I.　The Spirit of God has passed through a process, and our spirit has also passed through a process:

A.　The term the Spirit does not merely refer to the Spirit of God but to the consummated Spirit—the Spirit who has passed through the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, and resurrection; after Christ was glorified in resurrection, He became the life-giving Spirit, who is "the Spirit," the consummated Spirit—John 7:39; Luke 24:26; 1 Cor. 15:45b.

B.　Our spirit was created by God (Gen. 2:7; Prov. 20:27), but through Adam it became fallen and deadened (Eph. 2:1); however, our deadened spirit was redeemed by Christ, and having been redeemed, it has been quickened, enlivened, by the Spirit, who regenerated us (Rom. 8:10).

C.　When we speak of the Spirit with our spirit (v. 16), we mean that the consummated Spirit is with and in the believers' created and regenerated spirit.

II.　"The Spirit…with our spirit" (v. 16) is the secret of God's organic salvation; these two spirits working together are the skillfulness, the secret, of all spiritual things, especially of all the aspects of God's organic salvation:

A.　The generating Spirit in our spirit, quickened by Christ, regenerates us, giving us author-ity to be the children of God, begotten of God—John 3:6; 1:12-13; Rom. 8:10.

B.　The nourishing Spirit in our spirit, cherished by Christ, feeds us with the spiritual milk of the Word that we may grow unto salvation—Eph. 5:29; 1 Cor. 3:2, 6; 1 Pet. 2:2-3.

C.　The sanctifying Spirit from our spirit, captivated by Christ, sanctifies us with the nature of God, making us holy unto God—Eph. 1:4; 5:26-27; 1 Thes. 5:23; 2 Thes. 2:13; Rom. 6:19, 22; cf. 2 Cor. 2:12-14.

D.　The renewing Spirit in our spirit, indwelt by Christ, renews us that we may put on the new man through the breaking of the cross—Eph. 4:23-24; Titus 3:5; 2 Tim. 4:22.

E.　The transforming Spirit in our spirit, filled by Christ, transforms us into the glorious image of Christ for His expression—2 Cor. 3:18; Rom. 12:2; Eph. 5:18.

F.　The building Spirit in our spirit, possessed by Christ, builds us into the house of God and the Body of Christ for Their dwelling—2:21-22; 4:16.

G.　The maturing Spirit in our spirit, enriched with Christ, conforms us to the image of Christ, the firstborn Son of God—the model of God's sons—Rom. 8:28-29; Phil. 1:19.

H.　The sealing Spirit in our spirit, exulting with Christ, saturates us with and brings us into the glory of God for our glorification—Eph. 1:13; 4:4, 30; 2 Cor. 1:22; Rom. 5:2.

I.　The above steps are accomplished by the joining of "the Spirit…with our spirit" (8:16) as "one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17); if this were not so, even though the gospel of God is powerful (Rom. 1:16), it still would not have any power or accomplish anything in the believers to make them God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead for the building up of the Body of Christ, which is the Triune God's eternal heart's desire and His ultimate purpose (Matt. 16:18; Eph. 1:9; 4:16).

J.　Christ can live in us by His being the Spirit in our spirit; it is only by the Spirit in our spirit that all the crucial points in Paul's completing ministry become prevailing.

III.　The revelation in the Bible concerning the Spirit is progressive:

A.　The Spirit is mentioned first as the Spirit of God, in relation to the creation (Gen. 1:2); then, He is mentioned as the Spirit of Jehovah, in the context of God's relationship with man (Judg. 3:10; 1 Sam. 10:6); as the Holy Spirit, in relation to the conception and birth of Christ (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:20); as the Spirit of Jesus, in relation to the Lord's human living (Acts 16:7); as the Spirit of Christ, in relation to the Lord's resurrection (Rom. 8:9); and as the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19).

B.　The Spirit of Jesus Christ is "the Spirit" mentioned in John 7:39; this is not merely the Spirit of God before the Lord's incarnation but the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit with divinity, after the Lord's resurrection, compounded with the Lord's incarnation (human-ity), human living under the cross, crucifixion, and resurrection:

1.　The holy anointing ointment in Exodus 30:23-25, a compound of olive oil and four kinds of spices, is a full type of the compound Spirit of God, who is now the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

2.　In Philippians 1:19 it is not the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7) or the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9) but the Spirit of Jesus Christ:

a.　The Spirit of Jesus is related mainly to the Lord's humanity and human living; the Spirit of Christ is related mainly to the Lord's resurrection.

b.　To experience the Lord's humanity, as illustrated in Philippians 2:5-8, we need the Spirit of Jesus.

c.　To experience the power of the Lord's resurrection, as mentioned in 3:10, we need the Spirit of Christ.

d.　In his suffering the apostle Paul experienced both the Lord's suffering in His humanity and the Lord's resurrection; hence, the Spirit to him was the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the compound, all-inclusive, life-giving Spirit of the Triune God.

e.　Such a Spirit has, and even is, the bountiful supply for a person like the apostle, who was experiencing and enjoying Christ in His human living and resurrec-tion.

3.　Eventually, this compound Spirit of Jesus Christ becomes the seven Spirits of God, who are the seven lamps of fire before God's throne to carry out His administration on earth for the accomplishing of His economy concerning the church, and who are the seven eyes of the Lamb for the transfusing of all that He is into the church—Rev. 1:4; 4:5; 5:6.

IV.　"The Spirit Himself witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16); "he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17):

A.　To be "joined" to the Lord as one spirit refers to the believers' organic union with the Lord through believing into Him (John 3:15-16; cf. 2 Tim. 4:22; 2 Cor. 3:17); this union is illustrated by that of the branches with the vine (John 15:4-5):

1.　To practice being one spirit with the Lord is the consummate point of Paul's complet-ing ministry.

2.　To walk according to the spirit and to set our mind on the spirit is to practice being one spirit with the Lord—Rom. 8:4, 6.

B.　The Spirit now dwells in our regenerated spirit and is joined to our spirit as one spirit:

1.　We should have our whole being turned to and set on this joined spirit—v. 6b.

2.　We should also live and walk according to this joined spirit—v. 4.

3.　When we thus live in this joined spirit, we can live out the Body of Christ to become the corporate expression of Christ—Eph. 1:23.