Although we have talked about the law of life in the last lesson, we must spend more time on this subject, because the law of life is crucial to our experience of life. Without a clear understanding of the law of life, we may try to be a good Christian without the power of life, or we may do nothing and wait for God to do everything for us.
The term “the law of the Spirit of life’’ in Romans 8:2 is used only once in the Bible. Nevertheless, it is revealed in other verses such as Hebrews 8:10; 10:16; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:25-28. The law of life in us began at regeneration. Regeneration is the receiving of God’s life into our spirit. This life has the law of life.
[A law is a natural regulation, a constant and unchanging rule. A law of life is the natural characteristic, the innate, automatic function of a certain kind of life, and the higher a life is, the higher is its law. The law of the divine life is then the natural characteristic, the innate, automatic function of the life of God, and since the life of God is the highest, its law is the highest. This highest law of life is the function, the working, of the divine life. This function and working are innate, spontaneous, natural, and automatic.
With any kind of life, whether it be vegetable, animal, human, or divine, there is a function. Anything that does not have a function must not be life. Consider the example of a peach tree: its function is to blossom and to bring forth peaches. Likewise, a dog has the function of barking, and a cat has the function of catching mice. Every life has an automatic and innate function, and this innate function is the law of that life. Bringing forth peaches is the law of the peach tree. There is no need for a farmer to teach a peach tree, saying, “Little peach tree, you must know my desire is that you produce peaches. I don’t want anything else.’’ If that peach tree could talk, it would say, “Sir, go home and rest. You don’t need to teach me. Don’t you know that in my peach-tree life there is the peach-bearing law? There is a law in my peach-tree life that keeps me from bringing forth any other kind of fruit. It causes me to bring forth peaches, just the fruit that you desire.’’ In like manner, a cat catches mice because in its life is the mouse-catching law, and a dog barks because in its life is the barking law. What is the law of life? It is the innate, automatic function of the divine life. The divine life is living, active, and aggressive. This life is always acting, and whenever it acts it functions according to the automatic law of life.]
We must remember this life is a person-the Triune God, so is this law. [The law of the Spirit of life is just the Triune God working, operating, moving, and anointing within us. He is the law.]
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