When we truly know death and resurrection, many things will happen to us. We all know that all the Epistles written by Peter, John, Paul, and James are parts of the Word of God. However, when we read the Epistles of Paul, we find that the flavor of Paul’s Epistles is absolutely different from that of Peter’s Epistles, and the flavor of the Epistles of John is altogether different from the flavor of the Epistle of James. What each of them wrote was the Word of God, but when we read the Epistles of John, we sense John’s flavor, when we read the Epistles of Peter, we sense Peter’s flavor, when we read the Epistle of James, we sense James’ flavor, and when we read the Epistles of Paul, we sense Paul’s flavor. All of their writings are the Word of God, but the flavors are not the same. Why is this? It is because of death and resurrection. Death and resurrection do not nullify man but bring man into God. Hence, Paul’s speaking was God’s speaking, Peter’s speaking was God’s speaking, James’ speaking was God’s speaking, and John’s speaking was God’s speaking. Through death and resurrection they entered into God and were mingled with God. They were not nullified or done away with. Rather, they still existed.
People of death and resurrection are not without their own mind, emotion, and will. Rather, their will is strong, they are thoughtful, intelligent, and wise, and they are the most emotional people, easily angered or easily made to rejoice. Do not think that it is unspiritual to be angry. Many Christians have the concept that spiritual people are always meek. They think that no matter how much spiritual people are irritated, they will not lose their temper. If being meek is spiritual, then the statues of Mary in the Catholic Church must be the most spiritual. Recall that even the Lord Jesus became angry, and His rebukes were harsh. He rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Serpents! Brood of vipers!” (Matt. 23:33) and “You resemble whitewashed graves” (v. 27). One day He entered into the temple of God and cast out all those who were selling and buying in the temple (21:12). Seemingly, He was not reasonable, overturning the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. Our Lord was full of wrath. Paul also had a similar story. He said to the Corinthians, “What do you want? Should I come to you with a rod or in love and a spirit of meekness?” (1 Cor. 4:21). Therefore, a spiritual person is not devoid of emotion. In fact, the more spiritual a person is, the more emotional he is. To be spiritual is not to be nullified or done away with. Genuine spirituality is the issue of death and resurrection. The principle of death and resurrection is the bringing of man into God.
According to the principle of death and resurrection we have been brought into God, yet we still exist. In the past we were not in God, nor did we have the element of God, but now we are in God and have the element of God. We still have our mind, but we also have God’s mind in us. We still have our will, but we also have God’s will in us. We still have emotions, but we also have God’s emotions in us. God’s emotions are in our emotions, God’s mind is in our mind, and God’s will is in our will.
I have a very heavy burden within me regarding this matter. Most of God’s children have heard many messages and have much in the way of knowledge and doctrines but have not touched this reality. They speak of the spiritual doctrines concerning death and resurrection, such as nullifying the self, denying the self, and being delivered from the self. This kind of speaking is useful only when it serves the purpose of mingling us with God, that is, mingling our mind, emotion, and will with God. Otherwise, all we have is empty knowledge and doctrines. Incarnation brings God into man, producing the living out of a human life by the divinity of God. Death and resurrection bring man into God, producing the living out of God’s life through the humanity of man.
Most of those who have read the Bible know that the Epistles of Paul are full of Paul’s flavor, while the Epistles of Peter are full of Peter’s flavor. From this we see that God does not nullify man. Just as the twelve tribes of Israel will still be the twelve tribes in eternity future, the twelve apostles of the New Testament will still exist as the twelve apostles in eternity future. Even after entering into the new creation, man will not be nullified. Instead, God will be mingled with man. Formerly God was God, having no humanity mingled with Him, and man was man, having no God in him. But now divinity has been mingled with humanity, and man has God in him. In the past, man did not have God, and what had been added into man was sin, Satan, and the world. Now due to Christ’s redemption all of these things have been taken away, and the element of God has been added into us.
Hence, before we were saved, we all sinned, but when we were saved, God was added into us, and as a result we are no longer slaves of sin. Nevertheless, we are not nullified. Though all of us have had God added into us, our lives still have different flavors because we as men have not been nullified. Peter had the flavor of Peter, John had the flavor of John, James had the flavor of James, Paul had the flavor of Paul, and you have your flavor, and I have my flavor. God has come in, but man has not been nullified.