The issue of this inner regulation of the law of life is that we are transformed and conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:2, 29). Every day, every hour, in all things, and in every place, this living law, which is God in Christ as the Spirit, is regulating us. The more we are regulated by this law, the more we are transformed to the image of Christ.
We are in the age of the New Testament. In this age, we have one law. This law is the law of life, the law of the Spirit of life. This law is a living law, and it is God Himself in Christ as the Spirit—the Triune God. The Triune God within us as the living law regulates us from within every moment. On the negative side, His regulating sets us free from all sins (8:2). On the positive side, it transforms us to the image of God. This is the function and the issue of the wonderful law of life.
As human beings, we are fallen. Our fall was not a matter of merely falling into sin; when we fell, we were mingled with sin. Sin is now within us and mingled with us. This makes us sinners. We are sinful not only in action, behavior, and conduct, but we are also sinful in nature. God’s glorious aim and intention, however, is to mingle Himself with us and make us the same as He is. He is holy, so He will make us holy (Lev. 11:44; 1 Pet. 1:16). He is righteous, so He will make us righteous (cf. Dan. 9:14; 2 Cor. 5:21). He is love, so He will make us love (cf. 1 John 4:8; 3:14). He is light, so He will make us light (cf. 1:5; Eph. 5:8). But how can God accomplish this glorious aim within us fallen sinners? First, He cleanses us with the redeeming blood of Christ. Second, as the Spirit, He, the holy Triune God, comes into us to be life to us. As life, God lives in us and regulates us all the time as a law. It is by the operation of Himself as this inner law of life that God transforms us into His image and makes us the same as He is.
The proper way for us to experience Christ as life to us is to take care of the inner regulating of the law of life. Within us there is a continual inner regulating. The more we love Him, the more He will have the chance to operate within us and regulate us inwardly. The more we contact Him, the more the regulating will be active, positive, and forceful. If we would experience Christ as life in a proper way, we must take care of the inner regulating. To take care of the inner regulating means that we go along with Christ, who is life to us. Practically, this means that when we go shopping, we must take care of the inner operation and go along with it. It means that when we talk with the brothers and sisters, we need to take care of the Lord’s inner regulating. Even in the smaller matters in our life, we have to take care of the inner regulating. Within us there is the living law, the law of life, which is God Himself. This law, which is living, acting, positive, and powerful, constantly regulates us and makes us the same as He is. Hence, the way to live by Christ is to take care of the inner regulating. Indeed, the evidence that we are truly living by Christ is that we cooperate with the Lord’s inner regulation. This is the secret and the key to experiencing Christ as life. Because God in Christ as the Spirit is life and the living law that regulates us from within, if we truly live by Christ, we will take care of the inner regulating. If we simply take care of this regulating, we will be refreshed, strengthened, nourished, enlightened, and transformed into His image. Taking care of the inward regulation is the key and the secret to experiencing Christ as the inner life.