Thus far, we have seen that the first Epistle, Romans, is on the Spirit of life, and the second Epistle, 1 Corinthians, is on the life-giving Spirit. The third Epistle, 2 Corinthians, is on the transforming Spirit. This shows us that under the sovereignty of the Lord, the arrangement of the New Testament books is in a good sequence. In 1 Corinthians what is stressed is the matter of the growth in life. Paul says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God made to grow” (3:6). Transformation is emphasized in 2 Corinthians. In the first Epistle to the Corinthians we see the growth in life, with the indication that this growth is for transformation. The more we grow, the more we will be transformed. However, to grow is one thing and to be transformed is another thing. Growth needs life and transformation needs the elements of life.
In 1 Corinthians 3 we see the growth in life for transformation. The word transformation is not used in that chapter, but the issue of the growth in life is there indicating transformation. As God’s farm (3:9) with planting, watering, and growing, the church should produce plants; but the proper materials for the building up of the church are gold, silver, and precious stones (3:12), all of which are minerals. Hence, the thought of transformation is implied there. We need not only to grow in life but also to be transformed in life that we may become the precious materials for God’s building.
Paul continued in his second Epistle to the Corinthians from the growth in life to transformation. In his first Epistle there are many points referring to the growth in life, but in the second Epistle there are not any points regarding the growth in life but a number of points referring to transformation. This is why we say that the Spirit in the first Epistle is the life-giving Spirit, the Spirit that always gives life for the growth in life. In the second Epistle, however, Paul always points out to us the things related to transformation. This is why we say that in 2 Corinthians we see the transforming Spirit. The one Spirit is first life-giving and then transforming.
The word transformation is not mentioned in the first Epistle, but the indication of transformation is there. Both the Spirit that gives life and the transforming Spirit are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 3. Verse 6 tells us that “the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life,” and verse 18 says that we are being transformed “even as from the Lord Spirit.” The life-giving in verse 6 leads to the transforming in verse 18. In the first Epistle growth in life issues in transformation, and in the second Epistle transformation is the result of the growth in life. Growth in life needs the life supply, but transformation needs the elements of life.
Second Corinthians 1:21-22 shows us that this transforming Spirit is the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging Spirit. Anointing, sealing, and pledging are different from life-giving. To give life is to impart life into us. To anoint someone there is the need of some ointment, and the ointment is full of elements. The ointment may be likened to paint. Paint is a composition of elements. Without the elements, there could not be paint. The more I paint a table, the more elements are put on the table.
In the Old Testament, the holy anointing oil is the compound ointment. It is compounded with four kinds of spices into one oil (Exo. 30:23-25). This holy anointing oil is no longer merely oil, but a compound ointment composed of five elements. The more anointing there is, the more these elements are being added on. In 2 Corinthians, the Spirit is the transforming Spirit, and this transforming Spirit is anointing us. To anoint is to put more elements on. With transformation there is the need of elements.
The petrification of wood is another good example of transformation. As the current of water flows through a piece of driftwood it carries away the old elements and brings in the new elements of minerals. Eventually, the minerals entirely replace the cell structure of the wood. This transforms the wood into a piece of stone by the continual addition of new elements. In like manner, the Spirit transforms us by adding more and more of the divine elements into our being. The transforming Spirit flowing through our being adds into us the divinity of Christ, the humanity of Christ, His human living, His all-inclusive death, and His excellent resurrection. All these elements are carried into our being by the transforming Spirit, and these elements become the factors of our transformation. Therefore, such a flowing Spirit is a transforming Spirit. The Spirit transforms us by putting into us more and more of the divine elements. This is the Spirit anointing us.
The sealing is also a matter of imparting some elements. If I were to stamp a piece of paper with a seal and the seal did not have any element of ink on it, we would not see anything on the paper. Suppose, however, that the seal is saturated and full of the element of ink. When I seal the paper, a mark or an impression is left on it. The mark is constituted with the element of ink. Without any ink element, there is no mark. Sealing is a marking. The Holy Spirit, who is the transforming Spirit, is sealing us all the time, and this sealing makes a mark which people can read. When a new convert who has just believed in the Lord Jesus is happy and full of joy in the Lord, his cousins, in-laws, relatives, and friends recognize and know that he is now a Christian. However, they do not know and they cannot see what kind of Christian he is. After two years of growing in life and allowing the transforming Spirit to seal him every day, this sealing is always putting some elements upon him. After two years, all of his acquaintances will be able to read some mark upon him. They will testify that he is so extraordinary, fine, and excellent in his living and character. This is a mark built up by the sealing of the transforming Spirit. Anointing imparts God’s elements into us. The sealing does the same thing, but it also forms the divine elements into an impression, a mark, to express God’s image.
The pledge of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself as the pledge. The pledge is a sample, a foretaste. In ancient times, the Greek word for pledge was used in the purchase of land. The seller gave the buyer a sample of the soil from the land being purchased. Hence, a pledge, according to the ancient Greek usage, was also a sample. The Holy Spirit is the sample of what we shall inherit of God in full. By enjoying the sample we have a foretaste of what is coming. The anointing Spirit, the transforming Spirit, pledged Himself into us as a foretaste. The foretaste gives us a taste of God; this is also a pledge, a security, a guarantee of the full taste to come.
By the anointing, sealing, and pledging, all the elements of the Triune God, including the wonderful process He went through, are imparted into our being. The title “the life-giving Spirit” indicates the giving of life in a general way. The transforming Spirit, however, involves the anointing, the sealing, and the pledging of the elements of Christ into our being. As we enjoy Him and open our being to Him, the divine elements are being added to us all day long. Since I received the Lord over fifty years ago, I can testify that every day, through the anointing, sealing, and pledging, I have received more of the divine elements into my being. I believe that now a distinct and strong mark is upon me, and I must testify that I am enjoying many riches of Christ. I am also enjoying more of the pledge of God being my portion in Christ. This is all for transformation. In 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 we see that through the anointing, sealing, and pledging, the believers are receiving more and more of the divine elements into their being.