The first three verses we have covered on the Spirit, John 3:6, John 4:24, Romans 8:16, make up one group; and the next three verses, 1 Corinthians 15:45, 2 Corinthians 3:17, and 1 Corinthians 6:17, make up a second group. Now we need to consider a third group of verses regarding the Spirit, Galatians 5:16 and Romans 8:4-6. Galatians 5:16 says, “Walk in spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gk.). If you walk in spirit, everything will be wonderful. There will be no need for you to bear the cross, to crucify yourself, or to try to commit spiritual suicide. Many seeking Christians are trying to terminate themselves. They say, “I am so bad. If I could crucify myself, everything would be all right.” But God does not expect you to crucify yourself. Although no one could possibly crucify himself, many Christians are still trying their best to do so. No one can commit suicide by crucifixion. In some respects, the efforts of many Christians in trying to crucify themselves resemble Hinduism. Many say, “Oh, we must bear the cross! My wife, my children, and all my relatives are crosses.” This is today’s pitiful Christianity. Although it is full of “crosses,” there is no Spirit. I cannot find a verse in the Epistles telling us to bear the cross. In the Epistles it is not a matter of bearing the cross; it is a matter of walking in spirit. The cross is on the hill of Calvary, but the Spirit is within us. We simply need to walk according to the spirit (Rom. 8:4). Hallelujah for the spirit!
Many Christians are still under the influence of Madame Guyon who asked God to give her more crosses. It seemed that one cross was not sufficient; she sought many of them. But the Bible tells us to be filled in our spirit, not with crosses, but with the Lord (Eph. 5:18). It tells us to be filled in our spirit with His Spirit. Forget about bearing the cross in a religious way. However, do not misunderstand me. Do not say, “I personally heard Witness Lee tell us to throw away the cross and forget about it. What heresy!” In order for us to be redeemed and justified, we need the cross. The Lord Jesus died on the cross to redeem us. Now we are justified through the blood of the cross. Hence, we definitely need the cross. But after we are saved, we need to walk daily in the presence of God. For this we need the Spirit. Nevertheless, some may still argue and say, “Now that we are walking in the presence of God, don’t we need to cross out ourselves?” Yes, we do need to be crossed out. But the killing element, the power to be crossed out, is not in our mind or in our mental figuration. It is in the Spirit.
In the past I read some books about reckoning ourselves dead. After reading these books, I did a great deal of reckoning. But the more I reckoned myself dead, the more alive I became. Reckoning simply did not work. I believe many of you have had the same experience. It seems that we were dead if we did not reckon. But as soon as we began to reckon, we became alive, for our reckoning stirred us up.
When I was young, I sometimes used to lose my temper. Whenever I lost my temper, I regretted it. This was especially true after I was saved. Each time I lost my temper, I would feel bad, go to my room, repent, confess, apply the blood, and make up my mind never to lose my temper again. I prayed, “O Lord Jesus, help me not to lose my temper again.” Nevertheless, a short while later, I would lose my temper once more. Later I read some books about how to overcome sin. The first thing these books told me was that I had to see that my old man had been crucified. When I read this, I thought it was wonderful. But I said to myself, “The Bible says that my troublesome old man has been crucified. But in my experience he is very much alive.” Then I read further in the book that I had to reckon myself dead. These books said that I should not believe my feelings, but that I should trust in my reckoning. No matter how much I felt I was alive, I was to forget my feelings and reckon myself dead. I thought this was wonderful, and I endeavored to practice it. However, this was mere mathematics. I discovered that the more I reckoned my old man to be dead, the more troublesome he became. Reckoning did not work.
Some may say, “In Brother Nee’s book, The Normal Christian Life, there is a chapter telling us to reckon ourselves dead. What would you say about this?” The messages printed in this book were given in Brother Nee’s early ministry. Many Christians just pick up what Brother Nee said in his early ministry. But in the later years Brother Nee learned much more and discovered many things. In one of his later messages he said that we can never experience Romans 6 until we come into Romans 8. He further said that our crucifixion with Christ can only be experienced in the spirit. He told us clearly that mere reckoning will not work; we must walk in spirit. The killing element, the killing power, is in the Spirit. I say again that it is not sufficient merely to reckon. The experiences of thousands of Christians prove that mere reckoning does not work.
A. B. Simpson has written a hymn about reckoning. The following is the first verse and chorus:
There’s a little word the Lord has giv’n
For our help in hour of need:
Let us reckon ourselves to be dead to sin,
To be dead and dead indeed.
Let us reckon, reckon, reckon,
Let us reckon, rather than feel;
Let us be true to the reckoning,
And He will make it real.
Please do not try to argue with me about the matter of reckoning. Anyone who tries to reckon himself dead will discover that it does not work. Perhaps A. B. Simpson’s hymn about reckoning should be revised to read, “Spirit, spirit, spirit, in our union with Christ.” It is not a matter of trying to bear the cross or to reckon ourselves dead; it is a matter of walking in the spirit. Before resurrection, we must bear the cross and be crossed out. But after resurrection, we must walk in the spirit. Hallelujah, the Spirit is in our spirit!
Now, according to Romans 8:6, we need to set our mind upon the spirit, not upon the flesh. To set the mind upon the flesh is death, but to set the mind upon the spirit is life and peace. Your mind represents you. To set the mind upon the spirit means to agree with the spirit. Never agree with the flesh or go along with it. Rather, agree with the spirit and go along with the spirit. If you do, you will have life and peace.
Today the Spirit of Christ is the all-inclusive Spirit. The effectiveness of the cross, the killing power, is included in the Spirit. As medical doctors know, in many doses there is both the killing element and the nourishing element. The killing element destroys the germs in our blood, and the nourishing element supplies our being with nutrients. The all-inclusive Spirit of Christ is the best dose. In this dose there is the killing element, Christ’s crucifixion. The effectiveness of the death of Christ is now in the all-inclusive Spirit. Do not try to reckon yourself dead. Instead, let the Spirit move within you. If you take this dose, the killing power included in it will kill all the germs in your being.
Our need today is to walk in spirit. If we walk in spirit, we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. In Romans 8:4 Paul said that when we walk according to the spirit, we spontaneously fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. This means that if we walk according to the spirit, everything will be all right.
In this message we have covered ten crucial verses regarding the Spirit: John 3:6; 4:24; Romans 8:16; 1 Corinthians 15:45; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Galatians 5:16; and Romans 8:4-6. I would encourage you all to become so familiar with these verses that you are able to recite them. If you pray-read these verses, eating them and digesting them, you will have a victorious Christian life. You will find how glorious it is to walk in the spirit and according to the spirit.