Our knowledge of the Scriptures is often veiled by our natural concepts. It seems we are not able to avoid our concepts when we come to read the Scriptures. Therefore, we do not have any understanding of the many profound truths in the Scriptures concerning subjective experiences. When reading the Bible, almost all Christians read only the letter; they read superficially. Consequently, they do not gain any light or revelation concerning the real things in the hidden places.
There are three matters we may have noticed in the Scripture verses above. Concerning these matters, many know only the terms but do not have any idea as to what they mean. What are these three things? The first thing is sanctification. It is generally called “holy purity” in Chinese. However, in the original language of the Scriptures, this word does not have the notion of purity; instead, it is full of the meaning of separation. So, we see it is not purity; it is sanctification. To be truly sanctified is not a matter of being made pure but a matter of being separated, being set apart. The second thing is transformation. Most Chinese know the term for transformation, but they may not understand it in an accurate and proper way. This term denotes not merely a change but a chemical change, as in chemistry. The third thing is conformation. It is not hard to understand this term in the Chinese language, but it is not so easy to understand it with respect to the subjective, spiritual experiences. Due to our lack of subjective, spiritual experiences, we seem to know these terms when we read the Scriptures, but in reality we do not understand them at all.
I started to read the Bible fifty years ago. When I came across terms such as sanctification, transformation, and conformation, my understanding was altogether according to my natural concepts. Concerning sanctification, or “holy and pure” in Chinese, I thought that as long as I did not commit any sin or do anything wrong, then I was holy and pure. If I looked serious and remained quiet while others were joking and laughing, then I was holy and pure. Concerning transformation, I did not understand its spiritual meaning. Concerning conformation, because the Chinese Bible translated to be conformed into to imitate, I knew its literal meaning, but I knew nothing of its spiritual significance. I lacked the subjective, spiritual experience, and I also did not have the guidance of those who were experienced. Fifty years ago when I was the same age as some of the young people here, I did not have the help you are receiving today. The experiences I gained in ten years could not be compared with the experiences you have now gained in half a year. Because you have received guidance, it is easy for you to understand the spiritual things. However, even tonight I still do not have the confidence that many among us have a thorough experience of these three matters.
What is sanctification? What is transformation? What is conformation? I know that many of you have listened to messages and have read books on these subjects; yet I still would say that you probably have not had enough experiences. At this time we see that the leading of the Lord among us is for us to have a thorough view of these inward, subjective experiences. Our burden is to help you, the younger generation, know the way of the Lord’s recovery.
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