(3)
Scripture Reading: 1 Cor. 2:1-16
In 2:11 Paul says, “For who among men knows the things of man, except the spirit of man which is in him? So also the things of God no one has known except the Spirit of God.” By this verse we see that the spirit of man knows the things of man, and the Spirit of God knows the things of God. The spirit of man is the deepest part of his being. It is the faculty that can penetrate the innermost region of the things of man, whereas the mind of man is capable only of knowing superficial things. So also, only the Spirit of God can know the things of God.
In order to substantiate something we need to use the proper organ. For example, we substantiate sounds by the sense of hearing. But suppose someone is speaking and you exercise your sense of smell instead of your sense of hearing. In such a case you will not realize anything and may come to the conclusion that nothing is taking place. Actually, someone is speaking, but you are using the wrong organ to substantiate what he is saying.
An argument between a husband and wife can also illustrate the mistake of using the wrong organ. A brother may be very unhappy with his wife and offended in his emotion by her attitude toward him. But if he turns from his emotion to his spirit through the exercise of his will, his feeling will change. Instead of condemning his wife and being offended with her, he will understand her in an altogether different way. From these examples we see that it matters very much that we use the proper organs in dealing with various matters.
It is especially important that we use the proper organ — the human spirit — to know spiritual things. However, concerning the experience of Christ and the church, most Christians have been taught to know Christ and the church by the exercise of the mind and with traditional teachings as the basis. Some denominations even conduct seminars in which people are trained to use their mentality to solve problems among Christians. Furthermore, that training is based not on the pure Word of God, but on tradition. Thus, instead of using the spirit, the majority of Christians use their natural mind to understand, analyze, visualize, and philosophize. Furthermore, the basis for this mental activity is tradition, not the Bible.
This practice has caused many believers to make serious mistakes in their understanding of the experience of Christ. For example, one well-known Christian teacher has said in writing that Christ does not actually dwell in us, but is only in the heavens and is represented in us by the Holy Spirit. This is a clear case of exercising the mind according to traditional doctrine and theology to understand the experience of Christ. According to the Bible, Christ is both in the heavens and in the believers. In John 14:17 the Lord Jesus says concerning the Spirit of reality, “You know Him, because He abides with you and shall be in you.” Here the Lord says explicitly that the Spirit of reality will be in us. When we compare verses 17 and 18, we see that the very He who is the Spirit of reality in verse 17 becomes the very I who is the Lord Himself in verse 18. In verse 18 the Lord goes on to say, “I will not leave you orphans; I am coming to you.” This surely does not refer to Christ’s second coming. If it did refer to Christ’s second coming, then all the Christians from the first century until now would have been orphans.
In verse 19 the Lord declares, “Yet a little while and the world beholds Me no longer, but you behold Me; because I live, you shall live also.” The words “a little while” certainly do not refer to the nineteen hundred years that have gone by since the Lord’s first coming. By this expression the Lord did not mean a period of years or even weeks. The Lord was indicating here that He was about to be crucified and buried. For this reason, the world would see Him no longer. However, just three days later, on the day of His resurrection, His disciples would behold Him. First the Lord was seen by Mary in the morning and then by a group of His disciples in the evening. Thus, it was after a little while that they beheld Him, although the world beheld Him no longer.
At the end of verse 19 the Lord Jesus says, “Because I live, you shall live also.” This indicates that He will live in us and cause us to live by Him. Hence, the Lord seems to be saying, “I will come into you and live in you and cause you to live by Me.” This began to take place on the night of His resurrection. John 20:19 says, “When therefore it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when 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.” According to John 20:22, “He breathed into them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.” By breathing the Spirit into the disciples, the Lord imparted Himself as life and everything into them. In this way, all that He had spoken in chapters fourteen through sixteen could be fulfilled. After the Lord breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples, He disappeared from their sight. But from that time onward the resurrected Christ began to live within them and to cause them to live by Him.
In John 14:20 the Lord says, “In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” This day is the day of the Lord’s resurrection. Here the Lord does not say, “In that day you will know that I am in the heavens and that you are on earth.” Nevertheless, this is the traditional teaching held by many Christians. The Lord says definitely, “You shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” The Lord says nothing here concerning being represented in them by the Holy Spirit. He says clearly, “I in you.”
Based upon the revelation in chapter fourteen of John, the Lord Jesus says in John 15:4, “Abide in Me and I in you.” In verse 5 He continues, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” Here the Lord speaks not simply of being in us, but of abiding in us as we abide in Him. To abide means to stay, to remain. Christ abides in us; He remains in us. This is not representation, but the abiding in us of Christ Himself.
In John 14:23 the Lord Jesus says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make an abode with him.” Here the Lord says that the Father and the Son will come to the one who loves the Lord and make Their abode with him. However, traditional Christian teaching is contrary to this. First, there is an emphasis on the fact that after His resurrection Christ ascended to the heavens. Second, it is also emphasized that, after His ascension, Christ sent the Holy Spirit of God upon the church. With these concepts as the basis, the traditional teachings, stressing only one side of the truth, say that Christ is now in the heavens and that the Holy Spirit is on earth representing Him in the believers. However, this traditional view altogether neglects the clear word of the Bible concerning Christ’s indwelling. The Bible reveals both that Christ is in heaven (Rom. 8:34) and also that He is actually in us (Rom. 8:10). Concerning this, we need to believe and hold both aspects of the truth.
In the last century Robert Govett wrote a book entitled The Twofoldness of Divine Truth. Like virtually everything else, the divine truth in the Bible has two sides. Concerning Christ, one side of the truth is that Christ has ascended to the heavens and has sent down the Holy Spirit. But the other side of the divine truth is that Christ Himself is actually within us.
It is indeed sad that many Christians today emphasize just one aspect of the truth and altogether neglect the other aspect. This gives rise to many problems and arguments. We need to turn from the traditional teachings, come back to the pure Word, and accept both aspects of the divine truth. For example, the truth of the Trinity, the Triune God, has two sides. The word triune means three-one. It comes from Latin roots meaning three (tri-) and one (-une).Our God is three-one. According to the Bible, we accept the truth that God is uniquely one and also that He is three. Thus, we believe that God is Triune, that He is three-one.
It is one thing to stay in the natural mind and seek to understand matters in a traditional way. It is very different to exercise our spirit to know things according to the Word of God. Suppose a certain university professor claims to be an atheist. According to his mental understanding, there is no God. Furthermore, he tells others that God does not exist. But if such a person would turn to his spirit, he would automatically pray, “O God, forgive me.” According to his mentality, there is no God, for in the natural mind it is impossible to know God. But should he turn to the spirit, he would immediately have a sense of God and realize that he must pray and ask for forgiveness.
This principle certainly applies to us as believers. Some may argue that there is nothing wrong with having many churches in one city. Such a statement is made according to their natural concept. But if they would turn to their spirit and read the New Testament, they would worship the Lord and say, “O Lord, You are unique, and Your church is also unique. Lord, You are the Head, and the church is the Body. Now I see that there is one Head and one Body. I also see that the expression of the church in a locality must be uniquely one. Lord, forgive me for saying that there can be many churches in one city.” Again we see that to use only the natural mind to understand matters gives one picture, but to turn to the spirit to perceive spiritual things gives another picture.
Because Paul exercised his spirit, he had a thorough knowledge of the situation and condition of the believers at Corinth. In chapter two he seems to be telling them, “Because you Corinthians are still in your Greek philosophical mind, you don’t know yourselves. With the mind it is not possible to know the things concerning man. You don’t know your situation, your position, your condition, your need, or your destiny. You think you are very wise, but you are actually foolish and blind. I know the things of man because I am in my spirit. Only the spirit of man knows the things of man. Because you exercise your mind and not your spirit, you do not know the things of man concerning the experience of Christ and the church. You do not realize that you are standing on the wrong position and are in the wrong condition. Furthermore, you lose God’s supply for your needs. You don’t even realize that you are neglecting your destiny.”
If we exercise our spirit, we shall discover that in our spirit dwells the Spirit of God. Then we shall know not only the things of man, but also the things of God. We shall know ourselves, and we shall also know Christ.
I am concerned that even some among us may not know themselves properly. Certain ones may not know that they are in a wrong condition. There may be many things which they have not yet confessed to God and concerning which they have not received His cleansing. They may be proud in their thoughts, thinking that they are right and that everyone else, including the whole church, is wrong. This way of thinking about themselves comes out of their failure to exercise their spirit. But if they would turn to the spirit and exercise the spirit, they would say, “O Lord, I am the one who is wrong. I am wrong in everything and wrong with everyone. O Lord, forgive me and cleanse me.”
Exercising our spirit ushers us into the Spirit of God. God’s Spirit enables us to know not only where we are wrong, but also that God loves us and that Christ wants to be our life and our person. By the Spirit of God we may also know Christ as wisdom to us from God. Then if we continue to live in the mingled spirit, in our human spirit with the Spirit of God, we shall discover that Christ is our daily righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. We shall experience Him and enjoy Him. We shall also sense our need for the church and shall desire to come to the meetings, even though others may criticize us and wonder what we are doing.
If we use our spirit, we shall first come to know ourselves. In particular, we shall know where we are wrong in our position, condition, and situation. We shall also know where we are missing the mark of the divine provisions God has predestined, prepared, revealed, and given to us. Then we shall make confession to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Eventually, we shall realize that the Spirit of God dwells in us and that He is eager to show us how much Christ loves us and how rich He is to us for our experience and enjoyment. This will cause us to enjoy the Lord and to have an increased desire for the church life. This is the experience of the spirit of man knowing the things of man and the Spirit of God knowing the things of God.
