The function of this life nature, or the nature of life, is the working of the law of life. Every life has a law. The law of a certain life is the innate ability of that life. This ability is inborn, spontaneous, automatic, constant, and instant. It always works. As long as you are a living person, this innate ability of the human life is in you. If a baby dies, it no longer has any response to sweet- or bitter-tasting substances. But a living baby has the taste of nature which comes from the innate ability of life. When Jesus Christ our Lord came into us, He brought His wonderful nature into our being. The work and function of this nature are the working of the law of life. This nature functions automatically. Its function does not depend on teaching; it depends on life.
Before we were saved, we all did things which were not good, things such as gambling, drinking, smoking, dancing, and going to movies. But from the very moment we were saved, we have had something within us which troubles us and disagrees with our doing certain things. You may still go dancing, but within you is a taste which does not feel good about it. Before you were saved, the taste always felt good, but not now. We all have had this kind of experience. If you have not had this experience, I doubt whether you have been saved. This experience is the function of the life nature, which is Christ Himself wrought into our being. This function is simply the working of the law of life. There is no need for anyone to teach you. In fact, because you have Christ’s nature working in you, you do not even need Him to speak to you. For example, because a mother has given her nature to her baby and because this nature works in the baby, he does not need to be taught how to react to a bitter-tasting substance. The baby’s human nature functions automatically. This function is the working of the law of human life. Likewise, the function of Christ’s life nature in our being is the working of the law of the divine life. It is not a matter of teaching or miracles.
When Christ came into us, He not only brought His nature, but also Himself as a Person. Nothing troubles us more than a person. I do not like to live alone. I like to have at least two or three others living with me. But it is troublesome to have another person living with you. When Christ came into us, He came in to be a Person. Do you realize that Christ is in you as a Person, as the living One who “bothers” you all the time? His bothering, of course, is the best bothering, for it is very profitable. Nevertheless, it is still a bothering. Before you were saved, you were free to do what you wanted. For example, you were free to go dancing. But after you were saved, especially after coming into the church life, you began to be troubled by the living Person of Christ. Daily, He bothers us from within.
The Bible gives the moving of this Person a special term—the anointing (1 John 2:27). This term, the anointing is difficult to understand. The anointing which abides in us is the moving of a Person, the Person of Christ. This anointing teaches us. We all have something within us called the anointing teaching us in our very being. Thus, within us we have both the nature of Christ and the Person of Christ.
The anointing is the moving of the ointment within us. In typology, the ointment is composed of olive oil and some of the finest spices (Exo. 30:22-25). The main element in this composition is the oil, into which are added a number of ingredients. When the tabernacle, the utensils in the tabernacle, and the priests were anointed, all the components of the ointment were upon that thing or person which was being anointed. In typology, this ointment is Christ. The very Christ who is now indwelling our spirit is the ointment composed of the Spirit of God and other elements. As this ointment, He is moving and living in us day by day. This inward moving of the ointment affords us a living teaching. Christ teaches us in this way.