As we go on to verse 11, we see that it is also possible for life, the divine, eternal life, to be given to our mortal body. In this verse Paul says that if the Spirit of the One who raised Jesus from among the dead dwells in us, He who raised Christ Jesus from among the dead will give life to our mortal bodies, and this will take place through the indwelling Spirit. When we put together verses 10, 6, and 11, we see that not only is our spirit life, and our mind life if it is set on the spirit, but life may also be given to our mortal bodies through the Spirit.
The Bible reveals that, as human beings, we are tripartite. This means that we have a spirit, a soul, and a body. In Romans 8 we see that first our spirit becomes life through regeneration. Then if we are faithful to set our mind on our spirit, our mind will also become life. This will open the door and prepare the way for the Spirit to give life to our mortal bodies. As a result, our bodies will receive the divine life.
In Romans 8 we see the Trinity of the Godhead, we see the process through which the Triune God has passed, and we see a clear view of our spiritual experience. The experience of life is threefold; it involves our spirit, our mind, and our body. This indicates that our entire being can become life or receive the supply of life.
Chapter eight of Romans also speaks of the law of the Spirit and the leading of the Spirit. In verse 14 Paul says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Hence, in this chapter we have the law, the leading, and the sonship.
The central thought of the book of Romans is that God’s salvation makes sinners His sons with His life and nature to express Him so that they may become constituents of the Body of Christ for His expression. Hence, sonship is emphasized very much in this chapter. God’s salvation is focused on sonship. In His salvation God makes sinners into sons.
In this chapter Paul goes on to speak of conformation and glorification: “Because whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He should be the Firstborn among many brothers; and whom He predestinated, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (vv. 29-30). God has predestinated and justified us, and now He is conforming us, molding us, to the image of His firstborn Son. Eventually, we shall have full glorification.
May we all be deeply impressed with what is revealed in Romans 8. Here we have the Trinity, the process, and our subjective experience, which involves our spirit, our mind, and our body. In this chapter we also have some marvelous provisions: the law of the Spirit of life, the leading of the Spirit, the sonship, conformation, and glorification. When we put all these matters together, we see the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into our tripartite being. The Father sent the Son, and the Son came to accomplish redemption, which consummates in the life-giving Spirit. Praise the Lord for the Trinity and for this wonderful process! This process includes incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Because the Triune God has passed through such a process, we can experience Him. We can have life in our spirit, in our mind, and even in our body. Furthermore, we have the rich provisions of the divine law, the divine leading, the divine sonship, and the divine conformation to mold us into the same image, the image of the firstborn Son of God. Eventually, we shall experience the divine glorification. The aggregate, the totality, of all this is the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity into the three parts of our being.
In 1979 I gave a message entitled “The Life of the Triune God Dispensed into the Tripartite Man” (Life-study of Romans Message Sixty-two). In that message, however, I did not place much emphasis on the divine dispensing. My burden in this message is to point out from Romans 8 that we need more and more of the divine dispensing of the Divine Trinity. Through this dispensing we are soaked with the Triune God. Just as something may be soaked with water, we need to be soaked with the Triune God. If we would be soaked with the Triune God, we need the divine dispensing of the divine Trinity. Let us all open our whole being to this dispensing so that we may be soaked with the Triune God.