Where does the sense of life we are speaking of come from? From what is it produced? It is produced from the things we have gained through regeneration—the life of God, the law of life, the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God. The life of God, the law of life, the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God cause us to have a feeling within, and this feeling is what we call the sense of life.
Every life has its feelings. Furthermore, the stronger the life is, the keener its feelings are. The life of God is the strongest life; therefore, when this life is in us it causes us not merely to have feelings, but to have strong feelings.
Since the law of life is derived from life, it also has feelings. Therefore, this law which is in us causes us to have feelings, especially when we disobey it. For example, when our body is normal, there is hardly any special feeling. But when it becomes sick there is strong feeling, and this strong feeling occurs when we disobey the law which is within the body. Similarly, when we obey the law of life, it does not give us much feeling, but when we disobey it, it gives very distinct feelings.
The Holy Spirit as ointment is anointing and moving in us; Christ is living in us with activity; and God is working in us. All three are in us with activity and action. They are not quiet and motionless; therefore, they all cause us to have feelings.
Thus, whether it be the life of God, the law of life, or the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God within us, they all cause us to have feelings. And they are mingled together in giving us feelings. Therefore, the feelings derived from all five are not five kinds of feelings, but one feeling, that is, the sense of life which we are speaking of.
Why is it that the feelings derived from these five—the life of God, the law of life, the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God— are just one kind of feeling? And why is this feeling the sense of life? It is because the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God are the Triune God; the life of God is God Himself; and the law of life comes out from this life of God. Therefore, strictly speaking, these five are one. Therefore, when they are in us, the feelings they give us are of one kind. The reason that this feeling is the feeling of life is that it is derived from the Triune God of life, the life of God, and the law of life. The main purpose of the Triune God in us is to be our life, and this life includes the law of life. Therefore, the feelings which they cause us to have are derived from life and belong to life; hence, they are the sense of life. This sense is one, but it has five aspects. It is derived from the life of God, and it is derived from the law of the life of God; therefore, it has the nature of the life of God and the function of the law of God’s life as well. At the same time, this sense is also derived from the Holy Spirit, Christ, and God; therefore, it contains the element of the Holy Spirit anointing in us, the element of Christ living in us, and the element of God working and accomplishing His will in us. Because of these various aspects, this sense is rich, strong and keen; it is even richer, stronger, and keener than the best sense among the unbelievers. The best feelings that unbelievers can have are but the created sense of goodness in human beings. But besides the created sense of goodness, this sense of life is a divine sense added into us by the things which we have gained through regeneration.
What then is the function or use of this sense of life? The function or use of the sense of life is to let us know continuously where we are living. Are we living in the natural life or in the life of the Spirit? Are we living in the flesh or in the spirit? This is what the sense of life makes known to us continuously, and it is for this that we have the sense of life. Therefore, the sense of life in us guides and proves us. If we follow the sense of life, we follow the guidance God gives us, and at the same time, we receive a verification of where we are living.
Now we shall apply what we have said. The sense of death makes known to us that we are not living in the spirit but in the flesh. Once we have the sense of death, we should know that we are not in the spirit but in the flesh. The sense of death includes weakness, emptiness, depression, darkness, and pain. Once we have such feelings, it means the sense of life in us is making known that we are already not right, that we are already not living in the spirit, but in the flesh.
Then, what feeling does the sense of life give so that we know we are right before God and living in the spirit? It gives us the feeling of life and peace, or, in other words, it makes us feel strong, satisfied, lively, bright, and comfortable. Whenever we feel strong, satisfied, lively, bright, and comfortable within, we have inward proof that we are right before God and that we are living in the spirit.
Therefore, the sense of life within us has a great function. It is there continuously leading us, making known to us where we should live; and it continuously proves to us where we are now living. It is this sense which leads us on in life; it is also this sense which continuously proves and reveals to us our real condition in life. Hence, it is our guide and testimony within. Whenever it causes us to feel inward life and peace, it proves that we have no problem in life. Whenever it makes us feel void of life and peace, it proves we have some problem in life.
You may say that you do not have the sense of life and peace within you, and neither do you have the sense of no life or no peace; you do not have the sense of being strong, satisfied, lively, bright, or comfortable, and neither do you have the sense of not being strong, satisfied, lively, bright, or comfortable. To be in such a condition proves you have a problem. We must positively have the sense of life and peace. We must feel strong, satisfied, lively, bright, comfortable, and at ease within; then all is well. Although at times, God wants to lead us out of our feelings and cause us to enter, as it were, into a cave, yet even in the cave we still have the sense of life and peace in our deepest part. Although the outward feelings are gone, there is still the feeling of life and peace in the deepest part.
Life and peace are the positive feelings which the sense of life gives us within, thus proving that our condition in life is normal. Weakness and uneasiness are the negative feelings which the sense of life gives us within, thus proving that we have some problem in life. The feelings both of weakness and uneasiness are the sense of death. The sense of death definitely comes from minding the flesh and touching anything outside of God. Every sense of death proves that we are more or less minding the flesh, and that we have touched to some extent the things outside of God. Therefore, whether we are minding the flesh, whether we are living in the spirit, and whether we are touching God, all depends upon the life and peace or weakness and uneasiness within us. If there is life and peace within, it proves that we are living in the spirit, we are touching God. If we feel weak and uneasy within, it proves that we are fleshly minded and are touching things outside of God.
It is not necessary that a Christian should never feel weak, but even when he feels weak, he should still feel strong. He feels weak because he has come to know himself; he feels strong because he touches Christ and knows Christ as his life. If we continually feel only weakness and never feel strong, something is wrong. The apostle said that whenever he is weak, then he is strong (2 Cor. 12:10). A strong person, even though he feels his own weakness, does not mind that weakness. If we always mind our weakness and cannot be strong, it proves we have a problem. It may be that we are more or less in the flesh, for weakness is a sense of death, and the sense of death always comes from minding the flesh.
A Christian can be weak yet feel strong; he can feel pain yet have the sense of peace. He feels pain because he meets tribulation from without; he has the sense of peace because he meets the Lord and touches the Lord from within. If we meet tribulation from without, yet inwardly we have no peace, something is wrong. The Lord says that in the world we have tribulation, but in Him we have peace (John 16:33). One who lives in the Lord, or one who lives in the spirit, may meet much tribulation from without, yet inwardly he still has peace; otherwise, it proves that he is not living in the spirit. If we lack inward peace while in tribulation, it proves that we are not living in the spirit; then if while having no tribulation we also have no inward peace, it is even more of a proof that we are not living in the spirit.
Therefore, concerning our condition in life, whether we are fleshly minded or spiritually minded, whether we are living in the flesh or living in the spirit, it is proved and made known to us through the sense of life. It is through this kind of proving that the sense of life gives us guidance from within. Only if we follow the guidance of this kind of proving can we live in life. Therefore, if we desire to go on in life, we must pay attention to the proving and leading which this sense of life gives us from within.