Living by the law of life
Scripture Reading: Rom. 8:1-2
The failure of living by the will
In the Christian life an important principle is to live not by one’s own will but by the law of the Spirit of life. Many Christians, especially the young ones, do not see this, nor have they learned this lesson. The strength of their living is dependent upon their will and sustained by their will. They dare not put aside their will for even a moment, because they know that they will stumble and their Christian living will cease. The living of many Christians is dependent upon their will. Brothers and sisters, even if you have been a Christian for many years, do not think that you no longer live by your will. Many still maintain their Christian living by their will. Perhaps you still do not know the extent to which your will occupies your living and how much ground you have given your will.
The person in Romans 7 is one who lives by his will. The “evil” is his acts, and the “good” is his will. Therefore, he says, “For I do not do the good which I will; but the evil which I do not will, this I practice” (v. 19). All of his “good” is in his will. He can comfort himself by saying, “I want God; I want God’s will; I want to obey God’s will.” He can comfort himself also by saying, “I do not want to sin, I hate sin, and I want to serve Him; my sole purpose is to please God.” He can say, “I want God’s will and I want to please God; I want to do only things that are good, and I will glorify God’s name.” He may make many resolutions in his will, but he can do nothing more. There is a gross misconception in his thinking that whether or not a man can do good is dependent on whether or not he wills to do it. He does not see that doing good or evil is a matter of a law, not a matter of the will. He does not see that even if he has decided to do good, he will only experience failure and disappointment.
Quite a few brothers and sisters say, “I truly want God’s will, I truly want to please God, and I am truly doing things according to God’s law.” A brother may be saying these things and at the same time wonder, “Why don’t I receive what I seek before God, and why am I doing all the things that are contrary to my will?” Many brothers and sisters wonder and say, “Why can’t I do what I will, and why do I instead do what I do not will?” Brothers and sisters, God wants to show you one thing in this situation: Your willpower cannot be the power of your living. Perhaps you still do not know how much you live by your will. Therefore, let us first take a look at how man lives by his will.
A clear sign of living by the will is refusing to let go. Many people refuse to let go of themselves. This does not mean that Christians do not need restrictions. But many Christians hold on to themselves; they will not let go of themselves. It is an arduous task being a Christian who puts a very tight grip on himself, thinking that a Christian must be careful in the way he eats, the way he walks, the way he rides a streetcar, and the way he talks with his family. From morning to evening he keeps a firm hold on himself in order to behave like a Christian and in order to walk, eat, and travel properly. It seems that one can only be a Christian when he firmly holds on to himself and carefully bridles himself! He thinks that once he lets loose of his grip, he will fail. This is the situation of many Christians who live by their will. They firmly hold on to themselves in an effort to live like Christians; they force themselves to act like Christians. This is like trying to make a stream flow upward. Many Christians are trying to make water flow upstream; they force themselves to behave like someone they are not. Many people compel themselves to be like someone else. They are not that kind of person, but they stubbornly try to be that kind of person. What do they do? They exercise their own will to put a tight hold on themselves. Many people strenuously try to be Christians this way. They make the strength of their will the power of their life.
We should remember that if we have to exert so much effort to be a Christian, we are surely not this kind of person. If we were this kind of person, we would not need to expend such a great effort. Oh, there are many things which are difficult to turn our eyes from! There are many things which are difficult to refuse, and there are many foods which are difficult to resist. How much effort do we need before we can control ourselves? How much effort do we need before we can refrain from speaking improperly? How much effort do we need before we can refrain from going places that we should not go? There are things that we naturally like to do, and we spontaneously do them. If we want to stop, we must force ourselves not to do them. For example, if you were raised in Shanghai, do you need to say, “I am determined to speak Shanghainese; I must speak Shanghainese; I will speak Shanghainese. I need to be careful not to speak the Shantung dialect or the Cantonese dialect”? No, you do not need to will yourself to do this, because you are a Shanghainese, and you will naturally speak Shanghainese. But if you are not a Shanghainese and you want to speak Shanghainese, you need to exert effort to speak it.
To live by the will is to try to be a certain type of person when you are not. When you try to force yourself to be a certain type of person, the only thing you can do is exercise the will. We are land creatures, and it is natural for us to live on land; if we want to live in water, we must exercise our will.
There are two kinds of people who try to be Christians according to their willpower. First, there are those who have not been regenerated; they have not been born of God and have never received God’s life. Therefore, they must exert considerable effort to compel themselves to be Christians. Many so-called Christians are actually not Christians at all; they are merely trying to be Christians. Since they want to be Christians, they sing a few hymns because other Christians sing hymns, and they say a few “hallelujahs” because others say hallelujah. But whether singing hymns or saying hallelujahs, they do it all with considerable unease. When other Christians speak, it is real, but when they speak, they do not feel a thing. People who are like this are pretending to be Christians; therefore, it is very unnatural for them. Second, there are those who are born again and who are God’s children, but who do not believe in the life that God has given them. They have the life, but they do not live by this life. Their salvation experience is unclear; their regeneration experience is also not clear. They did not hear the complete gospel, and they have not fully believed in God’s Word. They fail often and are weak to the uttermost. They cannot believe that the life within them can swallow up death. They are accustomed to sin and have failed constantly; therefore, they concede that no other experience is possible. They consider themselves as standard Christians. Thank God, they are absolutely wrong. Brothers and sisters, just because you have not experienced the mighty power of God’s life, do not say that the life that God has given you is as weak and powerless as you are. Thank God that His life comes with great power! As long as a man dares to believe in God’s Word, God’s life will manifest its mighty power in him. God’s life cannot manifest its mighty power in many people because they either do not have the life or they have not fully believed. When one genuinely believes, he will testify that God’s Word is fully trustworthy.
The liberation of the law of life
Paul cried, “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death?”, and one day he experienced deliverance. Then he said, “For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death” (Rom. 8:2). This is not a new grace but a new revelation; it is not a new gift but a new vision; it is not receiving something new from God’s hand but discovering something that God has already given. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed us! According to the Greek “freed” is in the past tense; it is already “freed.” The law of the Spirit of life has freed us! The verse does not say, “going to free,” “will soon free,” “can free,” or “intends to free,” but “has freed.” The law of the Spirit of life has already freed us; therefore, we are delivered from the law of sin and of death.
We need to realize that the experience and the acts in Romans 7 are unnecessary. Hallelujah! There is no need to go through the experience in Romans 7, and there is no need to act according to Romans 7. The exercise of the will in Romans 7 is even more unnecessary. Suppose your surname is Wang. You have had the surname for decades, and every day your surname continues to be Wang. You do not have to exercise your will to call yourself Wang or resolve to be surnamed Wang, because your surname is Wang. If you are a Wang, you do not need to desire to be called Wang. If this is your desire, it means that you are not a Wang. Here you should see one thing: If you are in the Lord, the Lord will use a law — the law of the Spirit of life — to free you from another law. Once you see this, you will immediately say, “Thank the Lord! Praise the Lord! I do not need to exercise my will anymore. If I release my grip, I will not fall to the ground; I will fall into another law.” Thank the Lord, this is a fact. All experienced Christians understand the meaning of these words.
Many Christians fear that if they let go or if they do not exercise their will to act like Christians, things will become unpleasant. Many Christians say, “I cannot let go of myself. If I let go of myself, things will be unpleasant. Even though I am keeping a tight grip on myself, I still cannot speak or walk properly; I am still weak and failing. What would happen to me if I let go?” Many Christians are obsessed with this fear and dare not release their grip. But God’s Word is very clear! If we believe in what God has already given us and release our grip, we will not fall to the ground; rather we will fall into a new law.
May God open our eyes to see that no one can resist the law of sin by his will; nor can anyone resist the law of sin by willing to do good. No one can do the will of God or resist the law of sin and of death by his own will. The will can never contend with the law of sin and of death! Thank and praise God! There is another new law that can contend with the law of sin and of death. Thank and praise God! This is not only a new life; this is also a new law.
Oh, what a joy that this life is a law! God has given us not only the Holy Spirit but also the law of the Holy Spirit. God has given us not only life but also the law of life. In the past we were dead in our offenses and sins; we had not only sin and death but also the law of sin and of death. We did not have to resolve or force ourselves to sin. Rather, there was a law that compelled us to sin. If God had only given us a life and nothing else, it would seem reasonable to be good sometimes and bad at other times. But God has given us a life-law; it remains the same all the time, and it never changes. Just as sin and death are a constant law that does not allow exceptions, the life that the Lord has given us is also a constant law that does not allow exceptions. There is a law of life, not just a life. This is why we can release our grip. Because we have seen that this is a law, we can release our grip. Because we have seen that there is a treasure laid in us, no glory goes to us; all glory goes to the Lord who raises the dead. If we have seen this, we will praise God. Brothers and sisters, if we live by another law, a new law, we will experience a wonderful thing — we will not feel the existence of the old law anymore. Remember the words of the Scripture which say, “For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.” It does not say that the law of sin and of death has been annihilated or abolished; rather, it says that we are freed from it. The law of sin and of death still exists, but we are no longer living under its power. We are living under another law.
Brothers and sisters, if you want to know what the law of life is, simply lift up your eyes and look at the birds in the air. How do they fly? They fly because their life has a law of flying. They have a life, and in their life there is a law. This law enables them to fly. Their life has a law which enables them to overcome the force of gravity and fly in the air. If there is a heavy snowfall one day and a crow or sparrow falls dead in your courtyard, you will see how great the force of gravity is. Gravity draws it to the earth. The force of gravity is always present. The bird has life, and this life has a law which overcomes the force of gravity and enables it to fly in the air. When the life is gone, the law of life is also gone, and the law of gravity overcomes it. Thank the Lord! God has indeed given us grace and dispensed a new life as well as a new law to us. This renders the law of sin and of death of none effect. It is not destroyed; but it is rendered of none effect. God did not eradicate the force of “gravity”; rather, He gave us another law of life, so that the “birds” can now overcome the law of “gravity.” We know that when we are strong physically, we do not feel the law of gravity. We only feel the law of gravity when we are weak. When we are weak, even walking, standing, or sitting makes us tired. We are relieved only when we lie down. Those who are the weakest feel the force of gravity the most. Thank God, our life is still with us today. This is why we do not feel the force of gravity so much. Someday when our life is nearing its end, the force of gravity will become stronger for us. If you have ever had to lift a corpse, you know how great the force of gravity is. You cannot make a corpse stand up straight; once you let go, the corpse will fall.
Some have been Christians for twenty or thirty years, yet they still do not know that sin and death are a law and that life is also a law. You need to know that God’s way of salvation has nothing to do with resolving to be someone you are not. There is a life in you that delivers you from the law of sin and of death. God has no intention that you will, hope, desire, or purpose to be a certain kind of Christian. If you try to do it by your own will, it will seem as if you are hung up in midair; the endeavor will be quite strenuous. If you have ever seen a talkative Christian, you know how difficult it is for him to try to talk less. He knows that he should not speak so much, yet he cannot refrain from speaking. It is very difficult for him to stop speaking. Have you ever seen a quick-tempered Christian? It is really hard to ask him to be patient. If he tries to practice patience, sooner or later he will become sick from repression. But thank God! The way of salvation is not to be someone you are not; rather, it is living out a new law of life from within. When this law is lived out from within, sin will appear to be nonexistent and annihilated, and the power of death will seemingly disappear. If you are healthy, you will not feel the force of gravity when you are walking. You can lift up your feet because there is a greater power in you. This is the meaning of the law of life.
The operation of the law of life
On the practical side, we need to learn to know how the law of the Spirit of life operates within us. The Lord uses the law of the Spirit of life to deliver us from the law of sin and of death. He uses one law to overcome another law, and He uses today’s law to overcome yesterday’s law. How does this law manifest itself in a Christian? How can we detect the law of the Spirit of life in a Christian? We can examine several aspects.
We can consider first the aspect of knowledge. The law of the Spirit of life will manifest itself in God’s children in the way of knowledge. There should not be any ignorant Christians. All Christians (referring to genuine Christians) should have proper knowledge. Whatever we encounter, the Spirit of life in us will give us knowledge concerning it. No Christian can say that he does not know. Every Christian has to admit that the Lord has spoken already. At the most we can say that we have not heard the Lord’s speaking; however, we cannot say that the Lord has not spoken. Can we really say that we do not know the Lord’s mind? Can we say that we do not know whether or not we can do a certain thing? We can never say this. We may be a weak believer, having just believed in the Lord Jesus and just received life into us. Yet as soon as we believe in the Lord and as soon as the Spirit of life dwells in us, the law will be instructing us within. Many servants of the Lord have met many of God’s children in various places, and they have all come to the conclusion that there is not a child of God who does not know His will. There are no ignorant children; there are only disobedient children. When we talk too much, do we not feel something restraining us within? Sometimes when we open our mouth to speak certain things, is there not something within telling us to stop? Do we not have a feeling that we should stop? Brothers and sisters, this life is in us, and it is always manifested through its law.
It is strange that some of God’s children think that they have received the life of God but have not received the law of this life. It would be strange for a man to have life without having the law of that life. We need to realize that both the life and the law of life are linked together. Where there is life, there is also the law of life. Life is inseparable from the law of life. Where there is life, there is also the law of life. If we have God’s life, whenever we need knowledge, we will find it within. This is true not only with big matters but also with very small matters, matters that we feel are insignificant. Sometimes when we go to someone’s house, our steps may be a little too heavy as we are walking up the stairs. A voice within may say, “This is not right.” Walking up stairs is not a big thing, but when the sound of our footsteps becomes a little too heavy, our inner being will tell us that this is not right. Sometimes we want to take a book from someone else’s bookshelf and read it, but inwardly a voice says, “This is not right because the book does not belong to you. You have not asked, and you have not been given permission. How can you take it and read it?” Brothers and sisters, the law of life is in us; indeed, it is in us. The problem is that many are not willing to walk according to this law. If a person lives by this life, his feeling will become very sensitive. We have a law within, and this law will tell us that we cannot trespass against others. It will tell us that we cannot be so loud, that our laughter is not proper, or that our motive in saying a word is wrong. We may encounter tens of thousands of things, but the law within will tell us what we should do in each case. Even if a person is not refined or educated, the law of life will be in him as long as he has the Lord’s life. The law of life will give him knowledge, and through this knowledge he will express God in his living.
Why do some Christians always stand in the wrong place and remain unaware of it? Why do some of them always do wrong things and remain ignorant of them? It is not because they do not have life or the law of life, but because they have not learned to follow the law of life within.
This law also manifests itself in love. Sometimes you feel that a certain brother is really troublesome and that you cannot settle things with him. You need to exert much effort to love him. You may say, “I will love him; I intend to love him. I will pray to the Lord to enable me to love him.” But when you are with him, you simply cannot love him. It seems as if you can only nod at him. You may think, “I am a Christian, and I must speak a few words with him or else my conscience will not be at peace.” Please remember that this is an act of your will. You are doing it by your will; you are not doing it out of love. If you are a Christian, you do not need to will to love others. Many times even prayer is not necessary, because there is a law within you. When you see such a brother, you know that you can never get along with him, you know that he is very troublesome, and you know that his very presence will irritate you. However, when you stand in front of him, you will spontaneously feel that it is wrong to hate him. Your inward being will not say “amen” to hating him. Instead, something within will love him and tell you, “He belongs to the Lord; he is your brother; he is the Lord’s beloved.” There is such a feeling within you. There is such a speaking within you. Brothers and sisters, when you are in this kind of situation, you do not need to do anything before the Lord; you do not even need to pray. All you have to do is lift up your head and say to the Lord, “I cannot do it! You can do it.” You do not need to exert any effort. You only need to say, “Lord, since You say that he is lovable, I will love him.”
The biggest failure of many Christians at this point is exercising their will. When you feel that a brother is not lovable, you hastily exercise your will to treat him well. Whenever you have a problem, you exercise your will immediately to try to solve this problem. When you meet a person whom you cannot love, you immediately force yourself to love him. Yet in spite of your great effort, you still cannot love him. At such times, you should stop and say to the Lord, “I do not have any strength to love him. Lord, I know that there is a life in me, and this life loves him.” Simply remain in His presence. There is no need to think or ask. All you have to do is say, “Lord, I want to live fully by the law of life.” You do not need to exert any effort at all, because you believe that there is a law within you, a law that loves the brothers. This gives you the boldness to see him and talk to him. The strange thing is that when you do this, you will unconsciously (note the word unconsciously) converse with him. You will unconsciously love him and unconsciously treat him like a brother. You will talk with him and fellowship with him. Later, even you will be surprised, saying, “I did not do anything. Yet the Lord brought me through beyond my comprehension.” Brothers and sisters, this is the law of life; it enables you to unconsciously overcome, without any need of your willpower.
If we know God, we will realize that the law of the Spirit of life, like the law of sin and of death, is spontaneous. Hallelujah! It is spontaneous. Sinning requires no exercise of the will; the law of sin does it for us. Neither do we need to set our will to do good; it is the law of the Spirit of life that does it for us. Lying, coveting, and losing one’s temper require no exercise of the will. There is a law that causes one to lie, covet, and lose his temper. Holiness, righteousness, love, and purity also require no effort of the will; there is a law in us that produces all of these things. The exercise of the will is man’s work, not the Lord’s work. Herein lies the basic difference. The Lord has given us a law, and this law is spontaneous.
Many times you realize that you talk too much, speaking words that should not be spoken. You even feel sick and do not understand why you always talk so much. In the course of contact with other people, you worry and say, “I am a Christian. I need to glorify the Lord’s name. I should not talk so much.” Then what do you do? You exercise your will, and make resolutions, saying, “Today I will be careful not to speak too much.” You hold yourself back for an hour or two. You feel no freedom at all, and the longer you hold back, the more unbearable it becomes. You utter countless prayers, saying, “Lord, I should not be talkative. If I continue to be talkative, I will not behave like a Christian. Lord! Have mercy on me. Please protect me! Please watch over me!” However, your will is useless when it comes to controlling your speaking. The Lord lives in you, and the Lord’s life is in you. This life has a law, and when this law is manifested in you, there is no need to worry at all. You can say to the Lord, “I am going to So-and-so’s house. I will no longer make any resolution. I cannot control my mouth. I know what kind of person I am; I know that I talk too much. But Lord, I believe; I deeply believe that the law of the Spirit of life which You have given me has freed me and delivered me from that law of talking too much.” This does not mean that when you go to that house you must continue to consciously say, “I believe the Lord’s Word.” If you do, you are exercising your will once again. If you really believe, you will forget it, set it aside, and go in a spontaneous way without even thinking about it. The strange thing is that when you do not exercise your will to hold yourself back and when you believe in the Lord’s Word, you will not need to make any resolution, worry, or even think about it. Even when the thought of talking too much comes to your mind, it will not bother you any longer. You will be able to sit for two or three hours or even stay for two or three days without feeling troubled. When you come home and think about it, you will say, “I was not concerned and not paying attention to the matter. I did not have to consciously keep myself from talking too much. Why did I not talk so much?” Brothers and sisters, this is the operation of the law of life; it frees you from your incessant talking. This is the Christian life. It is not the work of the will; it is a law. This law is a life; it is spontaneous. The Christian life is a spontaneous life. The law of life in you, like the law of sin and of death, is a law. Just as the law of sin and of death is a very spontaneous law, the law of life that you have received is spontaneous as well.
O brothers and sisters, we can say much more about this matter. We can relate innumerable experiences to prove this point. Our victory is not a victory of the will but a victory of the law of life. When we need knowledge, there is a law in us that continually gives us knowledge of what is right and wrong. When we are faced with a task, there is strength within us which carries us through in a very spontaneous way. In all of our living, we see the effects of this law. Many Christians live in too much pretension and performance. Many Christians “act out” their Christian life. Their daily life is nothing but a performance. Oh, the moment we see the law of life, the first thing we will do is drop our own work! Many people use spiritual terms and adopt spiritual behavior, yet they are the ones who are doing these things. Once a person sees the law of life, the first thing he will do is drop his own work. Performance is the most damaging thing to the Christian life. Many Christians who perform think that the better they perform, the better Christian they will be. The outward expressions of spirituality of many Christians are artificial; they are the work of the will. When we see the law of the Spirit of life, we will cease all of our outward performance. All of our expressions will be spontaneous; all of our words will be spontaneous; all of our prayers and our living will be spontaneous. With this law in us, how spontaneous our living will be! We will not need to expend any effort; our will will not be required to purpose anything; we will live very spontaneously. After going through a day this way, we will say when we lie down at night, “Today I did not try to be a Christian, yet I lived as a Christian. Today I did not try to do anything, yet the Lord brought me through.” Brothers and sisters, when you put aside your will, you will not be any worse than you are today. When you throw aside the crutch of your will, you will not fall. On the contrary, you will become very spontaneous. Formerly, you prayed and asked for this or that from the Lord, just as Jacob did when he wrestled with God. But when you walk before God, you will see that you have become a soft person in His hand. You will not have to pretend to be soft; you are soft already. You will live a simple Christian life, yet throughout your life the Lord’s name will be glorified. The Lord has given you life. It is a life that operates in you, a life that speaks in you. There is no need for your own striving or working.
In conclusion, let us return to Romans 8:1-2: “There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.” God uses the first law to deliver us from the second law; God uses a new law to save us from the old law. I would like to ask you a few questions. How much do you know of this new law? Is your Christian life governed by your will or by the manifestation of this new law in you? Are you living your Christian life, or is there a spontaneous law, a spontaneous power of life in you that directs you to live the Christian life in a spontaneous way? Brothers and sisters, you can boast about your knowledge; you can boast about your power; you can boast about your work; you can boast about your sacrifice; and you can boast about your intelligence. You can be proud of all these things, but if you do not have this law, you have nothing to be proud of, because you have not learned the first lesson of the Christian life. The first lesson in the Christian life is that the Christian life is very spontaneous. The life in Romans 8 does not require any effort; everything is spontaneous in this life. Oh, may the Lord grant us grace so that we may truly say to Him, “I am willing to live in Your presence. I believe Your Word. I believe that I received the law of life when I was born again. This law is greater than the law of sin and of death. With the law of sin and of death, I sin spontaneously. With this law, I trust You spontaneously, serve You spontaneously, and glorify and praise Your name spontaneously!”