Col. 3:4 When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

Gal. 2:20a I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me…

 

From the experiences of the saints throughout the ages, and in the light that we have seen in these recent years before the Lord, we may say that the experience of life can be divided into four stages with a total of nineteen points.

According to our experience, these four stages may be designated as follows: the first stage may be called the salvation stage; the second, the revival stage; the third, the stage of the cross; and the fourth, the stage of spiritual warfare. But according to our relationship with Christ, these four stages should be designated in this way: the first, in Christ; the second, abiding in Christ; the third, Christ abiding in us; and the fourth, Christ fully grown in us. The experiences of these four stages are based on our relationship with Christ.

Life is God Himself, yet in order that God may be our life, this life must necessarily be in Christ. Therefore, the Scripture says, “Christ is our life” (Col. 3:4). Since life is Christ, when we experience life, we experience Christ. The experience of life may be expressed, therefore, as our relationship with Christ.

THE FIRST STAGE—IN CHRIST

The first stage of the experience of life is being in Christ. This is due to the fact that our first relationship with Christ results in our being in Christ. Before we were saved, we were outside of Christ; we were in Adam. But when we are regenerated, God translates us into Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). The experience of this stage, from our point of view, may be said to be the stage of salvation or the stage of regeneration, but from the standpoint of our relationship with Christ, it is simply being in Christ.

THE SECOND STAGE—ABIDING IN CHRIST

What we have seen in the preceding chapters is the first state of spiritual life, that is, the experience “in Christ.” Now we will continue by looking at the second stage of the spiritual life, the experience of “abiding in Christ.”

“Abiding in Christ” and “in Christ” are different. Although both speak of our relationship with Christ’s life, yet the matters referred to are different. “In Christ” refers to the fact of our sharing what Christ is and our oneness with Christ. “Abiding in Christ” refers to the experience of our fellowship with Christ and of enjoying Christ.

Originally we were in Adam and shared what was of Adam. When we received the Lord as our Savior, however, God translated us from Adam into Christ. This is the first stage of our experience of life, so we call this stage “in Christ.” After we are saved and have been attracted by the love the Lord, we pursue the Lord more, consecrate ourselves, and have various kinds of dealings. Thus, we enter into the second stage of the experience of life. We begin to abide in Christ in practical way, fellowship with Christ, enjoy Christ, and experience Christ. We call this second stage, therefore, the stage of “abiding in Christ.”

Someone has designated the first stage as “the salvation stage,” and the second as the “revival stage.” The implication is that in the first stage man has only the Lord’s salvation, being regenerated of the Holy Spirit. As to the other experiences of life, they are still very weak and vague to him; so this stage can only be called “the salvation stage.” At the second stage, he is constrained by the love of the Lord and is revived. He then loves the Lord, pursues the Lord, and gradually obtains the various experiences of life which come after regeneration. This stage is therefore called “the revival stage.”

As to the division of the “salvation stage” and the “revival stage,” the situation is also the same. Regeneration in the salvation stage is actually “revival.” Originally man lived in the presence of God, but because of his transgression, he became dead and fell into sins. Now because of the Lord’s deliverance, he is quickened together with the Lord and raised up together with the Lord. This is regeneration, and this is revival. Therefore, a regenerated and saved man should also be revived man. It is abnormal for a man to be saved but not revived, since the central point of salvation is regeneration, that is, revival. Only in the salvation which does not reach the mark is there no condition of revival; salvation which reaches the mark is not only regeneration, but also revival. For this reason the salvation stage is the revival stage, and the two should not be divided.

THE THIRD STAGE—CHRIST LIVING IN ME

We come now to study the third of the four stages in our spiritual life, that is, “Christ living in me,” or, the experience of “the stage of the cross.”

If a Christian, after he consecrates himself to the Lord, deals thoroughly with all unrighteousness, unholiness, and the feelings of the conscience, and has certain experiences in obeying the teaching of the anointing and understands God’s will, then the Lord will lead him to accept the dealings of the cross. Thus, he will obtain experiences of the stage of the cross.

The experience of the stage of the cross are different in many respects from the previous spiritual experiences. The first two stages of the experience of life can only be counted as the experience of one stage, because all those dealings can be experienced once a person is saved. A person who is saved in a very thorough way begins immediately to clear the past and deals with sin, the world, and the conscience. Even in the deeper lessons, such as obeying the teaching of the anointing and understanding the will of God, he has already made headway. Therefore, these experiences actually belong to the stage of salvation. However, there is definitely a difference when we come to the third stage. It brings us to the starting point of another aspect in Christian experience, and this serves as a great turning point for a Christian before the Lord. Mrs. Penn-Lewis named this stage “the way of the cross.” She used the term “way” to denote that it is at this stage that a Christian begins to walk formally in the way of the cross, having the experience of the cross and walking entirely under the cross. Therefore, from this time on, his spiritual walk enters into a new stage.

THE FOURTH STAGE—CHRIST’S FULL GROWTH IN US

Now we will consider the fourth stage of our spiritual experience. This is the last and highest stage of our spiritual life—Christ’s full growth in us.

After we have passed through the previous stages, all difficulties in us relating to sin, the world, the offense in the conscience, the flesh, the self, and the natural constitution having been dealt with and purged, there remains in us nothing but God. God now has gained absolute ground in us, and our whole being within and without is entirely filled with the Holy Spirit. Now we enter the highest stage of the spiritual life, where Christ is fully grown and mature in us. We have, therefore, called this highest stage, “Christ’s full growth in us.”

From another point of view, God has a two-fold purpose for all His redeemed ones: first, and most important, that we be filled with God Himself and manifest His glory; secondly, that we rule for God and deal with His enemy. When we reach the end of the third stage of our spiritual life, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, or God Himself; this, the first and most important purpose of God, has been fulfilled. It is at this time that God desires that we learn to fight for Him and deal with His enemy so that His secondary purpose can be fulfilled in us. This is what we will experience in this fourth stage of our spiritual life.