Romans 8 first reveals the Person of the Spirit; then it reveals the work of the Spirit. It tells us who the Spirit is, and then it tells us what the Spirit is doing within us. As to His Person, He is revealed first as the Spirit of something, and then He is revealed as being the Spirit of two Persons. Verse two says He is the Spirit of something—the Spirit of life. Then, in verse 9, the Spirit is revealed as being the Spirit of God and of Christ. Logically speaking, it seems that the Spirit of life should be last instead of first. It would seem that the Spirit of someone or someones should come first. But in Romans 8 the Spirit of life is mentioned first because in this chapter the emphasis is on life. At the front door of this chapter is the sign, “The Spirit of life.” At the back door, there are two signs, one on the left and one on the right. One sign reads, “The Spirit of God” and the other sign reads, “The Spirit of Christ.” The sign at the front door of this chapter is the Spirit of life because this chapter emphasizes life. Many Christians, when they read this chapter, consider that it is on the Spirit. Actually, this chapter stresses life too. So the first title given to the Spirit in this chapter is not of God or of Christ, but of life.
In the last message, we saw that Romans 8 uses the word life referring to the divine life four times. Romans 8:2 mentions the Spirit of life. This relates to the Spirit’s life, and this also indicates that this life is involved with God; actually, it is God’s life. The second time life is mentioned, it is involved with our mind (v. 6). The third time life is mentioned it is involved with our spirit (v. 10). And the fourth time it is mentioned, it is involved with our body (v. 11). We are a tripartite man, and every one of our three parts is involved with this life. First of all this life is in God; then this life comes to us. The first step is for this life to get into our spirit. The second step is for it to spread into our mind, and the third step is for this life to get into our body. Such a life is altogether conveyed by the Spirit. So the Spirit is called the Spirit of life.
Chapter eight tells us that this Spirit of life is God the Spirit or the Spirit of God (v. 9). The chapter goes on to tell us that this Spirit of life who is the Spirit of God is also the Spirit of Christ. Why does Paul mention the Spirit of life, then the Spirit of God, and then the Spirit of Christ?
In the Bible the Spirit of God is first mentioned in Genesis 1. At the time of that mentioning, there was no incarnation, no human living by God on the earth, no crucifixion, no redemption, no resurrection, no ascension, and no enthronement. But by the time the book of Romans was written, all these things had been accomplished. Because the Spirit of God which Paul mentioned in Romans could have been understood as the Spirit in Genesis 1, Paul added another term—the Spirit of Christ. Today the Spirit is not merely the Spirit of God as in Genesis 1 for creation. Now as the Spirit of God, He is also the Spirit of Christ. Such a Spirit is not for creation. The Spirit accomplishing the old creation in Genesis 1 was not the Spirit of life, but the Spirit of power. But for God’s new creation, it is not a matter of power, but a matter of life. Actually, God’s new creation is not created, but regenerated by rebirth. The new creation is not something produced by power; it is something generated by and through life.
We need to realize that the Spirit of God is basic, and the Spirit of Christ is even more basic, that is, basic in what He has gone through. From creation He has gone through incarnation, human living, crucifixion, burial, resurrection, ascension, and enthronement. Now the Spirit of God is the Spirit of such a One. You might consider then that Paul didn’t need to mention the Spirit of God; he only needed to mention the Spirit of life and then the Spirit of Christ. But if Paul had not mentioned the Spirit of God here, we might think that the Spirit of Christ is another Spirit, a Spirit different from the Spirit of God. Paul’s writing is very fine and very careful; he left no loophole to us. The Spirit of life is the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ.
Both in the Far East and also in the U.S.A. I have heard some who say, “Praise God!” Do you know what persons should say, “Praise God!”? The Jews! The God whom the Jews worship has never passed through incarnation or crucifixion or resurrection. If you are still living in an age “praising God,” you have to realize that is the Old Testament age, the Jewish age. Also, the Pentecostal people like to say, “Praise Jesus!” You have to realize this term Jesus refers to the three and a half years of the ministry of Jesus. Those three and a half years were the age of Jesus. But Romans 8 doesn’t say the Spirit of Jesus; it says the Spirit of Christ. When we say, “Praise the Lord!” this includes God and Christ. It comprises God and Jesus and Christ. Our Lord today is not merely the God who created the universe. He is not merely Jesus who lived as a man on this earth. He is also Christ. He is God and Jesus and Christ! After He was resurrected and ascended to the heavens, He was made Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). You have to realize that when Paul says the Spirit of Christ he implies also the Spirit which was there in God’s creation and was also there with Jesus for three and a half years. And today the same Spirit is with us. When He comes today in the new age to be with us, He is no more merely the Spirit of God, but the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ actually indicates the all-inclusive Spirit. This is the stress of the Spirit in chapter eight of Romans. He is the all-inclusive Spirit. When He houses Himself in you, God is in you, Jesus is in you, and the resurrected Christ is in you. Incarnation is here; crucifixion is here; resurrection is here. He is all-inclusive. The Person of the Spirit in this chapter is all-inclusive, yet the focus of this all-inclusive Spirit is the Spirit of life. Life is the focus. We must see this! Many of those in the Pentecostal movement only know a kind of “power”; they don’t know life at all. They know “power” in the way of speaking in tongues, healing, miracles, but they don’t know anything of life. But in Romans 8 there is no power, no miracles, no healings, no speaking in tongues. There is just one silent and mysterious thing—that is life. This is the Person of the Spirit.