A Believer’s Will 575
Although at the moment of new birth man’s will is not yet fully
united with God, his fallen will nonetheless is uplifted through his
acceptance of the Lord Jesus and his denial of Satan, self, and the
world. By believing God’s Word and receiving His Spirit, his will is
also renewed. After a man is born anew he obtains a new spirit, a
new heart, and a new life; his will receives a new master and is
henceforth under new management. If his will is obedient it becomes
a part of the new life; if it resists, it turns out to be a formidable
enemy to the new life.
This renewed will is much more vital than the other parts of the
soul. A mind may be misled and emotion can be inordinate, but the
will can ill-afford to be wrong. For it to be wrong brings in serious
consequences, since it is man’s very self and controls all other organs
of man. If it is wrong, God’s will cannot be realized.
A Submissive WillWhat is salvation? It is none other than God saving man out of
himself into Himself. Salvation has two facets: a cutting off and a
uniting with. What is cut off is self; the uniting is with God.
Whatever does not aim at deliverance from self and union with Him
is not genuine salvation. Anything which cannot save man from self
and join him to God is vanity. A true spiritual beginning involves
release from animal life and entry into divine life. Everything
belonging to the created one must be relinquished so that the created
one will enjoy all things solely in the Creator. The created one must
vanish in order that true salvation may be manifested. Real greatness
rests not on how much we have but on how much we have lost.
Authentic life can be seen only in the abandonment of self. If the
nature, life and activities of the created one are not denied, the life of
God has no way to express itself. Our “self” is often the enemy of
God’s life. Our spiritual growth shall be stunted severely if we have
no intention nor experience of losing ourselves.