God is the source of all goodness. God is good, and without Him there is no goodness (Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Genuine goodness is God Himself. This is similar to the fact that electricity from the power plant is the source of light in our homes. Without the electricity, there is no light. Likewise, without God, there is no goodness. In contrast to God as the source of goodness, the devil is the source of evil. In whomever the devil is, works of evil will be manifested (John 8:44), and in whomever God is, goodness will be manifested (Eph. 2:10; 5:8-9).
God is not only the source of goodness but also the power to do good. A believer’s power to do good is God Himself. An electric fan turns continuously not by its own power but by the electric current that flows through it. A Christian can be loving, just, unbiased, and righteous in dealing with people and things, not because he has the ability in himself but because God is in him as his power to do good. Whenever God enters into a person and energizes him, he no longer needs to make up his mind to do good but spontaneously becomes a person who does good.
The Chinese have different aspects of education—moral, intellectual, physical, and social. They also have in the Chinese dictionary different terms to describe intellectual ability or power and physical ability. However, there is no term to describe moral ability, that is, the power to be moral. In the same way that an electric fan needs electrical power in order to function, man needs moral power in order to have morality and goodness. Some people are physically strong and can lift several hundred pounds. Others are wise and have a large intellectual capacity for planning and devising strategies. However, when we consider man’s moral conduct, it is apparent that man is powerless with respect to morality. Although man may have physical and intellectual power, he does not have moral power, because he does not have God within him.
Man’s lack of God causes him to seek entertainment and pleasure in sins. Because he does not have God within, he does not have the power to do good, and when he desires to do good, he is often helpless.
God is the unique power through whom we can break away from sin. He alone is able to deliver us from sin. If we desire to overcome sin, it is meaningless and vain for us to make up our mind and determine to sin no more. The unique way to be delivered from sin is to receive God and allow Him to come into us. Just as an electric fan operates because it is switched on and allows electricity to flow through it, so we are delivered from sin to do good by contacting God and allowing Him to flow through us as our power. When God comes into our inner being and touches our inward parts, our entire being is revolutionized. Formerly, we might have been going downward, committing sins and doing evil things. However, after God touches us, our whole being is turned upward, and goodness is manifested in our conduct. God’s operating power within man is beyond man’s own ability.
Once when I was preaching the gospel in northern China, I met a friend of mine. When he saw me, he praised the Lord and told me of his experience of believing in the Lord Jesus. From his youth he was at odds with his mother. He disliked her and was resentful toward her and even ran away from home because of their poor relationship. One day he heard the gospel, repented, believed, and received the Lord Jesus as his Savior. After his salvation, he did not remember the problem between himself and his mother but simply prayed to the Lord. One day after he prayed, he wept bitterly for no apparent reason. His inward being was touched by some kind of power so that he wailed and felt sorrowful concerning his relationship with his mother. Although he was far away from home, he immediately purchased a train ticket to return to his hometown on the following day. As soon as he saw his mother, he knelt before her and confessed to her. From that day onward, his mother became a person whom he loved and honored, and whenever he thought of her, he was always happy within. He testified that the power to be happy with his mother was not from himself but was Christ within him.
Another brother, prior to his believing in the Lord, offended his wife greatly and disliked her. One day, after believing in the Lord, God touched his inner being and caused him to regret his attitude toward his wife. As soon as he returned home, the first thing he did was to confess to his wife and seek her forgiveness. The power that motivated this brother to seek forgiveness and to love his wife did not originate from himself but came from God’s touch within. This kind of experience is not uncommon among believers.
Some people may say that these experiences are “superstitious” and are not for this modern age. However, many believers can testify that these experiences are not superstitious but practical. About half a century ago when I was studying in elementary school, an elderly man stood up and said that in the future there would not only be cable telephones but also wireless telephones. People would be able to speak to one another on the telephone without any wire connections. When I heard that, I responded that it was absurd. Today, however, by means of electric waves a person who is speaking in America can be heard in Taiwan over a wireless radio. What seemed to be mysterious in the past is becoming quite ordinary today because people now know how to utilize electric waves.
God is Spirit (John 4:24). He is not physical, tangible, or visible. Electricity also is invisible. Man can see only the manifestation of electricity but not electricity itself. However, even though no one has seen electricity, some people have touched electricity. In a similar sense, even though man cannot see God, His Spirit can touch man’s inner being. If man repents to God and receives Christ as his Savior, God’s Spirit will enter into man and touch him. God is light, holiness, and goodness (1 John 1:5; Lev. 11:45). As soon as He touches man’s inner being, the darkness in man will be changed into light, the filthiness in man will be changed into holiness, and the evil within man will be changed into goodness (Eph. 5:8; Ezek. 36:25). God is the source of goodness as well as the power for doing good. When He touches a man’s inner being, that man’s entire life will be revolutionized, and there will be a motivating power for him to do good and to have an upward turn in his life.
The way to obtain God is to repent, confess, and receive Christ by believing. If we repent and confess our sins before the Lord and open our heart to receive Him as our Savior, He will come into our inner being. He will not only save us and deliver us from our sin but will also take away the record of our sins before God. By shedding His blood on the cross, the Lord accomplished redemption for us. Today He desires to enter into us to be our life and power. Once He enters, He will break sin’s authority over us and deliver us from sin. In this way we will be persons who obtain true freedom and true satisfaction.
Although man’s sins are like scarlet, once God enters into man, he will be as white as snow (Isa. 1:18). Furthermore, as many as receive the Lord Jesus, to them He gives authority to become children of God (John 1:12). As the source of all goodness and the power to do good, God desires to enter into you so that your entire life may be changed.