Now we come to the second point, that is, the work of the Spirit. The Spirit is the instrument through which God imparts life into our mortal body, even into our whole being. The Spirit is the instrument through which we put to death the practices of our body, and the Spirit is the One who directly leads us as sons of God.
Now we have to ask what is the way that the Spirit works out these three points. God is now imparting His zoe life into our dead body through the Spirit, and we have to slay the practices of our body by the Spirit, and this Spirit, through whom God imparts life to our dead body and by whom we slay the deeds of our body, is leading us. But by what way? and where? There is a big word in this chapter which indicates how or by what way the Spirit could accomplish this work. What is this word?
This chapter mentions several times that the Spirit dwells in you. Of course, to dwell doesn’t mean to do something. But the dwelling is for doing something. His dwelling has a purpose, and surely that purpose is to do something. His indwelling in itself is not His working, but it is the way for Him to do His work. His work is done by an indwelling way.
Many Christians have been influenced to think that they need to pray and fast for three days and nights, waiting for something to come suddenly from the heavens upon them. Many Pentecostal believers are waiting for something to fall upon them from the heavens, and many fundamental believers are waiting for a kind of inspiration. But actually in the New Testament it is a matter of the indwelling. Again and again this word indwelling is used in the New Testament. The Spirit today works, not in a way of falling upon us nor by the way of inspiration, but by the way of indwelling.
While He is indwelling you, He is very active. You can never be more active than He is. You may think you are more active because you don’t realize that a more active One is in you. You have been influenced by Pentecostalism and fundamentalism. You consider that if nothing is falling upon you, then He is not active. You think if you don’t feel some inspiration, that means He is silent. Actually He is not silent; He is moving in you. You need to say to the Lord, “Lord, how I thank You that You are more active than I am! I can be silent, but You would never be silent. I can sleep, but You would never sleep. I can be dormant, but You would never be dormant. With me there is a winter time, but with You there is no winter time. You are more active than I am!” This is the indwelling Spirit.
Do you really believe that the Spirit, not only of God, but of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and enthroned Christ dwells in you? Is this a doctrine or a fact to you? I am sorry to say that, to most Christians, this is just a kind of doctrine, a kind of terminology. Do you really realize that you have a divine Person in you? This is not a simple Person, but a Person who has passed through creation and entered into incarnation. He has passed through the human life and through the cross and through the tomb. He has even passed through Hades and entered into resurrection. Such a One now lives in you. Do you really believe this? Is this a doctrine or a fact to you? This makes a big difference. It is not a small thing to realize the fact that you have another One dwelling in you. Such a One now dwells in us. His dwelling in us is not His doing, but it is the way for Him to do things. His way of working is not a matter of His coming upon us or a matter of inspiration, but a silent, mysterious yet excellent indwelling. You cannot deny that He indwells us, and that He is living, He is acting, He is working, He is very active. It is by the way of indwelling that He works for us; He is very busy.