Chapters 5 Through 8 of Romans—
The Kernel of the Bible
Message Five
The Indwelling Christ
OPENING WORD OF THE PROPHESYING MEETING
Reading the verses in each day.
Reading the main points in the outlines.
Pray-reading the verses:
Rom. 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:9-10 But you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Yet if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not of Him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is life because of righteousness.
Word of Appetizer
Why Romans 8 may be considered the focus of the entire Bible?
The Bible begins in Genesis by revealing that God, according to His eternal plan, created the heavens and the earth so that man could exist to fulfill God’s eternal purpose and desire, which is to impart Himself into His chosen people as their life supply so that they could become His expression. The Bible concludes in Revelation with this corporate expression.
Romans 8 is not a doctrinal chapter but an experiential chapter; it speaks not about the doctrine of the Trinity but about the Trinity in the experience of the Christian life. Romans 8 reveals that the processed Triune God as the law of the Spirit of life gives the divine life to the believers for their living. Romans 8 concerns the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God; this Spirit will make us exactly the same as Christ in life, nature, and expression; this is Romans 8.
Spiritual Burden
Romans 8 reveals that the processed Triune God as the law of the Spirit of life gives the divine life to the believers for their living. Romans 8 concerns the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God; this Spirit will make us exactly the same as Christ in life, nature, and expression.
Concluding Word of the Prophesying Meeting
The Revelation of the Truth
Romans 8 may be considered the focus of the entire Bible and the center of the universe; thus, if we are experiencing Romans 8, we are in the center of the universe.
Romans 8 is not a doctrinal chapter but an experiential chapter; it speaks not about the doctrine of the Trinity but about the Trinity in the experience of the Christian life.
Romans 8 reveals that the processed Triune God as the law of the Spirit of life gives the divine life to the believers for their living.
Romans 8 concerns the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as the ultimate consummation of the Triune God; this Spirit will make us exactly the same as Christ in life, nature, and expression; this is Romans 8.
The Experience of Life
“You are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you”. If we allow the Spirit of the Triune God to make His home in us, then in our experience we are in the spirit and are no longer in the flesh. If we are so, the Triune God as the Spirit will be able to spread from our spirit into our soul, represented by our mind, and eventually He will even give life to our mortal body.
Before we believed in the Lord, our spirit within was dead and our body without was alive. Now that we have Christ in us, though our body without is dead because of sin, our spirit within is life because of righteousness.
Practice and Application
PROPHESYING TOPICS—TWELVE TOPICS PER WEEK
Day 1
T1 The law of the Spirit of life is the subject of Romans 8 (Rom. 8:2, 6)
(Please illustrate that life is the content and issue of the Spirit, and the Spirit is the ultimate and consummate manifestation of the Triune God.)
T2 The major function of the the law of the Spirit of life is to free us completely (Rom. 8:2, 6)
(Please illustrate that the spiritual life revealed in Romans 8 is fourfold.)
Day 2
T1 The indwelling Christ causes us to be no more in the flesh (Rom. 8:9-10)
(Please illustrate that we are no longer in the flesh because the Spirit of God dwells in us.)
T2 The focus of Romans 8 (Rom. 8:9-10)
(Please illustrate that we need to allow the Spirit of the Triune God to make His home in us so that in our experience we may be in the spirit and not in the flesh.)
Day 3
T1 Having the Spirit of Christ, we are of Christ (Rom. 8:9)
(Please illustrate that that we are of Christ refers to the unchangeable source and position rather than to the changeable condition and experience.)
T2 Christ is the life-giving Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17, 2 Tim. 4:22)
(Please illustrate that apart from Christ being the Spirit we cannot enjoy Him.)
Day 4
T1 The Spirit of Christ is the Spirit of God who dwells in us that we may be in the spirit (Rom. 8:9-10)
(Please illustrate that what “the Spirit of God” and “the Spirit of Christ” each imply.)
T2 The Spirit of Christ is the very Christ in us (Rom. 8:10-11)
(Please illustrate that according to the fact, it is Christ; according to experience, it is the Spirit.)
Day 5
T1 Our spirit has now become life (Rom. 8:10, 5:18)
(Please illustrate that how our spirit became life.)
T2 Three of the sections in Romans—justification, sanctification, and glorification (cf. 1 Cor. 1:30)
(Please illustrate that As God deals with us, He always cares for three of His divine attributes—His righteousness, holiness, and glory.)
Day 6
T1 Life is given even to our dying mortal body (Rom. 8:11)
(Please illustrate that what “give life to your mortal bodies” means.)
T2 God has been processed into the available Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2). Before being processed (1 Cor. 15:45, 2 Cor. 3:17)
(Please illustrate that Christ as the indwelling Spirit constantly imparts life to every aspect of our being.)
