The foregoing definition of transformation is based on two verses, Romans 12:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:18. First, in Romans 12:2 Paul said, "And do not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind." Then, in 2 Corinthians 3:18 Paul said, "But we all with unveiled face, beholding and reflecting like a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord Spirit." Based on these two verses we can see that transformation is to re-form us. By God's creation we were formed already, but that form is too old. With it there is no glory, but only oldness. Yet today God has taken away all the veils from our face. Now we have an unveiled face to behold and reflect the glory of the Lord. Early in the morning, the first thing we need to do is to go to the Lord with an unveiled face to look at Him, to behold Him, and to reflect Him for a period of time. To linger in the presence of the Lord while beholding Him and reflecting Him affords us a real taste, a real enjoyment. During such a time in the Lord's presence, as we behold and reflect the Lord, He tranfuses Himself into us, and that transfusing brings into us the divine element. That divine element matches our inward organic "organs." As a result, we are transformed into the image of the Lord from glory to glory. This transformation is from the Lord Spirit, who is the consummated Lord as the life-giving Spirit.
After taking a healthy breakfast in the morning, I feel strong and energetic. But after four hours I am tired and hungry again. Then, after eating lunch, again I am full of energy. However, after another five hours, I need another meal. Do not think that if you have a good morning revival, that will be sufficient. After three or four hours, you need to say, "O Lord, I am empty. Lord, I am hungry now; I am thirsty." To go to the Lord in this way is to contact the very source, which is the processed, consummated Triune God. When we look at Him, lingering in His presence, we behold Him, and He transfuses Himself as the life-giving Spirit into us.
In the Old Testament economy the Angel of Jehovah was with Israel through the forty years of their wandering in the wilderness (Exo. 14:19; 23:20, 23). That Angel was Christ. Even in Zechariah 1, while Israel remained in their captivity in a low condition, at the bottom of the valley, there was One riding on a red horse among the myrtle trees, and that One was called the Angel of Jehovah (vv. 8-12). As the Angel of Jehovah, Christ was among, around, and over the children of Israel, but He never entered into them. But today, after the processes of incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection, this Angel of Jehovah has become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Furthermore, this New Testament life-giving Spirit is altogether condensed, or embodied, in the living word. Thus, three persons—the Lord Christ (Rom. 8:10a; 2 Cor. 13:5b), the life-giving Spirit (Rom. 8:11), and the personified word of Christ (Col. 3:16)—all dwell in us. Actually, these three—the Lord, the Spirit, and the word—are one. We do have the threefold indwelling of the Lord Jesus Christ, the life-giving Spirit, and the word of life. Every day these three are not only with us but also in us, and They even indwell us. They will never leave us.
The Lord as a person indwells us. Then, His life-giving Spirit indwells us, and His word also indwells us. In His indwelling He does not do something within us, but He is something within us. He is continually dispensing Himself as an element into our being. The food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe are all elements that are dispensed into us every day. We eat three meals daily, drink water even more often, and breathe continually. The dispensing of the elements of food, water, and air accomplishes a great deal in us. The principle is the same with our spiritual life. This is why in John 6 the Lord Jesus likened Himself to food; in John 4 and 7 He likened Himself to water; and in John 20 He likened Himself to air, or breath (v. 22). Eating, drinking, and breathing all bring a solid element into our being. In our spiritual life, this element is the processed and consummated God as a life-giving Spirit, and this consummated Spirit is the all-inclusive dose that nourishes us, heals us, and rescues us. Not only so, He is also present within us. His presence within us means a great deal. This presence is the sanctifying, renewing, and transforming element.