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Second Corinthians 3:17-18 says, “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.” In these two verses there are five important matters. The first is the Lord, the second is the Spirit, the third is freedom, the fourth is glory, and the fifth is image.
Verse 17, which says, “The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom,” joins three of these matters together—the Lord, the Spirit, and freedom. Verse 18 then says, “But we all with unveiled face, beholding...the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” This shows that when we behold the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into His image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit. This verse joins all five matters together. At the beginning of verse 17 there is the Lord Himself; at the end of verse 18 there is the image of the Lord; and in between these two matters are three others—the Spirit, freedom, and glory. To go from the first item to the last—from the Lord to the image of the Lord—we need to pass through the Spirit, freedom, and glory.
Maturity in the Christian life is to go from having the Lord to having the Lord’s image. In other words, to go from having only the Lord to having the Lord’s image as well is the way for a Christian to mature in life. The Lord is the Spirit, and when we were saved, He entered into our spirit. Our spirit is the center of our being. Around this center are the different parts of our soul. Originally, we did not have the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord Himself, in our being—neither in our spirit nor in our soul. We also did not have the elements of the Lord. Therefore, we did not have the form of the Lord or the image of the Lord. When we got saved, God regenerated us, and the Spirit of the Lord entered into our spirit. From then on, this Lord Spirit has been in our spirit and has been trying to spread from our spirit to our soul. In order for Him to do this, He has to pass through a gateway. This gateway is our heart. The heart is a gateway between our spirit and our soul, joining the spirit to the soul. If the heart does not open the gate and allow the spirit to be released, the Spirit has no way to get into the soul. Therefore, 2 Corinthians 3:16 speaks of the importance of the heart. It says, “Whenever their heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” The veil is taken away because the heart turns to the Lord. This means that in order for us to be face to face with the Lord, our heart must turn to the Lord.
Although we have been saved, instead of being toward the Lord, our heart is often toward many things other than the Lord. Because our heart turns away from the Lord, there is a veil between the Lord and us. We cannot see Him, and we are not able to fellowship with Him face to face. This is the situation until the day that our heart turns to Him, and the veil is taken away. Then we see Him and are face to face with Him. This shows that the heart is the key. The fact that the heart is between the spirit and the soul means that the heart is between man and the Lord. If a man’s heart is toward the Lord, he is face to face with the Lord, and he can fellowship with the Lord directly. However, if his heart is toward things other than the Lord and is turned away from the Lord, there will be a veil, a barrier, between the Lord and him. If a person closes his heart to the Lord, he locks the Lord in his spirit. If the heart is turned away from the Lord, the Lord is detained and held in the spirit.
If someone were to ask us whether or not we are saved, surely we would say that we are. If someone were also to ask us whether or not the Lord is within us, we certainly would say that He is. However, if someone were to ask us whether or not the Lord has spread out from our spirit, we may not have anything to say. The reason is that our heart is often closed toward the Lord, and the Lord is detained in our spirit to the extent that He cannot come out. Although the Lord is within us, it is as if He is surrounded by signs that say, No Thoroughfare. Thus, the Lord is not able to move within us even a little bit, and He does not have an opportunity to come out of us. We have the Lord in our spirit, but we do not have the Lord in the different parts of our soul; that is, we do not have the Lord in our mind, emotion, and will.
We have been saved, and the Lord is within us, but the Lord cannot come out of us. This does not mean that we do not acknowledge the Lord at all; it means that there is no ground for the Lord in our thoughts. We think about this and that, but we do not think about the Lord. There is also no ground for the Lord in our emotions. We love many things, but we do not love the Lord. Moreover, there is no ground for the Lord in our will—in our decisions and choices. Our self has all the ground. Although we have been saved and have the Lord in our spirit, the Lord cannot come out from our spirit to control our mind, emotion, and will. We believe in the Lord and have the Lord, but our mind, emotion, and will are independent of the Lord, and the Lord has no ground in these three parts of our soul. This is the reason why we are not mature in life.
We are not able to mature in the Lord’s life because the Lord’s Spirit and life are not able to grow out from within our spirit. The reason for this is that our heart is often closed to the Lord. In order for us to grow in life, our heart must be open to the Lord, and our mind, emotion, and will must be opened to the Lord. Once these three parts are open, the Lord will be able to spread out from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will to reach these different parts of our soul.
How do we open our heart to the Lord? Whenever we have to make a determination or decision, we should first say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I am willing to please You.” This kind of prayer opens our will to the Lord, and once our will is opened, the Lord will enter into it. In addition, whenever we love or desire something, we should stop for a moment and say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You.” This opens our emotion to the Lord. When we do this, the Lord will surely enter into our emotion. Similarly, whenever we begin to think about something, we should stop our thinking for a moment and say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You.” This kind of statement opens our mind to the Lord, and through this opening, the Lord will be able to enter into our mind.
Whenever we open to the Lord in our mind, the Lord’s Spirit will gain the opportunity to enter into the different parts of our soul. Some saints say that it is not easy to touch the Spirit. This is true; it is not easy to touch the Spirit. Yet the Spirit is able to be sensed. In other words, the Spirit produces feelings within us. These feelings are a manifestation of the Spirit. We can liken this to electricity. We cannot touch electricity, but we can see light, which is a manifestation of electricity. Similarly, the Spirit is in us, and although we cannot touch the Spirit, we can sense Him. When we sit next to a fan, we can feel the result of the functioning of electricity. In like manner, we can feel the result of the functioning of the Spirit.
What is the sense of the Spirit in us? We can illustrate this with the following example. One day you may want to visit one of the saints, so you do so. However, in the deepest part of your being, there is a sense. This sense is entirely different from your own thinking. In your thinking you want to go visit this saint, but your sense within does not agree. This sense comes from the Spirit who is within you. Christians are very special because they have the Spirit of God abiding within them. Many times when we have a certain determination in our mind, emotion, and will, we simply have another feeling within us. This feeling is in our deepest part and comes from the function of our spirit. The Spirit of the Lord abides in our spirit and has been mingled with our spirit to become one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17).
Whenever our heart opens to the Lord, this Spirit spreads out from within us into our mind, emotion, and will. How do we know the Lord’s Spirit has spread into our mind, emotion, and will? There is one obvious proof. This proof is the freedom mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3:17—“The Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your mind, your mind will have freedom. Once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your emotion, your emotion will also have freedom. And once you have the Spirit of the Lord in your will, it will surely be freed.
What is it actually like to have freedom in one’s mind, emotion, and will? Suppose that a sister goes to buy some clothing, sees some fashionable and fancy clothes, and wants to buy them. However, at that very moment there is a feeling in her deepest part. She feels that it is unsuitable for someone who loves the Lord to wear fashionable and fancy clothing of this kind. This is the Lord’s feeling within her. The crucial question in this situation is, which direction is this sister’s heart facing? If her heart is toward the fancy clothes, it will spontaneously be closed to the Lord. If this is the case, the Lord’s Spirit will not be able to enter into her mind, emotion, and will, and she will not have any freedom within her. If, however, her heart is toward the Lord, she will forsake the clothing. Then the Lord’s Spirit will have the opportunity to enter into her mind, emotion, and will, and she will have freedom within her.
Many sisters have this kind of experience. If their hearts are toward the clothes and they buy them, they will be unable to pray for three days. Then since they are unable to pray for three days, they will become low. They will not be released and will not be able to stand. This is what it means to not have freedom. When people meet these sisters, they will think that there is something wrong with them. These sisters’ countenances will be miserable, and they will appear to be bound by something. Even in their speaking they will sound unnatural and restrained. In the meetings they will not be able to pray to the extent that they will not even be able to say Amen when others pray. This is because they are bound and do not have any freedom. We must remember that whenever the Lord’s Spirit is bound within us, we are surely restrained. Many Christians are not joyful because the Spirit within them is not joyful. When the Spirit within them is joyful, then they will be joyful.
If the sisters love the Lord, face the Lord, and say to Him, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You. I do not want these clothes. I will not buy them,” then immediately they will be released and will have freedom within them. Then they will be able to pray, sing hymns, and say Hallelujah. In the meeting they certainly will be released. When people meet them, they will meet a spirit that is uplifted and soaring with joy. They will sense the taste of the Lord with them. If someone says that a meeting is boring, we must realize that it is he himself who is bored within. Because his spirit, his inner being, is bored, he feels that everything is boring. This is not only the case for spiritual things but also for ordinary things. When a man comes across something joyful, his heart will be filled with joy. Then when he meets people on the way, he will feel that they are lovely, and when he lifts up his head to see the clouds, he will find them pleasant. To the contrary, if he comes across something sad, he will be filled with sadness and sorrow. Then even if he meets the same people, the same earth, the same sky, and the same clouds, he will feel sad.
Why is it that the same situation can lead to two kinds of feelings? It is because we can have two moods. We can feel bored or released in response to the same meeting. Thus, the self is present in both the feeling of boredom and that of release. If you are depressed inside, you will feel that the meeting is low. If you are released, you will feel that the meeting is released. Where is the source of this state of being released or depressed? It is within you, and it depends on whether or not the Spirit of the Lord is free or restrained. If you do not let the Spirit of the Lord spread out of you, you will be restrained and depressed. Once this bondage is within you, your mind, emotion, and will are not at ease. Your mind, emotion, and will are not released and thus have no joy. The Lord is the Spirit, and the Spirit Himself is freedom. Thus, if you do not let the Spirit pass through you, surely you will not have freedom.
We all know that wherever there is a wind, it is cool. The wind brings in coolness. If several of us are sitting in a house, and if all the windows and doors are shut and the fan is broken, it will be very stuffy. However, if we open the doors and windows and repair the fan, then there will be a wind, and we will feel cool while sitting in the house. Coolness comes from the wind, and wherever there is a wind, it is cool. Thus, we can say that the wind is the coolness. Similarly, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. The Spirit of the Lord is the freedom. Thus, if you do not let the Spirit of the Lord have the ground in your mind, emotion, and will, one thing is certain—your mind, emotion, and will shall all be depressed. Christians who love to go to the movies and to go dancing may feel very comfortable when they see a movie or when they go to a dance. But when they get home afterward, the boredom and depression within them will deepen. Sometimes this feeling of boredom and depression will last for a few days.
For every Christian who loves the world, the more they love the world, the more they are bored within. For those who live according to themselves, the more they live this way, the more they are depressed within. Spiritual things are very real, and no one can cheat. The Holy Spirit in us has His own law, and this law is very real. If we love the Lord more and allow the Lord to overcome more in us, we will be released, free, and clear inside. Although there may be persecution or difficult environments outwardly, our mind, emotion, and will certainly will be open and free. This is because the Spirit is within us, and wherever the Spirit is, there is freedom. The Lord as the Spirit is the freedom. The three—the Lord, the Spirit, and freedom—are actually one.
The Lord is in us, and if we let Him move freely in us and obey Him more, He will have the ground in us and will expand in us. The Spirit of the Lord will also be able to operate, for the Lord is the Spirit. Once that Spirit operates, moves, and enters into our mind, our mind is free. When He enters into our emotion, our emotion is released. When He enters into our entire being, our entire being is released and free. For example, there is a saint in the church life who is fresh and living. Twenty years ago he was fresh and living, and twenty years later he is still fresh and living. When you see him in Shanghai, he is fresh and living. When you see him in Hong Kong, he is fresh and living. And when you see him in Taiwan, he is still fresh and living. It seems that he has never been depressed. His secret is that his spirit is free and fresh. Once there is even a small amount of bondage in his spirit, he kneels down and prays to the Lord. He asks the Lord for forgiveness and the cleansing of His blood. His heart is always toward the Lord. Therefore, his spirit is free. Once his spirit is free, he is free—his mind, emotion, and will are all free.
Is this kind of person free from having any burdens, difficulties, or pain? If we were to ask him, he would tell us that his burdens, difficulties, and pain are by no means lighter than ours. The difference is that he always allows the Spirit to be free and endeavors to always keep his heart toward the Lord. Every time that a burden or a difficulty comes, he simply turns to the Lord and says to Him, “O Lord, I give this to You.” Satan does not stop working, so burdens and difficulties still come to him one after another, but he keeps turning to the Lord and saying to Him, “O Lord, I give this to You.” Again and again, he allows the Spirit to be free in this way. We should never say that we can sing praises to the Lord only when we do not have any difficulty or burden. Freedom depends upon the Spirit’s being able to spread out of us. The Spirit is in us, and in order for Him to spread out of us, our heart must be open. We should not be afraid of burdens and difficulties. When the burdens and difficulties come, we must turn our heart to the Lord. Regardless of what the environments may be, what troublesome matters there are, what the desires of our heart are, what decisions or determinations there are to be made, our heart must be open to the Lord. This is the secret.
In John 3:8 the Holy Spirit is likened to the wind, and everyone who is born of the Spirit is likened to the blowing wind. Once we open the windows, the wind comes into the house and fills it. Similarly, once our heart opens, the Spirit comes out and enters into our mind, emotion, and will. The Spirit is freedom, and where the Spirit is, there is freedom. Once the Spirit gets into our mind, emotion, and will, we are released, transcendent, and free. Outwardly, the environment does not change, and we still have difficulties upon us. Yet our heart within us is full of freedom. There are many burdens upon us, yet our heart is released. This freedom, this release, is the Spirit. We all have had this kind of experience. We have difficulties, burdens, problems, and pains, yet whenever our heart turns to the Lord, the Spirit within us comes out and enters into our emotion, mind, and will, causing our entire being to be free and released.
Whenever our heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Then we with unveiled face are able to meet the Lord face to face and behold His glory. The Lord is the Spirit, the Spirit is freedom, and freedom is glory, which is God expressed. How do we know that we are experiencing glory? It is the same as freedom. Whenever we feel released, comfortable, and easy, that is freedom. Whenever we feel noble, honorable, and transcendent, that is glory. When the saints are going to a movie, they have a feeling within them that they should not go. However, some of them struggle within, do not obey, and still go. Then when they arrive at the theater, they have no peace, so they look around to see if there are any other brothers or sisters there. Then they quickly go into the theater. When they go home after the movie, they feel that they are so low and cannot stand upright. When they come to the meeting, they surely will not lift up their head. Their spirit will not be able to rise up. What kind of feeling is this? Is this glory? It is not. In fact, this kind of feeling is the opposite of glory.
Suppose you want to go to the movies, but because you do not have peace within, you say to the Lord, “O Lord, I love You. I want to please You.” Then after saying this, you do not go. As a result, you will be a transcendent Christian, and when you go to the meeting, you will be soaring inside. This is not pride; it is a bright, shining, and transcendent feeling that comes from having the presence of the Lord and the beauty and joy of the Lord. This is glory. Such an experience cannot be described. It is clear, shining, and glorious, and it causes you to feel comfortable. This is the experience of glory. Where the Spirit is, there is freedom, and where there is freedom, there is glory.
Even if he does not go to the movies, if a normal Christian loses his temper a little at home, when he sees the saints, he will feel cowardly and will be afraid of seeing their faces. Why is this? It is because he feels low and lacking within. He is not released. However, if he overcomes at home and allows the Lord to have the ground, when he sees a saint in the distance, he will immediately catch up with him and greet him. In addition, others will see that his face is shining just like Moses’ face shone with glory. Such a condition is the result of seeing the glory of the Lord face to face.
Second Corinthians 3:18 also includes the phrase reflecting like a mirror. If we have our face covered with a veil, there will be a barrier between the light and us. It is not until we have the veil taken away that our face and the light can be face to face. Then we can see the light. This is like the reflecting of a mirror. Because the Spirit is in us, we have freedom, our face is unveiled to the Lord, and we are face to face with Him. His glory shines upon our face, and we reflect His glory like a mirror. We cannot pretend to do this. Only when we meet a brother who has God’s shining and glory on his face, will we immediately feel God’s presence and sense that God is being expressed.
Many times when we meet one of the saints, we groan within and are sad. Although this one is a believer, he seems to have fallen down to the ground. He is unable to get up and cannot move. On the other hand, sometimes when we meet one of the saints, we bow down and worship the Lord, realizing that this is a man who is ascendant and standing upright. He is a man who is standing on the ground and reaching to the heavens. He is active and is able to fight. We sense that this man has glory—the glory of God is on his face. This is glory. Where does this glory come from? It comes from having freedom. What is freedom? Freedom is the Spirit. And who is the Spirit? The Spirit is the Lord. The four—the Lord, the Spirit, freedom, and glory—are actually one.
When our heart turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Then our entire being is set free, and we reflect like a mirror. Eventually, we see the glory of the Lord, and from this glory to the ultimate glory, we are being transformed into the image of the Lord. This very image is glory. People will be able to see the Lord, the image of the Lord, in us. Where does this image come from? It comes from glory, and this glory comes from freedom, freedom comes from the Spirit, and the Spirit is the Lord Himself. Where is this Spirit? This Spirit is in our spirit. The Lord is the Spirit, and He is in our spirit. When our heart loves Him and opens to Him, He comes out. And when He comes out, when He moves, He is the Spirit. Whenever the Lord moves and acts, He is the Spirit; and whenever the Spirit comes out and enters into our mind, emotion, and will, He is freedom. Then the Spirit of the Lord is in our entire being, and our entire being is set free. This freedom is glory, which is the presence of God and the expression of God. This makes us feel noble, honorable, and glorious. This is glory, and this is the image of the Lord.
If day by day we love the Lord and give Him the opportunities, day by day the Lord will spread out from within us. Then we will grow and be transformed day by day. Ultimately, we will be transformed into the image of the Lord. Originally, we had only the Lord within us, but through transformation we will have the image of the Lord within us. This image is the Lord Himself. People will realize that we have a certain condition. This condition is the image of the Lord. We can also call this a condition of having glory, freedom, release, the presence of the Lord, and the Lord’s Spirit. These five things are actually one. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. When we have freedom, our face is unveiled to see the glory of the Lord. Then, from glory to glory, we are transformed into the image of the Lord.
When the Lord lives out from within us, we grow and become mature. Therefore, we need to open our heart to the Lord and let Him spread out from our spirit into our mind, emotion, and will. Once He enters into these parts of us, we are free, we have glory, and we are honorable. At this time we have His image. When our mind is like His mind, our desires are like His desires, and our decisions are like His decisions, we will have His image.
