FIVE ITEMS BEING THE BASIC FACTORS
OF THE NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION
The Gospel of John shows that Immanuel went through a process to become the life-giving Spirit. We live by Him as the life-giving Spirit. Today some Christian teachers oppose the fact that Christ became a life-giving Spirit. But the Bible clearly reveals that Christ became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). Thank the Lord that He has opened up this matter to us. Two thousand years ago God became incarnated, and then through death and resurrection, He became the life- giving Spirit. For the first four thousand years of human history, no one knew the purpose of God. But today the Lord has revealed Himself as Immanuel and the life-giving Spirit. He has also shown us His incarnation, His death, and His resurrection.
Five items have been constituted into our being: Christ as Immanuel, Christ as the life-giving Spirit, and His incarnation, death, and resurrection. These five items are the basic factors of the constitution of the New Testament revelation. If you take away Christ as Immanuel and as the life-giving Spirit, and if you take away His incarnation, death, and resurrection from the New Testament, what remains? The New Testament is a will containing these five things as its main bequests. In this divine will we inherit Immanuel, the life-giving Spirit, incarnation, death, and resurrection. Today we have to live with Christ as Immanuel. Our living is always with another person, Immanuel, God with us. We also have to walk by Him, not as Immanuel but as the life-giving Spirit.
WALKING BY CHRIST AS THE LIFE-GIVING SPIRIT
Two Aspects of the Christian Walk
The Christian walk is of two aspects. The first aspect of our Christian walk is a walk for our daily life (Gal. 5:16), and the second aspect of our Christian walk is a walk for fulfilling God’s purpose (Gal. 5:25b).
The Walk for our Daily Life
The walk for our daily life is so that we may live an overcoming life to express Christ (Phil. 1:20-21) in such things as those listed in Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-8, and Philippians 2:14. To be spiritual or fleshly, heavenly or earthly, humble or proud, rejoicing or murmuring and reasoning are all matters concerning our daily living. This is the first aspect of our Christian walk.
(The Triune God to Be Life to the Tripartite Man, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
