Prayer: Lord, how we thank You that we can come to You through Your Word and Your Spirit. We thank You that today You are so much to us. You are the Word of life, and You are also the Spirit who gives life. Lord, we do trust in You. You are not only with us; You are now indwelling us as the Word and as the Spirit. This morning we have come to a point that is high and difficult for us to touch. Lord, be our help in this matter, and cover us and cleanse us with Your precious blood that we may enjoy Your anointing. Do anoint us richly that we may have the understanding and may have even the revelation with a vision. Lord, do visit each one of us in this way. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
In the previous two messages we covered the renewing of the believers by the Holy Spirit. In this message we will consider the transformation of the renewed believers.
The transformation of the renewed believers takes place through the renewing of the mind, that is, in the soul (Rom. 12:2b). Here again, the matter of renewing is crucial. According to my knowledge, those philosophers, such as Confucius, who stressed human ethics and morality also stressed renewing. However, their renewing is carried out by self-effort. On the contrary, our renewing does not depend on our effort. It depends on the renewing element, that is, the divine element. That element is nothing less than divinity ministered into our being as the very element that renews us. A chemical compound is not formed by man's effort. It is formed by the addition of a new element to another element that is already present. In the same way, renewing is not carried out by our work or effort. Renewing is accomplished by the renewing element.
Actually, renewing is not a work at all. The process of renewing can be illustrated by the digestion of food. Strictly speaking, digestion is not a work. Whenever we take food into us, the food itself works along with our digestion. While the food is being digested within us, the nourishment enters into our blood. Actually, that is not a work; it is the nourishing of the food element. We need to be impressed that in the Bible the God-ordained and God-required renewing is not by our work; neither is it by God's work. In carrying out the renewing, God does everything by dispensing Himself into our being as the divine element. This element within us means everything. The subjective sanctification is by this divine element, which is the holy nature, the holy element, of our Triune God.