LESSON FIVE – THE DIVINE AND ETERNAL LIFE

1 John 1:2 — The life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us.

Rom. 8:2 — The law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.

THE ETERNAL LIFE

The eternal life is eternal not only with respect to time but also with respect to quality. This life is also eternal with respect to its sphere. Therefore, the word eternal denotes three things: time, space, and quality. As to the element of time, this life will last forever. As to space, to sphere, this life is vast, unlimited. As to quality, eternal life is perfect and complete, without defect or shortage. The sphere or field of eternal life encompasses the whole universe. Eternal life is so vast that it covers the entire field of life. Whatever is in the field of life is encompassed by this eternal life. Our human life, however, is very different. Our life is not only temporary, but it is also limited. But eternal life is neither temporary nor limited; rather, it is everlasting with respect to time and unlimited with respect to space. Furthermore, our life has many defects and shortages. However, the divine life, the eternal life, has no defects and no shortages.

Indestructible

The eternal life is an indestructible life (Heb. 7:16). Nothing can destroy or dissolve this life. It is an endless life, being the eternal, divine, uncreated life, and the resurrection life, which has passed through the test of death and Hades (Acts 2:24; Rev. 1:18). Satan and his followers thought that they had terminated this life by crucifying it.… However, crucifixion gave this life the best opportunity to be multiplied, to be propagated. Because this life is unlimited, it can never be conquered, subdued, or destroyed. The Father is the source of the eternal life, from whom and with whom the Son was manifested as the expression of the eternal life for those the Father has chosen to partake of and enjoy this life.

Instead of trying to analyze these aspects of eternal life, we should enjoy them as “courses” of a spiritual meal. Eternal life is the life of God, it is the Son of God, and it was with the Father in eternity. (Life-study of 1 John, pp. 33-35)

THE DIVINE LIFE DISPENSED INTO THE THREE PARTS OF MAN

Romans 8 reveals the divine life dispensed into the three parts of man. Verse 2a speaks of the law of the Spirit of life. Verse 6b says that the mind set on the spirit is life. Verse 10 says that if Christ is in us, the body is dead, but the spirit is life. Then verse 11 says that the Spirit of the One who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life  to our mortal body through His Spirit who indwells us. Thus, verse 2 speaks of the divine life, verse 10 says that our spirit is life, verse 6 says that our mind can be life, and verse 11 says that even our body may be given life. Verse 8 speaks of God, verse 9 of the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ, and verse 10 of Christ.…These verses [show] that the Triune God is dispensed into the three parts of man.

The Spirit of Life

Romans 8:2 speaks of the Spirit of life. The Spirit of life is a phrase of apposition and actually means that the Spirit is life. In the Bible there are a number of phrases like this. The Spirit of God means that the Spirit is God; the life of God means that the life is God; the Spirit of Christ means that the Spirit is Christ; and the love of God means that love is God.

This is like the current of electricity. Actually, the current itself is electricity. It is not something separate from electricity; it is electricity itself in motion. When electricity f lows and is in motion, that is the current of electricity. The current of electricity can be compared to the Spirit of life. The Spirit of life means that the Spirit is life. The Spirit is life in motion, the Triune God in motion.

Dispensed into Our Spirit

Such a divine life is first dispensed into our spirit. Romans 8:10 says that since Christ is in us, our spirit is life. This is because Christ Himself is this life, and this life is in our  spirit. Therefore,  our  spirit is life. This is a very strong point. Verse 10 does not say that since Christ is in us, the life is in us. Instead, it says that our spirit is life. Today our regenerated spirit is life.

Dispensed into Our Mind

Romans 8:6 says that the mind set on the spirit is life. Not only our spirit is life; even our mind can be life. But this mind must be set on the spirit. This means that this mind must be flooded, saturated, and infused with the spirit to become the mind of the spirit. Eventually, the spirit becomes the spirit of our mind. This is mentioned in Ephesians 4:23. Because our mind is set on the spirit, our spirit saturates our mind and makes our mind a mind of the spirit. Eventually, our spirit becomes the spirit of our mind.…This spirit is the mingled spirit. It is our spirit mingled with Christ as the lifegiving Spirit.

Because our mind is one with our spirit, connected, joined, saturated, and infused with our spirit, our mind is also life. Such a mind can function to minister life to others. By our natural mind we cannot minister life to others. This mind is not life. But when our mind is joined to our spirit and is saturated with our spirit that is life, our mind at this time also becomes life.

Dispensed into Our Body

Romans 8:11 says that the Spirit of the very God who raised Christ Jesus  from the dead gives life to our mortal body, our dying body, through the Spirit who indwells us. The word mortal in this verse implies not only the thought of death but also the thought of weakness. A mortal body is a weakened body, a dying body. Romans 7 calls our fallen body the body of this death (v. 24). Even such a weakened, dying, mortal body, a body of death, can be given life.

Thus far, we can see that the divine life mentioned in Romans 8:2 is imparted, or dispensed, into our spirit in verse 10 and spreads into our mind in verse 6. Then it is dispensed into our mortal body in verse 11. Thus, the divine life is dispensed into all three parts of our being. (CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” pp. 559-561, 563-564)

References: Life-study of 1 John, msg. 4; CWWL, 1979, vol. 1, “Basic Lessons on Life,” ch. 13

FROM MY SPIRIT WITHIN FLOWS A FOUNTAIN OF LIFE

Experience of God—As Life – 1191

• From my spirit within flows a fountain of life
  The Triune God flowing in me;
  God the Father’s the source, Christ the Son is the course,
  And the Spirit imparts life to me.

Lord, I treasure the sweet flow of life,
And my soul-life at last I lay down;
O Lord, deepen the pure flow of life;
At Your coming may life be my crown.

• In the fresh, tender grass Jesus makes me lie down;
  He leads me by waters of rest;
  No more struggle and strain; all self-effort is vain;
  In the flow I am perfectly blessed.

• Jesus called me one day to the Holiest Place,
  To live in His presence divine;
  Hallelujah, I’ve heard an encouraging word:
  “Abide — you’re a branch in the vine.”