Now we come to another point: What are the functions of this Spirit of life in His indwelling? This indwelling Spirit is the Spirit of life, and He indwells us to do things. His indwelling is not His doing. But His indwelling is for Him to do things within us. First, He gives life to our mortal body. Second, He puts to death the deeds of our body. Third, He leads us as the sons of God. In the first occasion God gives life through Him (Rom. 8:11). The second time He is an instrument to us, because we put to death the practices of the body by Him (Rom. 8:13).
Verse 23 gives us another item of His doings: “And not only so, but we ourselves also, having the firstfruit of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan in ourselves, eagerly expecting sonship, the redemption of our body.” What is the firstfruit of the Spirit? It is the enjoyment of the Spirit in this age. The firstfruit of the Spirit is an expression that the very indwelling Spirit who does three things—who gives life, who puts to death, and who leads—satisfies us. To understand this word “firstfruit” we need to study the entire Bible. According to the Biblical usage, firstfruit means to satisfy someone with the proper produce. In the Old Testament all the firstfruits from the land had to go to God, not to work anything for God, but just to satisfy God. Then, in the last book of the Bible, those 144,000 overcomers are the firstfruit unto God to satisfy God. You have to realize the top firstborn Son is Jesus Christ Himself. He is not only the firstborn Son to His flesh mother, but He is also the firstborn Son in resurrection to God to satisfy God (Acts 13:33). The firstfruit of the Spirit signifies the Spirit’s satisfaction or the Spirit satisfying us. So the Spirit is the Spirit of life which is involved with God, with our spirit, with our soul, and with our body. And this Spirit indwells us. In His indwelling, He does three things plus one thing. He gives life, He puts to death, He leads, that He may satisfy you. What then is the result or the issue of the fourfold doings of the Spirit? It is a kind of groaning, with a kind of eager expectation that our body could be redeemed and have the full sonship. You need to fellowship about all these points.