In John 6:63 the Lord said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Both spirit and life are mentioned twice in this verse. In the first instance, the Spirit and life are connected together in the phrase, “It is the Spirit who gives life.” In the second instance, spirit and life are separated in the phrase, “The words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” The Lord’s words are spirit and are life. Romans 8:2 mentions “the law of the Spirit of life.” The Spirit is the Spirit of life, and this law is of the Spirit. Thus, it is the law of the Spirit of life. Verse 6 says, “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace.” Whenever we set our mind on the spirit, we have life and peace. Second Corinthians 3:6 states, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” This matches what is said in John 6:63.
The Bible says that God is Spirit (4:24). However, as far as God’s relationship with man is concerned, we may say that God in eternity, before entering into time, was purely God, but when this God reaches man, what man touches is the Spirit. This means that when God is in His dwelling place, He is God, but when He comes out of His heavenly sanctuary and works on the earth to contact man, He is the Spirit who can be touched by man. In other words, God in Himself is God, but whenever He comes out of Himself to the earth to work, to contact man, and even to enter into man, what man touches is the Spirit. Hence, God being Spirit has two implications. On the one hand, He is God, and on the other hand, He is the Spirit. When He is in His sanctuary, He is God, but when He comes out of His sanctuary, comes into the midst of men, and enters into men, He is the Spirit. As the Spirit He mingles with and joins with man to be one. In a sense, it is not God who mingles with and joins with man as one, but it is the Spirit who mingles with man as one. As the Spirit God is joined with man’s spirit to be one spirit. Thus, God’s relationship with man is altogether a matter of the spirit. Therefore, the experience, living, and work of a Christian should be in the spirit.
We all know that the first experience of a Christian is salvation through regeneration. Regeneration is a matter of the spirit. The first time God touches man, and the first time man contacts God, man is regenerated in his spirit. Man’s being regenerated in his spirit is the first step of his having a relationship with God. In this first step man touches God in the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God joins with man in the spirit of man. In other words, the God who is Spirit enters into the spirit of man and is joined to man. This is regeneration. After our regeneration, we need to have spiritual experiences, make spiritual progress, live a spiritual living, and do spiritual work. All of these must be in our spirit. This spirit is the Spirit of God fellowshipping with our spirit, being joined to our spirit, and being mingled with our spirit as one spirit. In regeneration the Spirit of God and our spirit become one spirit and therefore inseparable. Thus, our Christian living and work should be in this spirit.
Any time we do not live in such a spirit, regardless of whether we are right or wrong, we are not living a normal Christian life. The normal Christian life is not a matter of right and wrong but a matter of whether or not we are in the spirit. It is not that to rise up in the morning and then to lose our temper is wrong but to pray is right, or that to rise up in the morning and then to be angry with people is wrong but to have morning watch is right. What matters is whether our morning watch, reading the Bible, and praying are in the spirit or outside of the spirit. If our morning watch, praying, and reading of the Bible are in the spirit, then this is the normal Christian life. But if they are outside of the spirit, we are living a religious life, not a normal Christian life.
Some people may ask what the distinction between a Christian and a religious person is. In brief, a Christian is one who lives in the spirit whereas a religious person does not live in the spirit but in a kind of religious ritual. For instance, suppose you are a Christian, but you do not live in your spirit. Rather, you strictly observe religious regulations, read the Bible, and pray daily, living a life of Christian rituals. This is a religious living. Just because you read the Bible, pray, speak the truth to people, and attend services every Lord’s Day does not mean that you are living a Christian life. Many times our reading the Bible, praying, talking about the truth, or even preaching the truth are nothing but aspects of a religious living, not a living in the spirit. This is because our reading of the Bible, praying, speaking, and preaching of the truth are often outside of the spirit and are not in the spirit.