In understanding the Bible, we have been influenced too much by our natural concepts. In the past, I said that the function of the law of life was to regulate us. According to this concept, if we are about to argue with our wife, the law of life will regulate us. This teaching, which is according to our natural concept, is not accurate. Consider an apple tree. Its apple-tree life has the apple-tree nature, and issuing from this apple-tree nature is the law of the apple life. Does the law of life in the apple tree regulate it from being wrong? Absolutely not. The law of the apple life does not function this way. How then does it function? As the life of an apple tree grows, its law shapes the form of its life. Thus, when an apple tree bears fruit, it bears fruit with the proper form, the form of apples. The same is true of a peach tree. Hence, the law of life does not regulate us from doing wrong; it regulates the shape of life.
If a certain life does not grow, the law of that life cannot function. The law only operates as the life grows. The law of life does not primarily function in the negative sense of telling us what not to do. No, rather, while life grows the law of life functions in the positive sense of shaping us, that is, conforming us to the image of Christ. This is the function of the law of life.
Do not think that the law of life will always correct you. For example, when you are about to exchange words with your wife, the law of life will not merely restrict you from arguing with her. The working of the law of life is not as low as we have thought. Due to our human, natural, religious concept, we have greatly depreciated the function of the law of life. We all have been sin-centered and sin-conscious, but we should be neither sin-centered nor sin-conscious. Though we are occupied with overcoming sin, the world, our ugly flesh, and our bad habits, God would say, “Forget about these things! Don’t you realize that on the day you were regenerated you were transferred out of one realm into another? Will you please forget about the old realm?” Praise God that we have been born of Him! This divine birth has transferred us into a new realm, a realm in which there is no sin, world, or flesh. In this realm there is the function of the law of life. Remember that the law of life is not mainly regulating us; it is mainly shaping us, conforming us to the image of Christ.
In the past, I saw this matter of the law of life, but being under the influence of my natural understanding, I thought that the function of the law of life was mainly to regulate us. This natural understanding frustrated the vision of the function of the law of life. Recently, I was rebuked by the Lord. The Lord asked me, “Who told you that the law of life mainly regulates? You cannot find such a word in the Bible. Why don’t you use the words of Romans 8:2 and 29?” The law of life in Romans 8:2 does not regulate us from being wrong. This concept is according to our human, natural, ethical, religious understanding. We need a vision of Romans 8:29. We are now in another realm and do not need any regulations. In this realm there is no sin, world, flesh, or self. Consider two trees, an apple tree and a peach tree. They have no sin, world, flesh, or self. But both trees have a law of life which shapes them. This shaping by the law of life is the meaning of the word “conformed” in Romans 8:29. The law of the Spirit of life conforms us to the image of the Firstborn Son of God. As the life grows, the law conforms us to the image of Christ. How can Christ be formed in us? Only by the positive working of the law of life which shapes us to His form. What a difference between this reality and our natural concept!
Satan is subtle. Although the Bible tells us clearly of the function of the law of life, we have been blinded by our natural concept. Many saints who were seeking after the Lord but who were blinded by their natural concept have written books on how to overcome sin. If you do not try to overcome sin, it may lie dormant in you. But if you try to overcome it, it will say, “What! Are you trying to defeat me?” Many of us have some weak points. If we pay no attention to them, they will remain idle and dormant. But if we are aware of them and, for the sake of our holiness, try to overcome them, they will rise up and defeat us. It is best for us not to touch them. Praise the Lord that we have had a new birth, a divine birth. In this new birth there are no weak points. There is only the divine life with the divine nature and the divine law which shapes us and conforms us to the image of Christ. However, this shaping requires the growth in life, for the law of life only functions as life grows. The law of life does not regulate us from sin, because it is not in the realm of sin; it is in the realm of the divine life where there is no sin, world, flesh, or self. As life grows, its law works, not mainly to regulate or correct us, but to shape us, to conform us to the image of the Firstborn Son of God. Eventually, through the function of the law of life, we all shall become the mature sons of God, and God will have His universal, corporate expression.