Expressing the Living God and the God of Resurrection in Our Living From the Bible we can see that, on the one hand, God is the living God and that, on the other hand, He is the God of resurrection. The Old Testament presents the living God, and the New Testament presents not only the living God but also the God of resurrection. The Old Testament presents the signs and wonders performed by the living God in Israel’s history. Adam was driven out of the garden of Eden immediately after he sinned (Gen. 3:24). Nadab and Abihu were consumed by fire and died because they had offered strange fire before God (Lev. 10:1-2; Num. 3:4). When Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses, they were rebuked by God, and Miriam became leprous (12:1, 4-5, 10-15). This proves that God is the living God who is not mocked. In regard to the church, in the New Testament God is not only the living God but also the God of resurrection. The relationship between the God of resurrection and man is more advanced than the relationship between the living God and man. The living God manifests Himself outside of man. The God of resurrection, who has put on humanity and has entered into man, manifests Himself from within man. The living God is manifested objectively, outside of man, without being mingled with man. The God of resurrection is manifested subjectively, by being mingled with and expressed from within man. In the Old Testament God is manifested objectively as the living God. In the New Testament He is manifested subjectively as the God of resurrection by mingling Himself with His people. The God whom we serve is not only the living God, who is manifested outside of us, but also the God of resurrection, who is lived out from within us. Hence, our relationship with Him should be in resurrection as well as living. We should know and experience Him as the God who is in us as resurrection. We need to express not only the living God but even more the God of resurrection. We express the living God and the God of resurrection; hence, we must make a distinction between reverence and godliness. God’s people in the Old Testament revered Him, but in the New Testament His people have a godly living. With respect to the living God, man should have reverence, but with respect to the God of resurrection, man should express godliness. In the Old Testament God was manifested as the living God; hence, His people needed to revere Him. In the New Testament God is manifested as the God of resurrection; hence, the New Testament believers need godliness. Let me repeat: reverence is toward the living God, and godliness is toward the God of resurrection. As God’s New Testament people, we need not only reverence but also godliness. This means that in our living we should not only express the living God but also the God of resurrection. Extracted from "The Living God and the God of Resurrection" (16), authored by Witness Lee, originally published in "Ministry of the Word" Chapter 101, November 1959 by Living Stream Ministry
Posted on: Fri, 27 Sep 2013 22:04:57 +0000
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