LIFE-STUDY OF HEBREWS

MESSAGE THIRTY-SEVEN

THE LAW OF LIFE

In this message we come to a very crucial matter in Hebrews 8—the law of life. The crucial matter in Hebrews 7 was the indestructible life, and the crucial matter here in Hebrews 8 is the law of life. The focus of Hebrews 8 is the law of life. Although the words, “the law of life,” are not found in this chapter, what is revealed in this chapter essentially is the law of life. How do we know that the law mentioned in Hebrews 8 is the law of life? Because we are told in verse 10 that God will impart His laws into our mind and inscribe them on our hearts. Anything that can be imparted into our inward being must be life. Anything that is not life could never be wrought into our inward being. Therefore, according to the context of Hebrews 8, what is indicated by the word law must be the law of life. Please keep in mind that the law of life is the focus, the heart, of this whole chapter.

In this chapter we also have another five wonderful things: the heavenly Minister, the heavenly tabernacle, the more excellent ministry, the better covenant, and the better promises. The better promises produce the better covenant, and within the better covenant is the heavenly Minister who has a more excellent ministry in the heavenly tabernacle. Hence, we have five things—promises, covenant, Minister, ministry, and tabernacle.

In the Old Testament, the tabernacle, the priesthood, and the old covenant, that is, the law, were combined to fulfill God’s economy in the way of shadows. These three things give us a clear picture of the heavenly Minister with a more excellent ministry in the heavenly tabernacle and of the better covenant consummated upon better promises for the fulfillment of God’s economy, not in the way of shadows but in the way of reality. The heavenly tabernacle, the heavenly Minister, and the new covenant are combined for the fulfillment of God’s economy in the way of reality. This is the matter on which we are dwelling in this message. The heavenly tabernacle, as we have seen, is joined to our spirit. Since the heavenly tabernacle is joined to our spirit, the heavenly Minister of the better covenant is also joined to our spirit. Right now the heavenly Minister is doing His duty of ministering under the better covenant. This is the central thought here: the heavenly Minister doing His ministry in the heavenly tabernacle under the new covenant. This new covenant, which is called the better covenant, has been consummated upon the better promises, the promises found in Jeremiah 31.

The contents of the better covenant include four items: the imparting of the law of life into our being; having God as our God and being His people; the inward ability to know the Lord; and the propitiation for unrighteousnesses and the forgiveness of sins. All of these four items are focused on the law of life. In this message we need to see what the law of life is.

Before we can see what the law of life is, we must consider some other things that are the necessary background for our seeing this. Throughout the years we have repeatedly mentioned one central point: that God’s eternal purpose is to dispense Himself into us in order to make us His living expression. God has done this. Although certain negative things, such as Satan and sin, have come in, these have all become past history because of the all-inclusive crucifixion of Christ. The all-inclusive Christ has terminated all the negative things by His all-inclusive crucifixion. Thus, Satan and sin are a history. Very few Christians today realize that these things are histories. They think that these things are still entangling and bothering them. But that is a lie—these negative things are a history. When we all get into the New Jerusalem, we shall laugh at Satan and say, “Satan, now I know that you are just a history. As far as I am concerned, you are nothing. I am in a new region, in the new realm of the new heaven and new earth. Satan, I am in the New Jerusalem, and you are a history.” What has made all of these things a history? The all-inclusive crucifixion of Christ.

Our new birth, our regeneration, is also a history. We were regenerated nineteen and a half centuries ago when Christ was raised from the dead (1 Pet. 1:3). According to your feeling, you were reborn some years ago, but according to God’s divine point of view, you were reborn nineteen and a half centuries ago. Since we were reborn when Christ was resurrected from the dead, our rebirth is a history. When we were regenerated, the inward ability to know God was imparted into us. This also occurred nineteen and a half centuries ago. All of these items have become accomplished facts that have been bequeathed to us as our bequests. If our eyes have been opened, we shall not need to pray but simply say, “Lord, thank You for Your bequests. Thank You for Your will. I just take it, receive it, and enjoy it.”

If we see that the New Testament is actually a testament, a will, we shall preach the gospel in the highest way. We would speak to people in this way, saying, “Friends, here is a testament, a will. It is Jesus Christ’s will. This will says that many bequests are yours. One bequest is that all of your sins have been taken away by Him. Before you even committed your sins, they were already forgiven by God and put away. Another bequest is that before you were born of your parents, nineteen and a half centuries ago you were reborn, and the divine life was imparted into you. It does not matter whether you understand this or not. All you need to do is receive the will and thank the Lord. Say, ‘Thank You, Lord, for the will and for all the bequests. Thank You, Lord, for the forgiveness of sins and for regeneration.’” The more the newly saved ones thank the Lord for His testament, for the forgiveness of sins, for their regeneration, and for all the other bequests, the more anointing they will have and the more riches of life they will possess. This is the highest preaching of the gospel. In order to preach the gospel in this way, we need to have a clear view of the testament and we need the power of the Spirit with the anointing. When we preach the gospel in such a high way, people will not reject it. They will be happy to receive it and say, “Praise the Lord! Thank You, Lord, for all these bequests.” If a poor sinner would do this, he would immediately become a millionaire. I expect that one day we shall see this kind of high preaching of the gospel.