VIII. The Real Christian Life
The Mingled Spirit in the Book of Ephesians
Every chapter in the book of Ephesians contain at least one verse concerning the human spirit. In this book, the human spirit is described as being indwelt by the Spirit, one with the Spirit, and mingled with the Spirit. When all these verses are put together, they present a wonderful picture of the genuine Christian life — lived in the human spirit joined to the divine Spirit.
In Ephesians 1 the apostle Paul asks God to give the believers “a spirit of wisdom and revelation” (1:17). According to the Greek, “spirit” in this verse refers to our regenerated spirit indwelt with the Spirit of God. Our regenerated spirit thus has the capacity to receive revelation and light from God. In order for the believers to receive the profound truths set forth in this book, Paul prayed that God would make our spirit a spirit of wisdom and revelation. (Witness Lee, The Four Crucial Elements 111)
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Ephesians 2:22 says, “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” This verse shows that the church as God's house is in the believers' spirit. The reality of God's house is in our spirit. Thus we must learn to live, walk, and serve in our spirit. If we live and serve solely in our mind with its opinions and in our emotion with its contentions and murmurings, we have the church only in name but not in reality. To be built up as the proper local church in our city, we must be in the spirit. The building of the church does not depend on whether believers are good or bad, right or wrong, but rather on our being in the spirit (Lee, 111-112).
In Ephesians 3 the human spirit is referred to twice. In verse 5 Paul declares, “Which [mystery] in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in spirit.” Here the Scripture again states that God's mystery can only be revealed to us in our spirit.
Later, in verse 16, Paul prays that we would “be strengthened with power through His Spirit into the inner man.” This means that our entire being, including our mind, emotion, and will, is strengthened into our inner man, which is our regenerated spirit. When this happens, Christ can make His home in our heart (3:17). Because we are so used to going out from our spirit, we need to pray this prayer daily that we could stay in our inner man and thereby let Christ settle down in our heart. (Lee, 112-113)
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Ephesians 4:23 says, “And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind.” According to this verse, our spirit moves into our mind and becomes the spirit of our mind. In contrast to the nations who “walk in the vanity of their mind” (4:17), we as believers are having our mind renewed from the old creation with its old and corrupted thoughts to a new mind filled with the spirit. (Witness Lee, Life Messages 136)
Ephesians 5:18 says, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in spirit.” To be drunk with wine is to have our body filled with physical wine, whereas to be filled in spirit is to be filled with Christ unto the fullness of God (3:19). As we are filled with God Himself as the divine wine, we become God's expression, overflowing with Him. (Witness Lee, The Four Crucial Elements 113)
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Finally, in Ephesians 6 Paul charges us to pray “at every time in spirit” (6:18). This verse shows us that we should use the organ of our spirit to pray. Because we need to pray at every time, this exercise of our spirit should be continual, from moment to moment. Thus, we need to have a living in the spirit. (Lee, 113-114)
From this marvelous view in the six chapters of Ephesians, we can see that the real Christian life is altogether a life in the mingled spirit. Seeing in our spirit, being built together in our spirit, being strengthened into our spirit, being renewed in the spirit of our mind, being filled in our spirit, and praying in our spirit all produce a life of enjoying and being filled with the Triune God for His expression in the church.
Main |
Scriptural Basis |
Historical Perspective |
Definition
Regeneration |
Importance |
Knowing |
Exercising
Real Christian Life |
Conclusion |
Bibliography |
Links
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