Scripture Reading: Rom. 2:28-29; Gal. 1:11-16
We should focus on a few expressions from the two verses we have read in Romans 2: "For he is not...who is one outwardly...But he is...who is one inwardly"; "in spirit, not in letter"; "not from men, but from God." Here are a few contrasts: "outwardly" versus "inwardly"; "spirit" versus "letter"; and "from men" versus "from God." The Bible shows us clearly through these contrasts the fact that Christianity is not a matter of outward regulations, forms, and ceremonies but a matter of the inner life. Christianity is not an outward religion or a product of the human mind; Christianity is an inward revelation and a religion of life.
What is it to be a Christian? A Christian is one who has the life of the Lord within him. Some people were baptized when they were young; they attend church services regularly and carry a Bible with them. They can recite the Lord's Prayer and know the Ten Commandments. They can sing hymns and say amen to others' prayers, and they are very familiar with the stories in the Bible. They even consider themselves to be Christians. But are they? The Bible says that "he is not...who is one outwardly." Therefore, a Christian is not a Christian by teaching or by learning. A Christian becomes a Christian inwardly; he is a person who has the life of the Lord within him. The Lord Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10). A Christian is a person who has something to do with life. He is not one outwardly but one inwardly.
Life comes from the Lord Himself. In fact, life is the Lord Himself. A man receives this life through knowing the Lord Jesus and through knowing Him as the Son of God and as the Christ of God. This knowledge comes from God's revelation. Paul had been instructed in the law according to the strict traditions of his fathers. He persecuted the church greatly and thought that by so doing he was zealously serving God. When the Lord appeared to him, he repented and was saved. He testified in Galatians 1 that his gospel was not received from men nor taught by men; it came from the revelation of Jesus Christ. If a man has not received any revelation from God, his zeal is vain. He may be able to keep all the traditions of his fathers, but these traditions can never give him God's life. Paul did not become a Christian through men. He became a Christian because it pleased God to reveal His Son in him.
Once the Lord asked the disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of Man is?" They answered, "Some, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." The Lord then asked the disciples, "But you, who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." The Lord immediately said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens" (Matt. 16:13-17). This shows us clearly that a Christian must be one who has received a revelation from God. If you want to be a Christian, you must have this revelation and knowledge. If you say that you admire the life of Jesus, this will not make you a Christian. If you say that Jesus' teaching contains some very deep philosophy, this will not make you a Christian either. You may not agree with this word. You may argue: "I admire Jesus and honor Him; I am favorably inclined towards Christianity. Does that not make me a Christian?" No, it does not. Being a Christian is not a question of admiring or not admiring; it is not a question of being favorably or ill inclined towards Christianity. Some considered the Lord Jesus to be John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Was not John the Baptist good? Was not Elijah good? Was not Jeremiah good? Yet these were all man's views and man's opinions. Christianity is absolutely not from man. Therefore, human views and human opinions cannot replace Christianity. Christianity is a religion of revelation. Only those who have received a revelation from God and who know the Lord Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, are blessed by the Lord.
Once a man receives a revelation, he touches the Lord Jesus in the Holy Spirit, and he comes face to face with the Lord Jesus. He has a direct relationship with Him and has made contact with the Lord. Let me give a little illustration. Once an electrical power line in a brother's home became worn out. It was easy to receive an electric shock from the wire. The brother was not careful enough and touched the line. Immediately he withdrew his hand and shouted, "What a shock! What a shock!" His young son saw how his hand stretched out and pulled back, and he imitated his father and pretended that he had been shocked also. He stretched out his little hand and pulled it back shouting, "What a shock! What a shock!" But we know that the son was acting in an outward way; he was imitating. The father was genuinely shocked by the electricity; he tasted the reality of the experience. Brothers and sisters, outward imitations do not count; it is the real taste that counts. You must touch Christ like the brother who touched the electrical current. Do you know that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God today? It is not what men say, but what you say within yourself that counts. You may not have any knowledge within you, and you may only have heard about Him from others. When others say that He is the Son of God, you echo and say the same thing. When others say that Jesus was a great social reformer, you follow suit and say the same thing. Your "faith" is one that revolves around others. I am afraid that you are not clear what you believe in.
In John 3, the Lord Jesus discussed the question of regeneration with Nicodemus, who said, "We know that You have come from God as a teacher." The Lord answered him, saying, "Unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (vv. 2-3). With a teacher, the main emphasis is teaching and learning; these are all outward matters. With regeneration, it is a question of spirit and life; these are inward matters. Many so-called Christians have tried to enter through the gate called "Teacher." They think that as long as they understand the teachings of Christianity, as long as they are baptized and are familiar with the prophecies and types of the Bible, and as long as they have picked up outward Christian behavior such as prayer, attending services, and tithing, they can consider themselves good Christians. These people are wrong about Christianity. The Bible shows us that a Christian life begins from regeneration. If a man is not regenerated and does not have the life of the Lord within Him, he is not yet a Christian. Let me repeat: Christianity is not an outward religion but an inward revelation. A Christian is not one who is one outwardly but who is one inwardly.
In John 6, the Lord Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. The same group of people looked for Jesus the next day, and the Lord told them plainly: "You seek Me...because you ate of the bread and were filled. Work not for the food which perishes, but for the food which abides unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (vv. 26-27). Again He said: "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall by no means hunger, and he who believes into Me shall by no means ever thirst" (v. 35). These men came to the Lord Jesus because they ate bread and were filled. They did not know what their real need was. Neither did they know what the Lord was giving to men when He came to the earth. They only saw the physical bread without but did not see the preciousness of the life within. The Lord Jesus was full of mercy; He did not hide Himself from these ignorant ones. He opened Himself to them and told them that He is the bread of life and that He gives life to those who believe in Him. But these ones were still circling around the periphery. They asked, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?" (v. 42). They only knew the Lord Jesus from the outside. The Lord told them again, "I am the living bread which came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread which I will give is My flesh, given for the life of the world" (v. 51). The Jews contended with one another because of this word. Their eyes only saw outward things. They wanted to know the Lord Jesus and understand His words in an outward way. But it was impossible for them to know and understand in this way.
We have to pay attention to the words which followed. Not only were the Jews bewildered by the Lord's word, but many of His disciples did not understand it either. They said, "This word is hard; who can hear it?" (v. 60). Many of the disciples went back to what they had left behind and no longer walked with Him. They stumbled and were no longer His disciples. Five loaves and two fish on the outside attracted many to seek after the Lord Jesus. But when the inward bread of life was presented, many so-called disciples could not take it. How easy it is for men to pay attention to outward things and reject inward things! Brothers and sisters, we ought to be warned here! Many who were called disciples dropped out halfway. Those who are Christians in an outward way will drop out halfway. Those who do not touch life will drop out halfway. Anyone who has not received the Lord's life within him cannot be His disciple. No one needs to discourage such a one from becoming a Christian; he himself will find it impossible to go on.
These so-called disciples did not withdraw because of tribulations or trials. There was only one reason for their withdrawal: "This word is hard; who can hear it?" They fell in the presence of the truth! Brothers and sisters, nothing outward works. An outward Christian will fall in the presence of the truth; there is no need for trials to come to him. Some people call themselves Christians, but they do not accept the Lord's Word. They do not understand the truth of Christianity. They doubt, misunderstand, and even mock and oppose it. They only want the name of Christianity; they do not want the truth of Christianity. They are Christians according to their own "theology," and not according to the Lord's Word. The Lord said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life" (v. 63). When a man receives the Lord's word, he receives the Lord's life. One characteristic of the outward Christian is that he cannot understand and will not believe, receive, or treasure the Lord's Word. All of God's children have one fundamental feeling towards God's Word, the Bible. They believe, honor, and treasure God's Word. This feeling towards the Bible is the basic and fundamental attitude which a Christian ought to have. If a person calls himself a Christian, yet doubts, rather than believes the Bible, criticizes, rather than honors it, and tramples, rather than treasures it, he must not be a genuine Christian. Although the disciples who withdrew at the Lord's word were called disciples outwardly, in reality they were unbelievers. The Bible says clearly, "For Jesus knew from the beginning who were the ones who did not believe and who was the one who would betray Him" (v. 64). This kind of outward Christian either withdraws halfway or mixes in with the disciples only to eventually betray the Lord!
When the many so-called disciples were withdrawing, the Lord asked the twelve disciples: "Do you also want to go away?" Simon Peter answered and said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life, and we have believed..." (vv. 67-69). Peter had received the revelation. The heavenly Father had revealed to him that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of the living God. This is why he still followed the Lord when many withdrew. The Lord's word was like a yardstick which differentiated those who genuinely believed in Him from those who did not believe in Him. It separated the outward ones from the inward ones.
Christians who have revelation and who are Christians inwardly can withstand tests. They treasure God's truth and are not afraid of any trial. We see Paul suffering many persecutions and much tribulation for the sake of the Lord's name. One day he was brought in chains to Caesarea to be judged by Festus. Even Festus himself admitted that Paul did not commit any crime and that the only questions against him were about a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive (Acts 25:18-19). Brothers and sisters, this is a sober question: Are you an outward Christian or an inward Christian? Paul had the experience; it pleased God to reveal His Son in him. This is why he insisted that Jesus was living when others said that He had died. Even when others held him in chains, he said the same thing. Even when others charged him with many false accusations, he said the same thing. On the way to Damascus, he had indeed met the Jesus who was raised from the dead. Therefore, he could present his good testimony under any trial.
Brothers and sisters, no outward Christian can withstand the test of the truth or the test of trials. I wish everyone who called himself a Christian would settle this question once and for all: Is the Christianity you know outward, or is it inward? Are you a Christian by tradition, by learning, or by revelation? Is your knowledge of the Lord Jesus in your head or in life and revelation? Is your Christianity something of man or something of God?
Finally, I will repeat again: "For he is not...who is one outwardly...But...who is one inwardly."
