LIFE POTENTIALLY AND LIFE AS ENJOYMENT
[p. 64] LIFE POTENTIALLY AND LIFE AS ENJOYMENT
Redemption is that in which the soul apprehends Christ first, and the Lord is to have a place in our affections as Redeemer. But redemption is not all that is necessary; we require to live. The Lord is to be known to our souls as the Life-giver, which I think is the point of view in John’s gospel. There is a state of impotency in man, there is no vitality, no energy there. Christ makes us to live so that we have power to walk and praise God. Man’s state not only involves the need of redemption but the vital principle of life has to be introduced. This is needed not only because the sentence of death was upon man, but because of man’s weakness; he is incapable of any movement toward God.
There are two thoughts in connection with life: first it is potential; secondly it is a sphere and order of things. The introduction of life by the life-giving Spirit is potential, and the vital principle is infused. Death is entire inability to answer to God. On the ground of redemption the Lord infuses life into His disciples. He says, “Receive ye Holy Spirit” (John 20:22).
What each individual has to receive from Christ is the vital principle, not exactly the Holy Spirit as given to the assembly, but the Holy Spirit as given to the individual believer. When we say potentially, we speak of life as a matter of power. Life as a matter of enjoyment is a different thing; it is not a question of power only, but that you are at ease in the calm enjoyment of God’s favour. But what precedes that is the getting of power. Apart from life in a potential sense, eternal life could not be touched by us. “The law of the Spirit of life” in Romans 8 can be connected with it. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets free from the law of sin and death.
[p. 65] In John 20 Christ had accomplished redemption and now He is free, and so He breathes into the disciples that which will pervade all in the future, the breath of life. John 20 is pattern. The Lord is seen as the One who infuses life into the creation; what is to become universal takes place in that upper room. Thus life is introduced into the believer, a vital element or principle, but eternal life is that into which he may be said to be introduced. Eternal life is an order of blessing which depends on certain conditions, and these conditions are established in Christ as risen from the dead. But it is not only that Christ is risen, but by His quickening power He brings men into life here on earth, and puts them together so as to form a moral sphere where life for evermore is, so to say, commanded. According to Matthew 25 the nations shall go into eternal life. That into which they go must be there before they can go into it. My understanding of the subject is that Israel as made to live according to Ezekiel 37 will be the sphere of it. Eternal life now implies a sphere for us. If we could get a company of people, such as Acts 2 presents, we should have the conditions in which eternal life, as it is to be known at the present time, is realised. The conditions are found amongst those who are made to live by the quickening power of Christ. Difficulties which exist are largely attributable to the fact that the conditions we have been speaking of are not manifest at the present time. My own exercise has been, not only that souls do not seem desirous of entering into eternal life, but that the conditions necessary to it are not apparent. If we were more acquainted with conditions which existed at the outset we should not have so much difficulty.
Eternal life is seen, as it will be, in Psalm 133. First you must have brethren. These are brought into being by Christ; that is, He has breathed into them. The Spirit being here we may presume there [p. 66] are those among us who live, there are brethren; if so, it should be a matter of profound exercise to each one as to whether we are dwelling together in unity. The conditions of life are found where such unity is. If you are part of that you do not miss the blessing yourself, but you help to form a sphere to bring blessing to others.