Though the law of life and the teaching of the anointing have different functions and are not the same, yet they are very closely related. The mutual cause and effect of one on the other cannot be separated.
The law of life originates from the life of God, and the life of God rests upon, and is contained in, the Spirit of God. Therefore, this law is also called “the law of the Spirit of life” (Rom. 8:2), and is also a law of the Holy Spirit. Though this law is derived from the life of God and rests with that life, yet it is executed by the Holy Spirit of God, and this working of the Holy Spirit is the anointing. Therefore, the function of this law is necessarily manifested with the anointing. Whenever the anointing stops, the function of this law necessarily disappears. This proves to us that the anointing and the function of the law of life are actually connected together and cannot be separated.
Furthermore, the teaching of the anointing is also related to our comprehension of the law of life. Since the law of life is the natural function of life, the working of this law within us belongs to the sense of life. By the law of this life, we can only have a sense in the deepest part of our being, a sense which makes us feel an urging or forbidding, a liking or a detesting. Yet we still cannot comprehend the meaning of that sense. To understand the meaning of that inner sense, we need the teaching of the anointing. It is only when the anointing teaches us that we can comprehend the meaning of the sense given to us by the law of life. For example, a child who tastes sugar and salt for the first time can by the natural capability of the life within him sense the difference in taste; yet he still does not know what these two things are. However, when his mother tells him that the sweet one is called sugar and the salty one is called salt, he not only senses that the taste of these two things differ, but he also knows what these two things are.
Likewise, when a brother is saved, he has within him the life of God. Therefore, if he goes to the movies, drinks wine or smokes, because all of these things are not in harmony with the nature of the life of God in him, the nature of this life causes him to feel uneasy and to have no peace until he abandons these things. This is what the innate sense of the life of God makes known to him. Yet, though he feels uneasy in doing these things, still he does not understand why he feels uneasy. It is not until the anointing, through the teaching of the Scripture, makes known to him that all of these things are not in accord with the nature of the holy life of God in him that he knows the cause of this uneasiness. At this time, not only does he have the consciousness that the innate sense of the life of God gives him, but he also has the teaching of the anointing which causes him to understand. Thus, not only is the function of the law of life manifested by the anointing, but also the meaning of the sense of the law of life is revealed through the teaching of the anointing.
On the other hand, the working of the law of life is also related to our comprehension of the teaching of the anointing. From experience we know that understanding the teaching of the anointing rests with the growth of life. The extent of our growth of life determines how much we understand the teaching of the anointing. For example, if the child who tasted sugar and salt is too young, even if his mother tells him that the sweet thing is called sugar and the salty thing is called salt, he still cannot comprehend. It is necessary to wait until his life grows to a certain level; then he can comprehend. If we want to comprehend the teaching of the anointing, the same principle applies. The growth of life must be sufficient. If we want to comprehend more of the teaching of the anointing, our growth of life must increase more. And the increase of the growth of life is from the working of the law of life. The more the law of life works in us, the more our growth of life will increase, and the more we can comprehend the teaching of the anointing. Thus, the working of the law of life can increase our comprehension of the anointing.
Therefore, let us remember that the law of life and the anointing not only are related to one another, but also influence one another. It is the relatedness and interaction of these two which make our inward knowledge of God grow more and more until we fully and richly know God.
We have already seen how the law of life and the teaching of the anointing differ, and how they are mutually and reciprocally related. Now we shall see a simple and clear comparison of the knowledge of God given by these two, which will make us even more clear.
Because the law of life is the natural function of the life of God, the knowledge of God that it gives us is only of one kind; that is, it causes us to know the nature of the life of God.
However, since the teaching of the anointing is the working of the Spirit of God Himself, the knowledge of God that it gives us is at least of three kinds:
First, it causes us to know God Himself. This means that we touch God Himself and thereby experience and gain Him.
Second, it causes us to know the will of God. This means that we understand the guidance that God gives us in our actions. This can be divided into usual guidance and special guidance. Usual guidance is for our daily life. Special guidance is for the plan of the Lord’s work. As we have said before, whether we should or should not buy certain clothing, what day we should have a wedding, etc., are all examples of usual guidance in our daily life. On the other hand, when Brother Hudson Taylor felt that he should take the Gospel of the Lord into the interior of China, this was special guidance in the work of the Lord.
Third, it causes us to know truth. This means that we receive revelation concerning truth. This also is divided into the usual and the special. The usual is concerned with our human behavior: for instance, seeing that the believers should not be “unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14), or that whatsoever we do, we should “do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). On the other hand, special revelation is concerned with the plan of God, such as seeing the mystery of God in Christ (Col. 2:2), and the function of the Church in relation to Christ (Eph. 1:23).
After seeing these points, we realize that the inner knowledge afforded to us by the law of life and the teaching of the anointing is indeed rich. It includes almost all the working of God within us, and thus enables us to have a full, rich, and thorough knowledge of God.