Since regeneration gives us the life of God, it also gives us the law of life. Because the life of God entered into us, the law of life which is contained in this life was brought into us too.
Every kind of life has its own innate ability, which is its natural function. And the natural function of every kind of life is its natural law or its law of life. When a certain life gets into, a certain creature, it causes that creature to have its natural law or its law of life. Likewise, the life of God has its divine ability, which is its divine natural functions. And the natural functions of God’s life are its natural law or the law of life. When the life of God enters into us, it brings into us the natural law contained in it, and this law becomes the law of life within us. Thus, when the life of God enters into us, the law of life contained in it also enters into us. Since the life of God is something which we have gained through regeneration, the law of life which it brings with it was also gained through regeneration.
We have seen in chapter one that in the life of God is contained the nature of God, and in the life of God is hidden the fullness of God; therefore, the law contained in the life of God is compatible with God Himself, with what God is, and with the nature of God; hence, this law is the law of God Himself. When the life of God brings its law into us, this also means that it brings the law of God into us.
The law of life which the life of God brings into us are the laws mentioned in Hebrews 8:10, which God put into our minds and wrote in our hearts. These laws are different from the laws of the Old Testament. The laws of the Old Testament are the laws of God which God had written with characters on stone tablets outside of man (Exo. 34:1, 28). The laws of life are the laws of God which God has written with His life on our heart-tablet within us. The laws which were written on the stone tablets are outward laws, laws of letter, dead laws, and laws without power; they are laws which are unable to accomplish anything upon man (Rom. 8:3; Heb. 7:18-19). The laws which are written on the tablet of our heart are inward laws, the laws of life, living laws, and laws with great power; they enable us not only to know the heart desire of God and follow His will, but also to know God Himself and live out God Himself.
The natural laws contained in any kind of life always cause the creature to know spontaneously how to live and how to act; thus, they become the living laws within that creature. Take the example of a hen: how she should live and how she should lay eggs are the natural laws contained in the hen’s life; they make her know spontaneously how to do these things and thus live them out. Man need not give her any law from without. The natural laws contained in the life which is in her are the living laws within her. They spontaneously make her know that she should live in this way, and they enable her to live in this way.
Likewise, the natural laws contained in the life of God in us are its natural abilities; they enable us to know spontaneously how God would want us to act and behave, how to be pleasing to Him and how we may live out Himself. Whether anything agrees with the nature of God or contradicts the nature of God, whether it is something God wants us to do or something He does not want us to do, the natural abilities or the natural laws of the life of God cause us to know this, give us a sense of this. Thus, the natural abilities or the natural laws of the life of God become our inward laws.
Because these laws which are written in us are the natural abilities and natural laws of the life of God, the Bible calls them the “law.” “The law of the Spirit of life” mentioned in Romans 8:2 is this law of life that is in us. Because this law is derived from the life of God, and the life of God rests in the Spirit of God and cannot be separated from the Spirit of God, Romans 8 names this law “the law of the Spirit of life.” The life of God is in the Spirit of God and joined to the Spirit of God; the Spirit of God contains the life of God; it is the Spirit of the life of God. Since this law is derived from the life of God, it is therefore from the Spirit of the life of God. Since it is the law of the life of God, it is also the law of the Spirit of the life of God.
The life of God is powerful; the Spirit of God is also powerful. The law of the Spirit of life, derived from the powerful life of God and the powerful Spirit of God, is also powerful. We may say that the life of God in us is the source of this law, and the Spirit of God in us is the executor of this law. Thus, this law in us is especially strong and mighty; not only does it enable us to have divine knowledge, it also enables us to have divine power. Once we are regenerated and have the life of God, God wants us to be His people and live in Him according to this strong and mighty law, this law of great power. After we are saved, God wants us to live in His life and live out His life as well according to this law in us, this law of life, this living law.
Ezekiel 36:26 tells us that when God cleanses us, saves us, or regenerates us, He gives us a new heart. Thus, according to the teaching of the Bible, regeneration also gives us a new heart.
What is a new heart? A new heart means that the old heart has become new; the new heart comes from the renewing of our old heart. For God to give us a new heart means that God renews our old heart. After Ezekiel 36:26 says that God gives us a new heart, it says that He takes away our stony heart and gives us a heart of flesh. From this verse, it is clear that God gives us a new heart by renewing our old heart.
Originally our heart opposed God, did not desire God, and was as hard as stone toward God; thus, it became a “stony heart.” When the Holy Spirit regenerates us, He causes our heart to repent of sin and become soft toward God. Hence, after regeneration, our stony heart becomes a “heart of flesh.” That hard stony heart is the old heart we had; this soft heart of flesh is the new heart God gives us. This means that when we are regenerated, God renews our old heart and makes it soft.
Our heart is the organ of our inclination and affection toward things; it represents us with regard to our inclination, affection, delight, and desire toward things. All our inclination, affection, delight, and desire are functions of our heart. Before we were regenerated, our heart was inclined toward sin, loved the world, and desired the things of passion; toward God, however, it was cold and hard, without inclination and without affection; toward the things of God and spiritual things, it had no delight and was void of any desire. So when God regenerates us, He renews our heart and makes our heart a new heart, with a new inclination, new affection, new delight, and new desire. Thus, once we are regenerated and saved, our heart inclines toward God, loves God, and desires God; toward the things of God, the spiritual things, and the heavenly things, it also has delight and desire. Whenever such things are mentioned, our heart is joyful, responsive, and desirous.
Brothers and sisters, have you seen this? The reason that God renews our heart and gives us a new heart at the time of our regeneration is that He wants us to incline toward Him, adore Him, desire Him, and love Him. Before, we did not love Him and we could not love Him, because our heart was old and hard. Now He has renewed, softened, and turned our heart; thus, we are both able and willing to love Him. Since our heart by being renewed has become a new heart, it now has a new function. This new function is that it can incline toward God and love God and the things of God.
Since regeneration gives us a new heart, it causes us to have a new inclination and love, a new desire and longing. This new inclination, love, desire, and longing are all toward God and the things of God. This is the function of the new heart; this is also the purpose of God in giving us a new heart.