God’s way of salvation did not stop with the step of His crucifixion. His crucifixion was efficacious in its substitution, but it did not manifest His power. Without resurrection death would be the end, and without His resurrection the Lord’s power would not be manifested. However, He died and was resurrected. After being buried for three days, He resurrected and became the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Now He is the Spirit. He entered into death and came out of death. He not only died but also resurrected.
Some people find it hard to believe that it is possible for a person to be resurrected after death. Many years ago a college student told me that he found it difficult to believe that Jesus Christ had resurrected from the dead. Although the thought of resurrection seemed strange to him, I was able to show him that the principle of resurrection is very common. I pointed to a wheat field where tender green shoots of wheat were growing and said that this crop of wheat started out as grains that were sown into the ground. In the ground the shell of the grain decayed and died, but this death activated the power of life within the seed, which brought forth many grains. If the grain did not die and break, the life within it could not be manifested. If something lifeless is buried in the ground, nothing will grow, because it has no life. However, if a seed is buried in the ground, the life within it will be manifested after a period of time. Jesus Christ is God, and He is the eternal life. Therefore, His death and burial were only an opportunity to manifest Himself as life.
If we put only a grain of wheat on a table for people to appreciate, the power of its life will not be manifested. However, if we put it into the ground, it will have an opportunity to manifest its life. Similarly, the life of God in Jesus Christ was given the opportunity to be manifested through His death and resurrection. His death through crucifixion was an opportunity to manifest His life in resurrection. Through resurrection, His divine life was released. The Lord even compared Himself to a grain of wheat when He said, “Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24).
If Jesus Christ did not go through death and resurrection, He would have abided merely by Himself alone, but through death and resurrection He became the Spirit and He entered into millions of people. He entered into the disciples, including Peter, John, James, and Paul. When He entered into Peter, He was enlarged in Peter. When He entered into James, He was enlarged in James. Through death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus entered into myriads of people to be enlarged in these ones. Through His resurrection He has spread all over the world. Without death Jesus Christ could not have been resurrected, and without resurrection He would have remained by Himself. However, Jesus was resurrected, and He became the life-giving Spirit to enter into many people. This is the reason that Paul said, “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). Christ not only died for us on the cross, but He also wants to live in us. This is the third step in God’s wonderful salvation. He not only bore our sins on the cross, but He also wants to be life in us. He not only died for us on the cross to save us from God’s judgment upon our sins, but He also is living in us today to deliver us out of the power of sin. This is God’s wonderful salvation.
Galatians 2:20 says, “I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” The mystery of a Christian, the power of a Christian, the authority of a Christian, and the motivation of a Christian depend on Christ’s living in him. Jesus Christ is living in all those who have called on the name of the Lord. Those who fellowship with the Lord Jesus and approach Him through prayer can testify that Jesus is living in them. The Savior in whom we believe is not a historical figure. He is living in us today, and He is a real person. As believers, we all can testify that our Savior, who was crucified on the cross and died for us two thousand years ago, was resurrected and is now living in us. He is not merely a historical figure; He is living in us as our Savior. This is the power of a Christian and also the life of a Christian.
Many Christians are not clear about Christ’s living in them. They only know that He was crucified for the sins of the world, and then He resurrected and ascended. Although they know that the Lord Jesus is sitting on the throne, they do not know that He is also dwelling and living in them. Many believers do not know that the Lord Jesus, who is in the heavens, also became the life-giving Spirit in resurrection in order to enter into and live in them. We should not think that He occasionally comes down from the heavens to visit us but then goes back to the heavens. Rather, He is dwelling and living in us. We need to know that He is living in us, have a taste of His living in us, and experience the fact of His living in us.
I once met a sister whose husband would not come home until very late at night. She was deeply troubled, and she came to seek my opinion about the situation. After listening, I asked, “Are you saved? Do you belong to the Lord?” She said, “Yes.” Then I asked, “Do you know that the Lord Jesus dwells and lives in you?” Although she believed that Jesus had been crucified for her and also believed in His resurrection and ascension, she had no realization that the Lord Jesus was living in her. I told her that the Lord Jesus’ living in us means that He is moving and doing things in us, even such things as making a phone call, writing a letter, or cleaning a room. Christ is doing such things because He dwells in us and lives in us.
After hearing this, she again asked what she should do about her husband, and again I answered that Jesus was living in her. It might have seemed to her that my answer had nothing to do with her question, but this was in fact the real answer. I could have told her to be patient and tolerant, but these human methods would have been useless. Even though she was very troubled, I told her that Jesus Christ, who was living in her, had the best way; thus, she should go home in peace and bring this matter to the Lord. I told her that since the Lord was living in her, this matter was not her concern only because she, as His house, was being hurt by her husband’s actions. I told her that the Lord Jesus, as the One dwelling in her, would surely take care of her.
When I said this, she seemed to understand and asked, “Brother Lee, does this mean that I should pray?” I said, “Whether or not you pray is not the key issue. Go home and let the Lord take care of this matter. However, if you pray, pray to the Lord who is dwelling in you.” I pointed out that her previous prayers were to Jesus in the heavens but that she should now discuss and seek advice from the Lord who was living in her. Because Christ lived in her, it was not her business that her husband did not come home until late at night; rather, it was the Lord Jesus’ business. Although she never had prayed in this way, she was willing to try.
When she returned home, her husband was still out, and she began to feel lonely and cast down, but then the thought of having a discussion with Jesus, who was living in her, came to her mind. After having a wonderful discussion, she had a sense that the Lord wanted her to make some tea, prepare some snacks, and joyfully wait for her husband to come home no matter how late he returned. Although she had a sense that the Lord wanted her to listen for her husband’s footsteps, open the door, greet him, relieve him of any burden in his hands, serve him tea and snacks, and keep him company, she felt that she could not do this because it was difficult for her to submit to him. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit worked in her, and she was reminded that Jesus was living in her. When she again discussed this with the Lord Jesus, she received the same sense to prepare some snacks and wait at the door. In tears she knelt down and said, “Lord Jesus, You are my Savior. I am willing to give You the ground; it is no longer I who live but You who live in me.” Her tears ceased and she began to smile. She cheerfully made some tea and prepared some snacks. When her husband came home very late, she heard his footsteps and opened the door for him. As soon as she opened the door, she lowered her eyes and took his briefcase from his hands. As his wife was putting out the snacks, her husband thought that he was in a dream, but this caused his heart to turn, and it resulted in a complete change in behavior. This was the work of God’s wonderful salvation.
According to God’s wonderful salvation, He desires to enter into man and to be joined to man. The Lord Jesus accomplished redemption on the cross. He was judged on behalf of man to fulfill God’s righteous requirement and express His love toward man. He was resurrected from the dead to become the life-giving Spirit, and He is now living in His believers so that His divine life can be propagated. A proper Christian fellowships with Christ, prays to Christ, and draws near to Christ. When we draw near to Christ, we will not merely live out some measure of goodness but, rather, Christ Himself. This expression of Christ is actually Christ living Himself out of us. As we love Christ and fellowship with Christ, we no longer live out ourselves; instead, we experience Christ’s living in and out of us.