Every kind of life has four basic features: the life-essence, the life-power, the life-law, and the life-shape. Every life has its own essence. Although the essence of a certain life may be abstract and mysterious, the life itself is powerful in a very substantial way. Consider a carnation seed. After a carnation seed has been sown into the soil and grows, it eventually breaks through the surface of the ground and begins to grow visibly. Every life has also its law, the principle that governs its function and development.
Because of the life-law that controls its growth, a carnation plant will not produce roses, but carnation flowers. There is no need for us to pray about it; the law of life in the carnation plant functions automatically to direct its development. Furthermore, every life has its particular life-shape. For example, a Washington apple has a characteristic form. Farmers need not teach apple trees to produce fruit with a certain shape. The life in the apples automatically forms them. This is true of every kind of life.
Conformation denotes the shaping of life. As the divine life grows within us and transforms us, it spontaneously shapes us into the pattern, the image, of the firstborn Son of God. Many Christians, blind to this reality, try to shape themselves into the likeness of Christ. Such self-effort never works. Concerning this, only one thing is prevailing—the divine life that grows in us, sanctifies us, transforms us, and shapes us. There is no need for us to shape ourselves, to perform, or to strive to improve our behavior. What we need is a fuller experience of the grafted life. The divine life has its essence, power, law, and shape. As those who are undergoing the process of transformation, we are being shaped gradually into the image of the Son of God by the function of the all-inclusive, divine life that has been mingled with our human life. Therefore, we can be at peace.
As the divine life works within us to transform and conform us, it discharges the negative element within us. For this reason, we do not need anyone to adjust us. The divine life works in us to gradually eliminate whatever is negative or natural.
Secondly, the divine life resurrects us. No matter how fallen we are, we are still God’s creation. Whatever God creates is good. Instead of giving up His creation, God will reclaim it and restore it by the resurrection power of the divine life. As the divine life discharges the negative things, it works to resurrect God’s original creation. God created us with a mind, emotion, will, soul, heart, and spirit, and He intends to bring all these aspects of our being into resurrection. Before we were saved, we may have been dull in the mind, unbalanced in the emotion, improper in the will. But the more we contact the Lord and experience Him, the more our mind becomes clear and sober, the more our emotion becomes properly balanced, and the more our will becomes adjusted. This is not our natural character, but a resurrected character. Praise the Lord that the divine life within us resurrects all the parts of our being created by God.
As the divine life resurrects our faculties, it uplifts them to the highest level. This will produce in us a highly developed character. Christians should not be of low character. Wherever we may be, we should display the highest character, because our natural faculties have been uplifted by the divine life. In order to experience this in a full way, we need to be faithful to contact the divine life within us. If we are faithful to do this, our character will be uplifted.
Furthermore, as the divine life discharges, resurrects, and uplifts, it supplies the riches of Christ to our inward parts. For this reason, many who love the Lord become very keen in their mentality. Although certain brothers and sisters may give themselves to attend all the meetings of the church, they are still outstanding students in school because their resurrected and uplifted faculties are supplied with the riches of Christ.
Finally, the divine life will saturate our whole being. This saturation is much better than inspiration. Eventually, our entire being will be soaked with the divine life. This brings about transformation. The riches of Christ saturate our being and cause a genuine metabolic change. By this saturation of the divine life we are conformed to the image of Christ.
The divine life is prepared and able to do such a work within us. But we need to exercise ourselves concerning what the Lord has shown us. We need to be faithful to contact Him, to pray to Him, to read the Word, and to breathe Him in. To do these things is to set our mind on the spirit (8:6). When our mind is set on the spirit, no part of our inward being will be separated from the spirit. This will give the divine life a freeway to discharge the negative element, to resurrect, uplift, and supply our faculties, and to saturate every part of our being. Concerning this, we need to pray for ourselves, for others, and for all the local churches. May we be faithful to live and walk according to what we have seen in these messages.