Rom. 8:6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the spirit is life and peace. (15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery bringing you into fear again, but you have received a spirit of sonship in which we cry, Abba, Father! (16) The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God.
[Part 2 of 2]If a man confesses that he is a sinner and receives the Lord Jesus to be his Savior yet never has any feeling about sin, is he regenerated? Suppose a person has sinned, but only admits that he is wrong when someone goes to him and tells him that he has done wrong. After some time, suppose he commits another mistake, but asks why he cannot do something like that when he is asked about his mistake. If a man does not have any feeling of his own and depends on others to feel for him, how can we say that he has the life of God? If he has the life of God, he ought to have feelings. It is impossible for a person to have God's life yet not have any feelings of God's life. When a man has God's life, not only will he have feelings toward sin, but the life he possesses will also give him a knowledge about God. We have not received a spirit of slavery but a spirit of sonship. Spontaneously we feel that God is very approachable and that it is a sweet thing to call, "Abba, Father." Our knowledge of the Father is a feeling of life. Some people only know doctrines; they have never contacted God. They are afraid of God and have never touched God. They do not have any relationship with God. The Spirit has not witnessed with their spirit that they are children of God. They cannot cry, "Abba, Father," from their spirit. They may pray, but in their prayers, they do not feel that sin is far from them or that God is near them. They do not feel the evil of sin or the intimacy of God. These ones have never had a relationship with God; they have not received a new life from Him. They do not feel that God is near or that Christ has removed the barrier between them and God. They do not have the feeling that they are God's children. They say that they are Christians, but they do not have the proper feeling before God. They can call with their mouth, "Our Father in heaven," but they do not have that feeling within them. The existence of feeling proves the existence of life. If they never have this feeling, how can anyone say that they have this life?
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, General Messages, Vol. 37, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, pp.236-237. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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