Since life rests with light, with what then does light rest? From the Bible we see that light rests with the Word of God. This is also a great principle in the Bible. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.” And verse 130 says, “The opening of thy words giveth light.” These verses show us that light rests indeed with the Word of God. Therefore, if we want to obtain light, we must obtain the Word of God. Whenever we obtain the Word of God, we obtain light. The reason we do not have light is that we lack the Word of God.
The Word of God we speak of here does not refer to the written word in the Bible, but to the word the Holy Spirit speaks to us from within. The Bible is God’s written Word; this is certainly correct. But such a Word, composed of mere fixed letters, does not have the power of shining light and cannot be light to us. However, when the Holy Spirit reveals anew the word of the Bible, opening and quickening it to us, the Word then has the power of shining light and can be our light. If we only read the Bible, though we read it thoroughly and even memorize it, what we obtain are but doctrines of letters. We have not as yet obtained the Word of God; hence we have not obtained light. Only when the Holy Spirit in our spirit gives us revelation, opening up the word of the Bible to us, does the word become the living Word of God which can cause us to obtain the light of God.
In John 6:63 the Lord says: “The words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, and are life.” Here the Lord speaks of words, spirit, and life—three things together. Since both life and spirit are within us, it is clear that the words which the Lord speaks of here must also refer to the words which are spoken within us, not the letters of the Bible without. All the words outside of us are mere knowledge, not light. Only the words which enter into our spirit are the living, shining words of God. If when we read the Bible we constantly exercise our spirit in fellowship to read and open our spirit to receive, the words of the Bible are spirit and life to us. They can enter into our spirit and become living words, bringing the light of life.
Since light is in the Word of God, we must respect the Word of God. Whenever the Holy Spirit speaks to us from within, we should absolutely obey and not be negligent or disobedient. Isaiah 66:2 says that God will look to him who trembles at His Word. And verse 5 says that he who trembles at God’s Word should hear His Word. If we disobey the Word of God, we refuse the light of God. Whenever we refuse light, light disappears. When light disappears, life is also gone, the presence of the Holy Spirit and God is withdrawn, and all spiritual riches and spiritual blessings are lost as well. This is really a great loss! Thus, whenever one who really knows God touches the Word of God, he fears and trembles and dares not refuse or disobey.
If God speaks to you once and you heed not, if He speaks to you again and you disobey, if then the third time He speaks to you and you again let Him pass by, there is definitely not a bit of light within you, not the least opening, and life also has no entrance whatever. If you obey whenever God speaks to you, your experience is quite different: your first obedience to the Word of God produces an opening within through which light can shine in; and when you obey the Word of God again, there is another opening through which more light can shine in. If you continue to thus obey, you will be like the four living creatures, with the body round about full of eyes (Rev. 4:8), being so transparent, full of light and full of life. Hence, we see that life is in light, and light is in the Word of God.
We have seen that light is in the Word of God and that this Word of God refers to the word the Holy Spirit speaks to us from within; therefore, the light which we receive is not a kind of outward, objective light, but an inward, subjective light.
John 1:4 tells us that the life of God is in the Lord Jesus, and this life is the light of men. When we receive the Lord Jesus as Savior, this life enters into us and becomes our “light of life” (John 8:12). Therefore, strictly speaking, this light is not an objective light which enlightens us from without, but a subjective light which enlightens us from within.
Ephesians 1:17-18 says that as we receive the spirit of revelation, the eyes of our understanding are enlightened, which also means that we receive the shining of light within. Since revelation of the Holy Spirit is an inward, subjective matter, the light brought by this revelation must definitely not be an objective light outside of us, but a subjective light within us.
Since the light is within us, every time the light shines it causes us to have a certain consciousness within. Thus, we may say that light is our inner sense. Consider the example of my wearing the new gown at new year’s time. When I wore the new gown, I felt no peace within. That feeling was the inner enlightening. Thus, the light within is the sense within, and the sense within is also the light within. More than ten years ago, we seldom used this word, sense. Now we are very clear that if we speak of the shining of light, we cannot avoid speaking of a sense, because all the sense we have within is the enlightening we obtain.
Today, whether we are in light or darkness, whether we have been enlightened much or little, depends on the condition of the consciousness within us. A person without consciousness is in darkness and does not allow the light of God to shine within him. A person with consciousness is in the light and allows the light of God to shine within him. Thus, a person who is full of consciousness is full of light and transparent.
There are some brothers and sisters whose condition before the Lord is like this. When others contact them, they feel that they are transparent and clear as crystal. I was told that there was a brother who, whenever he spoke, gave others the feeling that he was transparent. This word is true. When some speak, you feel that they are not transparent. Others, you feel, have a little light within, but are not quite transparent. And still others, as soon as they arise and speak, impart the sense that they are completely transparent. They are like this because they are full of inner sense. It is always such that the more consciousness a man feels, the more transparent he is.
How can we be full of this sense and become transparent? This depends on how we treat the Holy Spirit when He enlightens us and gives us consciousness. If we do not obey the consciousness given by the Holy Spirit, we will not be transparent within, and our sense will become unavoidably slow and dull. If we disobey again and again, the consciousness within will become more dull, more dim, as time goes on until it is completely darkened, having no feeling at all. If we are willing to continually obey the consciousness which the Holy Spirit gives, the Holy Spirit will gain increasing ground within us and have increasing opportunity to work; the enlightening within will become brighter and brighter, and the consciousness will be increasingly richer and more sensitive.