil; it was an ointment, and there were many ingredients in this ointment. After the Lord died and resurrected, He became the holy anointing ointment. In Him there are many elements: the elements of God, man, death, the effectiveness of death, resurrection, and the power of resurrection. He is the ointment.
We must know that after the Lord Jesus was incarnated, died, and resurrected, God became fully mingled with man. The Lord accomplished His death to deal with sin, nullify death, destroy Satan, and get rid of every negative thing. He also uplifted humanity and entered into resurrection to become the all-inclusive Spirit. In this Spirit there are the Triune God, the uplifted humanity, the all-inclusive death with its effectiveness, and resurrection with its power. Everything is in this Spirit. This Spirit is the anointing Spirit, the life-giving Spirit. After everything had been accomplished, in Matthew 28 it is recorded that in resurrection the Lord came to the disciples and told them, “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (v. 19).
Pitiful Christianity has made baptism a ritual. They talk about “baptizing people in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” I also was baptized that way. After I attended the Sunday services for a period of time, the pastor decided to baptize me. One day I went to the chapel, and those of us who were to be baptized went and stood in the front. The pastor took a small bowl, and then he came to me and said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” He then sprinkled a few drops of water on my head. After that baptism I became a “church member.” Poor Christianity interprets Matthew 28:19 in this way.
Half a year following my baptism, I was genuinely saved. From that day I began to pray and read the Bible. When I read Matthew 28:19, I felt a little perplexed and did not understand what it really meant. Therefore, I looked into the Greek Interlinear Version and found that it is not “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” but “baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The Greek preposition that was rendered “in” is actually equivalent to into in English. Thus, this verse should be translated, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
At that time I understood the meaning of baptizing into, but I still could not understand the name in the phrase the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. I was not able to find out anything even after searching through reference books, and it was also difficult to explain from my own experience. One day I received a book entitled Word Studies in the New Testament by M. R. Vincent. When I read the word studies on Matthew 28:19, I found that what was written there corresponded totally with my experience. Vincent says that the “name” of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit denotes the reality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. A person’s name is not an empty expression; rather, it denotes the reality of a person. When I call the name of a brother, I am calling that brother. If there is only a name but not the person, then the name is vain. Thus, the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not an empty name. This name is the reality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the reality of this name.
Vincent further says that the preposition here is into, indicating a divine union of the baptized one with the Triune God. This is too great a matter. From that day on, my eyes were opened. I realized that baptism is not an initiation rite or a religious ritual. Baptism is to immerse you, one who is outside of God, into God. “Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” To be baptized into the name is to be baptized into the person. To be baptized into the name is to be baptized into the reality. From that day onward, I was clear that baptism is not a ritual but a real action. You have repented and believed, so now I immerse you into the Triune God.
Why use the name? This is because the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is too mysterious. Your eyes cannot see Him, and your hands cannot touch Him; therefore, if He were not denoted by a name, it would be very difficult to have Him. If I say, “I baptize you into the Father, the Son, and the Spirit,” you may ask me, “Where are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit?” Therefore, there is the need to use the name for denotation. This principle is in the Bible. John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him,...to those who believe into His name.” If you only say, “As many as received Him,” some may not understand. Since this “Him” cannot be seen or touched, how can we receive Him? Where is “Him”? However, the verse says, “As many as received Him,...to those who believe into His name.” Although you cannot see or touch or find “Him,” you have His name here. You can say, “Lord Jesus.” You cannot see or touch Jesus, but you can call His name, “Jesus.” You can say, “Jesus, Jesus, dearest Jesus. I believe in You, Jesus.” I tell you, when you say this, you touch Jesus.
Therefore, to be baptized into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is to be baptized into the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Today this Triune God is the all-inclusive Spirit, the life-giving Spirit. The life-giving Spirit is like the fresh air. As we are meeting here today, we are meeting in Him. If at this very moment someone is touched and says to me, “I repent and I believe,” then I would say to him, “Since you have repented and believed, I will baptize you into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.” This is not a ritual but a reality.
Matthew 28:19 says, “Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Then Acts 19:5 says, “They were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” This tells us that the name of the Lord Jesus equals the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Not only so, further on in the Epistles, we see this word: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ...” (Gal. 3:27). This tells us that Christ is equal to the name of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, to baptize people into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is to baptize them into the name of the Lord Jesus and into Christ.
Furthermore, to baptize people into Christ is to baptize them into His death and even more into His Body: “Also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body” (1 Cor. 12:13). Therefore, baptism is not a small thing. Previously I was not clear, but now I am clear. When a person repents, believes, and is baptized, this baptism immerses him into the Triune God, into the name of the Lord Jesus, into Christ, into His death, and into His Body. This is truly marvelous.
I truly hope that from now on, whenever there is a baptism in the church, these five items will be pointed out: the name of the Triune God, the name of the Lord Jesus, Christ, His death, and His Body. In baptism we do not merely immerse people into water outwardly. Water is a symbol, signifying the Triune God, Christ Himself, His death, and His Body. When we immerse people into water, we are baptizing them into the Triune God, into Christ, into the death of Christ, and into the Body of Christ.
Since the Lord has given me this revelation, I cannot help saying that Christianity is truly pitiful. It is so poor that the water of baptism consists of just a few drops. With the sprinkling, I did not get immersed into the Triune God or into Christ or into His death or into His Body; I was baptized into nothing. Returning home, I lived and acted the same way as I did before baptism. This was my pitiful baptism. This is also the pitiful condition of Christianity. On the contrary, from now on, the church in each locality must no longer baptize people in this poor way. We must use a lot of water as a symbol of the rich God, the glorious Christ, His all-inclusive death, and His universal Body. Today we must put repentant sinners into all these items. We must baptize in this way. Those who baptize others should pray in this way: “Lord, give me the power of the Holy Spirit, give me authority, and give me faith. Whomever I put into the water today will be baptized into the Triune God, into Christ, into His death, and into His Body.” Not only the baptizing one needs faith, but the one being baptized needs it more. If the faith of the two parties is put together, I tell you, when that person comes out of the water, he will jump, praise, and declare, “Hallelujah! Today I am in the Triune God. Today I am in Christ. Today I am in His all-inclusive death. Today I am in His glorious Body! My sins are gone, the world is buried, death has been nullified, Satan has been destroyed, and I am buried. Today I am in the all-inclusive Christ, and I am in the glorious church!” This is the rich and glorious baptism of the church. This should be our condition today.
Each time the church has a baptism, if you do not have this confidence, this faith, then you should not baptize others. You must have this kind of living authority, living faith, and living assurance: “I am representing the God of all to immerse you, repentant sinners, into Him, into Christ, into His death, and into His glorious Body!” Is this not glorious? This baptism ushers us out of darkness into light, out of death into life, and out of the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God. We need this kind of baptism.
Many who have been baptized this way can testify that after such a baptism, sins and addictions disappeared. They can testify that after such a baptism, inner anguish vanished because they were baptized into the Triune God as the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit. This is a subjective experience. Our subjective experience begins at this juncture. I do know a good number of people who became totally different persons after returning home from baptism because they were immersed into the life-giving Spirit.
What should one do after baptism? First Corinthians 12:13 says, “Also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body...and were all given to drink one Spirit.” In this verse there are two important words, baptized and drink. To be baptized means that you enter into the water, and to drink means that you let the water get into you. After this glorious baptism there must be the drinking. You need to drink often. Drinking follows baptism. Once you are baptized, you must drink. Baptism puts you in a position where you have the qualification, the standing, and the authority to drink. The water for baptism is the water for drinking. It is the same water. This life-giving Spirit is the Spirit for baptism and the Spirit for drinking. After baptism you need to drink.
How do we drink? First Corinthians 12:3 tells us: “No one can say, Jesus is Lord! except in the Holy Spirit.” In other words, whoever can say, “Jesus is Lord!” is in the Holy Spirit. Therefore, each time you say, “O Lord,” you are in the Holy Spirit. Each time you say, “O Lord Jesus,” you are taking a drink of the Spirit.
Sister M. E. Barber wrote a hymn, Hymns, #73. The second stanza of this hymn says, “Blessed Jesus! Mighty Savior! / In Thy Name is all I need; / Just to breathe the Name of Jesus, / Is to drink of Life indeed.” This is evidence that this sister truly had the experience of drinking. We need only to breathe the name of Jesus, that is, to call on the Lord Jesus, “Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus! Lord Jesus!” Then we will drink of His life. This calling does not need to be very loud. In order to not disturb others, we may at times call softly, “O Lord Jesus! O Lord Jesus!” In any event we must drink. When we call softly, “O Lord Jesus!” we are first quenched within; then we also are enlightened. After a few more minutes of calling, the inner light will become brighter, and we will end up dealing with our sins. This is truly marvelous! We must drink in this way.
Finally, I would like to mention Romans 8, 9, and 10. Apparently, these three chapters are not connected, but actually, they are completely related. Chapter 8 speaks of the living water being in us. Verses 9 and 10 show us that the Spirit of God dwells in us; that is the Spirit of Christ in us, and that is also Christ in us. This refers to the living water. Chapter 9 says that we who drink of this living water are vessels. For example, water is poured into a cup, so the cup is a vessel. We are vessels to be filled with the living water. How do we get filled? Romans 10:12 says that the Lord is “rich to all who call upon Him.” Do you, as a vessel, want to enjoy the riches of the Lord? There is only one way, and that is to call on the name of the Lord. It is good to listen to messages because they can be helpful to you. However, you must call on the Lord’s name yourself. Once you call, His riches will become your drink, your supply. Then as a vessel you will be filled with the riches of the Lord of all. It is in this way that we can have the subjective experience of the Lord.
Hallelujah! This God has gone through a process to become water that is drinkable, and He is right here. We only need to call on His name, and He as the Spirit will enter into us so that we can enjoy His riches.
