Some of my friends have advised me, saying, “Brother Lee, don’t say that Christ is the life-giving Spirit. If you say this, many Christians will be offended.” Twelve years ago, before I gave a series of messages that were later printed as the book, The Economy of God, a friend of mine advised me in this manner, saying, “The Bible says that Christ is the life-giving Spirit. You are not unscriptural for saying this. But if you say that Christ is the life-giving Spirit, you will offend people.” I replied, “Brother, since you have said that this is according to the Scriptures, will you please give me the liberty to speak it? My burden is on this very matter. If you do not allow me to speak on this, I shall be jobless and have nothing to do. I am familiar with other doctrines of the Bible, but I have no burden to speak on them. My unique burden is to minister Christ as the life-giving Spirit. I know that Christianity will rise up against this. If there is no opposition, I will be surprised.” My friend was offended. A couple of weeks later, I gave those messages on the economy of God. His advice was an encouragement to me because it stirred my spirit and showed me the need of the completion of the word of God.
If Christ were not the life-giving Spirit, how could He be in us? Recently, a few brothers met with the leading ones from an opposing group. They condemn us for saying that Christ is the life-giving Spirit. The brothers asked them how Christ could be in them if He were not the life-giving Spirit. They denied that Christ was in them, but said that the Holy Spirit, who represents Christ, was in them. What twisting! There is not a verse in the Bible saying that the Holy Spirit represents Christ in us. They accuse us of damaging the person of Christ. According to them, Christ is only the Son and the Son can never be the Spirit. However, when the brothers asked them about 2 Corinthians 3:17—“Now the Lord is that Spirit”— they had nothing to say. We are not fighting over doctrine. I have the adequate experience to support what I am saying in this message. If my Christ were not the life-giving Spirit, how could I live by Him today? Our critics say that Christ is only a person sitting on the throne in the heavens and that the Holy Spirit comes into us to represent Him. From where do they get this teaching? And they condemn us for being heretical! Who is heretical—those, like us, who believe the Bible according to the clear black and white letters, or those who twist the Word of God? In a sense, I sympathize with our critics because they are under the influence of traditional concepts. We are not arguing for a doctrine. We are for Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Some from the same opposing group argued with our brothers, saying, “Luke 24 says that after Christ was resurrected, He came to His disciples with a body of bones and flesh and His disciples touched Him. How can Witness Lee say that after His resurrection Christ became a life-giving Spirit? Doesn’t he believe Luke 24?” They thought that they had won the case. But a little knowledge is dangerous. I believe Luke 24 more than they do. I have published a book stating that the resurrected Christ possesses a physical body, not a natural physical body, but a resurrected one. Therefore, according to their explanation, they have the problem. Christ possesses a physical body of bones and flesh, but He came into the closed room where His disciples were. How did He get in? Do not attempt to understand the Bible according to your limited mentality. How can a Christ with flesh and bones be in us? We cannot explain this.
Every truth in the Bible has two sides. Nothing, not even a thin handkerchief, can exist without having two sides. Robert Govett has written a booklet entitled, “The Twofoldness of Divine Truth.” More than twenty-eight years ago we translated this booklet into Chinese. From the side of Luke 24, which we fully believe, the resurrected Christ possesses a physical body of bones and flesh. This is not a natural body but a resurrected body. On the other side, the Bible also says that Christ today is the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17). How can we reconcile this? I do not know and I do not try. I cannot reconcile it because I am not God. I simply believe both sides. Our critics may be right, but they are right on just one side. They should not condemn others because of their shortsightedness and lack of knowledge. Rather, they should reread their Bible, not deleting any verse or adding any words. If they take away anything, they will miss the blessing, and if they add anything, they will receive the curse. We should simply take the pure Word whether we understand it or not.
There are many things in our human living that we do not understand. Everyday I eat a variety of foods, but I understand very little about them. If I did not eat any food until I understood it, I would have been buried long ago. I was born before I knew anything. Even now, I do not know how I was born. There are many things that we do not know. Do you know in what part of the universe you are today? Let me say a word to our critics: your knowledge is too limited. If you think that you know everything about the Trinity, you are foolish. We cannot adequately understand the Trinity because it is altogether a mystery. Nevertheless, it is an undeniable fact that, as revealed in the Bible, Christ is in me. But how can He be in us as long as He possesses a physical body of bones and flesh? I do not know. But I do believe He has a physical body. He is now in the heavens with a resurrected physical body, and He will come with a physical body. Every eye will see Him. There are many things in the Bible that we simply cannot reconcile. Since Christ is already in us, why does He need to come? Forget reconciling, take the pure Word, and care for your experience. We are fighting against any doctrine that tells people of a Christ that cannot be experienced. The Bible reveals a Christ that can be experienced by us continually. This is Christ in us, the hope of glory.