Lesson Book, Level 4: Life—Knowing and Experiencing Life, by Witness Lee

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III. PRESERVING OUR BODY

[If we would preserve our body, we should live a life that never follows the old man, that never follows our soul. Romans 6:6 says, “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with Him that the body of sin might be made of none effect, that we should no longer serve sin as slaves.’’ If we do not follow the old man, the body of sin will be made of none effect. This means that the body of sin will lose its job and become unemployed. But if we live according to the soul, we shall use our body to serve the old man. Therefore, to preserve our body first requires that we do not live according to our soul.

Second, to preserve our body requires that we not present any member of our body to anything that is sinful. For example, we should keep our eyes away from evil pictures and our ears from unclean things. Many things that are broadcast over the radio are defiling. A number of saints have testified that they cannot bear to listen to certain talk among those at school or at work because that talk is so evil. Many people of the world are able to speak concerning sinful things without any sense of shame. Thus, we need to keep our body from seeing and hearing things that will contaminate and ruin it. This is to preserve our body in sanctification.

Paul illustrates the importance of preserving our body in this way by giving in chapter four (of First Thessalonians) the charge to abstain from fornication. To abstain from fornication is to preserve our vessel, our body, in sanctification and honor. Therefore, in order to preserve our body, we should not present our members to anything sinful.]

[Today’s world is full of contamination and defilement. This makes it very difficult for us to preserve our body. Wherever we go there are defiling elements.] Young people should not try or even go near anything that defiles. If you flee (2 Tim. 2:22) from contamination, then you can grow in life with others who call on the Lord. As long as we are living on this earth, we need to preserve our body.

In conclusion, we must preserve our spirit, soul and body by exercising our spirit, confessing our sinfulness and shortcomings, and by staying away from anything that defiles. In this way, we may experience life and grow in life, rather than be stunted in our growth. May the Lord be merciful to us to remind us daily to preserve our whole being for life.

Questions

  1. What are the three parts of our spirit?
  2. What is the main function of our spirit?
  3. Have you ever been condemned by your conscience? When and about what?
  4. Find several verses in the Bible that substantiates the three parts of the spirit.
  5. What is our psychological heart?
  6. Describe, according to your own experience, what clogs up your three arteries most.

Quoted Portions from (Lee/LSM) Publications

  1. Life-study of First Thessalonians, pp. 204-214.
  2. The Experience of Life, pp. 103-106, 111, 114.

(Lesson Book, Level 4: Life—Knowing and Experiencing Life, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)

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