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Scripture Reading: 1 Pet. 1:2a; Rom. 15:16; 6:19b, 22; 12:2a; 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:17-18
Our knowledge of the Scriptures is often veiled by our natural concepts. It seems that we are not able to avoid our concepts when we come to read the Scriptures. Therefore, we do not have any understanding of the many profound truths in the Scriptures concerning subjective experiences. When reading the Bible, almost all Christians read only the letter; they read superficially. Consequently, they do not gain any light or revelation concerning the real things.
There are three matters that we may have noticed in the Scripture Reading above. Concerning these matters, many know only the terms but do not have any idea as to what they mean. What are these three terms? The first term is sanctification. It is generally called “holy purity” in Chinese. However, in the original language of the Scriptures, this word does not have the notion of purity; instead, it is full of the meaning of separation. So, we see it is not purity; it is sanctification. To be truly sanctified is not a matter of being made pure but a matter of being separated, being set apart. The second term is transformation. Most Chinese know the term for transformation, but they may not understand it in an accurate and proper way. This term denotes not merely a change but a chemical change, as in chemistry. The third term is conformation. It is not hard to understand this term in the Chinese language, but it is not so easy to understand it with respect to the subjective, spiritual experiences. Due to our lack of subjective, spiritual experiences, we seem to know these terms when we read the Scriptures, but in reality we do not understand them at all.
I started to read the Bible fifty years ago. When I came across terms such as sanctification, transformation, and conformation, my understanding was altogether according to my natural concepts. Concerning sanctification, or “holy and pure” in Chinese, I thought that as long as I did not commit any sin or do anything wrong, then I was holy and pure. If I looked serious and remained quiet while others were joking and laughing, then I was holy and pure. Concerning transformation, I did not understand its spiritual meaning. Concerning conformation, because the Chinese Bible translated to be conformed into “to imitate,” I knew its literal meaning, but I knew nothing of its spiritual significance. I lacked the subjective, spiritual experience, and I also did not have the guidance of those who were experienced. Fifty years ago, when I was the same age as some of the young people here, I did not have the help that you are receiving today. The experiences I gained in ten years could not be compared with the experiences you have now gained in half a year. Because you have received guidance, it is easy for you to understand the spiritual things. However, even tonight I still do not have the confidence that many among us have a thorough experience of these three matters.
What is sanctification? What is transformation? What is conformation? I know that many of you have listened to messages and have read books on these subjects; yet I still would say that you probably have not had enough experiences. At this time we see that the leading of the Lord among us is for us to have a thorough view of these inward, subjective experiences. Our burden is to help you, the younger generation, know the way of the Lord’s recovery.
Based upon the experiences of many years I can say that sanctification is the addition of the divine element into us. For example, there are five cups of pure water here, and you can see that they are all the same. But when you add tea into one of these cups of water, the components in that cup will be different. Among the five cups of water, only one cup has tea, and the other four do not. Therefore, this cup of water that has tea in it has undergone “teaification.” This illustration explains the meaning of sanctification.
Before we were saved, we were all cups of pure water at best. As a matter of fact, we were not pure; we were all cups of contaminated water. On the day we were saved, however, the Spirit of God entered into us. This Spirit of God is the divine element, which is God Himself. God Himself was added into us. We have something additional in us, which is the element of God. To have this additional element is to be sanctified.
Of the five cups of water, four do not have tea added into them; they are common. Only one has tea added into it, so it is separated. There is a distinction between this cup and the other four, and this distinction lies in the element of tea. When tea was first added into the water, only the center showed a change in color, but after a little time and a little stirring, the element of tea spread from the center to the circumference. At the beginning, the appearance of the tea was present only in the middle of the water, but after a period of time the characteristic of tea permeated the whole cup of water. Thus, the whole cup of water was “teaified.” This is the meaning of sanctification spoken of in the Scriptures.
Of course, in the Bible, sanctification has both the objective, positional aspect and the subjective, dispositional aspect. Positional sanctification is like that which is recorded in Matthew 23:17. When a piece of gold is in an ordinary home, it is common. However, when it is placed in the holy temple to overlay the walls, it is immediately sanctified. This is because this piece of gold is different in position from all the other pieces of gold. All the other pieces of gold are in a common position; only this piece of gold, being placed in the temple, has been sanctified. This is positional sanctification.
However, the sanctification mentioned in Romans 15:16; 6:19, and 22 is not positional but dispositional. This may be compared to the cup of water that has an ingredient added into it. There is not a change in its position; rather, there is an addition to its composition. Therefore, this is not positional sanctification but dispositional sanctification.
Now I would like to ask you a question. After we are saved, we love the Lord and want to pursue the Lord. We pursue “holiness” because we see it in our reading of the Bible. Therefore, those who were always joking in the past do not joke anymore. Those who previously were quick and blunt in speaking and thus easily offended others now learn to be slow in their speaking. Those who used to criticize others now restrain themselves from speaking loosely. What would you say about this? I say that this is the sanctification in our natural concept; it is not the sanctification spoken of in the Bible. The sanctification referred to in the Scriptures is that we open ourselves to the Lord from our spirit and let the Lord come into us. It is not a matter of joking or of not joking, nor is it a matter of criticizing or not criticizing others. It is not any of these things. These are all matters in the religious world. Do not remain in that world. Today we are not in the realm of religion but in the realm of life. It is not that we change our behavior outwardly; rather, it is that we open our entire being from within and let the Lord, the living Spirit, infuse Himself into us. When His divine element has been infused into us and has increased in us, this is sanctification.
It is not so important whether or not you joke, whether or not you offend others, and whether or not you criticize others. Forget all of these things! I often say that if not joking or not criticizing others is considered holy, then the statue of Mary in the Catholic cathedrals must be the holiest one. That stone statue does not lose its temper or offend people or criticize or joke; it maintains the same posture from the beginning of the year to the end. Do you consider that situation holiness? That is not holiness; that is something belonging to the religious realm. We have been in the environment of the religious world too long. Do not stay there any longer. Forgive me for saying this, but even some of the young people who have come into the church are still somewhat influenced by religion to try to live a “holy” life. I am afraid that up to now you still have such a concept.
Let me tell a story here. After the war in 1946, the brothers in Nanking invited me to the church there. One day a sister came from Shanghai to Nanking. She was very much like the statue of Mary that you see in the Catholic cathedrals. She was very refined, neither too fast nor too slow, and was greatly appreciated by the brothers and sisters. She came to Nanking while I was in Shanghai attending a conference. When I returned to Nanking, the brothers came to me and said, “Brother Lee, thank goodness! We now have a sister who is truly holy!” Immediately, I answered, “Only the statue of Mary in the Catholic cathedral is better than this sister!” Not only the brothers there in Nanking had that concept of holiness, but I believe even tonight many of you brothers also have the same concept. Suppose I carry a Bible and come into this room with deliberate steps, and then I slowly open the Bible; you will all surely appreciate me. Suppose, however, I walk in with quick steps and just put the Bible on the stand. Surely you would think, “This Brother Lee is not sufficiently holy or spiritual.” Am I right?
I illustrate just this much to show you that today not only the unbelievers but even Christians, including the Christians among us, are not that serious about things in the spiritual realm; they do not understand what sanctification is. Sanctification is neither to be quiet nor to be noisy. Sanctification is neither to refrain from losing your temper nor to be free to lose your temper. Instead, sanctification is the addition of the element of God into you to make you distinct from others. This distinction lies not in the fact that you refrain from laughing while others laugh or that you remain standing while others run. These things may make you distinct, but they do not make you holy. To be made holy, to be sanctified, is to have God’s element added into you whether you are laughing or you are not laughing. In order to have this element added into you, you must open to the Lord and call on Him from your spirit, “O Lord!” Whenever you have such a little opening and call, “O Lord,” His element, His Spirit, will be increased in you. In this way you will be sanctified.
This dispositional sanctification, of course, is in varying degrees. In adding tea to water, the more tea you add, the stronger the flavor of tea will be; the less tea you put in, the weaker the flavor will be and the fainter its color. In like manner, our sanctification is of different degrees. With certain brothers and sisters you may sense a strong flavor of the divine element, whereas with other brothers and sisters, you sense that the flavor of the divine element, the element of sanctification, is there but not that strong.
What then is the effect of sanctification? Sanctification is the cause, and its effect is transformation. Transformation is not merely an outward change; it is a metabolic process. Furthermore, transformation is by life; it is organic.
We know that metabolism is a physiological function; it cannot take place in non-organic things. Let me give a good illustration. Suppose someone has a face that looks pale. How can he make his face have a rosy color? Generally, people would apply some reddish cosmetics to make their face look beautiful. But this is not transformation. Instead, this is similar to the work done in funeral homes. The reformation advocated by many moralists and religionists is just this kind of work. This kind of outward change does not involve the organic process of metabolism. However, if this person were to turn to the way of life by taking in a good amount of nutritious food and by exercising daily, this would improve his metabolism so that the new nutrients will replace his old elements. Thus, after a month the color of his face will become rosy. This is the meaning of the transformation spoken of in the Scriptures.
In the process of spiritual metabolism something new replaces the old element. What is this “new” thing? We said previously that sanctification is the addition of the element of God into you. The element of God is the new thing. When we are saved, our inner spirit is made alive. This regenerated spirit, the inner man, is an organism. When the element of God, which is the Spirit of God, is added into us, the organic function within us is activated to discharge the old things and to replace them with the new element. This spiritual metabolism brings to us an organic transformation.
I grew up in Christianity and frequently listened to the preaching of pastors. While growing up, I also read some of the Chinese ancient books that had a special emphasis on filial piety, brotherly submission, honesty, and modesty. After reading these things, I began to put a question mark on Christianity. I considered this way: “The Bible speaks about loving others, and Confucian teachings refer to being forgiving toward others. What is the difference between the two?” In addition, one day a foreign pastor came and told us that the Bible teaches exactly the same as Confucius. After listening to him, I said to myself, “If this is the case, why should we believe in the Christian religion?” Because I was affected by what he said, I grew cold toward the Christian religion. Afterward, when I saw that the pastors also smoked and drank liquor, I felt even more convinced that there was no difference. Therefore, I stayed away from Christianity.
However, the Lord was merciful. One day He brought me back, and I was genuinely saved. After I was saved, I was puzzled about the difference between the love mentioned in the Bible and the forgiveness referred to by Confucius. For many years I did not get an answer. Then after reading the Scriptures and some good spiritual books, and after having some experiences of my own, I gradually realized that the forgiveness Confucius spoke of is the outcome of our being taught, whereas the love mentioned in the Scriptures is the issue of God living out from within us. This is not an outward doing; instead, it is the outflow of life.
One day this light shone upon me, and I was so happy that I became speechless. Hallelujah! That day I saw that the virtues in the Scriptures are not the result of man’s work or doing. Rather, they are the living out, the overflowing, of God from within us. This is what I saw initially. Then after some years I also saw that these virtues come from transformation. Tonight if you open yourself and let the Spirit fill you, you will be filled with love. To be sure, this love is an overflow, but it is still not the love that comes from transformation. It takes time to have the love that comes from transformation.
There are two kinds of genuine love that originate from God: one comes out as an overflow, and the other one comes out of transformation. The overflowing love is changeable. Today you might be stirred up in your spirit, so love flows out from you. Tomorrow you may not be stirred up, so there will be no overflow of love. Please allow me to say a word to the young people. I have observed that the young people can easily be overflowing in spirit by calling on the name of the Lord, and at such times you are willing to do anything for the brothers and sisters. Nevertheless, you have to know that although today you are overflowing, tomorrow you may not be flowing. As a matter of fact, you might even be “frozen.” At such times you need the meeting to fan the flame for you. After half an hour of meeting, your face will open up; after another fifteen minutes, you will thaw out; after another fifteen minutes, you will be filled to the point of overflowing again. This type of love changes very easily.
What is the love that comes from transformation? Forgive me for sharing my own testimony. Today it is not easy for me to be either overflowing or frozen, and it is even harder for me to be dried up. Today the love with which I love you is a love that comes out of my transformation. What is transformation? Transformation is God’s element being constituted into and mingled with our own element.
In the New Testament the word transformed is used in only two places. One is in 2 Corinthians 3:18, which says, “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.” This verse tells us that we should not have a veiled face. What is the veil? The veil is our concept. The early disciples held the concept of the law, which became the veil on their face. The apostle Paul told them to break their concept concerning the law and turn their heart from the law to the Lord. Thus, they would have an unveiled face, and they would be like a mirror facing the Lord directly to behold and reflect Him. As a result, they would be transformed into the same image as the Lord from one degree of glory increasing to another degree of glory, even as from the Lord Spirit.
Another place transformation is mentioned is Romans 12:2, where it is even clearer: “Do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.” Our mind is not the only part within our being, but it is the leading part. Therefore, here it mentions only the mind. However, when it says that the mind needs to be transformed, we know that the emotion, the will, and the conscience also need to be transformed. Every part within us needs to be transformed. How can we be transformed? We need to open up from deep within to the Lord and let the element of the Lord be added into us. After the element of the Lord has been added into us, we will not be transformed instantly; rather, it will take time for us to be transformed. The Spirit of the Lord as the element added into us moves within us, gradually permeating and saturating our mind. This is transformation. When our mind is permeated with the Spirit of the Lord, it is renewed and transformed.
In the same principle, our emotion, our will, and our conscience also need to be transformed in this way. Day after day, we are being sanctified on the one hand, and we are being transformed on the other hand. On the one hand, the divine element is being added into us; on the other hand, this divine element permeates all our inward parts, activating a metabolic function, an organic transformation, in each part. The result is transformation. At such a time, our love will not be the love as an overflow but the love as the issue of transformation. This kind of love does not dry up, and it cannot become frozen. We are not affected by the people, things, and matters around us. This kind of transformation is the mingling of the Lord’s element with our element, and it is also our becoming one with the Lord. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17). This is a subjective experience.
The next step is to be conformed to the Lord’s image. Transformation follows sanctification, and conformation comes after transformation. After a period of time sanctification becomes transformation, and the result of transformation is conformation to the image of the Lord. Second Corinthians 3:18 puts transformation and conformation together. It says, “...being transformed into the same image.” This is conformation. This is not only to be transformed but also to be shaped. This requires our experiences. After listening to these words, gradually you will experience these items step by step. We need to open up ourselves to the Lord and let the living Spirit of the Lord penetrate us, adding the divine element into us. Thus we will be sanctified. Thank the Lord that when we have this experience, deep within us we can feel that we are different from others. This is not to be proud, not at all; this feeling comes from the reality of sanctification within us.
When you let this sanctification linger within you for a while, this sanctification will bring in a metabolic process, causing you to have an organic change. This is transformation. Your mind will be transformed, your emotion will be transformed, and your will also will be transformed. The way you look at things and the way you consider matters will be different from the way you did before. Your feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, and delight will be different from before. Also your decisions, resolutions, and choices will be different from before. This is because a process of metabolic transformation is taking place in your mind, emotion, and will.
As a result, when you consider a certain matter, your thought will be the same as that of the Lord Jesus. The way you think when you consider any matter will bear the stamp of the Lord Jesus. The way you love people and the way you decide any matter will also be the same as that of the Lord Jesus. This means that in your practical living you will bear the image of the Lord. This is not an outward improvement, nor is it an outward imitation. Rather, it is that you are inwardly being possessed by the Lord and permeated with the Lord, and His element is permeating your mind, emotion, and will. At this time your thoughts, preferences, and decisions are all the same as the Lord’s thoughts, preferences, and decisions. Thus, spontaneously you have the image of the Lord; this is conformation.
It is not that you read through the Scriptures a few more times, learn more doctrines, or listen to more messages; these are all objective matters. The subjective experience is that you start by opening yourself to the Lord to let the Lord Spirit enter into you and allow His element to be added into you; thus, you will be separated, distinct, from others, and be no longer common. You are separated not by your outward behavior but by the divine element within you. This divine element will permeate and saturate you within, and it will add the element of God into your mind, emotion, and will until your inner being is filled with the divine element. Then your mind will be the same as the Lord’s mind, your desires will be like the Lord’s desires, and your decisions will exactly resemble the Lord’s decisions. All these mean that you have the image of the Lord.
Brothers and sisters, today’s church must be the composition and the totality of such a group of people. What the Lord wants today is a church like this, where all the members are filled with the Lord Spirit and all their inward parts are also saturated with the Lord Spirit, resulting in every part being conformed to the image of the Lord. These are the proper members of the Lord, and in totality this is the Body of Christ, the church.
