Crystallization-Study of the Complete Salvation of God in Romans

By Witness Lee

CONTENTS

1. A General Sketch

2. Two Divine Transfers

3. One Spiritual, Practical, and Experiential Union

4. Reigning in Life (1)

5. Reigning in Life (2)

6. Reigning in Life (3)

PREFACE

This book is composed of messages given by Brother Witness Lee in Anaheim,

California on December 28-30, 1996 during the second half of the Winter
Training.

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE ONE

A GENERAL SKETCH

OUTLINE

I. The complete salvation of God in the book of Romans is carried out on and
brought into the believers of Christ by the power of God through His complete
gospelRom. 1:16, 1.

II. Such a complete salvation of God is composed of:

A. God's judicial redemption, accomplished by the death of Christ (5:10a),

including:

1. God's forgiveness of the believers' sins4:7.

2. God's justification of the believers3:24.

3. God's reconciliation of the believers to Himself5:11.

 B. God's organic salvation, carried out by Christ's life (5:10b), including:

1. RegenerationTitus 3:5.

2. SanctificationRom. 6:19, 22; 15:16.

3. Renewing12:2b.

4. Transformation12:2b.

5. Conformation8:29.

6. Glorification8:30.

III. This dynamic complete salvation of God is:

A. Taking the all-inclusive Christ of God as its centrality and universality

1:3.

B. Based upon God's righteousness (1:17a), which is Christ:

1. To cover the believers that they may be justified objectively

3:20-22.

2. And to be given to the believers as their righteousness

subjectively to become their living that they may be justified
before God subjectively4:24-25.

C. Through the believers' faith (1:17b; 10:8), which is Christ (Gal. 2:20b),
whom they appreciate and receive in their hearing of the gospel.

IV. God's judicial redemption is covered by the first four chapters of the book, and
God's organic salvation is covered by the last twelve chapters, from chapter five
to sixteen.

V. The burden of this crystallization-study on the complete salvation of God

in Romans can be summarized with the following four statements:

VI. 1. God's complete salvation is based upon His righteousness and through
our faith.
2. By the two divine transfers: out of Adam into Christ and out of the
flesh into the Spirit.
3. In the one spiritual union of the Spirit of life with our spirit, forming a
mingled spirit.
4. For us to reign in life by the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness.

VII. I hope that our entire being with our living will be occupied by these four
statements, which are actually one long sentence.
 VIII. I. CARRIED OUT ON AND BROUGHT INTO
THE BELIEVERS BY THE POWER OF GOD
IX. The complete salvation of God in the book of Romans is carried out on
and brought into the believers of Christ by the power of God through His
complete gospel (Rom. 1:16, 1). Power of God in Romans 1:16 denotes a
powerful force that can break through any obstacle. This power is the
resurrected Christ Himself, who is the life-giving Spirit, and it is unto
salvation to every one who believes.

X. The gospel of God, as the subject of Romans, concerns Christ as the Spirit
living within the believers after His resurrection. This is higher and more
subjective than what was presented in the Gospels, which concern Christ
only in the flesh as He lived among His disciples after His incarnation but
before His death and resurrection. This book, however, reveals that
Christ has resurrected and has become the life-giving Spirit (8:9-10). He
is no longer merely the Christ outside the believers, but He is now the
Christ within them. Hence, the gospel in this book is the gospel of the
One who is now indwelling His believers as their subjective Savior.

II. COMPOSED OF GOD'S JUDICIAL REDEMPTION

AND HIS ORGANIC SALVATION
Such a complete salvation of God is composed of God's judicial redemption and
His organic salvation. God's judicial redemption is the procedure of God's
complete salvation for the believers to participate in God's organic salvation as
the purpose of God's complete salvation. The procedure is judicial, and the
purpose is organic.

A. God's Judicial Redemption

God's judicial redemption, accomplished by the death of Christ (5:10a), includes
the following items.

1. God's Forgiveness of the Believers' Sins

Forgiveness of sins (4:7) is based on the redemption of Christ, which was
accomplished through His death (Acts 10:43; Eph. 1:7; 1 Cor. 15:3); it is the
initial and basic blessing of God's full salvation.

2. God's Justification of the Believers

Justification (Rom. 3:24) is God's action whereby He approves people according
to His standard of righteousness. God can do this on the basis of the redemption
of Christ.

3. God's Reconciliation of the Believers to Himself

Propitiation and forgiveness of sins are adequate for a sinner but not for an
enemy. An enemy needs reconciliation (5:11), which includes propitiation and
forgiveness but goes further, even to resolving the conflict between two parties.
Our being reconciled to God is based on Christ's redemption and was
accomplished through God's justification (Rom. 3:24; 2 Cor. 5:18-19).
Reconciliation is the result of being justified out of faith.

B. God's Organic Salvation

God's organic salvation is carried out by Christ's life (5:10b) and includes the
following items.

1. Regeneration
Regeneration in Titus 3:5 refers to a change from one state to another. Being
born again is the commencing of this change. The washing of regeneration
begins with our being born again and continues with the renewing of the Holy
Spirit as the process of God's new creation, a process that makes us a new man.
It is a kind of reconditioning, remaking, or remodeling, with life.

2. Sanctification
Sanctification (Rom. 6:19, 22; 15:16) involves not only a change in position; it
involves a transformation in disposition, that is, a transformation from the
natural disposition to a spiritual one by Christ as the life-giving Spirit saturating
all the inward parts of our being with God's nature of holiness.

3. Renewing
To be renewed (12:2b) means that a new element is wrought into our being. This
produces an inward metabolic transformation, making us suitable for the
building up of the Body of Christ.

4. Transformation
Transformation is the inward, metabolic process in which God works to spread
His divine life and nature throughout every part of our being, particularly our
soul, bringing Christ and His riches into our being as our new element and
causing our old, natural element to be gradually discharged.

5. Conformation
Conformation (8:29), the end result of transformation, includes the changing of
our inward essence and nature and also the changing of our outward form, that
we may match the glorified image of Christ, the God-man.

6. Glorification
Glorification (8:30) is the step in God's complete salvation in which God will
completely saturate our body of sin, which is of death and is mortal (6:6; 7:24;
8:11), with the glory of His life and nature according to the principle of His
regenerating our spirit through the Spirit. In this way He will transfigure our
body, conforming it to the resurrected, glorious body of His Son (Phil. 3:21).
This is the ultimate step in God's complete salvation, wherein God obtains a full
expression, which will ultimately be manifested in the New Jerusalem in the
coming age.

III. THE DYNAMIC COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD

A. Taking the All-inclusive Christ of God

as Its Centrality and Universality
Romans is full of Christ. Many expositions of Romans divide it into sections:
condemnation, justification, sanctification, selection, and Christian behavior.
But this way of exposition is not adequate. It is only by taking the all-inclusive
Christ as the center and circumference of the entire book that our exposition can
be thoroughly adequate. Christ is the centrality and universality of the entire
book of Romans.

B. Based upon God's Righteousness, Which Is Christ

God's complete salvation is based upon God's righteousness (Rom. 1:17a), which
is Christ. God's righteousness is a great matter because it is the power of God's
salvation. God's righteousness, which is solid and steadfast, is the foundation of
His throne (Psa. 89:14) and the base on which His kingdom is built (Rom.
14:17). If there were no righteousness, God Himself would be finished, the entire
universe would collapse, and we could not exist. The universe, including us,
exists based on the righteousness of God.

1. To Cover the Believers

That They May Be Justified Objectively
Christ covers the believers that they may be justified objectively (Rom. 3:20-22).
The best robe (Luke 15:22) put upon the prodigal son by the father signifies
Christ as the God-satisfying righteousness to cover the penitent sinner (Jer.
23:6; 1 Cor. 1:30; cf. Isa. 61:10; Zech. 3:4).

2. To Be Given to the Believers

as Their Righteousness Subjectively
Christ is given to the believers as their righteousness subjectively to become
their living that they may be justified before God subjectively (Rom. 4:24-25).
As the resurrected One, Christ is in us to live for us a life that can be justified by
God and that is always acceptable to God.

C. Through the Believers' Faith

God's righteousness is Christ, and the believers' faith (1:17b; 10:8) is also Christ
(Gal. 2:20b), whom they appreciate and receive in their hearing of the gospel.
The more we hear the gospel concerning Christ, the more we appreciate Him
and the more we receive Him. The more we say, "O Lord Jesus, I love You. I
appreciate You," the more He enters into us to be our faith. Faith has an object,
and it issues from its object. The object is Jesus, who is God incarnate. When
man hears Him, knows Him, appreciates Him, and treasures Him, He causes
faith to be generated in man, enabling man to believe in Him. Thus, He becomes
the faith in man by which man believes in Him. Hence, this faith becomes the
faith in Him, and it is also the faith that belongs to Him. We have no
righteousness or faith in ourselves. The righteousness of God is Christ, and the
faith in us is also Christ.

IV. THE CONTENT OF ROMANS

God's judicial redemption is covered by the first four chapters of the book of
Romans, and God's organic salvation is covered by the last twelve chapters,
from chapter five to sixteen. This organic salvation equals reigning in life by the
abundance of God's grace and by the abundance of God's gift of righteousness.

Romans 5:10 points out that God's full salvation revealed in this book consists of
two sections: one section is the redemption accomplished for us by Christ's
death, and the other section is the saving afforded us by Christ's life. The first
four chapters of this book discourse comprehensively regarding the redemption
accomplished by Christ's death, whereas the last twelve chapters speak in detail
concerning the salvation afforded by Christ's life. Before 5:11, Paul shows us that
we are saved because we have been redeemed, justified, and reconciled to God.
However, we have not yet been saved to the extent of being sanctified,
transformed, and conformed to the image of God's Son. Redemption,
justification, and reconciliation, which are accomplished outside of us by the
death of Christ, redeem us objectively. Objective redemption redeems us
positionally from condemnation and eternal punishment; subjective salvation
saves us dispositionally from our old man, our self, and our natural life.

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE TWO

TWO DIVINE TRANSFERS

OUTLINE

I. The factual and positional transferRom. 6:3-8:

A. Out of Adam through Christ's death.

B. Into Christ through His resurrection.

C. In Adam we inherited:

1. Sin that constitutes us sinners5:12a, 19a.

 2. Death that on the one hand, weakens us, disabling us to do
things pleasing God, and on the other hand, reigns over us
5:12b, 14a, 17a.

3. Condemnation under the law unto death5:16a.

D. In Christ we have been gifted with:

1. Righteousness5:17b.

2. Life5:17b.

3. Justification under grace unto life, in which we reign with grace

over all things5:17b, 18b, 21.

II. The practical and experiential transfer:

A. Out of the flesh (the practical and experiential Adam) through our being
crucified with Christ7:1-6.

B. Into the Spirit (the practical and experiential Christ) through our union
with the Spirit8:16a.

C. By:

1. Setting our mind not on the flesh but on the mingled spirit unto
life and peace8:5-6.

2. Walking and having our being not according to the flesh but
according to the mingled spirit unto the fulfillment of the
righteous requirement of the law8:4.

3. Reigning in life with grace over all things unto eternal life5:17b,
21.

I. THE FACTUAL AND POSITIONAL TRANSFER

God's organic salvation is fully revealed in the book of Romans. To carry out
God's organic salvation there is the need of two divine transfers and one
spiritual union. The first transfer is out of Adam into Christ and is factual and
positional (Rom. 6:3-8). The second transfer is out of the flesh into the Spirit of
life and is practical and experiential (7:1-6; 8:16a). The flesh is the practical,
experiential Adam. We are transferred out of the flesh into the Spirit, who is the
practical and experiential Christ. The way to carry out our union with the Spirit
is to set our mind not on the flesh but on the mingled spirit unto life and peace
(8:6) and to learn to walk and to have our being not according to the flesh but
according to the mingled spirit (v. 4). By ourselves in our flesh there is no
possibility for us to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law. They can be
fulfilled only by our walking and living according to the mingled spirit. The
result of setting our mind on the mingled spirit and walking according to the
mingled spirit is our reigning in life with grace over all things unto eternal life
(5:17b, 21).

The two divine transfers cover four chapters of the book of Romans which may
be regarded as the kernel of the New Testament. Chapter five may be entitled
"In Adam"; chapter six, "In Christ"; chapter seven, "In the Flesh"; and chapter
eight, "In the Spirit." The first transfer is objective, factual, and positional. The
second is subjective, practical, and experiential.

In Adam we inherited the nature of Satan as sin, constituting us sinners in

essence and element. We also inherited death, which on the one hand, made us
passive, weak, and impotent with respect to the things of God, and on the other
hand, reigned first in our spirit, then through our soul, and eventually over our
body. Furthermore, in sin and death, we became subject to the condemnation of
the righteous law of God. As believers, we have been baptized into Christ and
also into His death, a death that took us out of Adam. In addition, we were
regenerated at the time of Christ's resurrection, and in that rebirth, through His
resurrection, we were transferred into Christ.

God has made Christ righteousness to us (1 Cor. 1:30). Because of this, God
considers us as righteous as Christ. In Christ we have righteousness as a gift,
and we have been approved by God according to His standard of righteousness.
In Christ we also have been given God as our life. What a wonder that God the
Father and we have the same life! When we call God Father, we are expressing
our organic relationship with Him in life.

According to Romans 5:18, justification is unto life. The goal of being justified is
to have life and reign in life. We are saved in life to the extent that the life that
saves us enthrones us as kings. Through righteousness and under grace we reign
in life over everything. By being in Christ, we are justified unto life, that under
grace and through righteousness we can be kings. What a glory to the Lord and
what a shame to the enemy that people such as we can reign in life.

II. THE PRACTICAL AND EXPERIENTIAL TRANSFER

The Spirit today is Christ in application, Christ coming to us for our experience.
Practically speaking, only when we are in the Spirit are we in the reality of the
divine transfer. Our daily living depends almost entirely on where we are.
"Where art thou?" (Gen. 3:9) was the first question God addressed to the human
race, and today He is still asking this same question. Paul's desire was to be
found in Christ as a realm (Phil. 3:9). Our need is not to behave in a certain way
but to be found in Christ by being found in the Spirit through our union with the
Spirit.

Our spirit deep within is one with the consummated Spirit of the processed and
consummated Triune God. The all-inclusive Spirit, who includes the Father, the
Son, and the Spirit, is in us and is mingled with our spirit. Our spirit is joined to
the Lord as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), and His Spirit witnesses together with our
spirit that we are children of God (Rom. 8:16), that we may live together, exist
together, work together, and speak together as one spirit. To be one spirit with
the Lord is to be in the reality of the divine transfer.

Romans 8:5-6 shows a miniature Garden of Eden, with the flesh and death on
one side, the spirit and life on the other side, and the mind in the middle. What
realm we are in depends on where we set our mind. When our mind is set on the
spirit, our mind is full of life. We also have peace because there is no discord
between our outward behavior and our inner being. Then when we speak, life is
embodied in our words because we are one with the Lord.

The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in those who walk according to
the mingled spirit (v. 4). If we try to be a Christian, we are in the flesh. That is
the old man trying to keep the law. Being a Christian is a living out of the life of
God by walking according to the mingled spirit within. If we would see this
vision, give up our effort, and simply be in the spirit, another One will live in us.
The Spirit always acts according to the righteous requirements of God's law.

We reign in life with grace over all things unto eternal life (5:17b, 21).
Righteousness gives us the ground to claim God as our grace. We may say,
"Lord, You cannot withhold Yourself from me as grace, because I stand on the
ground of my justification. You have given Christ to me as my righteousness as a
gift, and I stand on this position. Lord, give Yourself to me as grace for my
enjoyment." Grace means that we cannot do what God requires, but the Triune
God can do it. We cannot be what we should be, but there is One living in us, the
consummated Spirit as grace, who can be. We have an abundance of grace, and
in this grace we reign unto eternal life.

Romans 5:21 speaks of reigning through righteousness unto eternal life. Unto
eternal life is a particular expression. John 4:14 says, "But whoever drinks of the
water that I will give him shall by no means thirst forever; but the water that I
will give him will become in him a fountain of water gushing up into eternal
life." Into eternal life actually means "into the New Jerusalem" because the New
Jerusalem is the totality of eternal life. Just as a person's being is the totality of
his life, the New Jerusalem is the totality of the life of God. The consummation
of the gushing living water that we drink will be the New Jerusalem as the
totality of the eternal life. For grace to reign unto eternal life means that we are
now enthroned as kings and we are reigning in life over all things unto an issue,
a consummation. The issue of our present reigning in life will be the New
Jerusalem as the universal incorporation of God and man. Revelation 22:5 says,
"And they will reign forever and ever." That reigning is an issue, a glorious,
eternal, corporate consummation of our present reigning in life through the
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness unto eternal life.
 CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE THREE

ONE SPIRITUAL, PRACTICAL,

AND EXPERIENTIAL UNION

OUTLINE

I. Of the Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (the pneumatic Christ),
and the Spirit of resurrection indwelling our spiritRom. 8:2, 9-11:

A. To free us from the law of sin and death, releasing us from the lusts of
the flesh by the law of life8:2; 7:17-25.

B. To give life to our mortal bodies and to put to death the practices of the
body8:11b, 13b.

II. With our spirit, the regenerated spirit of the believers in Christ indwelt by the
Spirit8:16a, 11b:

A. To witness that we are children of God, even heirs of God and joint heirs
with Christ, possessing the spirit of sonship to cry, "Abba, Father"8:16-
17a, 15.

B. To pray with groanings by the interceding Spirit8:26.

III. Forming a mingled spirit8:4-5:

A. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit1 Cor. 6:17.

B. By the mutual abiding of the Spirit with our spiritRom. 8:11b; 1 John
3:24.

I. OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE

The one spiritual, practical, and experiential union is of the Spirit of life, the
Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (the pneumatic Christ), and the Spirit of
resurrection indwelling our spirit (Rom. 8:2, 9-11), with our spirit, the
regenerated spirit of the believers. The Spirit and life are mentioned in Romans
8:2, but only in connection with the working of the law of the Spirit of life. Life
is the content and issue of the Spirit, and the Spirit is the ultimate and
consummate manifestation of the Triune God after His being processed through
incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection and becoming the indwelling, life-
giving Spirit, who is life to all the believers in Christ. The law that has freed us
from the law of sin, which is of Satan, who dwells in the members of our fallen
body (Rom. 7:23, 17), is of this Spirit of life. It is this law, not God nor the Spirit,
that works in us to deliver us from the working of the law of sin in our flesh and
to enable us to know God and gain God and thereby live Him out. This law of
the Spirit of life is the spontaneous power of the Spirit of life. Such a
spontaneous law works automatically under the condition that fulfills its
requirements (see note 2 on Rom. 8:4). Both Satan and God, after entering into
our being and dwelling in us, work within us not by outward, objective activities
but by inward, subjective laws. The working of the law of the Spirit of life is the
working of the processed Triune God in our spirit; this is also the working of the
Triune God in us in His life.

The Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ are not two Spirits but one. Paul used
these titles interchangeably, indicating that the indwelling Spirit of life in 8:2 is
the all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the entire Triune God. God, the Spirit, and
Christthe three of the Godheadare all mentioned in verse 9. However, there
are not three in us; there is only one, the triune Spirit of the Triune God (John
4:24; 2 Cor. 3:17; Rom. 8:11). The Spirit of God implies that this Spirit is of the
One who was from eternity past, who created the universe and is the origin of all
things. The Spirit of Christ implies that this Spirit is the embodiment and reality
of Christ, the incarnated One. This is the Spirit of Christ in resurrection, that is,
Christ Himself dwelling in our spirit (v. 10) to impart Himself, the embodiment
of the processed Triune God, into us as resurrection life and power to deal with
the death that is in our nature (v. 2). Thus, we may live today in Christ's
resurrection, in Christ Himself, by living in the mingled spirit.

We must put to death the practices of the body, but we must do it by the Spirit
(v. 13). On the one hand, we must take the initiative to put to death the practices
of the body; the Spirit does not do it for us. On the other hand, we should not
attempt to deal with our body by relying on our own effort without the power of
the Holy Spirit. Inwardly, we must allow Him to make His home in us that He
may give life to our mortal body (v. 11). Outwardly, we must put to death the
practices of our body that we may live. When we take the initiative to put to
death the practices of our body, the Spirit comes in to apply the effectiveness of
Christ's death to those practices, thus killing them.

II. WITH OUR SPIRIT

God's organic salvation is carried out by the two divine transfers, out of Adam
into Christ and out of the flesh into the Spirit, in one spiritual union. This is for
us to reign in life with grace over all things unto eternal life. All the things
mentioned in Romans 5 through 16 are under the reigning in life, and the
totality, the aggregate, of the eternal life is the New Jerusalem. The New
Jerusalem is the divine and human constitution, which is just Christ as the Son
of Man. Since the Son has been incorporated with us, we and the Son become
the incorporation, the uplifted standing stairway, the ladder that joins earth to
heaven and brings heaven to earth.
The one spiritual, practical, and experiential union is of the Spirit with our
spirit, the regenerated spirit of the believers in Christ indwelt by the Spirit
(Rom. 8:16a, 11b). The two spirits are united together to be in one union. It is
not only that the Spirit witnesses and our spirit witnesses also. Rather, it is that
the Spirit witnesses with our spirit. This indicates that our spirit must take the
initiative to witness first; then the Spirit will witness with our spirit. This reveals
that the Spirit of God today, the all-inclusive Spirit of the Triune God, dwells in
our regenerated human spirit and works in our spirit. These two spirits are one;
they live together, work together, and exist together as one mingled spirit.

The Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are the children of God and the heirs
of God. This means that we will inherit God. We are the joint heirs with Christ
and possess the spirit of sonship to cry, "Abba, Father" (vv. 16-17a, 15). Abba is
an Aramaic word that means "father," and Father is the translation of the Greek
word Pater. Such a term was used first by the Lord Jesus in Gethsemane while
He was praying to the Father (Mark 14:36). The combining of the Aramaic title
with the Greek title expresses a stronger affection in crying to the Father. Such
an affectionate cry implies an intimate relationship in life between a genuine
son and a begetting father. After being regenerated, we are no longer merely
God's creatures; we are His children. Because we have now been born of God
and are related to Him in life, it is very normal and sweet for us to call Him
Father. When we cry, "Abba, Father," there is the witnessing of the Spirit. Such
a witnessing testifies to us and assures us that we are the children of God, who
possess His life; it also limits us and restricts us to a living and walk that are
according to this life, in keeping with our being children of God. The Spirit
witnesses to our most basic and elementary relationship with God, namely, that
we are His children. Therefore, this witnessing of the Spirit begins from the time
of our spiritual birth, our regeneration.

The Spirit of life and our regenerated spirit become one in one spiritual union.
We then pray with groanings by the interceding Spirit (Rom. 8:26). We do not
know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit is with us in like manner and helps
us in our weakness. The weakness here is our ignorance of how we should pray.
We do not know the kind of prayer God desires, and we are not clear how to
pray, according to the burden we feel, for our being conformed to the image of
God's Son; hence, we groan (v. 23). In our groaning the Spirit groans also,
interceding for us. His interceding is mainly that we may experience the
transformation in life for growth into the maturity of sonship that we may be
fully conformed to the image of God's Son (v. 29).

III. FORMING A MINGLED SPIRIT

God's complete salvation is in one spiritual, practical, and experiential union of
the Spirit of life with our spirit, forming a mingled spirit. The practical union is
by the two divine transfers in one spiritual union for us to reign in life by
enjoying the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. This union is of
the Spirit of life, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ (the pneumatic Christ),
and the Spirit of resurrection indwelling our spirit. The one spiritual union is
with our spirit, the regenerated spirit of the believers in Christ indwelt by the
Spirit, forming a mingled spirit. The two spirits are not only united to be a
union; they are also mingled to be a mingled spirit.

The Spirit of life is the Spirit of Christ, and Christ corresponds with the law of
God. This Spirit within us spontaneously fulfills all the righteous requirements
of the law through us when we walk according to Him. The requirements that
we must fulfill in order that the law of the Spirit of life (which has already been
installed in us) may work are: (1) to walk according to the spirit (v. 4); (2) to
mind the things of the Spirit to set the mind on the spirit (vv. 5-6); (3) to put
to death by the Spirit the practices of the body (v. 13); (4) to be led by the Spirit
as sons of God (v. 14); (5) to cry to the Father in the spirit of sonship (v. 15); (6)
to witness that we are the children of God (v. 16); and (7) to groan for the full
sonship, the redemption of our body (v. 23).

It is difficult to discern the word spirit used in Romans 8, in Galatians 5, and in

other places in the New Testament, unless it is clearly designated to denote
God's Holy Spirit or our regenerated human spirit, as in Romans 8:9 and 16.
According to the usage in the New Testament, the word spirit as used in
Romans 8:4 denotes our regenerated human spirit indwelt by and mingled with
the Spirit, who is the consummation of the Triune God (v. 9). This corresponds
with 1 Corinthians 6:17, "He who is joined to the Lord [who is the Spirit2 Cor.
3:17; 1 Cor. 15:45] is one spirit"one mingled spirit.

Being joined to the Lord refers to the believers' organic union with the Lord
through believing into Him (John 3:15-16). This union is illustrated by that of
the branches with the vine (John 15:4-5). It is a matter not only of life but in life
(the divine life). Such a union with the resurrected Lord can only be in our
spirit. One spirit in 1 Corinthians 6:17 indicates the mingling of the Lord as the
Spirit with our spirit. Our spirit has been regenerated by the Spirit of God (John
3:6), who is now in us (1 Cor. 6:19) and is one with our spirit (Rom. 8:16). This
is the realization of the Lord, who became the life-giving Spirit through
resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45; 2 Cor. 3:17) and who is now with our spirit (2 Tim.
4:22). This mingled spirit is often referred to in Paul's Epistles, as in Romans
8:4-6.

It is by the all-inclusive compound life-giving Spirit (see note 4 in Phil. 1:19) that
we are born of God, we receive the divine life as the divine seed in us, we have
the fellowship of the divine life, we are anointed with the Triune God, and we
abide in the Lord. This wonderful Spirit is given to us as the promised blessing
of the New Testament (Gal. 3:14); He is given without measure by the Christ
who is above all, who inherits all, and who is to be increased universally (John
3:31-35, 29a). This Spirit and the eternal life (John 3:15) are the basic elements
by which we live the life that abides in the Lord continuously. Hence, it is by this
Spirit, who witnesses assuringly with our spirit, that we are the children of God
(Rom. 8:16) and that we know that the Lord of all abides in us (1 John 4:13). It
is through this Spirit that we are joined to the Lord as one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17),
and it is by this Spirit that we enjoy the riches of the Triune God (2 Cor. 13:14).

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE FOUR

REIGNING IN LIFE

(1)

OUTLINE

I. In the spiritual, practical, and experiential unionRom. 8:16a.

II. By the mingled spirit8:11b.

III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness
5:17b:

A. In being sanctified in the Spirit6:19, 22; 15:16.

B. In being renewed by the mingled spirit in our mind12:2b; Eph. 4:23.

C. In being transformed12:2b:

1. To the image of Christ from glory to glory2 Cor. 3:18a.

2. By the Lord Spirit2 Cor. 3:18b.

D. In being conformed8:26-29:

1. To the image of God's firstborn Sonv. 29b.

2. Through the Spirit's intercedingvv. 26-27.

3. That all things may work together for the conformation of those
who love Godv. 28.

E. In being glorified8:30:

1. To be redeemed in our body8:23c.

2. To participate in our divine sonship ultimately8:23b.

3. Through the sealing of the indwelling SpiritEph. 4:30.

 F. In more than conquering the environmental hardships and sufferings
8:31-39:

1. By having God being for us, who did not spare His own Son, who
gives us freely all things with Him, and who has chosen us and
justified usvv. 31-33.

2. By having Christ who died for us, who was raised, and who is
sitting at the right hand of God interceding for usv. 34.

3. By being captivated by the love of Christ and by the love of God

in Christ from which we are inseparablevv. 35-39.

4. By being faithful to Christ and God unto deathv. 38.

G. In gaining the righteousness of God which is the subjective Christ9:18-

33; Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30:

1. Out of faith to faith1:17a.

2. According to His mercy in order to make known the riches of His

glory upon vessels of mercy9:18-23.

H. In enjoying the riches of God10:12-15:

1. By calling on the name of the Lordv. 13.

2. By believing in the Lord's wordv. 14.

3. By announcing the glad tidingsv. 15.

I. In living a grafted life11:17-24; Gal. 2:20a:

(Not living an exchanged life: the good life replaces the bad one, and the
bad one becomes functionless.)

1. Being the branches of the wild olive treevv. 17, 24.

2. Grafted into Christ, the cultivated olive tree, who is one with
Israelv. 24; Psa. 80:15-17; Matt. 2:15.

3. Standing by faith to partake of the root (which bears usv. 18) of

fatness of the olive treevv. 20, 17.

4. We, as the grafted branches, and Christ, as the cultivated olive

tree, live together one mingled life in one mingled living.

I. IN THE SPIRITUAL, PRACTICAL,

AND EXPERIENTIAL UNION
We reign in life in the spiritual, practical, and experiential union. Romans 8:16a
says, "The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit." The Spirit of God today, the
all-inclusive Spirit of the Triune God, dwells in our regenerated human spirit
and works in our spirit. These two spirits are one; they live together, work
together, and exist together as one mingled spirit.

II. BY THE MINGLED SPIRIT

We reign in life by the mingled spirit. Romans 8:11b says, "He who raised Christ
Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit
who indwells you."

III. THROUGH THE ABUNDANCE OF GRACE

AND THE ABUNDANCE OF THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
We reign in life in the spiritual, practical, and experiential union by the mingled
spirit through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of
righteousness, with which God has gifted us (5:17b). Grace is for us to
experience God's organic salvation, whereas the gift of righteousness is for God's
judicial redemption.

The outline which begins in this message presents cases from Romans 6 through
16 to show that if we reign in life, we are in all the matters presented in chapters
six through sixteen.

A. In Being Sanctified
We reign in life in being sanctified in the Spirit (6:19, 22; 15:16). To be in
sanctification requires us to reign in life.

B. In Being Renewed
We reign in life in being renewed by the mingled spirit in our mind (12:2b; Eph.
4:23).

C. In Being Transformed
We reign in life in being transformed to the image of Christ from glory to glory
by the Lord Spirit (Rom. 12:2b; 2 Cor. 3:18).

D. In Being Conformed
We reign in life in being conformed to the image of God's firstborn Son through
the Spirit's interceding that all things may work together for the conformation of
those who love God (Rom. 8:26-29).

E. In Being Glorified
We reign in life in being glorified (v. 30) to be redeemed in our body (v. 23c) to
participate in our divine sonship ultimately (v. 23b) through the sealing of the
indwelling Spirit (Eph. 4:30).

F. In More Than Conquering

When we reign in life, we more than conquer the environmental hardships and
sufferings by having God being for us, who did not spare His own Son, who
gives us freely all things with Him, and who has chosen us and justified us
(Rom. 8:31-33); by having Christ who died for us, who was raised, and who is
sitting at the right hand of God interceding for us (v. 34); by being captivated by
the love of Christ and by the love of God in Christ from which we are inseparable
(vv. 35-39); and by being faithful to Christ and God unto death (v. 38).

G. In Gaining the Righteousness of God

When we receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness to reign
in life, we gain the righteousness of God which is the subjective Christ (9:18-33;
Phil. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:30). This righteousness is gained out of faith to faith (Rom.
1:17a) according to His mercy in order to make known the riches of His glory
upon vessels of mercy (9:18-23).

H. In Enjoying the Riches of God

When we reign in life, we enjoy the riches of God (10:12-15) by calling on the
name of the Lord (v. 13), by believing in the Lord's word (v. 14), and by
announcing the glad tidings (v. 15). It is only when we reign in life that we can
call on the Lord properly.

I. In Living a Grafted Life

We reign in life in living a grafted life (11:17-24; Gal. 2:20a). This is not an
exchanged life, with the good life replacing the bad one and the bad one
becoming functionless, but this is a grafted life. We are branches of the wild
olive tree (Rom. 11:17, 24) that were grafted into Christ, the cultivated olive tree,
who is one with Israel (v. 24; Psa. 80:15-17; Matt. 2:15). We stand by faith to
partake of the root (which bears us, Rom. 11:18) of fatness of the olive tree (vv.
20, 17). Furthermore, we, as the grafted branches, and Christ, as the cultivated
olive tree, live together one mingled life in one mingled living.

Reigning in life is the full experience of the organic salvation of God. God's
complete salvation is through our receiving grace and righteousness, and this
complete salvation issues in our reigning in life as the goal of His complete
salvation. Reigning in life in chapter five is the key to open up the rest of the
book. We need to see everything in Romans chapters six through sixteen in this
light. This is altogether a new way to interpret the book of Romans.

When we are reigning in life, we are in all the matters presented in Romans six
through sixteen. When we are reigning in life, we are being soaked and
saturated with the holy nature of God for sanctification in our disposition, and
our mingled spirit spreads into our mind to renew our mind. When we are
reigning in life, we can be conformed to the image of God's firstborn Son and
glorified through the sealing of the indwelling Spirit throughout our entire life.
When we are reigning in life, we more than conquer the environmental
hardships and sufferings, even being faithful to Christ and to God unto death.
We also gain the righteousness of God, which is the subjective Christ, and we
enjoy the riches of God. It is when we receive the abundance of grace and of the
gift of righteousness to reign in life that we call on the Lord in a proper way.
When we are reigning in life, we live a grafted life with Christ. If we do not reign
in life, we cannot participate in these processes, but if we reign in life, we can be
in all these things, and we can be constituted Christ's overcoming bride for His
satisfaction, pleasure, and delight.

RYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE FIVE

REIGNING IN LIFE

(2)

OUTLINE

III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness
Rom. 5:17b:

J. In living the Body lifechs. 1213:

1. Being captivated by the compassions of God12:1a.

2. Presenting our bodies a living sacrifice12:1b:

a. Holy.

b. Well pleasing to God, our reasonable service.

3. Not being fashioned according to this age12:2a.

4. Being transformed by the renewing of the mind12:2b.

5. Proving what the will of God is, that which is:

a. Good.

b. Well pleasing.

c. Perfect12:2c.

6. Not thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think

12:3a.

7. Thinking so as to be sober-minded, as God has apportioned to

each a measure of faith12:3b.
 8. Considering that we have many members in one body and all the
members do not have the same function12:4.

9. Realizing that we who are many are one Body in Christ and
individually members one of another, having gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us12:5-8:

a. Prophesying as prophets according to the proportion of

faithv. 6.

b. Serving as deacons and deaconesses faithfully in their

particular servicev. 7a.

c. Teaching as teachers faithfully in teachingv. 7b.

d. Exhorting as one who exhorts faithfully in exhortationv.

8a.

e. Giving as givers in simplicityv. 8b.

f. Leading as leaders in diligencev. 8c.

g. Showing mercy as one who shows mercy in cheerfulness

v. 8d.

10. Living a life of the highest virtues12:9-21:

a. Loving people without hypocrisyv. 9a.

b. Abhorring what is evil and clinging to what is goodv.

9b.

c. Loving one another warmly in brotherly lovev. 10a.

d. Taking the lead in showing honor one to anotherv. 10b.

e. Not being slothful in zealv. 11a.

f. Being burning in spirit, serving the Lordv. 11b.

g. Rejoicing in hopev. 12a.

h. Enduring in tribulationv. 12b.

i. Persevering in prayerv. 12c.

j. Contributing to the needs of the saintsv. 13a.

k. Pursuing hospitalityv. 13b.

l. Blessing those who persecute us; blessing only and not

cursingv. 14.
 m. Rejoicing with those who rejoice; weeping with those who
weepv. 15.

n. Being of the same mind toward one anotherv. 16a.

o. Not setting our mind on the high things but going along
with the lowlyv. 16b.

p. Not being wise in ourselvesv. 16c.

q. Repaying no one evil for evilv. 17a.

r. Taking forethought for things honorable in the sight of all

menv. 17b.

s. If possible, as far as it depends on us, living in peace with

all menv. 18.

t. Not avenging ourselves, but giving place to the wrath of

God; for vengeance is God's, He will repayv. 19.

u. Feeding our enemy in hunger and giving him a drink in

thirst; for in doing this we will heap coals of fire upon his
headv. 20.

v. Not being conquered by evil, but conquering evil with

goodv. 21.

11. Being subject to authorities13:1-7:

a. Recognizing God's sovereignty over all the authorities

vv. 1-6.

b. Rendering to all the things due: tax to whom tax is due,

custom to whom custom is due, fear to whom fear is due,
and honor to whom honor is duev. 7.

12. Owing nothing to anyone except to love one another; loving our
neighbor as ourselves13:8-10.

13. Living a watchful life in the day13:11-14:

a. Being raised from sleepvv. 11-12a.

b. Casting off the works of darkness and putting on the

weapons of lightv. 12b.

c. Walking becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and

drunkenness, not in fornication and licentiousness, not in
strife and jealousyv. 13.

d. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision

for the flesh to fulfill its lustsv. 14.
 J. In Living the Body Life
All the items mentioned in Romans 12 through 13 are for the living of the Body
life. Each item requires us to be ruled by the divine life. All these items are small
things, yet they can be done by us only when we are ruled by the divine life.

To present our bodies a living sacrifice (12:1) is a matter of reigning in life.

Without reigning in life, no one can present his body a living sacrifice. When we
reign in life, we are not being fashioned according to this age but are being
transformed by the renewing of the mind, proving what the will of God is (v. 2).

When we are controlled by the divine life, we surely will think so as to be sober-
minded, as God has apportioned to each a measure of faith (v. 3b). Our thinking
about ourselves is like a wild horse. But by reigning in life our thinking is
bridled.

Often the deacons or deaconesses may not take their proper position. This
means they are not ruled by the divine life. When they are ruled by the divine
life, they will serve faithfully in their particular service (v. 7a).

As we are under the ruling of the divine life, we are able to teach, exhort, give in
simplicity, lead in diligence, and show mercy in cheerfulness (vv. 7b-8).
Likewise, when we are a person under the ruling of the divine life, we will take
the lead in showing honor one to another (v. 10b).

Romans 12:9-21 is a section on living a life of the highest virtues for the Body
life. We must realize that in ourselves we could never practice these virtues. We
can have such a living for the Body life only by reigning in life. If we check our
church life, we will find that we are short in nearly every point. Romans 12:15
says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep." When others
are rejoicing, we may be jealous, and when others are weeping, we may despise
them. To rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep are
impossible except when we are under the ruling of the divine life. Our natural
life cannot make it; but by living a life under the ruling of the divine life, we are
able to live the Body life with these virtues. To see the Body life built up as a
practical reality, we must reign in life, and to reign in life in practice is to be
under the ruling of the divine life.

God's will is to have the Body life. Romans 13 presents some additional aspects
of the life of one who is living in the Body life. As we have seen, we cannot have
this kind of living in ourselves. Only by living under the ruling of the divine life
can we be this kind of people. We must be subject to all authorities, realizing
that they have been established under the sovereign arrangement of God.
Furthermore, we must owe nothing to anyone except to love one another, loving
our neighbor as ourselves. Finally, we must live a watchful life "in the day" (v.
13). One effect of our reigning in life is that we are awakened, made alert, made
watchful, and not lulled to sleep by this age. We must be those who make no
provision for the flesh to fulfill its lusts, but rather are awake as in the day,
putting on the Lord Jesus Christ as our second garment (Psa. 45:13-14) to live
Him as our subjective righteousness and to magnify Him.

God's complete salvation is for us to reign in life by the abundance of grace (God
Himself as our all-sufficient supply for our organic salvation) and of the gift of
righteousness (God's judicial redemption applied to us in a practical way).
When we are all reigning in life, living under the ruling of the divine life, the
issue is the real and practical Body life.

CRYSTALLIZATION-STUDY
OF THE COMPLETE SALVATION OF GOD
IN ROMANS

MESSAGE SIX

REIGNING IN LIFE

(3)

OUTLINE

III. Through the abundance of grace and the abundance of the gift of righteousness
Rom. 5:17b:

K. In living the church life14:115:13:

1. Receiving the believers under the reigning in life.

2. According to God's receiving14:1-23:

a. Receiving the weak one, not for judgment on his doctrinal

considerations concerning eating and keeping of days
vv. 1-6.

b. By living to the Lord and caring for standing before the

judgment seat of God, without judging one another and
despising others, nor putting a stumbling block or cause
of falling before a brother by not walking according to
lovevv. 7-16, 20-23.

c. Living the kingdom life not for eating and drinking, but
for righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,
pursuing peace and the building up of one anothervv.
17-19.

3. According to Christ's receiving15:1-13:

 a. The strong ones needing to bear the weaknesses of those
who are weak; not pleasing ourselves but pleasing our
neighbor for his building up as Christ didvv. 1-4.

b. That the God of endurance and encouragement may grant

us to be of the same mind toward one another according
to Christ Jesus so that with one accord we may glorify
God in receiving one another as Christ also received us to
the glory of Godvv. 5-7.

c. Who (Christ) became the minister of both the

circumcision and the Gentiles that the God of hope may
fill us with all joy and peace for us to abound in hope in
the power of the Holy Spiritvv. 8-13.

L. In the apostle Paul's setting up a pattern of living the church life for the
living of the Body life15:1416:27:

1. Preaching the gospel to raise up the local churches in the Gentile

world through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, in the power
of signs and wonders, and in the power of the Spirit of God
15:14-24:

a. From Jerusalem to Asia Minorv. 19a.

b. From Asia Minor to eastern Europe (Illyricum)vv. 19b-

23a.

c. Intending to go to Spain through Romevv. 23b-24.

2. Bringing the Gentile churches into the fellowship of the Body of

Christ with the Jewish churches in the communication of the
provision of the Gentile churches to meet the necessity of the
Jewish churches15:25-33.

3. Blending together many saints and many local churches under

his ministry for the practical living of the Body of Christ in the
universal fellowship of the Body by recommendations and
greetings between the saints and the churches mutually through
him16:1-16, 21-24.

4. Being very strict with the divisive and dissenting ones who make
divisions, without compromise or yielding16:17-19 and note
172.

5. Affording the God of peace a situation in which He will crush

Satan under the feet of the churches by the saints' enjoyment of
the grace of Christ in the blending and the universal fellowship of
the Body16:20.

6. Carrying out, based upon the righteousness of God and through

man's obedience of faith (1:17), the mystery kept in silence in the
times of the ages, concerning the complete salvation of God in
the preaching of the complete gospel of God (1:1), in the
 fulfillment of the eternal economy of God for the glory to the only
wise God through Jesus Christ16:25-27.

Note: In the conclusion of this book, the glory to the

consummated God indicates that the consummated God is
glorified in the humanity of the glorified church under its
reigning in life in the fulfillment of the eternal economy of God in
carrying out His mystery hidden in the ages.

K. In Living the Church Life

To reign in life is to be under the ruling of the divine life. If we look at the life of
the Lord Jesus as the God-man in His humanity on the earth, He was absolutely
under the ruling of the divine life of the Father. Everything He did was under
the Father's ruling. As a man, He rejected His natural humanity and lived a
human life under the restriction of the divine life of His heavenly Father. By
practically being under the ruling of the divine life of the Father, He was
reigning in life. This is the pattern we should follow.

By living under the rule of the divine life, by reigning in life, we can live the
church life. There is no possibility for us to live the church life if we are not
under the ruling and control of the divine life. We must reign in life to live the
church life.

Romans 14:115:13 covers our reigning in life in the church life. The reason why
there are so many divisions among Christians today is that their receiving of the
believers is not under the restriction, the control, of the divine life. If all
Christians would receive one another according to the divine life, all divisions
would be gone. Only by reigning in life can we receive all whom God has
received.

We must receive the believers according to God's receiving (14:1-23). God is our
example as to how we should receive one another. In writing this chapter, Paul's
heart was tolerant, his attitude was broad, and his view was noble. In order to
practice the church life that he introduced in chapter twelve, we must strictly
observe the matters set forth in chapter fourteen. Many saints who love the Lord
and seek to live the church life have failed because they were either negligent or
mistaken in this matter. In order to practice the church life revealed in chapter
twelve, we must learn the practical lessons of receiving the believers, that the
church life may be all-inclusive, able to include all kinds of genuine Christians.
For this, we must all be under the reigning of the divine life.

Our receiving of the believers under the reigning in life is first according to
God's receiving and then according to Christ's receiving (15:1-13). We should
receive one another in the same way that Christ receives us. The strong ones
need to bear the weaknesses of the weak, not pleasing themselves but pleasing
the brothers and sisters for their building up, even as Christ did not please
Himself but bore God's reproach (vv. 1-4). We should be of the same mind
toward one another according to Christ Jesus so that with one accord we may
glorify God in receiving one another as Christ also received us to the glory of
God (vv. 5-7). Christ has become a minister of both the circumcision and the
Gentiles that the God of hope may fill us with all joy and peace for us to abound
in hope in the power of the Holy Spirit (vv. 8-13).

L. In the Apostle Paul's Setting Up a Pattern

Finally, we see how Paul set up a pattern of living the church life for the living of
the Body life (15:1416:27). The first item in the pattern of one who is reigning
in life is the preaching of the gospel. When we are under the ruling of the divine
life, we will spontaneously preach the gospel. It is by our reigning in life that we
preach the gospel.

Paul first preached the gospel to the Gentiles (15:14-24) and then brought them
into the fellowship of the Body of Christ with the Jewish churches through their
giving in love to provide for the necessities of the saints in Jerusalem (vv. 25-
33). This was to bring the two into the fellowship of the one Body.

Paul by his recommendations and greetings in 16:1-24 is blending together

many saints and many churches under his ministry for the practical living of the
Body of Christ in the universal fellowship of the Body. In verses 17 through 19
Paul was very strict with the divisive and dissenting ones who make divisions,
without compromise or yielding. In chapter fourteen Paul was liberal and
gracious regarding the receiving of the believers, but here he is unyielding and
resolute in saying that we must turn away from those who are dissenting, who
make divisions, and who make causes of stumbling. The purpose in both cases is
the preserving of the Body of Christ that we may have the normal church life.
Today there is the need for all the believers who have received the abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness to practice the life restriction and
limitation in the divine life.

Paul afforded the God of peace a situation in which He will crush Satan under
the feet of the churches by the saints' enjoyment of the grace of Christ in the
blending and the universal fellowship of the Body (16:20). Hence, Paul was
carrying out, based upon the righteousness of God and through man's obedience
of faith (1:17), the mystery kept in silence in the times of the ages, concerning
the complete salvation of God in the preaching of the complete gospel of God
(1:1), in the fulfillment of the eternal economy of God for the glory to the only
wise God through Jesus Christ(16:25-27). In the conclusion of this book, the
glory to the consummated God indicates that the consummated God is glorified
in the humanity of the glorified church under its reigning in life in the
fulfillment of the eternal economy of God in carrying out His mystery hidden in
the ages.