O Lord, Thou art in me as life

Scripture Reading: Col. 2:9; John 14:16-20; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 3:8; Phil. 1:19; Rom. 10:6-10, 12-13; 8:11, 16

In this chapter we want to see the availability of Christ. Christ is so available and ready for us to enjoy Him at any time and in any place. The chorus of hymn #539 in our hymnal says:

O Lord, Thou art the Spirit!
How dear and near to me!
How I admire Thy marvelous
Availability!

THE PROCESSED TRIUNE GOD EMBODIED IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

I appreciate stanza 3, which says that a buried grain does not die but lives and grows. Life arises from death alone. How wonderful this is! Where are we today? We are on the cross. When we are on the cross, we are in the Spirit of resurrection. Galatians 2:20 says, "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me." The Christ who lives in me is the consummated, compound, all-inclusive, life-giving, indwelling, sevenfold intensified Spirit. This is what Hymns, #539 refers to:

O Lord, Thou art in me as life
And everything to me!
Subjective and available,
Thus I experience Thee.
O Lord, Thou art the Spirit!
How dear and near to me!

Many pastors, missionaries, theologians, and professors oppose us for teaching that, according to 1 Corinthians 15:45, Christ as the last Adam in the flesh became the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. Even two co-workers have opposed us in this matter. One of these co-workers, who eventually became an opponent, said that he did not believe that Christ the Son could become the life-giving Spirit. On one occasion this person told me that he believed that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit were three Gods. When I heard him say this, I told him that he was teaching the heresy of tritheism. I went on to point out that the Bible tells us that God is uniquely one. The other co-worker was troubled by three hymns I had written on Christ as the Spirit (Hymns, #493, 539, and 745). He admitted that the Bible does say that Christ became the life-giving Spirit, but then he warned me that if we preach this, Christianity will reject us. I said, "Brother, I came to this country with the burden to preach and teach this. Since you agree that it is according to the Bible to say that Christ became the life-giving Spirit, please give me the liberty to teach this truth."

After I came to the United States thirty-two years ago, I was filled with the burden to speak concerning Christ as the last Adam becoming a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45b). In 1963 I wrote some hymns in our hymnal which declare this truth (Hymns, #493, #539, #745).

We have spoken the truth concerning Christ being the Spirit in many messages. I am happy to hear the saints at the Lord's table praise the Lord for becoming the life-giving Spirit. This shows that we have received the spiritual education of this divine truth. In our hymnal, there are also a number of hymns which speak of Christ being the Spirit (Hymns, #490, 491, 493, 539).

Christ is in the believers as the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2a, 9b). He is the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45b). When I came to this country about thirty years ago, I began to tell people that Christ is the Spirit. There are a number of hymns we wrote in our hymnal concerning experiencing Christ as the Spirit (see Hymns, #493, #539). Brother Nee wrote some of these hymns, which stress that the very Christ, whom we experience today as the life that we live, is the Spirit (#490, #491, #492).

Among those hymns related to Christ, the ones I like the best are hymn #501, "O glorious Christ, Savior mine"; hymn #499, "Oh, what a life! Oh, what a peace!"; and hymn #539, "O Lord, Thou art in me as life and everything to me!" After singing these hymns, I am full of enjoyment, touching the Spirit and receiving the life supply. Where can you find this kind of hymn among Christians today?

English Hymns, #539 (Chinese Hymns, #400) has an additional stanza which is translated from Chinese:

6. O Lord, in all my being dwell;
Make home in all my heart.
From glory unto glory fill;
Transform my every part.

Christ had two becomings. As God He became flesh, and as flesh He became the life-giving Spirit. From 1933 until 1963 I had the burden to come to the United States particularly to tell the Christians here that the very Christ in whom they believe is the Spirit today. When we were compiling our hymnal in 1963, I could not find any collection of hymns in Christianity that included songs about Christ becoming the life-giving Spirit. Therefore, I decided to write some hymns on this matter. Today a number of our hymns written by Brother Nee and by me speak of the Lord being the Spirit (see Hymns, #489-493, 539). The chorus to Hymns, #539 says, "a Lord, Thou art the Spirit! / How dear and near to me! / How I admire Thy marvelous / Availability!" Another short chorus says,

Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit;
Now Christ is the Spirit today.
Now Christ is the life-giving Spirit;
So turn to your spirit and say—
O Lord, Amen,
O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!
O Lord, Amen,
O Lord, Amen, Hallelujah!

The chorus of #539 in Hymns says: "O Lord, Thou art the Spirit!/How dear and near to me!/How I admire Thy marvelous/Availability!" The Lord today is not only approachable but also available. If food is only approachable to us, this is not sufficient. The food has to be available for us to eat so that we can become one with the food. Approachability is not so good as availability. Today in God's New Testament economy, God is not only approachable but also available to us. The Lord said, "I am the bread of life...he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me" (John 6:35, 57). To eat is to take Him, the available One, as our food. He also said that we need to drink of Him as the living water (John 4:10, 14). In the book of John, all the items concerning Christ are not just approachable. All of them are available—good for us to enjoy, that is, good for us to eat and drink.