The first point is that we have to walk according to spirit. This walking according to spirit is on our side; actually, this is our switching on. When we walk according to spirit, we switch on and the law works. The law of the Spirit of life never works until we walk according to spirit. The second point must be in verse 5, which says that we need to mind the things of the spirit. The third item of our doing in this chapter is to put to death the practices of our mortal body (v. 13). The fourth item is to be led by the Spirit of God (v. 14). According to our natural concept, we always consider that this is a verse concerning the spiritual leading. Actually, this is not a verse concerning the spiritual leading; it is a verse concerning our being led. It doesn’t say as many as the Spirit leads. This verse does not talk about the Spirit’s leading; it talks about our being led. There is a big difference. It is not the Spirit leading you; it is you being led by Him.
In verse 15 is the fifth item, that is, you have to cry. That is your doing. You have to learn to cry. We have the spirit of sonship in which we cry, “Abba, Father.” To cry is to switch on. Whenever you cry, “O Father! Abba, Father!” that is to switch on. Learn to cry. This is not a bad cry; this is a good cry. This is a benign cry. We Christians have to have a kind of benign cry. Learn to cry. O Lord Jesus! O Father! O Abba, Father! Today’s Christians are dead because they are too silent. Learn to cry. Suppose I visited your home; could I hear a crying in your home? We all have to learn to cry. Have you ever considered that to cry is to switch on? Are you in darkness? Cry! Are you weak? Are you short of power? Cry! Sisters, would you keep your face, or would you lose your face to cry? I have seen many sisters who would just keep their face in order to be nice. They wouldn’t cry; they prefer to be weak. Simply to think about the situation never helps you; you need to cry.
Verse 16 says, “The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit.” With this portion we have a little problem. According to this sentence who witnesses first: the Spirit or our spirit? How could the Spirit witness with our spirit if He witnesses first? When it says the Spirit witnesses with our spirit, it indicates our spirit is witnessing already. When our spirit is witnessing, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit. In other words, if your spirit does not witness, neither does the Spirit witness. Why does verse 16 not say that our spirit witnesses with the Spirit? It is because the main stress here is that our spirit has to work. Our spirit has to take the initiative.
Verse 23 gives the next item. Have you ever realized that to groan is to switch on? Do you practice this? We all have to learn to groan. These are the seven items of the doings that could be found from Romans 8. We have to walk according to spirit, to mind the things of the spirit, to put to death the practices of the mortal body, to be led, to cry, to witness, and finally, to groan. You have to do these seven things. Try to practice these every day. If you are afraid of offending someone, you had better close your doors and windows and then do the crying and the groaning. You will see what a switching on you will experience.
What are the doings on God’s side or on the Spirit’s side? There are not so many from His side. First, verse 11 says that He will give life to our mortal body. Second, as we are being led, the Spirit leads us. Third, the Spirit witnesses. When we witness, He witnesses. Fourth, when we groan, He intercedes. Actually, our groaning is His interceding. When you are groaning to the Lord, that is the Spirit in you interceding. He is not interceding with a clear word, but just with a kind of groaning. That is the interceding of the Spirit. So God gives life, the Spirit leads, the Spirit witnesses, and the Spirit intercedes.
Do you realize that the four doings on God’s side depend upon the doing from our side? God’s doing depends upon our doing. If we don’t do something, He wouldn’t do anything. He would never give life to our mortal body unless we put to death the practices of our body. His giving life depends upon our putting to death. We have to take the initiative. It is the same in principle with His leading. If you would not be led by Him, He would not lead. You have to see this. If you would not witness, neither would He. His witnessing depends upon your spirit’s witnessing. It is even the more with the Spirit’s intercession. His interceding is altogether dependent upon our groaning.
This means the doings on God’s side actually are His operation, and the doings on our side are our switching on. When we switch on, His operation works. I believe this is more than clear. In the last message I pointed out that Romans 8 has two spirits and three facts. First, we have been regenerated; second, the Spirit is indwelling us; third, the two spirits are mingled as one. These are the three facts. And of course the two spirits are the divine Spirit and our human spirit. You have to realize that these two spirits with the three facts, altogether five matters, take care of the installation and the operation. On the other hand our doings, the seven doings which we have covered in this message, are switchings. By them we switch on. Whenever we would walk according to spirit, the operation goes on. Whenever we would set our mind upon the spirit, the operation goes on. Whenever we would put to death the practices of our body, whenever we would be led, whenever we would cry, whenever we would witness, and whenever we would groan, the operation goes on. You must see that it is not our doing that is waiting for His operation. His operation is waiting for our doing. It is not your switching on waiting for the installation. Neither is it your switching on waiting for the operation of the power plant. Actually, the installation and the operation are both waiting for your switching on. Are you waiting for God, or is God waiting for you? It is God who is waiting for us. He has regenerated us, and He is now indwelling us, and He has mingled His Spirit with ours. Everything has been installed, and the operation is going on. What is short is our doings, our switching on.
We have the regeneration, and we have the indwelling. We also have the mingling. All these are matters of the installation. Excellent! Wonderful! What an installation! What an operation! The operation is still going on. The indwelling is here. The indwelling never ceases, and the indwelling never has a “selah.” You may say that you are waiting for God, but God is right here and has been waiting for two thousand years already. The installation has been done and the operation is in progress. They are all here waiting for you to switch on by walking according to the spirit, by setting the mind on the spirit, by killing the practices of the body, by being led by Him, by crying, by witnessing, by groaning.
In this building many systems, at least seven, have been installed. Now they simply need our switching on. When we need the heat, we switch on, and the heat comes. When we need the air, we switch on, and the air comes. When we need the light, we switch on, and the light comes. All these things work by our switching on and by its operation. Light is here; power is here; sound is here; video is here. They just need a little switching on. This illustrates the law of the Spirit of life. When you have these seven switching ons, the indwelling will work. That is the law of the Spirit of life. There is a spiritual law by nature. When we fulfill the requirement, this law works. What are the requirements? Walk according to the spirit; set your mind upon the spiritual things; put to death all the practices of the body; be led and cry; witness and groan. When we would do all these things the indwelling works. And that is the working of the law of the Spirit of life. Now you can see that when the verse says the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed me, it is not an ordinary “me,” but a “me” under the switching. The law is just the working element of this operation.