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All unsaved persons have certain ideals. Although a person may live in sin, he still cherishes certain lofty ideals. He has a concept about what constitutes a holy living. Although he cannot live that way, he considers it as his standard for a holy living. It is interesting to note that although many unbelievers indulge in sin and lust, they have an idealistic concept of what constitutes a holy life. They think that if they can achieve such a state one day, they will be holy persons and will be beyond earthly contamination.
All intellectual people have an idealistic picture of what constitutes a holy living. Even with less educated and less sophisticated people, there is a concept that a person is good and noble if he achieves a certain standard.
We brought this kind of thought into the church when we were saved. We have the concept that as Christians we should now achieve the ideal living which we failed to achieve before. In the past we lived in sin, grew up with lust, and had no power over the weaknesses of our flesh. Now that we have believed in the Lord, we should live out an ideal life. But here lies man's basic frustration: He thinks that he can live his version of an ideal life. He does not realize that this ideal life belongs altogether to the world; it has nothing to do with being a Christian. Please bear in mind that even though many people have become Christians, their standard is still a heathen standard. Their ideal life is a heathen ideal. They bring their philosophies into the church. Such philosophies pose quite a problem to a Christian. A new believer must deal with this matter in a clear and definite way.
What is this ideal life that man aspires to? Simply put, a man bound by sin is filled with all kinds of lust and greed. Although he can do nothing about them, he yearns to be free from them. On the one hand, his heart is drawn toward material things. On the other hand, he yearns to be delivered from these material things. Man's ideals are always based on what he cannot do. The more he is bound by something, the more he yearns for the opposite thing. The more lusts a man has, the more his ideals are shaped by the desire for deliverance from these lusts. The more a man lusts for material wealth, the more he aspires to be freed from material wealth. The whole world is filled with asceticism of one form or another. Please bear in mind that asceticism is not man's rule of conduct, but an ideal that he cherishes. With this ideal, man mollifies himself. This ideal affords man a goal, an excuse to forget about himself. He sets a certain standard and goal, telling himself that if he attains to this standard, he will have reached the ultimate pinnacle of attainment. This is the source of asceticism.
Almost all unbelievers yield to lust, but in their hearts they admire those who are freed from lust and from material bondage. Hence, asceticism is a standard and an ideal that an unbeliever, that is, a man without Christ, sets before himself.
After a person is saved, he subconsciously carries this thought of asceticism into the church. Though he never practiced it in the past, he admired those who practiced it. Gentiles indulge in lusts on the one hand and admire asceticism on the other hand. They crave material things, yet they admire those who are free from material things. They cannot be a certain way, yet they admire those who are that way. After they become Christians, they carry their privately cherished ascetic ideals into the church, thinking that it is the duty of a saved person to practice asceticism.
What does asceticism mean? To many people, it means the denial of outward material things. The less they have to do with outward material things, the better they think they are. They are afraid that outward material things feed their inner lust. All ascetics admit that all kinds of lust reside in man. From the lust for food to the lust for sex, every kind of lust resides in man. These lusts control the conduct of almost everyone on earth. Many think that in order to be holy, they have to overcome these lusts. Outwardly speaking, asceticism is a denial of material things. Inwardly speaking, asceticism is the suppression of one's own lusts. They hope that they can become holy by depriving lust of any form of expression.
However, we must realize that a Christian should never advocate asceticism. If a Christian advocates asceticism, he is practicing something very superficial indeed. Let us read some portions of the Word. Many people try to suppress themselves in the matters of food, lust, or other material things. They think that this is Christianity and that this is the ideal life of a Christian. But the Bible shows us that asceticism has no place in Christianity.
Colossians 2:20-23 says, "If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances: Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch, (regarding things which are all to perish when used) according to the commandments and teachings of men? Such things indeed have a reputation of wisdom in self-imposed worship and lowliness and severe treatment of the body, but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh."
Paul said to the Colossian believers, "You died with Christ." Paul considered this a fundamental Christian fact. Christians are those who have died with Christ. The New Testament shows us that every Christian has died with Christ. Romans 6:6 tells us that our old man has been crucified with Christ. Galatians 2:20 also says that we have been crucified with Him. Galatians 5:24 shows us that our flesh with its passions and lusts has been crucified with Christ. The Bible repeatedly says that Christians are those who are crucified with Christ. In other words, the cross of Golgotha is the cross of Christians. The Christian life begins with the cross. It begins not only with Christ's cross, but also with one's own cross. The cross of Christ became our cross when we accepted it. A person is not a Christian if he has not accepted the fact of the cross. If he is a Christian, he has claimed the reality of the cross of Christ as his own. In other words, he has died in Him.
Paul had no doubt about the reality of the cross of Christ. He did not question this fact at all. He took it as the basis of his argument. In effect, he was saying, "Since you have died with Christ, certain things will happen." Brother Ting is sitting here with us. Since the fact that his name is Ting is indisputable, we can make some statements based on this fact. If the statements are based on an indisputable fact, the statements will also be indisputable: "Since your name is Ting, I can say this and that." Paul was giving a conclusion based on a fact.
"If you died with Christ from the elements of the world" (Col. 2:20). No philosopher can be a philosopher from inside his own tomb. Anyone who desires to talk about philosophy must be alive. We must realize that philosophy is dead; it is on the cross and has been dealt with fully. It should no longer be living. Everything about lust and materialism is in the realm of philosophy. Human thoughts are always preoccupied with lusts and material things. Man thinks that holiness will come when a person is freed from all material influence and sexual lusts. This is nothing but a kind of worldly philosophy. Paul told us that if we died with Christ, we are freed from the philosophy (the elements) of the world, and this problem does not even exist.
Paul continues in verse 20: "If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances?" If you have died, and death is a fact, you should no longer be as those living in the world. The fundamental position of a Christian is death.
Why were we baptized if we were not dead? Does a person die first or is he buried first? A man must be dead before he can be buried. If a man is buried and then dies, a living person has been buried. We must first die before we can be buried. We were baptized; baptism was our burial. We were buried because we had been crucified with Christ. Our crucifixion with Christ is a fact, and our burial followed as our own voluntary act. The Lord has included us in His death. When we see our death and know that we are dead, we ask others to bury us. We must first realize that we are dead before we can ask others to bury us, that is, to baptize us. Since we are dead and buried, how can we still live according to the elements of the world?
Paul told us that those who practice asceticism are still living according to the elements of the world. He said, "Why, as living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances: Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch?" Please bear in mind that this is the philosophy of ascetics. There are many things which they cannot taste, handle, or touch. Many people are fearful of their inward lust. This is why they dare not handle, touch, or taste many things. Colossae was a place where asceticism flourished. The Colossians observed many different kinds of ordinances. Because they feared that their lust would be aroused, they prohibited anything that might arouse it. There were all kinds of strict ordinances, some having to do with what one could not handle or touch, and others having to do with what one could not taste or hear. This was done in the hope that these ordinances would separate lust from material things. The prevailing philosophy of the time was that lust would be held in check if it was separated from material things. If there was nothing for lust to feel and touch, the Colossians thought that it would shrivel away.
But Paul said, "Why, as living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances: Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch?" Those who observed these ordinances did not believe in the fact that they had been crucified with Christ. What prohibition is needed if one believes that he is already dead? He only needs a prohibition on handling, tasting, and touching if he is not dead. The need for asceticism is for those who are still alive. Those who are already dead have no need of asceticism.
Please remember that we have crucified the flesh and its passions and lusts with Christ on the cross (Gal. 5:24). If we try to put ourselves into bondage again by such thoughts of material abandonment and denial of lusts, we are not standing on Christian ground; we are not standing on the ground of death. No one can be a Christian without passing through death. We cannot be Christians without dying with Christ. If we do not include ourselves on the cross, we are not Christians. We must never be deceived in this matter.
Although many of us preach the doctrine of the cross, we still do not know what crucifixion with Christ means. I heard the doctrine of crucifixion with Christ as early as the latter part of 1919. At that time I did not understand anything about it. Later in 1923, I began to speak about crucifixion with Christ. At that time I saw that our crucifixion with Him was a fact, not a teaching. Crucifixion is a fact to us. Today many people are still seeking to be crucified. But we have to see that crucifixion is our starting point; it is not our finishing point. Making crucifixion the goal of one's pursuit is the practice of the mystics; it is not a Christian teaching. Crucifixion is our starting point. We are Christians because we have died with Christ. Please bear in mind that no one can pursue crucifixion. Doing so is foolishness; it only proves that we have not seen any light. If we have seen the light and touched the truth of crucifixion, we will praise God for it rather than pursue it. This is like the substitutionary death of the Lord Jesus; when we see it, we will praise Him for it, instead of pursuing it.
Here Paul shows us that a Christian is a person who has died with Christ. He is freed from the philosophy of the world and its ordinances of prohibition. As an illustration, suppose we bury a man who was a thief. We can stand beside him and proclaim that he will no longer steal; he has been freed from stealing because he is dead. He has also been freed from the commandment that forbids stealing. Suppose one is a talkative person. If he has died with Christ, he has been freed from his talkativeness. If he is not dead, nothing will avail, even the practice of asceticism. If Christ has already crucified us, it is too late for asceticism to do anything. God crucified us with Christ on the cross. We are freed from the philosophy of the world and thus are freed from all the ascetic works of this world.
Colossians 2:22 says, "According to the commandments and teachings of men." All ordinances and commandments related to asceticism are instituted and taught by men. They come from the human mind and are altogether of men. They have nothing to do with the church and nothing to do with Christ. Men think that they cannot eat this, and that they must not touch that, but these are all teachings and commandments of men, not of God.
Paul spoke a very serious word here. He showed us that these commandments and teachings are of man, not of God. They are man's concept of an ideal life. They are merely human concepts, consisting of nothing but idealistic ordinances that have nothing to do with God. It is strange that the world loves asceticism so much. Since all men need food, man thinks that those who deny it must be very noble: "While everyone is under the influence of material things, this person seems to be free from everything. He does not even have any use for material things. How great he is!" But we have to realize that asceticism is a natural religion; it is not Christianity, which comes from revelation. Natural religion involves the teachings and commandments of men. These teachings are wholly from men; they have no enlightenment or revelation. They are man's reaction to lusts. Man knows that lust is filthy, and his response to it is asceticism. Such teachings are of men; they are natural and not of God.
What does Paul say concerning the effectiveness of asceticism? "Regarding things which are all to perish when used." Asceticism is pleasant to the ear; it appears to be a wonderful philosophy. But all you have to do is try it. It is like a car which does not break down at home but breaks down every time it is on the road. It is also like a dress which looks good in the show window but tears in different places as soon as a person puts it on. You can try it out and see for yourself. No one can control his lusts with asceticism.
The more you try to suppress yourself, the more your suppression exposes the busy activities within you. The more a man tries to escape, the more his fear of unchecked cravings is confirmed. A man can be so fearful that he dares not say anything or talk about anything. I have met a few of these so-called venerated men. I can testify that even though they carefully avoid many things, their words betray their helplessness with their lust. They keep fleeing and hiding. The more they flee, the more their flight exposes their deep-seated apprehension. Many people flee to the wilderness or lock themselves up. They try to shun the world. The power of the world is too great for them, and they can only run to the mountains and hide themselves.
Yet the world follows them to the wilderness and to the mountains. As long as they have not overcome the world within, they can never escape it by outwardly running away from it. Paul used a very special phrase here: Which are all to perish when used. They have no way to free themselves from their lusts. As soon as their lust catches up with them, they fall prey to it. They set up numerous rules to restrain themselves from touching, eating, handling, and seeing many things. They want to flee, to separate themselves, to leave the things of the world behind, and to break the chain of their own lusts. Yet those things are still present with them. The more a person fears, the more his bondage to the things he fears is exposed.
Paul says clearly in verse 23, "Such things indeed have a reputation of wisdom." All ascetics and those who promote asceticism have a reputation of wisdom. They seek to have a name of wisdom in this world. Their arguments appear logical and wise, and people may be misled to think that these men are indeed men of wisdom.
Paul criticized such ones for practicing "self-imposed worship" (v. 23). What are these ones like? They are, in reality, engaged in self-imposed worship. The expression self-imposed worship can be translated as "worship of the will." Paul said that these ordinances were a form of worship. They involve a worship of the will, not a worship of the Lord. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). These ones, however, have no worship in spirit. They exercise their will to rule over themselves. Their religion is the religion of their will. The self-imposed worship spoken of by Paul is the religion of the will. This religion is produced by the will. Those who practice such worship say, "I will not eat; I will not touch; I will not listen; and I will not speak." Everything they do involves "I will." They exercise their will to practice their kind of worship.
Please bear in mind that this is not the Christian way. The Christian way is to contact God with the spirit. What distinguishes us from others is not a strong will that suppresses the lusts, but a strong spirit that touches God's grace. Our worship is our spirit touching the Spirit of God. The worship of ascetics is a suppression of lusts with the will. One is absolutely of God, while the other is totally of man. Self-imposed worship is a religion of the will.
"Such things indeed have a reputation of...lowliness" (Col. 2:23). Such people show humility even toward themselves. They appear to be quite humble. There are many things which they will not touch, handle, hear, or see. It appears as if they are very humble. However, this humility comes from one's self. It is unnatural, artificial, and self-imposed; it is not spiritual humility which comes in a spontaneous way.
What is their attitude toward themselves? It involves "severe treatment of the body" (v. 23). They care neither for eating nor for clothing their own bodies. They restrict their physical senses from seeing, touching, hearing, or handling anything. This is nothing but a "severe treatment of the body."
Ascetics believe that the body is evil. This teaching spread from Greece to India and then to China. The Chinese are not as extreme as the Indians and certainly not as extreme as some Greeks were. While not all Greeks were extreme, one school of Greek ascetics spread their teachings to India and later to China. They taught that the body is the root of all evil, and that if a man is freed from his body, he can be freed from sin. This is a fundamental concept of Buddhism concerning the "elements of the world." Buddhism reckons the body to be the root of all sin and that one can be freed from sin as soon as he is freed from the body. Since the body produces so many sins, they believe that one should afflict the body in the hope that the sufferings will reduce the sins. They think that it is right for the body to suffer; they think that it is right to deprive the body of every enjoyment; and they think that the more the body suffers, the better it is, because once it suffers, it will be free from sin. This is the result of the human religion of the will — "severe treatment of the body."
What does a believer think of all these things? Paul said, "Such things...are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh" (v. 23). If a man thinks that he can suppress his own lusts by doing all these things, he is hoping for the impossible. This is because the Lord Jesus has already made the best provision on the cross for us. He has crucified our flesh with all of its passions and lusts on the cross. Today we stand under the cross and lay hold of its accomplished work to deal with the lusts of our flesh. This kind of dealing is different from the human way of dealing with one's lust. We deal with our flesh by acknowledging the reality of the cross of the Lord Jesus.
Please bear in mind that just as man receives forgiveness of sins through the shedding of blood by the Lord Jesus, man is freed from his own lusts through His cross. The Lord's work includes both the shedding of blood as well as the application of the cross. We must see that after the shedding of blood by the Lord Jesus and the receiving of the cross, one must be baptized immediately. We ask to be buried because the Lord has crucified us. The Lord says that we are dead, and our response is baptism. We say, "Let me be buried." The Lord says that He has crucified us and that we no longer live. We respond by saying, "I do not doubt the fact of my death. Now I ask to be buried." Baptism is our recognition and acknowledgment of the Lord's death. If we still practice asceticism, it means that we are not standing in the position of death.
Colossians 3:1-3 says, "If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above....Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." Paul began with the cross and ended with resurrection. We are citizens of heaven. Therefore, we should not care for the things on earth. If we pay attention to what we should not touch, taste, or handle, we are setting our mind on the things of the earth. Paul went on to tell us that we are in resurrection. Since we are in resurrection, we should seek the heavenly things. If we take care of the heavenly things, earthly problems will disappear. A Christian should set his mind only on spiritual and heavenly things. He should not set his mind on what he should not eat, touch, or handle.
Christians should not pay attention to asceticism, because this is an error; it will introduce heathen doctrines into the Christian fold. We must deal with it in a thorough way.
We should read 1 Timothy 4:1-3, which says, "In later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to...teachings of demons...who forbid marriage and command abstaining from foods." This also is asceticism. Asceticism will be greatly revived toward the end times. Men of one age may be materialistically inclined, but the next age will react against materialism and extol asceticism. What is asceticism? It is the forbidding of marriage and the abstinence from foods. These are things invented by the ascetics. They try to eliminate food and sex. Asceticism will come back to us in the end times.
As Christians we must understand the difference between human nature and human lust. Let us briefly cover these two things.
God ordained that man should have food. He also gave man the urge for food. The urge for food was not a sin in the beginning, nor was it a lust. Man has the urge for food, and he eats to preserve his own life. God wants man to preserve his life. Therefore, when He gave food to man, He also gave man an urge for eating. God has no intention that man take his food without the sense of taste; He likes man to have enjoyment while he eats. Our enjoyment of food preserves and sustains our life. In the same way, God gave man the urge for sex for the purpose of reproduction and the continuation of human life. God gave man such an urge so that it would be a joy for man to continue human life. Please remember that no element of sin is involved in the urge for food or the urge for sex. In Genesis 2 these things had nothing to do with sin. Even today they have nothing to do with sin. We must be clear about God's view concerning these urges. These are urges created by God Himself.
What is lust? If I am hungry, I may eat. The enjoyment of that food, however, is not related to lust, but to the urge for food. However, if I have no food and I try to steal from others because I am hungry, that is lust. Or if I have food and indulge myself in the food, that also is lust. The desire for food is an urge, while the intention to steal food or the wanton indulgence in food is lust. There is a difference between an urge for food and a lust for food. Urge is the desire to eat; one feels happy while he eats. Lust is the intention to take food by stealing in a wanton way.
As Christians we eat when food is available and do not eat when food is not available. Not only should we not steal; we should not even have such a thought. This is the teaching of Matthew 5, which says that we should not have any lust for these things. It says that we should not even have any thought for these things. For example, I enjoy good food when it is available. This is related to the urge for food. This urge was created by God and is not sinful. When does a problem arise? It arises when I have nothing to eat and I see food. If I try to steal, my urge for food becomes a lust for food. If I start thinking about stealing, that is lust. This lust comes from my urge for food. Lust is simply the expression of one's urge to steal. The Old Testament says, "Thou shalt not steal" (Exo. 20:15). But in the New Testament, when Christians are hungry and without food, they should not only refrain from the act of stealing; they should not even have the thought of an such act. This is the principle of Matthew 5. The Old Testament forbids the act of stealing, whereas the New Testament forbids the thought of stealing. Stealing is lust, while the thought of stealing also is lust.
The same principle applies to the urge for sex. This is something that pertains to this age. While eating and drinking preserve the life of an individual, sex extends the life of the human race. Some people in the world steal when they have nothing. At least they contemplate stealing. Others indulge themselves in food. Both are lust. There is always the possibility that an urge for food and an urge for sex can turn into lust.
Sex is right, and food is right, but both can turn into lust. This happens when there is an inordinate demand and obsession for these things. The Lord Jesus dealt with these things on the cross. He dealt with our flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24). This is a great matter, a great gospel. The cross has dealt with our passions and our lusts. No Christian should steal or even contemplate stealing. We should be clean not only in our conduct but also in our thoughts. Although Christians recognize the existence of the flesh, they should be clean in their thoughts and conduct. The Lord has already accomplished this work for us on the cross.
This does not mean that Christians do not need to deal with their lust. We are saying that the Lord has given us a new spirit and a new life. The new spirit enables us to touch God, and the new life enables us to express His life. God's life is altogether positive; there is nothing negative about it. This is not a matter of dealing with lust but a matter of seeing something positive. It has to do with the new life and the manifestation of God's life. There is a new spirit in us which is able to touch the Spirit of God. Christians are filled within with these positive things. We do not have to pay attention to such ordinances as "do not handle, nor taste, nor touch." We do not have to pay attention to the negative things, because we have the positive things with us. We must touch more of the positive things, the things in glory. We must keep touching the Spirit of glory and the life in glory. When we have the positive things, abstinence from eating, touching, and handling will become a minor issue. Everyone who is in the Lord should be fully released from these things.
Some people like to subject their physical body to asceticism because they are short of the positive things. Some Christians also have the same inclination. They would have nothing to cling to if asceticism were taken away from them. They constantly restrain themselves from seeing, handling, eating, touching, and listening to all kinds of things. If you take these ordinances away from them, you will take away their very world. This is their heaven and earth, their world, their universe. If you take away their universe, their world will be gone.
The Bible gives a very flexible view concerning such things as eating. It says one may eat or not eat. In God's eyes none of these things means anything; they are minor points, not major issues. All of these things are minor from the Scripture's point of view. The important and crucial things are the life of the Son of God and the life of Christ within the believers. With such glory and weight upon us, food and clothing become minor issues. The Bible shows us that the Christian life is a flexible life.
It is all right for anyone to dress himself moderately and to eat frugally before the Lord. But if someone gives him more to eat, he should feel free to take the offer; there is nothing wrong with eating more. If you feel that you do not want to marry for the Lord's sake, that is very good. If you feel that you are not doing justice to yourself by remaining single, it is good for you to marry. Some do not have as many riches of Christ, and you will be taking their world away from them if you take marriage away from them. But some have the riches of Christ, and they can go on undeterred. It is good to remain single, and it is good also to marry. These issues become very minor in comparison to that which is great and glorious. Any anxiety over these things shows one's little appreciation of Christ. The problems of marriage and food are very minor. Whether a Christian eats more or eats less is of minor concern. These are not the fundamental issues.
The crucial thing for us to do is to express the spiritual reality. All the other matters will spontaneously find their proper place if glory is properly expressed through us. If Christ's glory is not expressed, minor things will become major things, and we will apply asceticism to them. Those who do not know the Lord may cherish these things, but those who know the Lord will easily and effortlessly transcend them.
Matthew 11:16-19 says. "But to what shall I liken this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others and say, We have played the flute to you, and you did not dance; we have sung a dirge, and you did not mourn. For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say, He has a demon. The Son of Man came eating and drinking; and they say, Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard." Here we see that the Lord Jesus did not lay down any strict rules. He did not lay down stringent guidelines for outward Christian behavior. He said that John came neither eating nor drinking, while He came eating and drinking. This is the Christian way. Christians are not fettered by outward forms of eating and drinking. Both "eating and drinking" and "neither eating nor drinking" are right. These are not the basic issues. John lived in the wilderness, while the Lord Jesus attended the marriage feast in Cana. There was nothing unchristian about John's not eating, and there was nothing unchristian about the Lord Jesus' eating. Since we have the glorious things of Christ, everything else becomes a minor issue. Our concept has to be turned around. Do not dwell on the minor things. Do not make them the essential things of your life. Please bear in mind that a Christian is not one who eats and drinks, nor one who does not eat and drink.
Philippians 4:11-13 says, "Not that I speak according to lack, for I have learned, in whatever circumstances I am, to be content. I know also how to be abased, and I know how to abound; in everything and in all things I have learned the secret both to be filled and to hunger, both to abound and to lack. I am able to do all things in Him who empowers me." Please bear in mind that a Christian can be abased or abound, filled or hungry, in abundance or in want. He can be filled, and he can be abased. We accept all discipline from the Holy Spirit. As long as it is under the Lord's sovereign arrangement, we can be hungry or filled. We can be in want or in abundance. In other words, we can be flexible in all things. In everything that we do, the Lord is the One who empowers us. This is the positive focus. Everything else is minor and insignificant.
I hope that you will learn this lesson before the Lord. This is what it means to have a flexible life. A Christian is neither an ascetic nor a glutton. Christians do not practice asceticism, and they do not practice indulgence. They live a flexible life. The outward living of a Christian is always governed by the discipline of the Holy Spirit, not by his own choice.
Paul's word in 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 is very special in regard to how a Christian should live: "Those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use the world as though they did not abuse it; for the fashion of this world is passing away." This is a Christian. Outward things do not matter because the Lord who dwells in us is so much greater than these things. Man tries to suppress these things or to abstain from them. This only proves how strong these things are. The more a person practices asceticism, the more he is filled with lust. Only those who are filled with Christ have no need of asceticism. Those who have wives may be as though they had none. Those who do not have wives will not ask for them. It does not matter whether one weeps or rejoices. Those who buy are as those who do not possess, and those who use the world are as those who do not use it. Christians are transcendent over all things. The Christian life is not a life of asceticism but a life of transcendency. It transcends everything.
Never think that Christianity is like asceticism. Do not be mistaken. Do not lower Christianity to the level of asceticism. Let us look at a few stories.
Sadhu Sundar Singh was an Indian who preached the gospel for many years in Tibet. When he was in England he stayed in Keswick for half a year. I stayed in the same place in England once. I was told that the family which hosted him was quite embarrassed. While he was there, the weather was cold, and the family prepared a bed for him. Yet every night he slept on the floor, like a true Indian. However, we must remember that the Bible speaks of a life that can both sleep on the floor as well as on the bed. Many people do not have much within them. They would lose their Christian faith if they slept on a bed. Their Christianity consists of renouncing a bed. As a consequence, they lose their Christian faith when they sleep on a bed. Such heathen thoughts permeate China. We must see what a Christian is. Those who sleep on a bed are Christians, and those who sleep on the floor are also Christians. Those who sleep on a mud floor are Christians, and those who sleep on nice spring mattresses are also Christians. Never pay attention to outward things. Once we pay attention to these things, we will lower Christianity and degenerate its glorious spiritual life into ordinances. We must behold the things in glory and never quibble about the ordinances.
One worker of the Lord who was somewhat inclined towards asceticism became engaged to a sister on a Saturday. Soon after his engagement, I met him and, quite amusingly, he said, "I felt very happy after I preached on the Lord's Day; I was surprised that I was able to preach after I was engaged." I asked, "Did you think you could no longer preach after you were engaged?" What kind of thought was this? He thought that his engagement one day would annul his preaching the next day. He was a good brother among us, but asceticism had unconsciously crept in. We must be on the alert and never allow asceticism to come in. There are many glorious things that we should apply ourselves to. Our Lord has resurrected from the dead, and He is now sitting in heaven. The brighter the light within us shines, the smaller other things will become to us. Under the overshadowing of such a great life, all other things become inconsequential.
There was an old pastor who spoke highly of another pastor of Shantung. He told others that this person was wonderful because he left home to preach the gospel on the very day of his marriage. For two months he did not see his wife once. This is nothing but asceticism. If we read the Old Testament, a person cannot be a soldier during the first year of his marriage. The Bible cares much about this period. This has absolutely nothing to do with lust. Christianity is absolutely different from asceticism. Christianity's emphasis is not on these matters. The kingdom of God is neither eating nor drinking. Eating more or eating less means nothing. The kingdom of God has to do with the power of the Holy Spirit. To be concerned with what one should not eat or touch while being devoid of the power of the Holy Spirit is to be contaminated and captured by the things of the world. We must remember that Paul condemned such practices as sin. In the same way, we should condemn them as sin.
Once two sisters from Shanghai were working in an area north of Yangtze. The weather was cold and they each had an overcoat. Some local ones criticized them, saying, "We doubt whether a woman can still work for the Lord when she has such a nice overcoat on." Many think that God's word can be bound by a mere overcoat. They think that once a person puts on a nice overcoat, he will no longer be able to preach. Christianity is not limited by an overcoat. No one should be affected by a mere coat to the point that the whole of his Christianity hinges on it. This is too poor.
Please bear in mind that the Bible does not speak of this kind of suffering. If this were suffering for the kingdom, every rickshaw driver would enter the kingdom because they suffer more than we. We should not bring such concepts into our midst. These heathen thoughts must be excluded from us. Everyone who fears God should be indignant about such thoughts. We should have the feeling that the Lord's glory is being thrown to the dirt and the dust. We should regard such concepts as a usurpation of the glory of the Lord's life. I hope that we will pay attention to this matter. Christianity has nothing to do with quibblings about eating and drinking.
If the Christianity we preach consisted of nothing except eating, dressing, clothing, and beds, our preaching of Christianity would be tasteless. It would be the same as what the world preaches. Today I can climb to a mountaintop and shout, "My Christianity is different from your teaching. It has nothing to do with how to dress, how not to dress, what to eat, and what not to eat. It is different from your kind of joy and weeping, from your teaching on using worldly things and not using worldly things. My Christianity transcends everything. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and His glorious life dwell in me. Every day I am raptured to heaven to touch the glory of the throne." This is what Christianity is all about. All things will pass away and vanish before our eyes when God magnifies the greatness of these positive things to us. May we all see that Christians are not ascetics; they live a flexible life, because He who is in us is so great and so glorious.
