In a low dungeon, hope we had none

I am so glad to see this song preserved here. I wrote it during the week-long conference on the book of Romans. As a young Christian, in one meeting, I heard a word I was not familiar with: propitiation. So, I thought, let's make a song about these big words in Romans and their definitions: propitiation, redemption, justification, and salvation in God's life.

One question I still have, though. As I remember, I took this tune from Young Life meetings, but I cannot remember what it is. I see the tune is not credited here or on any other source. If anyone knows who wrote this tune, I'd love to know.

BACK TO THE TREE OF LIFE

Nevertheless, we need to see even more. Let us return to the first chapter of Genesis once again.

According to Genesis 1 , man was not only created by God but also for God and to God. Man was created to God that he might express God’s image and exercise God’s dominion for the building up of His kingdom. Man was created to God for such a high purpose. In Genesis 2 we see that God was represented by the tree of life, indicating that the man created to God should continually eat of this tree. Man needed to come to God, contact God, and have God transfused and infused into him. However, man failed to do this, going to the wrong source, the tree of knowledge. Thus, the man who was made to God turned away from God. This is the accurate meaning of the fall of man.

God appeared to call Abraham out of this fallen condition, meaning that God wanted to bring man back to Himself. When God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees, He did not tell him where to go, because God’s intention was to bring him back to Himself. Man had to return to God in order that God might transfuse Himself into him.

In calling Abraham out of Ur, God was bringing him back to the tree of life. The principle of the tree of life is dependence; the principle of the tree of knowledge is independence. To come to the tree of life means to depend upon God; to turn to the tree of knowledge means to forsake God. Every day and every hour we need to depend upon God as our life. We can never stay away from God as our life. Therefore, Abraham was brought back to God as the tree of life. When God appeared to him, that was also the appearing of the tree of life. As Abraham spent time in the presence of God, he enjoyed the tree of life. Every time this happened, God’s essence was transfused into him. In this way God trained Abraham to be totally transfused, infused, and permeated with God and no longer to act by himself. This was not an easy lesson for Abraham to learn.

We are undergoing the same training today. God has called us out of our fallen condition back to Himself as the tree of life. Now we are under His transfusion, infusion, and saturation. We must not do anything by ourselves. Our self must be terminated. The old man must be cut off and buried that God may be everything to us. Then we can say in reality, “It is no longer I, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God” ( Gal. 2:20 ). This is the life of Abraham. As Abraham’s descendants we are the same as he. We walk in his believing footsteps and are under God’s saturating work.

Life-study of Romans

Message 8 (LSM)

ISRAEL UNDER SLAVERY

Chapter one of Exodus is a detailed record of the activities of God’s people in their situation of death in Egypt. Forced to labor as slaves of Pharaoh, they were already in death and yet they were daily being killed. It may sound strange to say that the dead are being killed, but this is true in spiritual experience. Although the worldly people are already spiritually dead, they are continuously being killed. The situation among the worldly people today, like that among God’s people in Exodus 1 , is characterized by slavery and death. People are firstly enslaved by the world and then they are deadened and killed by it. People may think that human culture is progressing in a positive way, but in the eyes of God there is more slavery and death on earth today than ever before. Before we came to Christ and were saved, we also were enslaved and deadened. Furthermore, before we came into the church life in the Lord’s recovery, many of us continued to be enslaved and deadened, even after we had been saved. We all need to be on the alert lest we be enslaved and deadened once more.

The book of Genesis has a good beginning but ends with a poor situation, whereas Exodus begins with a poor situation but ends gloriously. We have pointed out that Genesis begins with God’s creation but ends with a dead man in a coffin in Egypt. Exodus, on the contrary, opens with a picture of God’s people being enslaved and in death, but concludes with the ark in the tabernacle that is filled with the glory of God. What a tremendous difference between the end of Genesis and the end of Exodus! Where do you prefer to be—in a coffin in Egypt or with the ark in the tabernacle that is filled with God’s glory?

LIFE-STUDY OF EXODUS

Message 2 (LSM)

Hallelujah sin is erased! God in us flowing, in our hearts growing, we are saved in His life! We are saved!!!!

He's alive in me

耶穌流寶血，成就平息；
不再有定罪，因信稱義。
我今歸與神，因救贖永定；
藉著耶穌基督，對神有了和平！

No condemnation, justification!
We have peace toward God!
Hallelujah! Thank you Lord for your blood!

We have peace toward God! Hallelujah!

We have peace toward God! Hallelujah! This song is so sweet! The enemy has been really attacking me lately, lying, saying that I don’t but praise God! We have peace toward God! Propitiation made by His blood! Jesus’ redemption bought us for God. No condemnation, JUSTIFICATION! We have peace toward God! We don’t have to do anything or try to believe because it’s already been done! Christ is our faith! Christ is our redeemer! Christ is our everything!

Now we’re rejoicing, standing in grace, Oh hallelujah! Sin is erased!

Enjoying this in Spokane! Amen!