The fourth crucial verse is Romans 8:11, which says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from among the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from among the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.” In this long verse, all Three of the divine Trinity-the Father embodied in the Son in incarnation, the crucified Son, and the Spirit in resurrection-are applied. When the divine Trinity is indwelling us, this One gives life to our mortal bodies. Eventually, this will consummate in the transfiguration, redemption, and glorification of our bodies (Rom. 8:23, 30; Phil. 3:21).
Romans 8 unveils God’s salvation in three steps. The first step enlivens our spirit (v. 10). The second step enlivens our mind (v. 6), the main part of our soul. The last step enlivens our dying body (v. 11). This makes our entire being-spirit, soul, and body-life.
The last crucial verse shows the application of this salvation. Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to flesh, you are about to die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the practices of the body, you will live.” This is the conclusion. The processed Triune God is now ready. All that is needed for us to do is to “come and dine.” To come and dine is to apply this salvation. The way to apply this salvation is not to have our being according to the flesh but to live according to the spirit. The spirit mentioned in verse 13 refers to the mingled spirit; therefore, it should not be capitalized. This spirit is the human spirit mingled and saturated with the consummated divine Spirit. We should live according to such a spirit.
In verses 5 and 6 there are two important things, the flesh and the spirit. The crucial point in our application of God’s provision is to live according to the spirit. If we live according to the flesh, we are about to die; but if we live according to the mingled spirit, we shall live. The unbelievers have only the negative provision of the flesh. We Christians, however, have both the negative provision of our flesh and the positive provision of the mingled spirit. The negative provision came from our fall, and the positive provision came from God’s salvation. We are now in the middle, and the outcome of our life depends upon our choice. If we live according to the flesh, we die. If we live according to the spirit, we live. This means that our entire being-our spirit, soul, and body-lives.
Question: Since the Lord Jesus said in John 11:25 that He is the resurrection, what does it mean that the element of resurrection was added to the Triune God? What is the difference between His being resurrection and the element of resurrection being added into the Triune God in resurrection?
Answer: In the human mind, there is the element of time. We always ask what is first, second, or last, but in the divine realm, there is no element of time. A circle is often used to illustrate eternity or eternal things because it has no beginning point or ending point. If we were to mark two points on the circumference of the circle indicating Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, it would be difficult to say which occurred before the other. According to Revelation 13:8, Christ was crucified from the foundation of the world. This means that at the time the world was founded, Christ was crucified; but according to our mind, the crucifixion of Christ occurred a long time after the foundation of the world. This is the way our mind considers because of the element of time.
According to the divine concept, there is no element of time; there are only facts. When the incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection occurred in time makes no difference in the divine realm, which is outside of time.
Question: What is it to set our mind on the spirit?
Answer: First, it should not be a matter of setting our mind on the spirit; it should be a matter of our mind being on the spirit. Second, we must have a clear view that we are fallen people who have been saved; therefore, we have two kinds of provisions. The first is the negative provision of the old man, and the other is the positive provision of the new man, the mingled spirit. The old man is signified and represented by the flesh. The new man is signified and represented by the spirit. If we live and have our being according to the flesh, the mind is on the flesh. If we live according to the spirit, our mind is on the spirit. If we try to set our mind on the spirit, this indicates we are not living according to the spirit. If you are living according to the spirit, your mind is spontaneously on the spirit. In this kind of condition, you are living. If you are not in this condition, you are about to die.
Question: What does it mean to be according to the flesh or according to the spirit?
Answer: To analyze or to explain what it means to live according to the spirit is hard. We may not be so clear that we are living according to the spirit, but we know for certain when we are living according to the flesh. As long as we know that we are living according to the flesh, we know that we are not living according to the spirit.
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