God is the Spirit, and the Spirit is the anointing oil. When we have the Spirit of God in our spirit, we have the anointing oil. Today we have electric lamps that shine because of the electricity running through their bulbs. However, at the time the Lord Jesus spoke the parable of the ten virgins two thousand years ago, lamps shone because of the oil burning in them. We have seen that the lamp mentioned in Matthew 25 is our human spirit and that the oil that makes the lamp shine is the Spirit. This Holy Spirit is the realization of God and has the life of God. God Himself is light, and God’s life is also light. This light is not given forth simply from the Spirit, the oil. Rather, the light that comes from the Spirit with God’s life shines out through our human spirit. This oil can give forth its light only when it is in the lamp. We who are saved and regenerated have the Spirit in our spirit, that is, we have the oil in our lamps, and we have light.
The ten virgins, both the prudent and the foolish, are exactly the same in this respect—they all have oil in their lamps. In this matter we who are childish and immature are the same as the most mature ones such as the apostle Paul. Paul’s spirit could shine because he had the Spirit of God, the anointing oil of God. In the same way, our spirit can also shine because we have God’s Spirit, God’s anointing oil. Thus, we are all the same in the matter of the Spirit being in our spirit and the shining oil being in our lamps.
Now we must ask a very serious question. We have the Spirit in our spirit, but do we have the Spirit in our soul? Do we have the element of the Spirit in our mind, emotion, and will? The Spirit is in our spirit, but what about our soul? Is the Spirit in our soul? We most likely have light or brightness only in the central, innermost part of our being, while the other parts of our being may still be dark and without light.
Our spirit is the lamp of Jehovah, and our soul is the vessel. What does this vessel contain? It should contain the Spirit mingled with our spirit. For instance, we have a glass with grape juice in it. The glass is the vessel, and the grape juice inside is the content. The grape juice is in the glass, which is transparent. Revelation 21 tells us that the wall of the New Jerusalem is composed of precious stones, yet it is transparent. Is our soul transparent like glass? Our soul may be like a wooden cup that conceals what is contained inside. In our thoughts, loves, and choices, we are like wood, which is not transparent.
How do we deal with a cup that is not transparent and that conceals its contents? We must make an opening in the cup to see its contents. If there is light in a light bulb that is transparent, then the light can come forth. But if the light is in an iron box, then the light cannot come forth. What must we do to let the light come out? We must destroy the iron box or make a hole in it to let the light come forth. When the iron box is broken, then the light can shine forth.
In many of us the light of God cannot be seen. Why? The Spirit of God dwells in us, and we have been regenerated and saved and have the Spirit of God as light in our spirit, yet our outer man, including our thoughts, insights, loves, decisions and determinations, remains absolutely intact. Because there is no opening, God’s light cannot shine forth. There is no way for the Spirit of God who is in us to get out. It is as if we have a sign inside of us that says, “This road is blocked.” When God’s Spirit wants to shine forth through our mind, we say, “Blocked!” When God’s Spirit wants to shine through our decisions and choices, we also say, “Blocked!” We surround God’s Spirit day by day. We confine the Spirit of God to the central part of our being, our spirit. All our thoughts, loves, and opinions are solely ours. God in us is entirely limited and surrounded by iron walls. He cannot come out even a little. God is inside us, but because our outer man remains absolutely intact, it does not have any openings to allow God to come out.