THE TRANSFORMATION OF OUR INWARD PARTS
You may feel that several brothers are good brothers. But do not assume that they are without problems. Because they are not transformed, they can be very troublesome brothers. They are good, yet so natural. One of them may be naturally quick, and another one may be naturally meticulous. One is very fast, and the other is overly concerned with details. According to the fact that they have Christ within them, no doubt, they are members of the Body. But their natural man has no part in the Body.
Of course, the problem is not with the Christ within but with their being so natural without. When one who is naturally quick and one who is naturally meticulous come together to serve the Lord, they will have problems with each other. This does not mean that the Christ within this one is fighting with the Christ within the other one. It means that the quick one is fighting with the meticulous one. Both are members of Christ, but both are human. They are good, but they are humanly good, naturally good. This is the problem.
Hence, we need the transformation in our inward parts through the Spirit. At the time we were saved, the Lord Jesus as the Spirit of life came into us as the one law regulating our inward parts. One law in many parts means one law with many functions. When the Spirit as the one law permeates our mind, He becomes the law of the mind, regulating our thoughts and our way of thinking. When He permeates our emotion, He becomes the law of the emotion, regulating and ruling over what we like or dislike. When He permeates our will, He becomes the law of the will, regulating and governing our making of decisions. Thus, there is one law becoming three kinds of laws. But actually, they are not three laws but three functions of one law.
When the Spirit as the law regulates us in our inward parts, we are being transformed. How much we will be transformed depends on how much we are willing to be regulated by Him. If we are willing to be regulated by Him in our mind, our mind will be transformed. That means our mind will be permeated and saturated by Him and with Him. Our mind will be filled with Christ. Our thoughts and the way we think will be full of Christ.
If we allow Him to regulate our emotion, He will permeate our emotion. Then our desires, our preferences, will be filled with Christ. This means we are being transformed in our emotion. Whatever we like or desire will have the image, the expression, of Christ. Moreover, if we allow Him to govern, rule over, our will, our will will be possessed by Him and be full of Him. Then whatever we decide will have the flavor of Christ. This is the transformation of our inward parts by the wonderful Spirit. He is the law of life within us, living, moving, working, shining, illuminating, regulating, ruling, and governing within us.
(The Life and Way for the Practice of the Church Life, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
