THE THIRD PART: 24 CRUCIAL LINES IN THE BIBLE

The Mingling of Divinity with Humanity
Message Two—The Work of the Spirit Consummating in the Mingling of
Divinity with Humanity

Scripture Reading: John 16:7-8, 13-14; Rom. 5:12; John 16:12-15

I. God’s economy really is to us: it is the Father in the Son as the Spirit coming into us and mingling Himself with us—2 Cor. 15:45b; Rom. 8:15-16.

II. The crucial point of John 16 is the work of the Spirit; according to this chapter the work of the Spirit is in three categories: to convict the world; to glorify the Son by revealing Him with the fullness of the Father to the believers; and to disclose what is to come—John 16:8, 13-14:

A. The first category of the Spirit’s work is to convict the world in the preaching of the gospel and to translate people out of Adam into Christ; “He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment;”—John 16:8:

1. Sin is related to Adam, for it was through Adam that sin entered the human race—Rom. 5:12:

a. The source of sin is the devil; the evil element of the devil, working as sin through death and darkness within man, enslaves man to sin—John 8:44.

b. Adam’s fall has brought us under the slavery of sin; since we all were born of Adam, we all are under the slavery of sin—John 8:34.

c. The unique way to be freed from sin is to believe in the Son; this believing brings about a translation from Adam into Christ—John 8:24, 36; 3:15-17.

2. Righteousness is related to Christ because righteousness comes from Christ and even is the resurrected Christ Himself—John 16:10; 1 Cor. 1:30:

a. The Son having come and died to fulfill God’s righteous requirements—John 3:14.

b. The resurrection and ascension of Christ are the evidences proving that His redemption has satisfied God and has met all the demands and requirements of God; therefore, He was released from death to be exalted to the heavens at the right hand of God; now God’s righteousness is manifested in justifying those who believe in Christ—Rom. 3:26.

c. If we believe in Him, He is righteousness to us, and we are justified in Him—Rom. 3:24; 4:25.

d. The Son in the flesh destroyed the devil on the cross; by believing in the Son we are freed from the source of sin—Heb. 2:14.

3. Judgment is related to Satan; judgment is for Satan—Matt. 25:41:

a. Satan, the ruler of the world, has been judged in the flesh of Christ on the cross—John 12:31-33; 3:14.

b. If we do not repent of the sin in Adam and believe in Christ, the Son of God, we shall remain in sin and share the judgment of Satan for eternity—Matt. 25:41.

B. The second category of the Spirit’s work is to glorify the Son by revealing Him with the fullness of the Father to the believers—16:12-15:

1. The Spirit of reality is the full realization of the Son; whatever the Son is, has, and has accomplished, obtained, and attained will all be fully wrought into us through the Spirit—2 Cor. 3:18.

2. The Spirit of reality does not guide the believers into the doctrine concerning Christ but into all the reality of Christ—John 15:26.

3. The Son is the embodiment of the Father; all that the Father is and has is embodied in Him—Col. 2:9.

4. All that the Father is and has is the Son’s and all that the Son is and has obtained has been received by the Spirit—John 16:15.

5. All that the Son is and has is revealed as reality to the believers through the Spirit; this is to glorify the Son with the Father—John 16:14-15:

a. The Father is the source and the essence of light, and the Son is the embodiment and expression of this light; we realize this light in actuality by the Spirit; when the Spirit moves within us, He is the reality of light—1 John 1:5; 5:6b.

b. When the Spirit moves within us, He is not only the shining and enlightening light but also the very life which enlivens, nourishes, and strengthens us—John 1:1; 6:63b.

c. If we would apply all that God and Christ are, we need the Spirit; the Spirit reaches us, entering into us and applying all that we need of the Father and the Son—2 Cor. 3:17; Phil. 1:19.

C. The Spirit will disclose the things to come, which are mainly revealed in Revelation—Rev. 1:1, 19.

III. The work of the Spirit results in the mingling of divinity with humanity; the mingling eventually became the mutual abode; this mutual abode is an organism, the Body of Christ, with Christ growing in the divine life to express the Father—John 14:2-3; 15:1, 5:

A. The church life is a mingling of divinity with humanity; as the Spirit glorifies the Son with the Father, the Triune God is wrought into and mingled with the believers—1 Tim. 3:16; Gal. 4:6:

1. When the Spirit of reality comes, He will guide us into the full reality of Christ and mingle us with the Triune God—John 15:26.

2. The more the Son is revealed to us with the fullness of the Father, the more experience we shall have of the Son; then there will be more mingling of divinity with humanity in the church life; the church life is a daily mingling of divinity with humanity—Eph. 1:17; 3:16.

B. We will be the abode to the Father in the Son as the Spirit, and the Triune God will be the abode to us—Eph. 2:22; John 14:23:

1. We can abide in the Triune God, and the Triune God can abide in us—John 15:4a.

2. In this way, the Triune God mingles Himself with us; humanity and divinity, divinity and humanity, are mingled together as one—Rev. 22:17.

C. The church today is the Body of this organism; the Son is the Head of the Body and the root of the tree which grows with the divine life and which expresses the divine riches to fulfill God’s eternal purpose; this is the organism which accomplishes the divine economy; hallelujah for this divine mystery!—Eph. 1:23; John 15:5a.

 

Ministry Excerpts:

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

The crucial point of John 16 is the work of the Spirit. According to this chapter the work of the Spirit is in three categories: to convict the world; to glorify the Son by revealing Him with the fullness of the Father to the believers; and to disclose what is to come. John’s writings are also of three categories: the Gospel, the Epistles, and the Revelation. His Gospel is mainly to preach the gospel and convict the world, his Epistles are mainly to reveal the Son with the fullness of the Father, and his Revelation is the book unveiling all the things to come in the future.

TO CONVICT THE WORLD

In verse 8 the Lord said of the Spirit that “He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment.” Each of these three items—sin, righteousness, and judgment—is related to a person. Besides God, the divine Person, there are in the universe three main persons: Adam, Christ, and Satan. Sin is related to Adam, righteousness to Christ, and judgment to Satan.

Sin is related to Adam, for it was through Adam that sin entered the human race (Rom. 5:12). We were born of sin in Adam. If you were born in Adam, you were born a sinner.

Righteousness is related to Christ because righteousness comes from Christ and even is the resurrected Christ Himself (v. 10; 1 Cor. 1:30). Adam is sin, and Christ is righteousness. In Adam we are sinful and condemned; in Christ we are righteous and justified. In Adam we have inherited sin; in Christ we have righteousness imparted to us. It is unnecessary to consider how we should act or behave, because as long as we are in Adam we are sinful and as long as we are in Christ we are righteous. It is not a matter of conduct or behavior; it is a matter of where we are. In Christ we are righteous, and in Adam we are sinful. In Adam we are condemned, but in Christ we are justified. The only way to be freed from sin is to believe in Christ, the Son of God (v. 9). If we believe in Him, He is righteousness to us, and we are justified in Him (Rom. 3:24; 4:25).

Judgment is related to Satan. Judgment is for Satan. By believing in Christ we are translated out of Adam into Christ. However, if we do not believe in Christ but remain in Adam, we shall share the judgment upon Satan. Strictly speaking, God’s judgment is for Satan. God has no intention to see you or me or any human being suffer judgment. But if you remain in Adam, you will consequently be judged together with Satan, sharing the judgment of Satan. This means that you prefer to love Satan, staying in company with him and helping him to bear the terrible judgment. Do not sympathize with Satan nor have any pity on him. Do not remain in Adam to help Satan bear the judgment. If we do not repent of the sin in Adam and believe in Christ, the Son of God, we shall remain in sin and share the judgment of Satan for eternity (Matt. 25:41).

In 1933 I was asked to stay in Shanghai with Brother Nee and the leading co-workers. One day, in my reading of John 16, I saw that sin, righteousness, and judgment are related to the three persons of Adam, Christ, and Satan. Some time later the church in Shanghai had a gospel-preaching meeting, and I was asked to give the message. I learned later that that invitation was a little test from Brother Nee to see where I would stand in the matter of gospel preaching. During that meeting I was burdened to give a message on the three items related to these three persons. As I looked around the meeting hall, I did not see Brother Nee. Quite a while later I learned that he stood behind the meeting hall door listening to the message. As I preached, I was very excited with these points, telling the people, “As human beings you were born in Adam. Today your name is Adam. In Adam you have sinned and you have been condemned. But there is another person—Christ. There is a way for you to get out of Adam and into Christ that you may be justified by God. If you believe in Christ, you will get into Him. You will be translated from the first person into the second. But if you do not believe in Christ, you will still remain in the first person, and eventually your destiny will be the destiny of the third person, Satan. Judgment has been prepared for Satan. Are you going to help him? Are you going to have pity on him? Are you going to help him suffer judgment for eternity?” This was the message I gave shortly after I had seen the light on these matters in John 16. As I delivered that message, I myself was fully nourished. Some time later, Brother Nee had a talk with me about that message, saying, “Witness, that message was really good.” When I asked him what message, he said the message on Adam, Christ, and Satan. Then Brother Nee told me, “Witness, hardly anyone has seen that in John 16:8-11 sin is related to Adam, righteousness to Christ, and judgment to Satan.” This is the gospel. I hope that this will be preached wherever the churches go. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)

TO GLORIFY THE SON BY REVEALING HIM WITH
THE FULLNESS OF THE FATHER

The first category of the Spirit’s work is to convince sinners to repent, believe, and be regenerated. The second category is the Holy Spirit’s dwelling in the regenerated believers to reveal Christ, to glorify Christ, and to make Christ real in the believers.

The Spirit of Reality Being the Full Realization of the Son

The Spirit of reality is the full realization of the Son. After the Spirit has brought us to salvation, He will become in us the very reality of the Son Himself. Whatever the Son is, has, and has accomplished, obtained, and attained will all be fully wrought into us through the Spirit. The Spirit eventually becomes the realization of the Son. He is the reality of all that the Son is and has.

Guiding the Believers into All the Reality of the Son

Verse 13 says, “But when He, the Spirit of reality, comes, He will guide you into all the reality.” The Spirit of reality does not guide the believers into the doctrine concerning Christ but into all the reality of Christ. This reality is nothing less than Christ Himself. Thus, the Spirit of reality will bring us into all the reality of Christ.

All That the Father Is and Has Being the Son’s

In verse 15 the Lord said, “All that the Father has is Mine.” All that the Father is and has is the Son’s. The Son is the embodiment of the Father. All that the Father is and has is embodied in Him (Col. 2:9). All that the Father is, all the fullness of the Godhead, dwells in Christ. Therefore, the Father’s fullness is the Son’s fullness, and the Father’s life and nature are also the Son’s life and nature.

All That the Son Is and Has Being Received by the Spirit

In verse 14, speaking of the Spirit of reality, the Lord said, “He shall glorify Me, for He shall receive of Mine and shall disclose it to you.” All that the Father is and has is the Son’s and all that the Son is and has obtained has been received by the Spirit. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and the Spirit receives this from Christ.

The Spirit Disclosing the Son with the Father to the Believers

In verses 14 and 15 the Lord said that the Spirit of reality “shall receive of Mine and shall disclose it to you.” All that the Son is and has is revealed as reality to the believers through the Spirit. This is to glorify the Son with the Father. The Spirit discloses the Son with the Father to the believers. He makes all that Christ is and has real to us.

The Mingling of Divinity with Humanity

The church life is a mingling of divinity with humanity. As the Spirit glorifies the Son with the Father, the Triune God is wrought into and mingled with the believers. This matter of the mingling of divinity with humanity has been very much neglected by Christians today. The one matter that is the most central has been neglected by nearly all Christians. Christians care mostly for doctrine. But in John 16, as in 1:14 and 17, the word truth in Greek means “reality,” not doctrine. To take the word truth in John to mean doctrine will cause great damage. In the Greek language it simply means reality or truthfulness. When the Spirit of reality comes, He will guide us into the full reality of Christ and mingle us with the Triune God. The more the Son is revealed to us with the fullness of the Father, the more experience we shall have of the Son. Then there will be more mingling of divinity with humanity in the church life. The church life is a daily mingling of divinity with humanity.

To Disclose What Is to Come

We have seen that the work of the Spirit in John 16 is in three categories: to convict the world, to glorify the Son by revealing Him with the fullness of the Father to the believers, and to disclose what is to come. John’s writings are also of three categories—the Gospel, the Epistles, and the Revelation. The three categories of John’s writings correspond to the threefold work of the Spirit. His Gospel is mainly to convict the world, his Epistles are mainly to reveal the Son with the fullness of the Father, and Revelation is the book unveiling the things that shall occur in the future. In verse 13 the Lord said of the Spirit that “He will disclose to you what is to come.” The Spirit will disclose the things to come, which are mainly revealed in Revelation (Rev. 1:1, 19). In the book of Revelation, four main things are revealed: the church’s progress (chs. 1—3); the world’s destiny (chs. 4—16); Satan’s ultimate consummation—the great Babylon (chs. 17—20); and God’s ultimate consummation—the New Jerusalem (chs. 21—22). The book of Revelation discloses all of these things to us.

We need to review what is revealed in John 14 through 16. Chapter fourteen is on the mutual abode, chapter fifteen is on the organism, and chapter sixteen is a supplement to chapters fourteen and fifteen. In this supplementary chapter we have the work of the Spirit unto the mingling of divinity with humanity. This means that the work of the Spirit results in the mingling of divinity with humanity. We saw this mingling already in chapter fourteen where the mingling eventually became the mutual abode. This mutual abode is an organism, the Body of Christ, with Christ growing in the divine life to express the Father. This is the organism revealed in chapter fifteen. Chapter sixteen tells us how the mingling of divinity with humanity can take place. It happens through the work of the Holy Spirit. First, this work of the Spirit is to convict sinners that they may believe in Christ and be translated out of Adam into Christ. Second, it is to reveal Christ with the fullness of the Father to all of these translated believers that they might be edified, built up, with all the fullness of the Godhead in order to express the Triune God and to glorify the Son with the Father. Please remember these points: chapter fourteen is on the mutual abode; chapter fifteen, on the organism; and chapter sixteen, on the work of the Spirit to convict the world and to edify the saints with the fullness of the Godhead that the church may glorify the Son with the Father. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)