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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
1. Sin is related to Adam, for it was through Adam that sin entered the human race—Rom. 5:12: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
a. The Son having come and died to fulfill God’s righteous requirements—John 3:14. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
c. If we believe in Him, He is righteousness to us, and we are justified in Him—Rom. 3:24; 4:25. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
3. Judgment is related to Satan; judgment is for Satan—Matt. 25:41: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
a. Satan, the ruler of the world, has been judged in the flesh of Christ on the cross—John 12:31-33; 3:14. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
3. The Son is the embodiment of the Father; all that the Father is and has is embodied in Him—Col. 2:9. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
C. The Spirit will disclose the things to come, which are mainly revealed in Revelation—Rev. 1:1, 19. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)
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: (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
1. We can abide in the Triune God, and the Triune God can abide in us—John 15:4a. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 36)
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. (Life-Study of John, msg. 37)