We were all created by the Lord with some good elements. Thus, by ourselves we can do good things. However, our goodness is very limited and natural. Our patience, meekness, humility, goodness, and forgiveness are all limited. On the contrary, what is motivated from within us by the Spirit is unlimited. The good that we do from ourselves can be likened to using our strength to rotate the blades of an electric fan. We can cause the fan to rotate for a while, but it will stop immediately afterward. However, if electricity is transmitted to the fan, once it is switched on, the electric fan will rotate from morning to evening, even for days without stopping. Similarly, there is no limit to the Lord’s motivation in us. This motivation is the Spirit in us as our strength.
The Spirit of the Lord is the Lord Himself. The Lord today is not only the Lord, but He is also the Spirit. Because He is the Spirit, He can enter into man; because He is the Spirit, He cannot be limited and can be with man all the time. Regardless of the time and place, He is always within us. Second Corinthians 3:17 says that where this Spirit is, there is freedom. The Spirit is in us, but He may not move in us or have the ground in us. Once we allow Him to move in us and have the ground in us, the issue will be freedom. When we have freedom, there is nothing between us and the Lord, and the Lord and we can fellowship with one another.
We have the Spirit in us, and when this Spirit operates and moves within us, we have freedom. We do not have any bondage. This freedom removes all barriers between us and the Lord and allows us to see Him face to face. Then the Lord is expressed and there is glory. Glory is the Lord expressed. When we see the Lord face to face, the Lord appears to us. This is glory. Glory is also the Spirit. The Lord is the Spirit, and the moving of the Spirit is freedom. This freedom enables us to see the Lord, the glory. When we see and experience the Spirit, the result is glory. Moreover, this glory within us is the Lord’s image.
In 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Paul says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This means that freedom is the Spirit. He also says that when we are free in this way, we can see the glory of the Lord face to face and that when we see the glory of the Lord in this way, we are transformed into the Lord’s image from glory to glory. Paul also says that we are transformed from the Lord Spirit. Therefore, this shows us that these five items—freedom, glory, the Lord’s image, the Lord, and the Spirit—are all one. The Lord is the Spirit, and the Spirit is freedom, glory, and the Lord’s image. The freedom and glory within a Christian and the image expressed from a Christian are all the Holy Spirit Himself.
The freedom within us is the Holy Spirit, the glory expressed from within us is the Holy Spirit, and the image expressed out of us is also the Holy Spirit. This freedom, glory, and image are all the Holy Spirit Himself, and the Holy Spirit is the Lord. The Lord is the Spirit, and the Lord is in our spirit. When this Spirit is in us, we have freedom; when this Spirit is expressed from us, we have glory and the Lord’s image. Christians often speak of having the Lord’s image and likeness. What is the Lord’s image, and what is the Lord’s likeness? They are the Spirit. The Spirit is the Lord’s likeness, and the Spirit is the Lord’s image. Thus, when we live in the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s image will be manifested from us.
If a Christian lives by himself all the time and does not live in the Spirit, he will not have freedom, glory, or the Lord’s image, because the Spirit will have no ground in him. However, whenever a Christian rejects and denies himself and lives in the Spirit, inwardly he will have freedom. Outwardly he will have glory, and the Lord’s image will be manifested from him.