PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

In 4:8 Paul speaks of being afflicted in every way, or of being attacked from every side. But no matter how much he was afflicted or attacked, with him there was no turmoil. Instead, there was the manifestation of life. This manifestation of life produced a condition of peace and calm.

Suppose you are troubled on every side by your husband or wife, by your children, and by your in-laws. Nevertheless, instead of being disturbed or in turmoil, you manifest life. This means that life comes out of you in that situation. As a result, your condition will be one of peace and order. In spite of the trouble that comes to you from every side, you remain in such an orderly and peaceful condition. The processed Spirit, the consummated Spirit, within you experienced as life calms down the whole situation. This is righteousness.

In 4:8 and 9 Paul speaks of being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and cast down. We would expect such a situation to result in turmoil. But if you find yourself in that kind of situation and yet everything becomes calm and orderly, that is the manifestation of life. Furthermore, that orderly state is a state of righteousness.

FULL OF LIFE AND RIGHTEOUSNESS

Whenever the Spirit is expressed as life, there will be righteousness. When there is righteousness, everything will be calm, peaceful, and orderly. If you experience this in your family life, your children will be calmed down, and your husband or wife will be subdued. Such a life always calms down turmoil. When others receive this life from you, they also will enjoy a peaceful state. Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Message #32, pp. 281-283; Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)

THE CONSUMMATION OF GOD'S SALVATION

The last verse of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 says, "Him Who did not know sin He made sin on our behalf, that we might become God's righteousness in Him." Here we have the ultimate consummation of God's salvation — the righteousness of God.

We must remember that the new covenant ministry is a ministry of the Spirit and of righteousness. This ministry imparts the Spirit of life into the believers. This issues in a state, a condition, that is called righteousness. Before we were saved, we were in a condition that was altogether condemned by God. Nothing was right, and God could by no means justify the condition we were in. But after we were saved, we were brought into a state where we could be justified by God. This is righteousness....

Suppose a certain man and his wife are not saved. They have difficulty getting along with each other and often fight. Sometimes they argue in a very crude manner. But suppose one day the husband gets saved and comes into the church life. He begins to change, and this change affects his wife. Eventually, she also gets saved and comes into the church life. Like her husband, she too begins to change. Now this man and wife are in a state which the Bible calls righteousness. However, the man, now a brother in the Lord, has a very strong disposition. (Disposition is different from character, for disposition is absolutely part of our being, our constitution.) Moreover, the wife is very peculiar and seldom agrees with others. Often she contradicts others. How could she and her husband live peacefully together, since he has a strong disposition and she is very peculiar?

Although they may no longer fight with each other in their old way, they do not agree with each other. As a result, they do not talk to each other very much. Since conversation invariably leads to disagreement, the husband may tell his wife that it is better for them not to talk. What this man and wife have is a halfway reconciliation and a halfway righteousness.

However, suppose this brother and sister hear a message on the need for further reconciliation. The husband begins to condemn his disposition, the wife condemns her peculiarity, and they both condemn their natural life. As a result, there is the possibility that they may be brought into the Holy of Holies to enjoy the Lord. Then the husband may say, "Praise the Lord!" and the wife may respond, "Amen!" If this is the situation of this couple, they will be in a condition that may be called the righteousness of God....

The ministry of the new covenant, a ministry of the Spirit and of righteousness, will work out a condition of righteousness first in individuals, second in the church, and third in the millennial kingdom. When the kingdom comes, there will be righteousness on earth. Then everything will be satisfactory to God, and God will justify everything. Although the age of the kingdom has not yet come, we can have a foretaste of the righteousness of the kingdom today in the church life and in our family life. Sometimes in a certain local church the condition may be such that everything, everyone, and every matter is justified by God. Such a church is God's righteousness. This kind of condition may also be present in our family life. In a few cases I have seen that in a family whose members have been thoroughly saved there is a condition where nothing is wrong, but everything is satisfactory to God and justified by Him. Such a family is a family of righteousness. The fruit of the new covenant ministry is to produce this kind of righteousness. Life-Study of 2 Corinthians, Message #37, pp. 325-328; Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)