In the previous message we saw four different obstacles that God’s life encounters in us. Although these four problems are in us, relatively speaking, they are objective rather than subjective. Now we need to see four additional obstacles that God’s life encounters in us. These four obstacles are not only in us, but they are also very subjective in our experience. They are not like the four previous obstacles which are mainly outside of us. For example, some people have difficulty with some aspect of their behavior and actions, but these problems are mainly outward and objective. However, there are some obstacles that God’s life encounters in us that are more subjective and intrinsic.
We need to understand that God’s life does not come into us to be our life in an outward way. Furthermore, God’s life does not nullify our person in order to be our life. Rather, God’s life comes into us to mingle with us and be our life. Therefore, He still needs our person, and our person continues to exist. God does not become our life by putting us aside and eliminating our person. This is not what God is doing. Although God’s life becomes our life, God still wants our person to exist because He needs our person. God’s purpose is to mingle with our person; His desire is to be mingled with us as one.
For example, tea begins as water inside a cup. When the element of tea is added to the water, it becomes tea. This does not mean, however, that there are only tea leaves and no water in the tea; the tea leaves are mingled with the water, and the water becomes tea. The water and the tea become one. Even though we were originally only human, God’s life has come into us to become our life. This does not mean that our person has ceased to exist and that only God’s life is in us. Some people correctly think that before they were saved, they did not have God’s life but then incorrectly assume that God’s life replaced their human life after their salvation. In their understanding, these are two successive events, but this is not true. After we are saved and regenerated, God’s life is mingled with our human life.
In the first stage of our human life, we have only the human life, not God’s life. After we are saved, God’s life comes into us. On the one hand, God’s life wants to be our life; on the other hand, our personal life still exists. God’s life has not replaced our life but has mingled with us. Now, we are not merely a man but a God-man. This can be compared to a cup of tea, which is no longer merely water but rather both tea and water. When the element of tea is added into water, it becomes tea-water. As saved ones, we are no longer simply human; we are humans mingled with God. If we said to an unbelieving friend, “You are not merely human,” this would sound like an insult to him, and he would feel uncomfortable. However, this is a very practical word to Christians because it is exceedingly precious and sweet when God’s life comes into us.
After God’s life comes into us, we are no longer merely human; we also have God’s life and God’s element. We can say that we are God-men. We are no longer merely men, but we are men mingled with God; we are God-men. However, even though God is mingled with us, are we willing to cooperate with Him? There is a popular game in elementary school called a three-legged race. Those who participate in the game form a team of two students, and one leg of each student is tied together so that the two must walk on three legs. Both of the students have to walk together in one accord to a destination. In the end, the ones who run the best are the teams that have the best mutual understanding and the ability to coordinate together. In fact, it often does not matter if they run slowly, because winning in a three-legged race does not depend on speed as much as it does on not tripping and falling. Of course, if a team can run faster, that is even better. But it is dreadful when a fast student and a slow student cannot coordinate together and soon fall. Once they fall, the race is lost. Thus, the team that typically wins the final victory is made up of two people with similar disposition, pace, view, and understanding. Since they run as one person, they are able to win.
Before we were saved, we were only one person. After we were saved, God came into us, and now He wants to live with us as if we were in a three-legged race. He wants us to cooperate with Him and move with Him. It is at this point that problems begin to arise, because we lived entirely by ourselves before we were saved. We did whatever we wanted to do, loved whatever we wanted to love, and chose whatever we wanted to choose. Everything was our own personal matter, and we made decisions entirely by ourselves. Even though we outwardly seem to be the same as we were before our salvation, many of us can testify that now there are two persons in us. For example, when we decide to do something, another person in us disagrees. I believe that we have all had this kind of experience. It often seems that Someone in us wants us to do a certain thing, but our outer man disagrees. In such a situation, we clearly sense that there are two persons in us—one inside and one outside.
This can be compared to a Chinese two-man comic show. [Ed. note: In this type of show, one person acts according to what a person hiding behind him is speaking or singing]. During the performance, if I am the person hiding behind the person in the front, I may say, “Bend at the waist,” and he will bend at the waist. If I say, “Move your head,” he will move his head. To perform a two-man comic show well, the person hiding in the back and the person in front must act in unison. If they do not perform in unison, the audience will easily see that they are not performing together. The living of a genuine Christian can be compared to a two-man comic show. There is a person in a Christian who causes him to cry or laugh. Nevertheless, there are times when the One in us is sad, but we are laughing on the outside, or we may be sad, but He is happy. He may want to do a certain thing, but we want to do something else. Then we clearly sense that there is one person on the outside and another person on the inside.
Every genuine Christian can testify that he is not a normal Christian when his living within and without are in contradiction. God may want him to go east, but he wants to go west. If so, his outer person is not one with his inner person, and he is not a proper Christian. In other words, he may be a genuine Christian, but his living is abnormal. Under normal circumstances, he should be one person, both within and without. When God is happy in him, he is happy; when God is sad in him, he is sad; and when God gives a command, he immediately follows. His entire person corresponds with God completely.
This kind of Christian is not only a genuine Christian but also a normal Christian. This kind of Christian is consistent within and without. Consequently, he will be joyful and peaceful within. When he prays, he is filled with God’s presence. He can act in perfect unison with God as if he were in a two-man comic show. Whenever God moves, he moves; whenever God urges him to speak, he speaks with one voice, and the words that God speaks within, he speaks outside. Whatever God shines in him, he shines forth the same light on the outside; whatever leading God gives him within, he follows this leading on the outside. He is in perfect harmony with God, and he can cooperate with God. This is the normal Christian living of a normal Christian.