Question: What is the difference between our natural goodness and the goodness that issues from life?

Answer: In the Bible, there are good people and bad people. Some people are good while some are not good. There are two kinds of goodness, as seen in the stories of Esau versus Jacob, and David versus Saul. Esau was an ethical man whereas Jacob was a crafty person. Esau never deceived anyone and, in terms of ethics, he was a virtuous man. On the contrary Jacob was always a supplanter and a base person. In the story of David and Saul, Saul wanted to kill David, but when David was given the opportunity to kill Saul, he did not kill him. The generosity of David was a kind of goodness. However, Esau’s goodness and David’s goodness were different. The goodness of Esau came out of his own effort, but the goodness of David was the issue of the power of God.

By nature, many Christians may be like Jacob-loving to supplant-while many unbelievers may be generous. From such a perspective, many Christians seem to be inferior to unbelievers according to nature. Take the case of Jacob, who was crafty from the time he was young. Jacob cheated his brother, his father, his uncle, and his wives. The name Jacob can mean “crafty” and “struggler.” Although he was such a person, the Bible tells us that Jacob was the one that God loved (Rom. 9:13). From a human perspective, Jacob was far from being a good person. Nevertheless, he was dealt with by God to the point that when he reached old age, God changed his name to Israel (Gen. 32:28). Moreover, when he blessed Joseph while he was dying, he genuinely and boldly said that God was the One who had shepherded him all his life (48:15). At that point he did not have any tricks; he simply bowed himself, leaning on the head of his bed (47:31). When he spoke, he spoke for God. Jacob’s maturity in his old age was the work of God and was altogether different from Esau’s natural nobility. This is the difference between natural goodness and goodness that issues from life.

On the other hand, although David was one who lived before God and had fellowship with God, when God’s hand departed from him, he committed a sin (2 Sam. 11). When David’s goodness was not sustained by the power of God’s life, it did not last. When a person is apart from God, he is evil and filthy. Only when he is living before God is he a noble and upright person, having the genuine goodness of life.

Question: Sometimes I cannot tell if a feeling comes from life or from my mind. How can I discern between the two?

Answer: If we love the Lord and put ourselves aside, we do not need to analyze our feelings; rather, we should simply follow the feeling we receive until we lose the sense of peace.

First of all, as Christians we are like a woman who is married to the Lord (2 Cor. 11:2). The motivation for us to live such a life is that we are married to the Lord and we love Him. Hence, we have to tell the Lord all the time, “Lord, I do this because I love You.” Second, we also need to put our opinions aside. When we do this, a sense will rise up within us. Then we have to walk according to this sense. Once we do not have the peace within, we should stop. When a Christian lives by the sense of life, it is not easy for him to feel it. When he makes a mistake, however, he will lose his peace and then he will have some feeling. Therefore, we should simply follow our inner sense and not analyze too much. We may not see the result right away, but when we look back after some years, we will be able to tell that we have made some progress. Thus, it is enough just to love the Lord, lay aside our opinions, and follow the inner sense. We do not need to analyze so many other matters.

Question: Is it a problem if our will is not strong?

Answer: A will that is not strong is a problem. Some people have a strong will by birth, but this natural strength has to be broken. On the other hand, those who are not born with a strong will should ask God to strengthen their will. A will that is not strong is really a problem related to life. When life directs us from within and we follow the leading of life, gradually there will be a strengthening of our will. Our will is not strong because our spirit is not strong enough. If we allow the Lord’s life to have the ground in us, our spirit will surely be strong. Once our spirit is strengthened, our soul will be normal, and we will be delivered from all abnormal situations. Some people naturally do not have a smart mind, but because they love the Lord and are strengthened in spirit, they become clear in their mind. Some people were weak in their will, but because of their love for the Lord, their spirit became strong and their will was also strengthened. Hence, if our will is weak, we should pray.

Question: Is the word of God meant to teach us?

Answer: The word of God given to us seems to have at least two sides. On the one hand, the word of God is for our teaching; on the other hand, the word of God is really a book of revelation. It is true that we may read the Bible to receive teaching and golden verses, but more often we should read the Bible in order to receive revelation and enlightenment. When the word of God touches our spirit and gives us a sense in our spirit, this is revelation. Sometimes we take the word of God for our understanding and for us to have a clear mind. This is to take the word as teaching and is religious. In brief, this teaching is something of religion and of the mind, but revelation is something of life and of an inner consciousness.
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