Ⅳ
Olive wood signifies the transformed Christ as the life-giving Spirit—1 Kings 6:23, 31-33; 1 Cor. 15:45b:
A
Olive oil typifies the Spirit of God; hence, olive wood signifies Christ’s humanity in the Spirit of God, the anointed Christ, who is also the compound Spirit as the anointing—Heb. 1:9; 2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27; Exo. 30:25, 30.
B
We are the branches of Christ who have been grafted into Him as the cultivated olive tree to enjoy Him (Rom. 11:17, 24); the life-giving Spirit is the life-juice of Christ as the heavenly olive tree; if we desire to partake of the riches of Christ as the fatness, the sap, of the heavenly olive tree, we need to contact the life-giving Spirit as the life-juice of Christ (Luke 23:31; cf. Psa. 92:13-14; 36:8-9):
１
Because our grafting with Christ has taken place in our spirit, we need to exercise our spirit continually; when we call on the Lord by saying, “O Lord, O Lord,” we exercise our spirit and immediately partake of the Lord as the life-giving Spirit—Rom. 8:16; 1 Cor. 6:17; Rom. 10:9-13.
２
Another way for us to enjoy the riches of Christ is to read the Word of God and to say Amen to every word; by this, we exercise our spirit, we contact the Lord, we enjoy Him, and we partake of the all-inclusive Spirit as the fatness—Psa. 106:48; Neh. 8:6; 2 Cor. 1:20; Rev. 19:4; Eph. 6:17-18.
C
We need to see that we have been grafted into Christ “contrary to nature”; contrary to nature means “contrary to the self ”—Rom. 11:24:
１
Everything of our old nature contradicts the Lord’s nature; our nature is the sinful nature, and the Lord’s nature is the divine, spiritual, and holy nature—Gal. 5:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:4.
Morning Nourishment
Rom. 11:17 ...You, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became a fellow partaker of the root of fatness of the olive tree.24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree and were grafted contrary to nature into the cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree!
Romans 11:17 speaks of the Gentiles being grafted in among the Jews and becoming fellow partakers of the root of fatness of the olive tree... Fatness in verse 17 is a reference to the riches of Christ. The fatness of a tree is the sap, the life-juice, of the tree. Practically, today the fatness of the olive tree, that is, the riches of Christ, is the life-giving Spirit, whom Christ became in His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:45)... If we desire to partake of the riches of Christ as the fatness of the heavenly olive tree, we need to contact the life-giving Spirit as the life-juice of Christ. (CWWL, 1968, vol. 1, p. 47)
Today’s Reading
To be grafted into Christ is not to be taught by Christ but to be joined to Christ organically... In order for us to be grafted into Christ, He must be the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:17), and we must have a spirit (Job 32:8; Zech. 12:1; 1 Cor. 2:11a). Otherwise, there is no way for us to be grafted into Christ. Our being grafted into Christ is a fact, a reality, in the spirit, that is, in the mingling of the divine Spirit with the human spirit. Today Christ is the life-giving Spirit, and we have a human spirit as the organ for us to receive Christ. Hence, our being grafted into Christ is a matter of our being joined to Christ in our spirit (6:17; 2 Tim. 4:22).Because the grafting with Christ has taken place in our spirit, we need to exercise our spirit continually. If we exercise our mind and neglect our spirit, in a practical sense, we will be cut off from Christ. The best way for us to exercise our spirit is to call on the Lord, saying, “O Lord, O Lord.”... In all kinds of circumstances we need to say, “O Lord.” If we will do this, we will enjoy the fatness of the olive tree. When we open our mouth to say, “O Lord,” we exercise our spirit, and we immediately partake of the Lord as the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3b). There is no need for us to compose a long prayer. We only need to say these two simple words: “O Lord.” To call on the Lord in this way is spiritual breathing (Lam. 3:55-56).
Another way for us to enjoy the riches of Christ is to read the Word of God. When we read the Bible, we should say Amen to every word. By doing this, we exercise our spirit, we contact the Lord, we enjoy Him, and we partake of the all-inclusive Spirit as the fatness.
[Romans 11:24] says that we were grafted into the cultivated olive tree “contrary to nature.” The Lord’s grafting is always contrary to our nature. By nature we were all branches of the wild olive tree, but the Lord has grafted us into Himself contrary to nature. This indicates that there is always something contrary to us in the Lord’s grafting. The nature of the cultivated olive tree that we have been grafted into is contrary to our nature, that is, contrary to our self. In reality, contrary to nature means “contrary to the self” The Lord’s grafting is contrary to our pride, and it is also contrary to our natural humility.
Whatever we are and whatever we have in our nature contradict the Lord’s nature. These two natures do not correspond with one another. Our nature is the sinful nature, and the Lord’s nature is the divine, heavenly, spiritual, and holy nature.
May the Holy Spirit reveal to us more and more that partaking of the riches of Christ as the fatness of the root of God’s cultivated olive tree is altogether in the mingled spirit, and our being grafted into Christ is contrary to our nature. (CWWL, 1968, vol. 1, pp. 47-49)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1968, vol. 1, pp. 47-56, 11-16