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Scripture Reading: 9-11, Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6
Romans 8:15 contains a mystery. This verse says, “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 mystery here is whether the spirit of sonship that we have received is the divine Spirit or the human spirit. This has been a great problem to Bible teachers and translators throughout church history because the original Greek text does not have upper and lower case and because the context here is ambiguous. The answer to this mystery is that the spirit of sonship is not merely the human spirit or merely the divine Spirit but the regenerated human spirit indwelt by and mingled as one with the divine Spirit.
Some today oppose our use of the word mingling, a word that has long been a point of contention in theology. In the early centuries certain church fathers taught mingling in a proper way, according to the Bible. However, by the fifth century some teachers had gone too far by saying that the mingling of the divine and human natures in Christ produced a third nature, which was neither divine nor human. Because this teaching is heretical, it was condemned, but the proper teaching of mingling was also condemned. As a result, for at least thirteen centuries Christian teachers would not touch the matter of mingling for fear of being condemned as heretical.
The proper definition of mingling is that the divine nature is made one with the human nature without producing a third nature. Mingling may also be properly used to describe how the divine Spirit is made one with the human spirit of the believers. This use of the word mingling is correct, for it is entirely according to the Bible (Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 6:17; 2 Cor. 3:17; 2 Tim. 4:22). Although the words trinity and triune are not found in the Bible, the fact that God is triune is based on the revelation in the Word. Triune is a compound word meaning “three-one.” God is triune because He is one God, yet He is of three hypostases—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). Therefore, teachers of the Bible invented the words triune and trinity to describe God’s attribute of being three-one. In the same principle, although the word mingle is not used in the New Testament, the fact and the thought are there.
In the New Testament we have the plain teachings, and in the Old Testament we have the types as figures. Children learning to read may not know what is meant when they see the letters of the word dog, but if they see a picture of a dog next to the word, they will understand what the word means. In the same principle, the pictures in the Old Testament correspond to the teachings in New Testament. The word mingle is not used in the New Testament, but it is used in the typology in the Old Testament. Of the five offerings mentioned in Leviticus 1 through 6, the second was a meal offering. Leviticus 2:5 says that the meal offering was made of “fine flour mingled with oil.” Thus, the meal offering cake was composed of two substances mingled together into one entity. Oil typifies the Spirit, and fine flour typifies Christ’s humanity. Hence, the meal offering cake shows divinity mingled with humanity. We can see from this picture that mingling implies more than adding or joining together. However, the mingling of the oil with the fine flour did not produce a third nature. The nature of the oil and the nature of the fine flour were preserved, but the two substances were mingled to compose one entity.
Part of the Old Testament priest’s garment was the ephod. Two substances—gold thread and fine twined linen—were woven together to make the material for the ephod (Exo. 28:6). In typology, gold refers to God’s divine nature, and fine linen refers to Christ’s human nature. The ephod is a type of Christ expressed in His two natures—His divinity and His humanity. The weaving of the gold thread with the linen thread signifies mingling. After such a mingling, no third substance or nature was produced. Hence, the truth of mingling is scriptural, and to say that the Holy Spirit is mingled with the human spirit is altogether scriptural.
The matter of mingling is fundamental and basic. It is not merely a theological doctrine but is altogether related to our spiritual experience. We must have a basic knowledge of this matter before we can comprehend the proper and genuine experience of Christ. The spirit of sonship in Romans 8:15 is the mingled spirit—the divine Spirit dwelling in and mingled with our human spirit. The spirit of sonship is neither merely our human spirit nor merely the divine Spirit but the two spirits mingled together as one spirit. We have such a mingled spirit.
Romans 8:15 says that in our spirit of sonship we cry, “Abba, Father!” However, according to Galatians 4:6 it is the Spirit of God’s Son who cries to the Father, and He cries from our hearts. Romans 8:16 says that the Spirit is with our spirit, but Galatians 4:6 says that God has sent forth the Spirit into our hearts. It is not easy to understand the human body, but it is even more difficult to understand man’s invisible spiritual and psychological being. Because our spirit is in our heart (1 Pet. 3:4), when the Spirit comes into our spirit, He spontaneously comes into our heart. Furthermore, when the Spirit cries in our spirit, He cries through our heart. Our heart is also involved because crying to the Father is a matter of affectionate feeling.
When we consider Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6, we may wonder whether it is we or the Spirit who is crying to the Father. The one who is crying is the mingled spirit—the divine Spirit dwelling in our human spirit and mingled with our spirit as one. Such a mingled spirit is within every believer. The way to exercise our spirit is to cry to the Father or call on the Lord. Just as we spontaneously exercise our legs when we walk, we spontaneously exercise our spirit when we cry to the Father or call on the Lord. When we cry to the Father, it is not only we who are crying, for the Spirit cries with us. The “wheel” of our spirit turns, and the Spirit within turns with us. When we cry, the one who is crying is the mingled spirit.
Today many fundamental Christians practice to pray quietly and wait for the Spirit’s inspiration. Other Christians, such as Pentecostals, pray by moving their mouths to make unintelligible sounds until the Spirit “moves.” Neither of these practices is right. If we want to bring fresh air into a room, there is no need to wait for something to happen, nor is there a need to artificially move the old air around with a fan. Fresh air will come in as soon as we open a window. Similarly, when praying, we do not need to wait for inspiration from God, nor do we need to make meaningless sounds. Instead, we can simply open our mouth to cry from our spirit through our heart, “Abba, Father!” or call, “O Lord Jesus!” By crying to the Father and calling on the Lord, we spontaneously touch our spirit. To cry to the Father or call on the name of the Lord is to open the window. Whenever we cry to the Father or call on the name of the Lord a few times, we immediately sense the Spirit filling, refreshing, watering, and enlightening us deep within. I have enjoyed this practice for many years and in many situations. The genuine way to pray when we are troubled or burdened is to cry to the Father and call on the Lord. When we pray in this way, we are immediately supplied with the help that we need. Our spirit is uplifted, refreshed, and watered. We are comforted, encouraged, and made joyful. Any negative feelings will disappear, and we will minister Christ to others.
The Spirit who cries to the Father with us in our crying is a rich Spirit. Roman 8:9-11 says, “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 from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.” The Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from the dead is the Spirit of resurrection. These verses show that the indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, Christ Himself, and the Spirit of resurrection.
Because the indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of God, whatever God is, does, and can do is in this Spirit. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of the origin, the origination, the Originator, the Creator, and the Administrator of the universe. As the Spirit of Christ, the indwelling Spirit also includes all that Christ is and all that He has accomplished, obtained, and attained. The title Christ means “the anointed One.” Thus, Christ is God’s anointed One. He is also the incarnated God who lived on the earth, died on the cross for our sins, terminated all the natural things, entered into death and Hades for three days, and was resurrected and glorified. Now He is enthroned and crowned as the Lord and has been given the name which is above every name (Acts 2:36; Rev. 3:21; Heb. 2:7; Phil. 2:9). The indwelling Spirit is also the Spirit of resurrection who has the resurrecting power, the power to raise ones from the dead. In the entire universe nothing is more powerful than resurrection. Furthermore, resurrection includes ascension, glorification, enthronement, crowning, the highest name, the highest authority, headship, and lordship. Such a Spirit is now indwelling us and is one with our spirit. When we cry to the Father, this Spirit cries in our crying. When we cry to the Father and the wheel of our spirit turns, God, Christ, and resurrection also turn within.
The Christian life is not a matter of fasting and praying to improve oneself, nor is it a matter of self-effort to be humble, kind, gentle, and forbearing. Instead, the Christian life is a matter of crying to the Father and calling on the Lord to exercise our mingled spirit. When we call, we turn the wheel of the mingled spirit and access all the riches of the Spirit. This is the experience described in Romans 8:2: “The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.” The turning wheel of the mingled spirit is the law of the Spirit of life. This is the marvelous life of the sons of God. We live not by endeavoring or striving but by crying, “Abba, Father!” and calling, “O Lord Jesus!” to turn the wheel of our mingled spirit. This is the two spirits for the divine sonship and the indwelling of the Spirit.
