12.Free from Law (Chapter One Hundred Seventy)

12.Free from Law (Chapter One Hundred Seventy)

《 Conferences, Messages, and Fellowship(Vol.6) 》

CONTENTS：

CONFERENCES, MESSAGES, AND FELLOWSHIP (6)

1. Preface SECTION SIXTEEN: MISCELLANEOUS MESSAGES AND FELLOWSHIP

2. God's Christ and the Things of God (Chapter One Hundred Sixty) 3. Christ in the Law, Psalms, and Prophets (Chapter One Hundred SixtyOne) 4. Spiritual Reality—Three Views (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two) 5. The Work of the Holy Spirit (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three) 6. Light and Knowledge (Light Versus Knowledge) (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Four) 7. The Place of Women (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Five) 8. Anointing in Relation to Ministry (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Six) 9. Enduement (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Seven) 10.Law in Romans and Galatians (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Eight) 11. The Christian's Relationship to the Law (Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine) 12.Free from Law (Chapter One Hundred Seventy) 13.The Lord's Prayer (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One) 14.The Hannah Ministry (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Two) 15.God's Eternal Purpose (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Three) 16.Romans 12 (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Four) 17.God's Building (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five) 18.Paul and Agabus (Guidance) (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Six) 19.Priestly Ministry (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Seven) 20."The Joy of the Lord is Your Strenght" (Chapter One Hundred SeventyEight) 21.The Faith of God (Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Nine) 22.Faith (Chapter One Hundred Eighty) 23.The Cup (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-One)

24.Separation from the Wooden and Earthen Vessels (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Two) 25.The Limitations of God (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Three) 26.The Offense of the Lord (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Four) 27.Fellow Workers (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Five) 28.God's Ways (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Six) 29.The Two Wills of God (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Seven) 30.The Will of God (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Eight) 31.The Suppression of Affections (Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Nine) 32.The Present Will of God (Chapter One Hundred Ninety) 33.Conformity (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-One) 34.The Four Aspects of the Lord's Death (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Two) 35.Four Kinds of Discipline (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Three) 36.Five Kinds of Forgiveness (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Four) 37.Exposition on Luke 17:20-37 (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Five) 38.Romans 14:1–15:7 (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Six) 39.Hosea 14:5-8 (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Seven) 40.The Book of the Revelation (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Eight) 41.Revelation 1:9 (Chapter One Hundred Ninety-Nine) 42.Worship (Chapter Two Hundred) 43.Prayer (Chapter Two Hundred One)

PREFACE Volume 46 of The Collected Works includes miscellaneous messages given by Watchman Nee throughout the period of time covered in Set 2 of The Collected Works. They are primarily notes on messages and fellowship from Sister Elizabeth Rademacher's collection. Since these notes were originally transcribed in English, translation from Chinese was not required.

SECTION SIXTEEN MISCELLANEOUS MESSAGES AND FELLOWSHIP CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY GOD'S CHRIST AND THE THINGS OF GOD Scripture Reading: Col. 1:15-19; 2:6; Rom. 8:32; John 6:35; 8:12; 11:25; 14:6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:10 Christ is the fullness of God. All the fullness dwells in Him. The word fullness is simple yet very puzzling. What does the phrase the fullness of God mean? We must turn to the Old Testament for an explanation. There God uses this word in a peculiar way. The Psalms say, "The earth...and the fullness thereof" (24:1), and "The sea and its fullness" (96:11). The earth and the fullness mean the earth and the things of the earth; the sea and the fullness mean the sea and all the things in the sea. Christ as the fullness of God means Christ is the things of God. The things of God as His fullness dwell in Christ. What does Christ being the things of God mean? We understand that Christ is a person, and we think that there are things of God apart from Him. There are a thousand things, and there is Christ. But no! All things are in Christ. All the things of God are Christ. He said, "I am the bread." He did not say He was the giver of the bread; He is the thing called bread. He said, "I am the light." He did not say He is the giver of light. Again He said, "I am the resurrection and the life." He is the very thing itself. We think of Christ as being a living person, but we also want to have some truth in addition to that. But He is the truth. He presented Himself not only as a person, as the Son of God, but also as the fullness of God. All the things of God are simply bits of Christ. Christ as a person is the very things of God. For us to know more of God and to receive grace from Him in practical issues, Paul not only tried to lead us to see that Christ is a person, but he also said that Christ was "made sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). He did not say that Christ had borne our sins, or that He was our deliverer, but that Christ had become sin, that is, He became a thing. In 1 Corinthians 1:30 Christ became wisdom to us. Wisdom is itself a thing and it comprises three things: righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. This verse does not say that He was our Justifier; it says that He is our righteousness. This verse does not say that He is the Sanctifier; it says that He is made unto us sanctification. It also does not say that Christ is our Redeemer; it says that He is

made redemption unto us. He is the thing itself. Instead of saying that He is a person, this verse says that He is these things. What does all this mean? According to our concept, God is a great Giver, a fountain, and His chief gift is His Son—the greatest gift that heaven could have ever made. But we also see that we need grace, peace, righteousness, goodness, etc. We need many things. Therefore, we come as those who are needy and ask for these things. Our needs are all different, so we think that the supplies must also be different. But this is not the way God works. We make the mistake of seeking these things as things. We seek righteousness, as if we receive Christ and then later receive righteousness. We seek sanctification, as if we receive Christ and then later receive sanctification. But if we have a vital relationship with the Lord, we get these things! This is a most important principle. We cannot have anything apart from Christ. This is the reason we find so many occurrences of the phrase in Christ in the New Testament. It is always in Him. Everything is in Him. We cannot receive anything apart from Him. We have to first get in touch with Christ and then we will receive the things. First Corinthians 1:30 says that Christ has been made righteousness to us. The person becomes the thing. We all know that when we come before God, the question of righteousness arises. If we do not go out to visit someone, we do not think of our clothes! We think of them only when we have to meet someone. Only when we approach God does the question of what we appear in arise. The presence of God always produces a sense of the need of righteousness. Our first thought is, "What have I done?" or "What have I not done?" Our whole thought is on the thing. We wonder what we have to bring before God. Praise the Lord, our righteousness is not based on whether we have prayed, witnessed, or read our Bible. Christ is our righteousness! It is a great thing to see this. None of us could ever have true rest if this were not settled. We could easily be put out of the battle, and we would have ups and downs all the time. If we could only come to see that our righteousness is a person! My righteousness is not my patience, but Christ. My patience may fail, but not my righteousness. My love may wane, but not my righteousness, for my righteousness is not in me but in Christ. If He does not change, then my righteousness will never change. We try to look for some thing within. But we should not seek righteousness as a thing; we should seek Christ. Oh, to be delivered from things and to know Christ! He is the things of God! This is the foundation. Unless this question is fundamentally settled, there will be no rest. No matter how much I have failed, my righteousness has not

changed. No matter how lofty a position I may have attained or how successful I may seem, my righteousness is still Christ. There is always a danger of looking at our attainments instead of Christ, or feeling that we have arrived at something. Someone may think that since he has not lost his temper, he can pray louder! No, it is not what we have or have not done; we do not stand on that ground but on the ground of the righteousness of Christ. Praise the Lord! This is not all. Christ is made unto us sanctification. All righteousness has to do with God; that is, it is on the objective side. But because we are walking on the earth, we also need something subjective. How can we be meek, loving, and patient? We try to look into ourselves to find what we need and then go to God with these needs. We think of our needs in terms of things, perhaps meekness or humility, and we pray for them. We may pray a great deal and never get them. We think that we need a new part as if it were a question of parts and accessories! No, we need a new "car"! We need the Lord Himself, not a thing. If we seek patience we will never get it, but if we seek Christ we will get patience. The person leads to the thing. If we merely have patience, what we have belongs to the natural life and is not divine. God does not dispense things. God has only one answer to all of our difficulties—His Son. God has only one remedy and that is His Son. God does not give us power to be holy, but He lets His Son live His life of holiness in us and through us. Our life on earth has nothing to do with things, even divine things; our life has to do with Him. It is not that we fight and try to resist, but that He does it all. Whatever lack we have, we can trust Him to be the answer to that lack. I cannot emphasize the word be too much. When He is obeyed, trusted, and believed, we will find that Christ has been made unto us that very thing. So, what need have we? We may think that all our needs are different, but the fullness of Christ answers them all. Christ is made unto us redemption. This is looked upon as being something in the past, but the full effect of it will be manifested in the future. It will be manifested at our translation, or resurrection, at the redemption of our body. How can we be raised? Christ is our redemption. What does that mean? It is Christ who is going to be taken up. Something of Christ in us is going to be raised. I was once at the funeral of a brother, and there were two funerals going on at the same time. I asked a bystander a question. Pointing to our brother who had gone to be with the Lord, I said, "Do you know what we are doing to his body?" "Burying him," the bystander answered. "Oh, no," I replied, "The man who is not a Christian is being buried." "Then what are you doing with him?" he asked. I

said, "We are planting him." There is a difference between burying and planting. With the latter there is something that will come up. Nothing in us will survive death; only Christ will survive death. What makes it possible for us to come up? The Lord of life who cannot be held makes it possible. Anything that does not come from heaven can never go into heaven. Nothing of ourselves will ever be raised; only the Lord will be raised. Now we can see why Paul said, "To know Him" (Phil. 3:10). Hence, it is "Who will deliver me?" (Rom. 7:24), not "What will deliver me?" It is a question of who. Our experience is not one of adding one experience of grace to another experience of grace. We grow, but we grow in the knowledge of the Lord. This knowledge is the knowledge of Him as all the things. Romans 8:32 says, "With Him freely give us all things." All things are with Him because all things are in Him. Blessed be the name of the Son of God! (Recorded by P.D.)

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE CHRIST IN THE LAW, PSALMS, AND PROPHETS Scripture Reading: Luke 24:25-27; Heb. 11:24-26; John 12:41; 8:56; Acts 2:25-28, 30-31; 1 Cor. 7:25b, 40b When our Lord was on the earth, He plainly stated that He could be found in the Old Testament: in the books of Moses, in the psalms of David, and in the prophetic writings. We readily admit that, in addition to the law, psalms, and prophecies in the Old Testament, there is also Christ. My question today is not, "How many places can we find Christ in the law, psalms, and prophecies?" My question is, "How can we find Christ there?" I am not asking how many passages refer to Christ, or how many passages tell us things about Him. I am asking how did He come to be in the Scriptures at all? How is this possible? He is not only spoken about in the Scriptures, He Himself is in the Scriptures. We see Christ in the law and say, "Here are the types of Christ." We see Christ in the psalms and say, "Here are the messianic psalms." We see Christ in the prophets and say, "Here are the prophecies of Christ." When we think of Christ being in the Scriptures, we think in terms of types, messianic psalms, and prophecies. But is Christ merely written about in the Word of God, or is there something beyond this? We read of Joseph and others and speak of them as being types of Christ, because there was much about their lives that was like His. But if that is all, then the manifestation of Christ in the Scriptures is very superficial. Let us look for a

moment at the law, the psalms, and the prophets and see how Christ is found there. THE LAW In Genesis 4 we see Abel offering sacrifices. God did not instruct Abel to offer sacrifices. Abel just offered them spontaneously. Christ in him moved to offer in that way. Christ in him expressed Himself in that way. In Hebrews 11 we read that Moses saw Christ and esteemed the riches of Egypt as filth. When we read the law of Moses we read of goats, bulls, and other sacrificial animals, and we read of a tabernacle. But Moses did not see just these things, he saw Christ. We read of Abraham: "Your father Abraham exulted that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced" (John 8:56). Abraham saw Christ. THE PSALMS David records his joys and sorrows; he tells us of his sighs and groanings, of his hopes and fears. We say, "Oh, how they speak of Christ!" Then we call these records messianic psalms. But these psalms are messianic psalms not only because they foretell the experiences of the Messiah, but because the Messiah Himself is in them. David wrote of his own experiences, but because it was the life of the Lord that took him through these things, the Word declares that these things were written of the Lord (see Acts 2:25-31). We touch Christ Himself in the record of David's experiences. We meet David, but we also meet Christ in David. In the messianic psalms it is extremely difficult to distinguish between the words that refer to David and the words that refer to Christ. There is no possibility of separating Christ from His people. THE PROPHETS When we read the prophetic books, we say, "Here are prophecies that foretell of Christ; therefore, Christ can be found in the prophets." But is the manifestation of Christ in the prophets just an external matter? Is it merely objective? Many people say that the Old Testament prophets did not know Christ, and that they were merely inspired to write of Him for our sake. But was Isaiah in the dark as to the things he wrote? Our Lord says that Isaiah wrote what he wrote "because he saw His glory and spoke concerning Him" (John 12:41). No one is a prophet who does not see Christ; no one is a prophet who does not see the glory of Christ. Seeing is conditional to prophecy. It was so in the Old Testament days, and it is so today. We read of David's sighs, cries, and desires and say, "That's David!" No, that is Christ! The record of what Christ in David went through produced the messianic psalms. The same is true with all the prophecies. It was not that God

gave the prophets certain knowledge and then they recorded it; rather, the life of Christ in them took them through certain experiences and they recorded them. Throughout the Old Testament we do not find just types that foreshadow Christ and prophecies that foretell of Christ. In many matters and through many persons, Christ expressed Himself, and the record of these persons makes up the Word of God. THE NEW TESTAMENT Read 1 Corinthians 7 and note verses 12, 25, and 40. Some modernists concede that there is a divine element in the Bible. But we have to go one step beyond and say, "Praise God, there is a human element in the Bible." God speaks words from heaven, but these words pass through human channels. Every true prophet utters the words of God, but they are not just words that he has read in the Bible. They are the expression of the life of the Lord in him, and what this life has taken him through. They are words that have been burned into his very being in the furnace of experience and then spoken out. The narration of such an experience is not the speaking of mere words. Prophecy is nothing objective. Consider the length of time it took to write the Word of God. And consider the length of time that it takes for some to prepare a sermon. It may take as long as ten years! As we look at Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, etc., we see a specific manifestation of Christ by seeing the specific way that Christ took each of these through their circumstances. If there could be a Moses or a David who was an earthen vessel to contain this heavenly treasure, we can say, "Lord, here is another earthen vessel to contain heavenly treasure." It is in this way that we receive the Word of God. It is subjective, not objective; experiential, not just intellectual.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-TWO SPIRITUAL REALITY—THREE VIEWS (Editor's Note: This article is similar to the first part of "The Holy Spirit and Reality" in Volume 36 of The Collected Works. We have included this chapter in this volume because it contains some additional utterance.) Scripture Reading: John 4:23; 16:13; 3:5; 6:51-54; Matt. 26:26-29; 16:18-19; 18:17-18; Acts 13:2-4; Rom. 6:3-5; 1 Cor. 10:16-17; 11:24-25; Col. 2:11-12 Christianity is not a combination of externalities. It is "the truth," that is, the reality. So much that is merely external has become associated with Christianity

that it is difficult to discern what truly is of God today. Let us consider this vital question: What is of God? What is reality? The Word of God tells us that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of reality, and that He will lead us into all reality. Anything which can separate us from the leading of the Spirit is not reality. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit. Outside the sphere of the Spirit, which is the sphere of God, there is no reality. Only that which is spiritual is real, and spiritual things can only subsist in the realm of the Spirit. If something is separated from the Spirit, it is dead. If we are to be brought into any spiritual reality, it can only be through our dependence on the Spirit of reality. Whatever we can arrive at by thought and study, by the seeing of the eyes and the hearing of the ears, is outside the realm of eternal verity; it is not the truth. In this light, let us briefly examine baptism, the Lord's supper, and the church. There are three different viewpoints regarding these: the materialistic viewpoint, the intellectual viewpoint, and the spiritual viewpoint. In other words, we might refer to these viewpoints as Romish, Reformist, and Christian. THE MATERIALISTIC VIEWPOINT Baptism The materialist fixes his gaze on the water and insists that without material water there is no new birth. This begets the Romish doctrine of baptismal regeneration. The Lord's Supper The materialist notes the word, "This is My body" (Matt. 26:26), and looking at the material bread, he insists that a change must take place in the bread so that it may be truly called Christ's body, because the Word is true. The result is the Romish doctrine of transubstantiation. The Church The materialist sees the outward form of the church and sees in the Word that there is only one church. The result is the Romish doctrine of the one true church. THE INTELLECTUAL VIEWPOINT The intellectual man is puzzled by the seeming inconsistency between the Word of God and so-called Christianity, so he brings his mind to bear on the problems that arise. Baptism

He says there is the true and the false, the real and the unreal, the outward ceremony and the inward reality. However, God makes no such distinctions in His Word. The Lord's Supper The reformist says, "This represents the Lord's body; it is a symbol of His body." But the Word of God speaks of nothing concerning representation or symbolism; it speaks of literal fact. It says, "This is My body." The Church The reformist solves the inconsistency that he observes by using his interpretation of true and false, real and unreal. Or he says, "There is a church within the church."

THE SPIRITUAL VIEWPOINT Baptism The Word does not say that a person's immersion symbolizes his receiving life, but that he actually does receive life. Note the bold declarations that Paul makes about baptism: "Or are you ignorant that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). According to Paul, baptism is not merely an external rite, an intellectual doctrine, or a representation of eternal reality; for him it is the reality. He does not say that a person's immersion in water typifies his burial with Christ; he says that his immersion is his burial. "We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism into His death." In writing to the Colossians, Paul is no less bold than in writing to the Romans. He says, "Buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together with Him" (2:12). With Paul there was no such thing as a baptism that did not involve death with Christ, or a baptism that did not involve resurrection with Christ. With him there was no thought that a Christian could experience baptism on a certain date and at a later date enter into the experience of death and resurrection with Christ. No, baptism into Christ is death with Christ, and baptism into Christ is resurrection with Christ. Baptism does not symbolize death; it is death. It does not symbolize resurrection; it is resurrection. Paul knew the reality of burial with the Lord; he was not occupied with baptism either as a doctrine or as a type but only as a reality. When God opens our eyes to see the reality of baptism as Paul saw it, then we,

like him, will not see things from an intellectual or a materialistic viewpoint, but only from God's viewpoint. There will cease to be the doctrine of baptism, and there will cease to be the type of baptism; there will only be baptism. It will be so real to us that there will be no place left for that which is unreal. There will be no such thing as an outward form and inward experience; there will simply be baptism, and baptism will be so real that talking of baptism in any terms other than its reality will be mere infant's babble. You say, "Baptism does not regenerate." I say, "Where can you find a baptism that does not regenerate?" You say, "What Romish heresy!" I say, "We may speak the words Rome speaks, but we are seeing what Rome never saw." The Lord's Supper Our Lord's own words regarding the bread and the wine leave no room for the Romish theory of transubstantiation or for the Reformist theory of symbolism. Concerning the bread He said, "This is My body," and of the wine He said, "This is My blood." When He referred to it as His blood, He also referred to it as the fruit of the vine. At the same time it is His blood and it is the fruit of the vine. No transubstantiation has taken place. This fruit of the vine is His blood. The one is the other. There is not the type and the anti-type, the representation and the real; there is only the real. But we need anointed eyes to see. We can only be brought into the reality of the Lord's supper by the Spirit of reality. Paul quoted our Lord, who said, "This cup is the new covenant established in My blood" (1 Cor. 11:25). It is the cup of wine, but it is still the blood. Paul also said, "Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body" (10:17). It is readily admitted that "we" refers to literal persons. How then can the "one bread" be figurative? Literal and figurative language cannot be combined in one phrase. "We who are many" is literal; "one bread" is also literal. "We who are many" is a fact; "one bread" is no less of a fact. For those who have touched spiritual reality in the Lord's table, there is no thought of type or doctrine as we behold the bread and wine. We see only the broken body and the shed blood. For those who have seen the ultimate, the doctrine is the reality and the type is the reality. There is only the reality. The Church Today many Christians become quite apprehensive at the very mention of the word church. Whenever the subject is brought up, great precautions are taken to clear the ground lest any confusion arise in the minds of the hearers. Care is taken to differentiate between the true church and the false church. But in the Lord's Word and in the Lord's thought there is no such distinction; the Lord added

no footnote to the Scriptures when He spoke of the church. He did not seek to safeguard the spiritual reality by differentiating between a true and a false, between a real and an unreal, nor did He differentiate between the local and the universal. In the Word of God there is only "the church." How nervous we are about the church! How reluctant we are to trust the church! We say, "What if the church should make a mistake? What if the church should come to the wrong conclusion?" However, the Lord made no provision for failure of any kind in the church. In His thought no such contingency could arise. We think of the church in Corinth as a church that was far below the standard, but to that church Paul wrote, "You were washed...you were sanctified...you were justified" (1 Cor. 6:11). Whenever Paul mentions the church in his Epistles, he speaks of the church as altogether perfect, and he inserts no modifying clauses to avoid misperception. John does likewise. In Revelation 2 and 3 our eyes detect many failures and mistakes in the churches; but John does not distinguish between the churches that are right and the churches that are wrong. He writes of the seven churches as being seven golden lampstands, lampstands all of gold. Paul saw the church as eternally perfect. He only saw the ultimate reality. He did not see Demas and Alexander the coppersmith and many other false brothers constituting a false church which should be distinguished from the real. Paul knew nothing of a real church and a false church; he knew only the church. Those who, like Paul, see the church, the Body of Christ, see spiritual reality and only that reality. To them there is no church except "the church." We say, "From God's point of view the church should be this or be that." No, the church is this or is that. The church is what, from God's point of view, it should be. Once we see this eternal reality, we will cease to differentiate between what the church is positionally and what it is actually. Once there is such a seeing, we will not say, when we meet only a few persons or just one person standing on the church ground, "Oh, there are only a few persons here," or "There is only one person here." We will cease to be distressed at the few believers in Acts 13 who made such important decisions. We will cease to think, "There was an inadequate representation of the church there; important decisions should be arrived at by a unanimous vote of the church!" No, we will be satisfied that they saw the spiritual reality and were not bothered by technicalities. When we have seen the reality of the church as those in Acts 13 saw it, we will recognize the church when we meet it. This will be true even with a tiny group of believers who are standing on the church ground experimentally. Although they have no special

standing and are not specially appointed representatives of the church, they are the church nevertheless. When Ananias went to Saul, he went by himself, and he alone laid hands on Saul. "Out of order!" you exclaim. "Quite contrary to the principles of the Body!" "Independent action!" Not at all! Ananias was on clear Body ground; the whole Body moved when he moved. If you have come into the eternal reality of the church, you yourself can speak and act as the whole church. A movement on the part of one member of the Body who is in the spiritual good of the Body is a movement of the entire Body of Christ. The life of such a one transcends all externalities and transcends all doctrine. The implications of this are tremendous. We have no business viewing things from the materialistic viewpoint or from the intellectual viewpoint, but only from God's viewpoint. God knows only "the church," and when we permit the Spirit of reality to lead us into the spiritual reality of the church, we will only see the church that God sees. A person who cannot afford to wear pearls will buy a string of paste beads and think of them as being imitation pearls. But a person who can afford to wear pearls does not think of the paste beads as imitation pearls. To her there are not real pearls and false pearls; there are only pearls; the paste beads have no more connection with pearls than any other beads. The only pearls she recognizes as pearls are real pearls.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-THREE THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT What is the fundamental difference between the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament? In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit gave new birth to people. He also gave new birth to the people of the New Testament. Regarding the matter of the new birth, there is no difference in the Old and New Testaments. All is the work of the Holy Spirit. We must not think of the new birth as something peculiar to the New Testament. The Lord told Nicodemus that as a teacher in Israel he should understand the new birth. What is the peculiar work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament one thing is certain: we cannot find the Holy Spirit dwelling in human hearts. Of course, He worked in human hearts, but He never dwelt within them. We cannot find one verse in the Old Testament that says the Holy Spirit took up His abode in human hearts. In the Old Testament we find the Holy Spirit coming upon, but not in, human beings. In the Septuagint we find epi, upon, used

continuously, but never in. In the New Testament we also find the Holy Spirit coming upon people. This aspect of the Holy Spirit continued, but the Holy Spirit did more than that. On the night the Lord was betrayed, He said, "He abides with you and shall be in you" (John 14:17b). This was something quite new. Thereafter men are said to be temples of the Holy Spirit. Being temples of the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit lives within men. In the New Testament we find two aspects of the Spirit's work: (1) His coming upon men, and (2) His dwelling within men. His coming upon men is still for power, miracles, and witness. His dwelling within men is for holiness. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is to minister Christ to us, to make Christ ours, to make Him our life, and to make us bear the fruit of holiness. If we carefully differentiate between the two, we can understand the many misconceptions regarding the Holy Spirit. Many think that if they can only have their "Pentecost," their problems would be settled. But now that you have had your "Pentecost," has it solved your problems related to holiness? Has it brought you victory over your temper, etc.? This has not settled the question of victory over sin. With this kind of "Pentecost," we find only gifts but not fruit. When Paul saw the condition of the church in Corinth, he did not say, "Things are too bad here; we must stop everything." Many modern teachers would sweep everything away as carnal and devilish. Paul did not sweep everything away; rather, he brought something in to balance it. First Corinthians 3:16 says, "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" We must learn what it means to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. Modern teachers teach us that the gifts are childish. They say, "We are grown up. We do not need toys like tongues. Our Christianity is far beyond that stage. We are far beyond the apostles. We can cast them away." However, those who stand for the gifts of the Holy Spirit have nothing in their mind except the gifts; they despise everyone who has not had a similar experience. They say, "On such and such a day I had the baptism of the Holy Spirit." Both of these parties are wrong. In the New Testament we find these two aspects set before us. From the Lord's last supper until Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was spoken of four times: (1) During the Lord's supper, He was spoken of as the Paraclete, the Comforter. "He will give you another Comforter...He...shall be in you" (John 14:16-17). (2) After the Lord's supper the Holy Spirit was spoken of on the evening of His resurrection. He breathed into them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (20:22). (3)

Immediately before the Lord was taken up to heaven, He referred to the Holy Spirit when He said, "I send forth the promise of My Father upon you;...stay in the city until you put on power from on high" (Luke 24:49). (4) Finally, the Holy Spirit was referred to on the day of Pentecost. People generally think that the promise of the Comforter was fulfilled at Pentecost, but this is not borne out by the Word of God. Both chapter fourteen and chapter twenty of the Gospel of John were written by John. In John 14 the Lord promised, "He will give you another Comforter" (v. 16). In John 20 this promise was fulfilled. There is no promise that the Holy Spirit would come upon men before the death of the Lord; before His death He only promised that the Spirit would dwell within men. On the day of His resurrection, He breathed into them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (v. 22). What is a breath? A breath is life. If we give up breathing, we give up life. Christ breathed on the disciples and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Did the Lord say, "You must wait another fifty days"? No. He breathed into them, and they received the Holy Spirit then and there. John 14 was fulfilled in John 20. The promise that was given at the Lord's supper was fulfilled on the day of resurrection. Then the Lord said to His disciples, "Stay in the city until you put on power from on high" (Luke 24:49). Pentecost was the fulfillment of Luke 24. Luke was written by Luke and Acts also was written by Luke! Acts 1 can be considered to be Luke 25 because it is the continuation of Luke. It is only natural that Luke would continue his own narrative. Based on this we can see that the indwelling Holy Spirit, imparted by the Lord's breathing and based on His resurrection, is for life. The coming-upon Spirit, based on glorification of the Lord, is for service.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FOUR LIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE (LIGHT VERSUS KNOWLEDGE) Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 4:3 "And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in those who are perishing" (2 Cor. 4:3). Being veiled is related to perishing, but being enlightened means salvation. As soon as we see, we are saved. Salvation does not occur subsequent to seeing; it is simultaneous with seeing. Seeing is salvation. If we hear the doctrine and understand it without anything happening, it is certain that we have not seen the truth. We expect first to see and then to have the corresponding experience;

but the moment we truly see, we have the experience. Seeing and experience are not two steps, but one. There is no interval between the two. We do not need to wait for experience once revelation breaks upon us, because we have the experience the moment revelation breaks upon us. Where there is mere knowledge of the Word, there are human efforts to carry out the Word. When there is revelation, there is no need of such efforts, because we see that everything has been done. For instance, if we merely understand from the Word that we are proud, we will seek to be humble. But the moment we truly see that we are proud, we cease to be proud, and there is no need to try and be humble any longer. The light that reveals the pride slays the pride. We do not need to do anything about it from the moment we see, because it is gone from that moment on. There is no second step necessary; there is no need to even wait for experience, because the experience is simultaneous with revelation. The divine light is enough to do away with the negative, because divine light slays. The divine light is also enough to bring in the positive, because divine light produces experience. Many Christians who lack the light which automatically produces experience resort to works to produce the experience. Works are always an indication of darkness. Where there is light there is experience; hence, there is no need of works. What the fire discloses the fire destroys (1 Cor. 3:12-15). The fire that enlightens is the fire that consumes. The light that makes manifest is the light that slays. In photography the exposure of the film and the impression of the portrait are not separate processes; they are simultaneous. As soon as there is an exposure there is a portrait. Wherever there is the need of two steps—first knowledge, then experience— there is no Christianity. When a sinner seeks salvation and we present Christ to him so that he sees, there is no need to tell him to pray in order to be saved, because he is saved. When a saved person seeks sanctification and we present Christ to him so that he sees, there is no need to tell him to pray in order to experience Christ as his sanctification, because he already has the experience. If we require that the sinner pray one sentence or that the saint pray one sentence in order to enter into these experiences, the sinner will not be genuinely reborn and the saint will not be genuinely sanctified. If we have light objectively and eyes subjectively, we will surely see. Many Christians are searching within for light. They analyze and dissect, but they fail to discover what they seek because light comes objectively. Many Christians are trying to see with their hands, instead of their eyes. They grope around and feel

all over, but discover nothing. We do not discover the truth by our feeling, but by our seeing. There are two weaknesses which hinder the advance of believers above all others: resorting to the effort of the will in time of weakness and resorting to introspection in time of darkness. Both of these are contrary to the New Testament and arrest spiritual progress. There are two principles which govern Christian living. These two principles are seeing and believing. The only way to get rid of light is to shut it out. Light will find its way through the tiniest crack. We need a fundamental seeing, and we also need a daily seeing. Revelation comes to us in a crisis, but thereafter it comes in a process. Progressive seeing is based on fundamental seeing, that is, the seeing that slays the natural life. There is enough power in the light of God to destroy everything that is contrary to the will of God with one stroke. Miss Barber once said that a leaf can hide a star (cf. Matt. 6:22-23). When we walk in the light, He cleanses us by the blood (1 John 1:7). Walking in the light and cleansing by the blood are not separate experiences; they are simultaneous. We do not need to concern ourselves with the matter of cleansing, because cleansing is automatic as we walk in the light.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-FIVE THE PLACE OF WOMEN God made man for expression; God made woman for storage. God made man a type of doctrine, and woman a type of experience. All doctrines are typified by man; all experiences are typified by woman. For example, Abraham typifies the doctrine of justification by faith, while Sarah typifies obedience and submission, which are experiences. Man represents objective doctrine, and woman represents subjective experience. Paul said, "Does not even nature itself teach you..." (1 Cor. 11:14). Nature teaches many things, not just things about hair. There are certain things that are beautiful in a man, but these same things are ugly in a woman, and vice versa. Today there are many womanly men and many manly women. A masculine woman and an effeminate man are monsters. The question is not whether a woman can express herself in the meeting, such as prophesying, etc. The question is whether or not she is standing on her ground as a woman. She can prophesy, but she should prophesy with her head covered, i.e., standing in her position as a woman, not standing in a position as a

man. If a woman takes a man's position, she loses something womanly. It is all right for a woman to prophesy, but she must prophesy as a woman.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX ANOINTING IN RELATION TO MINISTRY Scripture Reading: Luke 4:18; Acts 10:38; 1 John 2:27; Lev. 14:14-17; 8:2230; Psa. 133 All ministry follows anointing. Aaron did not exercise his priestly ministry until after his anointing, and David did not enter into his kingly ministry until he had been anointed. Following his anointing Elisha's prophetic ministry began. Even our Lord's public ministry began after the descent of the Holy Spirit. We usually associate anointing with power and we are justified in doing so to a certain degree, but we are also apt to miss the significance of the anointing because of that very association. The power of the Holy Spirit in ministry is the result, not the object of the anointing. Its object is sanctification, that is, being set apart for God. Anointing is the first condition of ministry. Only those who are "set apart unto the Lord" are qualified to serve Him (Exo. 13:12). Unless the Lord has said, "This one is Mine," there can be no ministry to the Lord. When Jesus was anointed at the Jordan River, before He entered upon His ministry, a voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, the Beloved." The divine acknowledgment of Christ came first, His ministry followed thereafter. No one can deny that His ministry was powerful, and we are right in saying that power accompanies anointing; however, the anointing is not a matter of power, it is a matter of divine sovereignty. The anointing proclaims that the one anointed is under the authority of God. It is God's recognition that that one has been chosen by Him. On the divine side, the anointing signifies a setting apart by God for Himself. On the human side, it signifies ministry and carries power with it. Power is incidental to the anointing; it is not its primary object. The primary object is the setting apart of an individual to the Lord. Power follows because the Lord assumes the responsibility of empowering all the ministry that He has sanctioned. For the one who ministers, the anointing does not mean power, it means the presence of the Spirit. "Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says Jehovah of hosts" (Zech. 4:6). What registers in the life of the one anointed is the presence of the Spirit; what registers in the lives of others is the presence of power. The anointing teaches us, and it teaches us not through reason but

through its presence. The presence or absence of the anointing always directs our course. In the cleansing of the leper and in the consecration of Aaron, blood was smeared upon the ear, hand, and foot; thereafter, oil was put upon the bloodsmeared parts. In other places in Scripture, the blood speaks of redemption and is only for God. It is objective, but it is subjective in relation to the cleansing of the leper and the consecration of Aaron. It speaks of a subjective working of death. The blood on Aaron signified that Aaron had died. The blood on the ear, hand, and foot indicated that the Lord's priests should let the cross deal with all they hear, with all their work, and with all their walk. The anointing does not come upon uncrucified flesh; it only comes where the cross has already been. When God wants someone to serve Him, He does not look for quickness of mind or warmth of heart; He looks for the marks of the cross on the ear, hand, and foot. Our Lord's ministry recorded in Luke 4 was preceded by His baptism. The waters of the Jordan in which He was baptized speak of death. Following this the Spirit descended. This is the New Testament equivalent of the Old Testament blood and oil. There is no ministry without anointing, but there is no anointing without the cross.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-SEVEN ENDUEMENT Scripture Reading: Acts 2:32-41 Let us specially note Acts 2:33, which says, "He has poured out this." The Holy Spirit was poured out by the Lord Jesus at Pentecost. He was poured out on the basis that Jesus was exalted! The Spirit was not poured out because I have a clean heart or have been earnestly seeking and praying, but only because the Lord had been exalted. Israel must be brought to know assuredly that God has made this same Jesus both Lord and Christ. The Spirit was not poured out to prove that we have been good and earnest, but to let the whole house of Israel know that Jesus is Lord and Christ. How does God prove this? Verse 36 is connected with verse 33 by the word "therefore." What have they seen and heard? The Spirit poured out! The Spirit is poured out in order to prove that Jesus is Lord (cf. John 7:39). The Spirit has been poured out. This is the gospel. There was a man in China who had this truth presented to him, then he knelt down and prayed, "Lord Jesus, You have received two things from the Father: Glory for You and the Spirit for

me. You have received the glory, but I have not received the Spirit." Then he quickly corrected himself and said, "It is unthinkable that You have not received the glory, therefore it is equally unthinkable that I have not received the Spirit. I praise You that I have received the Spirit." Immediately, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon him. The remission of sins is based on what Christ has done on the cross. The Spirit of Christ was poured out because the Lord is on the throne, that is, on the basis of His glorification. The outpouring of the Spirit was based on the condition of His being glorified, not on us being or doing anything. We did nothing for the forgiveness of our sins, and we have done nothing to receive the Spirit. Look at verse 38. The condition for the remission of sins is also the condition for the gift of the Spirit. If we have fulfilled the condition for the remission of sins, we have also fulfilled the condition for receiving the Spirit. If we go to a shop and pay ten shillings for two books but bring only one book back, should we return and pay another five shillings for the one we left behind? In Acts 8:14-17 the Spirit was poured out upon the Samaritans. Individuals receive the remission of their sins as, for example, the thief on the cross, but the outpouring of the Spirit is not for individuals, but for the whole Body. The outpouring joins all the disconnected members into one Body, just as cement unites separate stones into one building. "For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:13). In the case of the Samaritans, Philip went out, he was not sent by the church. If the Holy Spirit had fallen upon them when Philip was preaching, the oneness of the Body would have been lost. The apostles laid hands on them to express their identification with them. With this expression of the oneness of the Body, the Spirit fell upon them. At the inception of things, God reveals the governing principles. The Samaritans were saved, but had no fellowship with the Body. This fellowship had to be clearly established before the Holy Spirit could be poured out. Even though the Spirit has been poured out on all the Body, many of us have not realized it. A room may be full of furniture, but we cannot see until the light is turned on. Although Joseph had reached the place of exaltation in Egypt, his father considered that he was as good as dead. Joseph's brothers could not persuade their father that he was alive, much less that he had been exalted. But when their father saw the chariots, he believed. In the Old Testament chariots represent power. Acts 10:44 says, "While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell." If the Spirit had not acted directly upon the audience and Peter had been called

on to lay hands on the Gentiles as he did on the Samaritans, would he have been willing? The laying on of hands implies identification. Was Peter identified? If he had laid hands on them and the Spirit had fallen, how would the brothers in Jerusalem have reacted? They would have said to Peter, "This is all your fault. If you had not laid hands on the Gentiles nothing would have happened." They were still distinctly Jewish in their outlook. Peter did not lay hands on those gathered at Caesarea; he did not even speak about the Spirit, but while he was in the middle of his speech the Spirit fell. So Peter said, "Can anyone forbid the water so that these would not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we?" (v. 47). To those in Jerusalem he said, "Who was I that I could have forbidden God?" (11:17). Peter was silenced by the falling of the Holy Spirit The outpouring of the Spirit in Acts 19:1-6 was supplementary to that at Caesarea. In both cases the outpouring was upon the Gentiles. They were true believers because first, they were referred to as "disciples" (cf. 11:26), and second, if they were not saved, then Paul was preaching regeneration by baptism. Paul baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus, by which they bore testimony to their connection with the Head. The laying on of hands followed the testimony of their connection with the whole Body. The passages prove that the Spirit that has been poured out upon believers is the common heritage of the whole Body, and that it should mean power in ministry. Why do so few really have power? It is because they lack the in-wrought work of the cross. The result of having the Spirit "within" and the Spirit "upon" is power. Paul speaks of the power of Christ's resurrection. Without the experience of resurrection life there can be no true power. Resurrection is life going into death and coming out with the natural energy, abilities, etc., ruled out. We have many natural powers, including intellect, personality, magnetism, etc. These must go before there can be resurrection power. Everything that does not come with the new birth must go. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh" (John 3:6). We count on our natural ability for divine service, but because of our eloquence we lose utterance. We need a crisis, a revelation of the hatefulness and emptiness of our natural ability. God has no need of our strength or our wisdom.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-EIGHT LAW IN ROMANS AND GALATIANS Two New Testament books deal specifically with the subject of the law: Romans and Galatians. Romans is declaratory, and Galatians is argumentative. In

Romans Paul himself introduces the theme and makes certain positive declarations. In Galatians he deals with a theme that was introduced already (the Galatians had come under the influence of the Judaizers). He treats the subject of the law argumentatively in order to correct an existing condition. In Galatians Paul makes some very strong statements regarding the seriousness of coming under the law. For example, he says, "You have been brought to nought, separated from Christ, you who are being justified by law" (5:4). The Galatians fell as easy prey to legalism, but we are no less prone to do this than they were. Many Christians fail to see their bondage to the law because they see the law only as a standard of living. If they never see the bondage of the law, they will never see the liberty that is in Christ. The law is not just a standard; it is a fixed standard. When we were young, our gymnastic teacher raised or lowered the pole for the high jump according to our age and ability. The standard was not fixed; it was subject to adjustment. There was room for development, and allowance was made for the lack of development. The standard of the law, however, is fixed. On the one hand, it makes no concessions where there is a lack of development. On the other hand, it leaves no room for development beyond a given point. Even if someone in the Old Testament days tried to attain to the standard determined by the law, such a standard could not have been gained, because the fixity of the law precludes all possibility of advancing beyond a certain point. Because the standard of the law is set, observance of the law is bound to result in bondage. At an early stage in our Christian life we may feel that the law's standard is too high, but at a later stage we will feel that it is too low. Our Lord said, "You have heard that it was said to the ancients....But I say to you" (Matt. 5:21-22). What is the law? It is what the Lord has said in the past. What is life? It is what the Lord says today. What is bondage to the law? It is adhering to a standard of the past. What is freedom from the law? From a negative viewpoint, it is the emancipation from any fixed standard set by the Lord's past speaking. From a positive viewpoint, it is the freedom to follow the Lord's present speaking. The guidance of the Spirit is our liberty in Christ. As soon as we fix a standard of living according to a command of the Lord in the past, we come under the bondage of the law. The leading of the Spirit is absolutely up-to-date; it is always living and always new. Any command that is not a present command of the Lord is not in life. Making His speaking of yesterday the standard for today results in bondage and death. As soon as we fix

a standard of life and set rules and regulations, the liberty of the Spirit is gone. The law, being fixed, makes no provision for growth beyond a given point. The moment we accept any command of the Lord as a standard for any time other than when it was given, we restrict growth. Life in Christ is eternally progressive, and unlike the standard of law, the standard of life is always subject to alteration and adjustment. What is the law? It is what was said to the ancients, and the ancients are not just the persons we read of in the Bible. One heard a remark such as this: "That matter was settled in Darby's day." Darby is an "ancient." The "you" and "I" of the past are "ancients." Even the "you" and the "I" of yesterday are "ancients." If I do what I did a month ago because the Lord leads me to do so today, this is life. But if I do what I did a month ago because He led me to do so a month ago, that is the law. The law can be a day old, a week old, a month old, or even centuries old; but the leading of the Spirit can never be twenty-four hours old. If we act according to what was proven to be right yesterday, we are in bondage to the law; we have lost the liberty of the Spirit. Many Christians think that liberty in Christ is the liberty to act. No! It is the liberty to grow. When we are emancipated from the fixed standard of the law, we are free to grow and our growth will not be stopped. "It was said to the ancients....But I say to you" (Matt. 5:21-22). These words apply not only to the hearers of the sermon on the mount; they apply to us as well. They are not just a statement made during the course of an address; they are a principle for all time. "It was said to the ancients"—this is the law. "But I say to you"—this is life. Liberty in Christ means that the Lord is free to set a new standard of living at any moment, and we are free to conform to a new standard at any moment. Spiritual freedom is not freedom to do anything we like, but freedom from the past commands of the Lord to obey His present commands, even though the present commands may seem to conflict with the past commands. Freedom in Christ is emancipation from the recognized rules of right and wrong so that we are untrammeled in our ability to follow the leading of the Spirit. As soon as we settle on an accepted code of living, we come under the bondage of the law and live our life in the principle of works. It is so easy to maintain a past standard. However, the Lord has set us free to follow Him to ground that is higher than ever in the past. The Lord is adjusting the standard according to our measure of life daily; therefore, we must live daily in the freshness of the Spirit. Who are the sons of God? They are those who are led by

the Spirit (Rom. 8:14). The Spirit's leading is liberty. There is no leading under the bondage of the law. There is so much blindness among the children of God because they have a clearly defined standard of living. They are shaping their lives by the word of the Lord, but it is what He has said of old, not what He is saying today. They are blinded by their past visions. What they have seen in the past hinders them from seeing what the Lord is seeking to show them today. For instance, there are missionaries in this land who had a call to China ten years ago, and they are working in China today on the basis of that old call. They are following an old vision. They have become "ancients," and they have come under the bondage of the law. The word spoken to them years ago is dead, and conformity to its standard means death. They lack the freshness of today's life in the Spirit. Christianity is something very new and very living. Alas, we live in closer proximity to the law than we realize. Our Lord died on the cross to satisfy the fixed standard of the law so that we would be under no further obligation to fulfil its demands. If we set up a new standard of law today, we are nullifying the work of the cross and coming under the curse. The potentialities of the life in Christ are infinite, so we dare not set up any standard of right and wrong; otherwise, we will limit our progress. Our future is far too great to allow any fixed rules for life. But it should be clearly understood that being free from the law is not for us to do as we please, but for us to be free to do whatever the Lord pleases. It is being free to do what He says today and being free to not do what He said yesterday. Being delivered from the bondage of the law means to be released from all obligation to the written law so that we can obey the indwelling law, "the law of the Spirit of life...in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:2). "It was said....But I say to you." The Lord does not give us liberty so that we can do as we please, but He frees us from the dead letter of a past speaking by the living word of a present speaking. There must be the speaking of the Lord today.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-NINE THE CHRISTIAN'S RELATIONSHIP TO THE LAW In reading the Epistles it is necessary to differentiate between "law" and "the law." Where the definite article is used, the word refers to the Mosaic law; when there is no article, the word refers to law as a principle. Our deliverance from "the law" is based on our deliverance from "law" as a principle. God no longer deals

with us according to the principle of law. As a result, we have no connection with the law of Sinai. "Law" as a principle is greater than "the law" as a thing. Law as a principle includes "the law" as a thing. What do we mean when we say that God does not deal with us on the basis of law? We mean that He makes no demands upon us. If I am living according to the principle of law, I am seeking to please God, but this seeking to please God is displeasing to Him. The story of the prodigal son gives a supreme illustration of the way to please God. The father said, "We had to be merry and rejoice" (Luke 15:32). The matter that was supremely joyful to the father's heart was not the elder brother's incessant toiling for the father, but the younger brother's willingness to let the father do everything for him. What was pleasing was not the elder brother who wanted to be the giver, but the younger brother who was willing to be the receiver. When the prodigal returned home after wasting all of his substance on riotous living, the father did not have a word of rebuke concerning the waste or a word of inquiry regarding the substance. He did not sorrow over all that was spent; he only rejoiced that the prodigal's return afforded him the opportunity to spend much more. God is so wealthy that His chief delight is to give; His treasure-stores are so full that it is painful to Him when we refuse Him an opportunity to lavish His treasures upon us. It was the father's joy that he found a willing applicant in the prodigal son for the robe, ring, shoes, and feast; it was his sorrow that he found no such application in the elder brother. It is a grief to the heart of God when we try to give things to Him, because He is so rich. It is a joy when we simply allow Him to give and give to us. It grieves Him when we try to do things for Him, because He is so able. He longs for us to simply allow Him to do everything. He wants to be the Giver and the Doer eternally. If only we saw how rich and how great He is, we would leave all the giving and doing to Him. Do we think that our good behavior will cease if we stop trying to please God? If we left all the giving and working to God, do we think the result would be less satisfactory than if we did some of it ourselves? When we seek to please God, we are according to the works of the law. Our works are hateful to God—even our "good works." All of our works are "dead works" and need to be repented of. As soon as we stop giving, we will prove what a Giver He is. As soon as we stop working, we will see what a worker He is. The elder brother and the prodigal son were equally far removed from the joys of the father's house. The elder brother, though not in the "far country," was only at home positionally. His theoretical

position could never become experiential, as it was in the case of the prodigal, because he refused to forsake his own good works. What is the meaning of the Lord's word: "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens" (Matt. 5:20)? He was not speaking of the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, but of their righteousness. According to Philippians 3, their righteousness was the righteousness of the law. In contrast to the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, the Lord referred to "your righteousness." What is this? Some theologians say that this is the righteousness of Christ, but the verse does not say "His righteousness" but "your righteousness." The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was according to a certain standard, and "your righteousness" is also according to a certain standard. From the context, we can see that the difference between these two righteousnesses was a difference of standards. "It was said to the ancients....But I say to you" (Matt. 5:21-22; cf. 27-28, etc.). The righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees is based on the law; "your righteousness" is based on what "I say." Note how much higher the second standard is. After men sought for centuries to attain the first standard and failed, how could the Lord dare to raise the standard higher? He could raise it because He believed in His own life. He was not afraid of placing tremendous demands upon Himself. We should find comfort in reading the laws of the kingdom in Matthew 5—7 because they show the utter confidence that the Lord has in His own life. These three chapters set forth the divine taxation of the divine life. The greatness of the demands He makes upon us reveals the greatness of His confidence in the life that He has put within us. We realize very little of the terrible grip that law has on us. It has penetrated to our very bones; it permeates our entire being. God is working in us day by day to liberate us from it.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY FREE FROM LAW (Editor's Note: The following message was given by Watchman Nee in Denmark in 1938. Part of this message is incorporated in chapter nine of The Normal Christian Life.) We have seen that in delivering us from sin God did not deal with sin directly, neither did He touch the body of sin; rather, He crucified our old man. The picture in Romans 6 is of a slave and his master. God's way of delivering the slave from

the tyranny of his master is not to slay the master, but to kill the slave. The master may still live and be the cruelest of masters, but he can no longer touch the slave, because the slave has been taken out of his way by the cross. The mastery of sin cannot reach the other side of the grave. In Romans 6 the subject is one of deliverance from sin; in Romans 7 the subject is one of deliverance from the law. Many Christians see the necessity of being delivered from sin, but they fail to see the need for deliverance from the law. In my early years I was told by many teachers that I must be freed from the law, and I read books which taught the same thing, but I did not understand my need for this. It was clear to me that I needed to be delivered from sin, but why I needed to be delivered from the law was beyond my comprehension. Praise the Lord, I see it now! He who makes no mistakes deemed it necessary to deliver us from the law, and now I see that only by being redeemed from the law can we be kept from lapsing into sin again. What is the meaning of the law? The existence of the law implies that God requires certain things of us. Let us be perfectly clear that there is nothing wrong with the law. Paul said, "The law is holy, and the commandment holy and righteous and good" (Rom. 7:12). There is nothing wrong with the law, but there is something decidedly wrong with us. The demands of the law are righteous, but the persons upon whom the demands are made are unrighteous. The trouble is not that the demands of the law are unjust, but that we are unable to meet them. It may be right for the government to require payment of a thousand kroner [a unit of Danish currency], but I will be wrong if I have only ten kroner to meet the demand. We are men "sold under sin" (v. 14). Sin has full sway over us. As long as others leave us alone, we seem to be rather fine, but as soon as others ask us to do something, our sinfulness comes to light. If we have a very clumsy servant who just sits still and does nothing, his clumsiness does not show. If he does nothing all day, he will be of little use, but at least he is doing no damage. But if we say to him, "Now come along. Do not idle your time away! Get up and do something!", the trouble will begin immediately. He will knock the chair over as he gets up, stumble over a footstool a few paces further on, and smash some precious dishes when he handles them. If we make no demands upon him, his clumsiness is never noticed, but as soon as we ask him to do anything, his awkwardness is seen at once. The demands were right, but the man was wrong. He was just as

clumsy when he was sitting still as when he was working, but our demands made the clumsiness within him, whether he was active or inactive, manifest. We are sinners by nature. If God asks nothing of us, everything seems to go well. However, as soon as He demands something of us, an occasion is provided for a grand display of our sinfulness. The law makes our weakness manifest. While others let us sit still, we appear to be all right, but whenever they ask us to do anything, we are sure to spoil that thing. If we are entrusted with a second thing, we will spoil that as well. When a holy law is applied to a sinful man, his sinfulness is fully displayed. We have seen both the law's demands and its effect, but what is the meaning of deliverance from the law? If the meaning of the law is the demands of God upon us, then the meaning of deliverance from the law is the deliverance from the demands of God upon us. Deliverance from the law means that God asks us to no longer do anything for Him. In other words, He ceases to make any further demands upon us. In Romans 6 we see how God delivered us from sin. In Romans 7 we see how He delivered us from the law. In chapter six we are shown the way of deliverance from sin in the picture of a master and his slave. In chapter seven we are shown the way of deliverance from the law in the picture of the two husbands and the wife. The relationship between sin and the sinner is that of a master and his slave; the relationship between the law and the sinner is that of a husband and his wife. Note that in the picture of our deliverance from law there is only one woman, while there are two husbands. The woman is in a very difficult position because she can only be the wife of one. Unfortunately, she is married to the less desirable one. Suppose a woman is married to a good man, yet the husband and wife are totally unsuited for each other. On the one hand, he is very particular and accurate to a degree. On the other hand, she is decidedly haphazard. Everything is definite and precise with him, but everything is vague and hazy with her. He wants everything just so, while she simply accepts things as they come. How could there be any happiness in this home? The husband is so exacting! He is always making demands of his wife. Yet there is nothing wrong with him. As a husband he has a right to expect something of her; all of his demands are perfectly legitimate. There is nothing wrong with the man or with his demands. But he has the wrong kind of wife to carry them out. The two cannot get along at all; they are utterly incompatible. The poor woman is in great distress. She is fully aware that she often makes mistakes, but in living with him, it seems as though everything she says and does is wrong. What hope is there

for her? If only she were married to another man, everything would be well! He could be no less exacting than her first husband, but instead of just making demands, he could also help her carry them out. He could be very exacting, but also very helpful. She wants to marry him, but her husband is still alive. What can she do? Unless he dies, she cannot legitimately marry another man.

This picture is not drawn by me, but by Paul. The first husband is the law, the second husband is Christ, and we are the woman. The law requires much but offers no help in carrying out its requirements. The Lord requires just as much and even more (Matt. 5:21-39), but He carries out what He requires of us. The law makes demands and leaves us helpless to fulfill them; Christ makes demands, but He fulfills the very demands He makes. There is little wonder that the woman desires to be free from her first husband in order to marry another! But her only hope of release is through the death of her first husband, and he tenaciously holds on to life. There is no prospect of his passing away. "Until heaven and earth pass away, one iota or one serif shall by no means pass away from the law until all come to pass" (v. 18). The law will continue for all eternity. If the law never passes away, how can we ever be united to Christ? How can we marry a second husband if our first husband refuses to die? There is only one way out. If he will not die, we can die, and if we die then the marriage relationship will be dissolved. This is exactly God's way of deliverance from the law. The most important point to note in the section of Romans 7 is the transition from verse 3 to 4. Verses 1 through 3 show that the husband should die, but in verse 4 we see that it is the woman who dies. The law does not pass away, but we pass away. By death we are freed from the law. Let us clearly realize that the law can never pass away. God's righteous demands remain forever, and if we live, we must meet those demands; but if we die, the law has lost its claim upon us. The law cannot follow us beyond the grave. The same principle that operates in our deliverance from the law operated in our deliverance from sin. When we die, our old master, sin, continues to live, but his power over us only extends to the grave. Our master could ask us to do a hundred and one things when we were alive, but when we are dead he calls us in vain. We are forever free from his tyranny. This is also true in regard to the law. While the woman lives, she is bound to her husband, but with her death, the

marriage bond is dissolved. The law may still make demands, but the power to enforce them reaches only to the grave. Now the vital question arises: "How do we die?" The preciousness of the Lord's work comes in at this point. "You also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ" (Rom. 7:4). When Christ died, His body was broken, and since we are members of His body, we were broken as well. When He was crucified, we were crucified with Him. An Old Testament illustration will make this clear. The veil of testimony separated the Holy Place from Holy of Holies, and cherubim were embroidered on the veil, whose faces—of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle—represented the creation. (We have four phases of life—human beings, wild beasts, domestic animals, and birds, that is, the whole living creation.) God dwelt within the veil and man without. Man could look upon the veil, but not within it. The veil symbolized our Lord's flesh, that is, His body (Heb. 10:20). Man could only look upon the outward form of our Lord; he could not see the God who dwelt within. When the Lord Jesus died, the veil was split in two from top to bottom (Matt. 27:51) so that man could gaze into the Holy of Holies. Since the death of the Lord Jesus, God is no longer veiled; everyone can see Him. What happened to the four faces of the cherubim when the veil was split? God split the veil, and the cherubim were also split in the veil, because they were embroidered on it. It was impossible to split the veil and preserve the cherubim. When the veil was split, the four faces of the cherubim were also split with it. When the Lord died, the whole creation ceased to have any existence in the sight of God. "So then, my brothers, you also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ" (Rom. 7:4). The woman's husband may be very well and strong, but if she dies, he can make as many demands as he wants without her being affected in the slightest. Death has set her free from all her husband's claims. We were in the Lord Jesus when He died, and His inclusive death has forever freed us from the law. But our Lord did not remain in the grave; on the third day He rose again. Since He has risen, we have risen as well because we are in Him. Death could not hold Him, and because the experience of His body is our experience, death cannot hold us either. The body of the Lord Jesus speaks not only of His death but also of His resurrection. His resurrection was a bodily resurrection. By the body of Christ we are not only dead to the law but also alive to God.

God's purpose in uniting us to Christ was not merely negative. It was gloriously positive—"that you might be joined to another" (v. 4). Death has dissolved the old marriage relationship so that the woman who has been driven to despair by the constant demands of a husband, who never lifted a little finger to help, is now free to marry the other man, who becomes in her the power for the outworking of every demand. The issue of this new union is "that we might bear fruit to God" (v. 4). By the body of Christ the foolish, sinful woman has died. By being united to Him in death she is also united to Him in resurrection. In the power of His resurrection life, she bears fruit to God. The risen life of the Lord in her empowers her to meet all the demands that God's holiness makes upon her. The law of God is not annulled, it is perfectly fulfilled, because the risen Lord now lives out His life in her, a life that is always well-pleasing to the Father. Now that we have settled the doctrinal side of the question, we must come down to the practical issues. What does it mean in our daily life to be delivered from the law? It simply means that henceforth we are not going to do anything for God. We are not going to try to please Him. "What awful heresy!" you may say. But if we try to please God, we are immediately under the law. Being delivered from the law means that we are no longer under obligation to fulfill its demands. I broke the law, the law pronounced a death sentence, the sentence was executed, and now we have been set free from all its claims through death. The law still continues to make demands, but Another fulfills them in us. The law's demands are met, but we ourselves do nothing to meet them. God is satisfied, but it is Another who works in us that which is well-pleasing to Him. Henceforth, we do not have to do anything through our power to serve God. God has said that we must please Him, but we failed to please Him; therefore, He consigned us to the cross. By doing nothing through our own energy to please God, we are admitting that He was justified in proclaiming us fit for the cross. By refusing to do anything in our natural strength, we agree to God's verdict upon our old man, and as we simply remain in the place of death, the Lord manifests His resurrection life in us. We have discovered a simple formula for Christian living. Whenever the law makes a demand upon us, we should say, "Lord, I cannot do it. Lord, I will not try. Lord, I trust in You to do all that You require in me." When I am tempted to lose my temper, I simply say to the Lord, "Lord, I cannot be patient, and I will not try to be patient, but I trust You to be patient in my stead." Likewise, when I am

tempted with pride, I say, "Lord, I cannot be humble, and I refuse to try to be humble, but I trust You to be humble instead of me." This is the real meaning of being delivered from the law and being "joined to another." We know that we cannot be patient, and we know that we cannot be humble, but we still try. Once we see clearly that we are delivered from the law, we will no longer try to fulfill its demands. The weakness of the law is not that it makes demands, but that it can do nothing to supply them. However, the Lord makes demands and supplies us for all the demands that He makes. What happens when a woman marries? She no longer bears her own name; she bears the name of another, and she shares not only his name but his possessions as well! This is also true of our marriage to Christ. When we belong to Him, all that is His becomes ours, and with His infinite resources at our disposal we are well able to meet His demands. "So then, my brothers, you also have been made dead to the law through the body of Christ so that you might be joined to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit to God" (v. 4).

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-ONE THE LORD'S PRAYER Scripture Reading: Matt. 6:10 God is waiting for the prayers of His children to bring His kingdom in. The Lord taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come." This age is important, but the kingdom age is more important. All the privileges and power we now enjoy are only a foretaste and pledge of the age to come. The fullness of God is manifested in the kingdom age. In the light of this we see the importance of "the Lord's prayer." (This prayer was not contested until the last century when it was said to be only a prayer for the tribulation saints.) God has commanded His people to pray for thousands of years, but He has given no instructions throughout the centuries concerning what we should pray about other than this one prayer. What is prayer? True prayer begins in the heart of God, is made known to the hearts of men, and is prayed back to God; then God answers. This is not merely a definition. We must understand the principle of God's work in the universe. God has a purpose, and He will not accomplish His purpose without the cooperation of the human will. Prayer is the only way we can put the human will on the side of the divine will. Prayer is the exercising of our will in order to declare that God's will will be done. Without our prayers God will do nothing. He makes known His

will and puts prayer into our heart, but He waits for a response from our heart. Someone has said, "God's power is like the steam engine, our prayers are the rails." The steam engine is very powerful, but it cannot move without the rails. Our prayers make a way for God to come in. Prayer is always three-sided. It involves someone who is prayed to, someone who is prayed for, and someone who is prayed against. The great trouble with prayer today is that we only ask, "Is my prayer according to God's will?" The question should not be, "Is it according to God's will?" but, "Is it God's will?" Prayer is for God to notify us of His will, and for us to pray His will back to Him. God's will is the starting-point. He makes His will known, and we will that will in prayer. This is the cycle. The Lord's prayer is not just a model for us, but a revelation of God's heart. For thousands of years He did not tell anyone what He was working toward, but in this prayer it is made known. This is a great revelation. "Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth." "Your will be done." Yes, but where? "On earth." This is the only place where God's will is not done. Genesis 3 tells us that Satan is bound up with this earth. God's kingdom can be brought in by the created will of man being in union with the uncreated will of God and seeking the displacement of the rebellious will of the devil. The kingdom means the sovereignty of God. Wherever there is the created will linked with the uncreated will, there is God's sovereignty and authority. When human wills express themselves in this way, God can move. He is waiting for this. We do not know how much prayer is needed, but there must be a sufficient spiritual force on earth to bring in the kingdom. Our prayer must not just be, "Your will be done in me." That is the starting-point; it must go on to "Your will be done on earth." Note that the will of God is connected with the kingdom. "Not every one who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens" (Matt. 7:21). All we are and have must be set for the will of God. Only then can we pray effective prayers to drive a wedge into the power of the enemy. This is overcoming. God must have a few men throughout the nations who will persevere to bring in the next age. He must have a few who will hold the ground for God as to (1) ourselves, (2) our immediate concerns, and (3) the kingdom. If our prayers are ineffective in ourselves and our immediate concerns, they will not be effective in the kingdom. We must not be content to work for this age. We must definitely seek to work for the bringing in of the age to come.

Why do we want deliverance from sin? Why do we want enduement? God's children today are taken up with far too many small things. God is waiting for that importunate cry day and night (Luke 18). It is a widow, that is, a helpless one without resources, who implores the Lord.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO THE HANNAH MINISTRY Scripture Reading: Rev. 12:5, 7, 9; 1 Sam. 1:1-2, 14-20, 22, 27 There are many points in the history of Israel which are similar to the history of the church. At the beginning of Israel's history we see Aaron as a priest representing man to God and Moses representing God to man. This stage did not last long. Soon after they entered into the land, they were ruled by judges. Their national life was on a very low level. We see them continually falling into sin and punishment by means of their enemies. When they cried to God, He would raise up a judge to deliver them, and then there would be a restoration. This happened again and again. We see this throughout the book of Judges. We read of Deborah and Barak, Gideon, Samson, and many others. There is a principle to be noted here. When the power of the judges was great, their deliverance was great, but when the power was diminished, the people fell into the hands of their enemies again. They fell and were raised up, sinned and were revived again and again. From this we see a great principle that God's people cannot govern themselves; they cannot be independent of God and be independent of Satan at the same time. This is an impossibility. They either have to bow to the authority of God or be under Satan's power; there is no middle road. When they were not under the control of God, they wholly lost their position as God's people. Consequently, they came under the power of their enemy. But praise God, His people were not always under Satan's power; there was revival. This is the history of Israel, and it is the history of the church. Looking back, we can see that when the church reached a very low state, God would prepare a man of His choice, put His Spirit upon him, and commission him, and then the church would be revived. But after a period of time the church would go down again; there has been rising and falling, declension and restoration, again and again. If I was living in the period at the end of the time of the judges, what would be in my heart, what would I long after, and what would I even expect? I would know the history of the past years, and now that things were at a low ebb again, what would be my hope and what would I pray for? Would I not ask for another

judge to be raised up to revive the nation again? I am a member of the church, and I have seen its history of being revived and falling again and again. I have read of the revival under Luther and of the deadness that followed, of the revival through Wesley and of the backsliding that followed, of the great tide of life brought in by Darby and the other Brethren and of the deterioration that followed. All these years the church has just been repeating the history of Israel under the judges. But what should I hope for now? Should it not be for something quite new? At this point we come to the first book of Samuel. The history of the judges should not continue forever; this is not God's thought. God's thought is toward the kingdom and not toward having more judges. God wants to bring in a kingdom and a King. He used the judges on the way, but His thought was upon David, and His purpose was a King. So we see the importance of 1 Samuel. It comes in between the road and the goal. It comes in the middle and depicts a period of transition. For the most part, this was not a time of great revival nor of great backsliding. The same is true with us today. While our thoughts are always on revival, the time of the judges has past. It had its limitations, whereas the kingdom will last forever. God's thought is not that the church should remain in a cycle of backsliding and revival. God is not going to give us many revivalists, He is going to bring in His King. The first book of Samuel stands for a ministry, a ministry that brings in the King. We do not have a judge, but one who was both a priest and prophet. It is very easy for us to fix our eyes on revivalists; they were used by God in the past on the way, as it were, but they have no part in the real purpose of God, in the bringing in of the King. God wants Samuels. Now that we have seen the background, we must come to our verses. They are related to the story of the two women, Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, Hannah had none. Peninnah mocked Hannah by saying, "You have no children; look at all I have!" These two women represent two fundamentally different principles; they represent two fundamentally different ministries. Hannah's ministry was just to bring in the King, not to have many children. Peninnah's ministry was to have many children, that is, a ministry with much result. Peninnah and her children are God's people, but none of them have anything to do with God's King. Hannah wept, fasted, prayed, and cried unto the Lord for a son who would be absolutely given to the Lord for His service. This son was the one who brought in

the King. Hannah had nothing to be proud of. However, Peninnah, had much to boast of. She could point to all her children and say, "I have this and that, all this and all that, etc." I want to say a word to you out of my heart. If you are still in the realm of the judges, you can be blessed and have results, but God's eyes are not on you. If these were not the last days, we would hope that Peninnah might have many more children. But if I am right, these are the last days and God's eyes are on those who can be the means of bringing in the King. Let us ask ourselves, "What is our ministry? Have we any part in this special ministry, this Hannah ministry?" Some have no other thought but revival. They think that the principle of the judges will continue to the end. But there is the more important ministry of bringing in the King. Hannah's way was not an easy way, and it was made even more difficult because of Peninnah's comparisons and tauntings. Those who want to be Hannahs must prepare themselves for persecution, scorn, weeping, and fasting. This ministry costs. A price has to be paid because all such ministry comes through testing and suffering; it has to be wrought into us. Others can eat and drink and look at their children, but here was one who fasted and wept. It is not a matter of how many we can save but a matter of God getting His company of overcomers. God wants to get a people who will be able to pray and bring in the kingdom. Hannah's prayer was the means for the birth of Samuel. Our prayers should result in the bringing forth of overcomers. What have we done in this respect? Some who have worked much and have many children will say, "It seems that you are not doing anything. In the past you could lead revival meetings and do this and that. What are you doing now?" Even Eli, God's priest, did not understand Hannah. He said, "What are you doing? You are drunk." From the birth of Samuel we see a line of prophets who could also be priests to bring in the King. Hannah bore a son—a prophet. God had done quite much with Hannah; He led her through all sorts of difficulties. As a result, He was able to find one who could put eating and drinking and all else aside. She came to the point where she could not go on without a son; she came to a point where she had to have a son. The son in 1 Samuel 1 is the man-child of Revelation 12, the one who brings in the King and the kingdom.

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE GOD'S ETERNAL PURPOSE The first thing we should recognize is that God is a God of purpose. In Matthew 10:29 the Lord said, "Not one of them [sparrows] will fall to the earth apart from your Father." Even the death of a sparrow, which seems too trifling to note, is something that God takes account of. The Creator of the whole universe has a will regarding even one sparrow. God is a God of purpose, and He has a purpose concerning creation. Creation was not an accident, but the expression of a definite purpose on the part of God. God purposed and creation was with a view to the accomplishment of that purpose. Modern theology makes redemption more important than creation. Yet creation was part of God's original purpose, redemption was only remedial. Redemption was brought in to restore that which had been diverted from God's purpose. God sought to arrive at a purpose by creation, but something intervened. Redemption brings things back to God's original intention. Ephesians 1:5 speaks of "the good pleasure of His will," and verse 9 speaks of "the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself." Verse 11 says, "The purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will." Ephesians 3:11 also says, "According to the eternal purpose which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord." In Ephesians 1 the eternal purpose is referred to as something that God "purposed in Himself," while in chapter three we read that this purpose was "made in Christ Jesus our Lord." We have to go back to eternity past to discover what this purpose was. In eternity past God purposed something very definite in Himself (Eph. 1); then all this definite purpose was summed up in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3). God in eternity past had a counsel with His Son. His purpose was that His Son should be "all and in all" (Col. 3:11). The creation was with this end in view. It was for the purpose that the Son should be the sum total of the universe (Eph. 1:10). God is the eternal Creator, and it is essential to His nature that He express Himself in creation. He could not be satisfied in any other way. An artist cannot be content without expressing his art in painting. A musician must express the music that is in his soul, and a mechanic craves to do work suited to his temperament and gift. In the same way, the Creator must express Himself in creation. Being such a God as He is, the creation of mere inanimate objects could not possibly satisfy Him. He had to create beings capable of responding to Him; hence, these beings had to have a free will. God created two orders of

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