Spontaneous Life: the Life of the Lord Jesus in Human Vessels

 The following is from Watchman Nee's book The Better Covenant:

"What is the nature of this law of life [Romans 8:2]? Such a nature will operate spontaneously along a certain line. For instance, the ear will spontaneously hear and the eye will instinctively see without the need of it being forcibly controlled. So too will the tongue taste food, swallowing naturally what is good and spitting out what is bad—all without the need of any conscious effort. Were the ear not to hear, the eye not to see, and the tongue not to distinguish the taste, that person must be either physically ill or lifeless.

"What God puts in us is life, and this life is a law by itself. He has not placed in us a mere outward form or letter; He instead puts in us a living law of life which operates spontaneously.

"Let us illustrate this as follows: Suppose you speak to a dead peach tree, saying,'You should have green leaves and red flowers, and at the appointed time bear peaches.' You can say this from the beginning of the year to the end and yet get nothing, because it is dead. If it is a live peach tree, though, it will quite naturally sprout, leaf, blossom, and yield fruit without your asking at all. This is called the law of life, for it operates automatically.

"Since what God has put in us is life, it naturally is a law, which operates spontaneously. This law will automatically 'law' out life. And this life will spontaneously 'law' out the contents of the life within us—even 'law' out the riches of God. It will naturally flow if it is not obstructed."