Ⅵ
When we move out of ourselves and into the Triune God, we are one and are even perfected into one—John 17:11, 17, 21-23:
A
In ourselves we have the four factors of division; we cannot escape from these four things if we stay in the self.
B
To be sanctified is to move out of ourselves and into the Triune God and to allow Christ to live in us; in this way we are perfected into one—vv. 21-23.
C
This sanctification takes place by the word, which is the truth, and by the Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth:
１
As we come to the Word every morning, outwardly we touch the Word, but inwardly the Spirit touches us; by the word and by the Spirit, both of which are the reality, we are sanctified.
２
The more we touch the Word and the more the Spirit touches us, the more we move out of ourselves; we move from one dwelling place, the self, to another dwelling place, the Triune God.
３
Every day we need to make this move, for in the self there are worldliness, ambition, self-exaltation, and opinions and concepts.
４
If we continually touch the Word and allow the Spirit to touch us day by day, we will be sanctified; that is, we will move out of ourselves, our old lodging place, and into the Triune God, our new lodging place.
５
Once we are out of ourselves, we are sanctified, separated from the factors of division and separated not only unto God but also into God.
６
To have the genuine oneness, we must first move out of ourselves and into the Triune God (vv. 17, 21); then we must allow Christ to live in us (v. 23a):
ａ
This perfected oneness is the real building; it is the growth in life—Eph. 4:16.
ｂ
To grow in life means that we move out of ourselves and into the Triune God and allow Christ to live in us; if we move into the Triune God and allow Christ to live in us, we can be one with the saints in any locality.
D
“I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one”—John 17:23:
１
To be perfected into one means to be rescued from worldliness, ambition, self-exaltation, and opinions and concepts.
２
“I in them”—this means that the Son is living and moving in us.
３
“You in Me”—this means that the Father is living and moving in the Son.
４
In other words, while the Son lives and moves in us, the Father lives and moves in Him; by this twofold living and moving, we are perfected into one, and we express the Father in glory.
E
Ambition is implied in John 17:21; self-exaltation, in verse 22; and concepts and opinions, in verse 23:
１
In the Triune God there is no ambition, in the glory of the Father there is no self-exaltation, and in the place where Christ lives and reigns there are no opinions.
２
In the divine and mystical realm of the processed Triune God, ambition is swallowed up, self-exaltation disappears, and concepts and opinions are killed; here there is no evil of division in the Satan-systematized world (v. 15); instead, there is genuine oneness.
F
Genuine oneness is living in the Father, allowing Christ to live in us, and living in the Father’s glory, His expression—vv. 22, 24:
１
We need to move out of ourselves and into the Triune God and remain in Him for the Father’s expression, His glory.
２
The real building, the oneness, is possible only in the Triune God, and it is prevailing only when Christ lives in us; then we can express the Father in glory and experience the genuine oneness.
Morning Nourishment
John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world; yet they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given to Me, that they may be one even as We are.21 That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that You have sent Me.
When we are with the Lord in the Father and in the glory, we are one. But when we are in ourselves, we cannot be one with others. In ourselves we are one only with ourselves, not with anyone else. If we desire to be one with others, we need to move out of the self and into God the Father. No one can make this move for us; we are responsible to do it ourselves. When we move out of ourselves and into the Father and into the Father’s glory, we are one and are even perfected into one. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” p. 336)
Today’s Reading
To be sanctified is to make the move out of ourselves and into the Father. If we remain in ourselves, we are not sanctified, and thus we cannot be one with others. In ourselves we have worldliness, ambition, self-exaltation, and opinion. It is impossible for us to eradicate these things from our being. Do you realize that the world is actually yourself? The same is true of ambition, self-exaltation, and opinions and concepts. This is the reason we cannot escape from these four things if we stay in the self. Paul told the Corinthians that among them there was jealousy and strife (1 Cor. 3:3). These are some of the characteristics of those who are in the self. The church life, however, is a building, and the real building is the genuine oneness. In this genuine oneness there is no room for worldliness, ambition, self-exaltation, or opinion.The Lord Jesus knows our problem. In John 15:5 He said, “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” He is the vine, and we are the branches. We must remain in Him, that is, abide in Him. To remain in Christ as the vine means that we move out of ourselves and into Him. Since the Lord is in the Father, we also may be in the Father by being in Him. In John 17:21 the Lord prayed, “That they all may be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us.” This is the oneness in the Triune God. In order to be in the Triune God, we must move out of ourselves. John 17:22-23a says, “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected into one.” When we move out of ourselves and remain in the Triune God, Christ lives in us. In this way we are perfected into one.
Only by our being sanctified can we abide in Christ and can Christ live in us. Again I say, to be sanctified is to move out of ourselves and into the Triune God and to allow Christ to live in us….This is the proper concept of sanctification.
This sanctification takes place by the word, which is truth, and by the Spirit, which is the Spirit of truth. In [John 14 through 17] the word and the Spirit are mentioned again and again. Actually, the word and the Spirit are one. I thank the Lord that so many of us have come back to the Word and are getting into the Word every day. As we come to the Word every morning, outwardly we touch the Word, but inwardly the Spirit touches us. By the word and by the Spirit, both of which are the reality, we are sanctified.
To be sanctified is not merely to be separated from the world; it is to move out of ourselves and into the Triune God….The more you touch the Word and the more the Spirit touches you, the more you move out of yourself. You move from one dwelling place, the self, to another dwelling place, the Triune God. Every day we need to make this move. If we do not move out of ourselves, we are wrong; for in the self there is worldliness, ambition, self-exaltation, and opinion. (CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” pp. 336-338)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1978, vol. 3, “Truth Messages,” ch. 6