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We have mentioned the resurrection of Christ and shown how we can receive a new life in this resurrection. But there is another crucial matter which has decisive bearing upon our Christian life. We have to devote our present chapter to the study of this matter. If we miss this, we will miss a vital aspect of our belief. In addition, we want to supplement our previous messages with a number of points concerning faith. We will combine them all in this same chapter.
First, we want to ask why God gives us a new life. We have to look at this matter from the beginning. I shall consider you all as Christians and shall therefore approach the whole problem from the biblical point of view. In the Old Testament there are the laws with all the ordinances. The laws do not consist merely of the Ten Commandments; they comprise hundreds of ordinances and regulations. There are laws to govern your way of dressing. There are laws telling men when to plant and sow. There are laws governing the use of oxen or mules. Weaving and cooking have their arrangements. Everything is so strictly regulated. The totality of all these codes of behavior is the law. We want to know why there is the need for all these laws. Why did God set up all these ordinances in the Old Testament?
If you check with every nation in the world as to why they instituted their various laws, each would surely answer that the laws are for their citizens to keep. Is this also the reason for God's institution of His laws? Did God set down the law of forbidding idol worship because He wants us to not worship idols? Did He give us laws because He wants us to honor our parents or not covet, kill, or steal? If we ask anyone this question, the answer would surely be yes. They would say that God gave us the laws, commandments, and ordinances so that we would keep them and abide by them, in the same way that every nation demands its citizens to be subject to its laws.
But Christians should never answer this question in this way. You have to give me permission to say an honest word. If you think that God introduced these laws for you to keep, you know nothing about the Christian faith. You are still an outsider.
Naturally, you may ask, "If God's purpose for giving us the laws was not for us to keep them, then what was the use of giving them to us?" My answer is so that we would break them! All the ordinances written in the laws are for us to break! This is the truth according to the Bible. The books of Romans and Galatians expressly tell us this.
We need a word of explanation here. Why did God give us the law? The Spirit of God gave the answer through the words of Paul: "The law entered in alongside that the offense might abound" (Rom. 5:20). Because of the presence of sin, the law was added. Paul also told us that the law exposes man's sins (Rom. 3:20). In other words, the purpose of the law is not to remove our sins, but rather to reveal them. If the law is for the removal of sins, then we have to keep it. But the law is not intended for that. It is there to expose us. "The law entered in alongside" for the purpose of showing us our sins.
God knows very clearly what kind of people we are. He knows all too well our weaknesses and corruption. He realizes that our conduct and behavior are such that even if we wanted to do good, we could not. Inwardly, we are corrupted; outwardly, we are degraded. The root problem is that we do not merely have an evil behavior but an evil life.
Here is the problem: God knows our wickedness, but we are ignorant of it. He realizes our utter depravity, but we have not given up hope in ourselves. We think that if we could be a little stronger or have a little more will power, we could obey God's words. Or we may think that what we lack is more effort, higher doctrines, or some other kind of help from God. We think that we can do something, but God knows that we can do nothing! For this reason God gave man a long list of laws, not for man to keep, but rather to break. In this way man will be exposed by his evil and realize that salvation can never come by the law.
God knows us all too well. But we do not know ourselves. God knows that we are only little children, and running the way we do, we will fall. Yet we do not realize it. Eventually, we fall, and then we believe that we are fallible. We do not know ourselves.
For this reason, the Bible says that the law has shut us all up under sin (Gal. 3:22). Throughout the centuries, God has been teaching us one lesson, that we would know the impossibility of keeping the law. We can never make it. None of the commandments are there for us to keep. They are all there for us to break. The result is that we would come to know ourselves. When we know ourselves, we will say, "O God, I quit! Now I know what You want to do with me!"
When Christ was on the earth, a young Israelite came to Him. This man was a very noble and refined person. He asked, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18). On that day, the Lord did not tell him what we are used to hearing, that if he believed in Him he would have eternal life. Rather, He said, "You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother'" (v. 20).
After the young man heard this, he said confidently, "All these things I have kept from my youth" (v. 21). The Lord knew that he did not know himself. He said, "Still you lack one thing." It seems as if He was saying, "So you think you are perfect. Let's see if this is the case or not." He continued, "All that you have, sell and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in the heavens; and come, follow Me" (v. 22). How did the young man react to these words? He began to realize that what God requires he could never fulfill. This additional item was something he could not do. So he left sorrowfully. He needed to know himself; he needed to realize that he was unable.
What did Christ say? He said, "How difficult it is for those who have riches to go into the kingdom of God. For it is easier for a camel to enter through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God" (vv. 24-25). Here is the purpose behind Christ's confounding of the young man. He wants us to realize that with men these things are impossible. I am not saying that the Lord demands everyone to sell all his possessions before he can be saved. He was making all those who thought that they were able realize their real situation. God only wants to show man that he is unable. Man's life is an impotent one. There is no possibility for him to become able.
If man would confess his inability and give up before God, everything would be all right. O young man! O young ruler! Why do you have to depart sorrowfully? It is right to recognize your inability. But it is wrong to leave sorrowfully. What you could have said was, "Lord, I cannot do this. I have no way. Save me." If you had said this, everything would be different. The Lord's purpose is not for you to turn away, but to make you see that you are not able.
When a man says, "I am able," God becomes unable in him. But whenever man becomes unable, God will become able. When we have exhausted our strength, God will manifest His power and glory.
Let us look a little more into the history of the Israelites. After God gave the law, the children of Israel seemingly responded in a good way. They said that all the Lord commanded them, they would do (Exo. 19:8). The first commandment that God gave was that there should be no other God besides Him (20:3). Moses received this commandment on the mountain. But even before he came down, the children of Israel had already built themselves a golden calf, saying, "This is our God." They promised easily that they would obey God's commandments. But God showed them that they were unable to do so. This happened to the children of Israel. It happened to the young ruler. It is also happening to us. Over and over again, God is showing us that we are unable.
Well, then, who can keep God's laws? This is the second crucial question we have to ask. Please remember that every commandment in the Bible is unreasonably demanding. Every rich man has to sell all his possessions, give to the poor, and then follow Jesus of Nazareth. What is this? Is this not unreasonable? The demands of Christ are so severe; they take your life! He says that whoever loves his father, mother, or children more than Him is not worthy to be His disciple. Neither is any worthy of Him who will not take up his cross to follow Him (Matt. 10:37-38). Is this not asking for your life? The clause concerning the bearing of the cross is especially so. The modern equivalent of the cross is to take a criminal to the execution ground with his hands and feet bound and then have him dragged through the streets for public ridicule. If you cannot be like that criminal, you are not worthy to be His disciple! Is not He demanding our life?
Again, He says, "Love your enemies" (5:44). Mere forgiveness is close to impossible for us. Yet He talks about loving. Hence, we have to see that all of God's commandments are impossible to keep.
God Himself is the only able One. The commandments of Christ can only be fulfilled by Christ Himself. Neither you nor I can do anything. Hence, the answer to our second question is that only the Son of God can fulfill the requirements of God. All of us are unable. God alone is able.
Therefore, whenever a brother in the Lord tells me that he is hopeless, that he falls as soon as he rises, and that the more he tries the more he fails, I rejoice greatly. The more he weeps for his transgressions and failures, the more I laugh inside. I will say, "Today you know that you are a failure. This is something to be congratulated. Although you should have known this earlier, it is not too late to know it now." We cannot obey God's will. God's will can only be done by God Himself, and the commandments of Christ can be fulfilled by none other than Christ.
Our gospel is also called the glad tidings. Why is it called the glad tidings? Is it because the Bible contains commandments that have a higher standard than all other religions? If so, then we are preaching grievous tidings. In a physical fitness test, if the requirement is only to jump a foot, everyone can easily pass. But if the requirement is ten feet, then we have a grievous tiding.
What is the glad tiding that God gave us? It is the bestowing of His Son to us. By His resurrection we are resurrected. Now He is living inside of us to be our life, so that we may live Him out and fulfill His demands. This is the glad tiding. The glad tiding is that God is fulfilling His own commandments inside of us! The gospel is not a set of do's and don'ts. You do not have to crawl around the earth day and night like crabgrass, telling yourself over and over again that you are not supposed to sin. This is not a glad tiding. This is a grievous tiding. The gospel is that God is coming into us to live and obey for us.
Not only do we have to see that we are unable; we have to realize that God is able! (Luke 18:27). The young ruler only saw that he was unable and concluded that God was the same and proceeded to leave sorrowfully. But God is able! Do not think that when you are unable everything is over with you. The inability of man is the beginning of the ability of God. It is the time for God to show forth His power. Not that we are able, but His doing a work for us makes us able.
The meaning of Christ being our life is this: formerly man lived by his own life, but the natural life is ousted by the coming in of the resurrection life of Christ. The "I" who formerly lived is gone, and the life of Christ comes in to take its place. Then it is no longer I who live. When the life within is exchanged, the behavior without cannot remain the same. Because our life is Christ, we can fulfill Christ's commandments. It is not the power of Christ helping us to conform to His ordinances. Rather, it is the life of Christ substituting ours to live out His commandments. When His life inside is working, we can keep His laws.
We have to look at one passage carefully. Hebrews 8:8-9 says, "For finding fault with them He says, 'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant upon the house of Israel and upon the house of Judah, not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord.'"
How did God establish His covenant with the children of Israel? He did so by taking them by the hand. It was something outward. The laws were written on stone tablets. They were outward. The result was that the children of Israel did not continue in God's covenant, and God did not regard them. God's commandments are one thing. Our obeying is another. The result of that whole experiment was a failure.
Now let us look at the second covenant. Hebrews 8:10 and 11 say, "For this is the covenant which I will covenant with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will impart My laws into their mind, and on their hearts I will inscribe them; and I will be God to them, and they will be a people to Me. And they shall by no means each teach his fellow citizen and each his brother, saying, Know the Lord; for all will know Me from the little one to the great one among them."
Now the law is put within man. It is no longer inscribed on stones, nor is it recorded merely in the Bible; it is written upon our hearts. What is the good of having the law put inside of us? Ezekiel 36:27 says, "And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Please note the word "cause." It is a strong word in the Hebrew language. The result of God's putting His Spirit within us is to cause us to be able to obey His ordinances and walk in His statutes.
Under the old covenant, man had to struggle to obey God's commandments. Now the Spirit of God is in us. He causes us to obey. Hitherto God gave the commandments, and we supplied our own strength for their fulfillment. Now the commanding One is God, but the supplying One becomes God also. After resurrection, Christ came into us to become our life. The result is that we are enabled to fulfill God's commandments. This is the gospel. Christ's sufficiency has become our ability. Because Christ is living for us, all the problems are solved.
I turn the question now to you. Have you given up hope in yourself? Are you still trying to improve yourself and reform to a better status? I have completely abandoned any hope in myself! I am crucified on the cross. My goodness and wickedness alike are terminated. Now everything is Christ. This is the only way. Paul said, "I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me" (Gal. 2:20).
Do you believe that God has crucified you? Do you believe that your old man is nullified and that Christ is in you? If so, you have to substantiate all these facts. Then you will be able to say that henceforth it is Christ living in you.
Once I was invited to dinner at a missionary's home. We sat and talked for a long time concerning this matter. I asked him, "Can you say that you have overcome all your sins?" He answered, "I have to wait and see if this will work or not." What he meant was, "Paul said that he had died and was resurrected. But I cannot say the same because if I say it and then lose my temper, what am I going to do? Am I not still alive? Therefore, I must wait a few days to see if it works or not."
I told him, "God has put you into His Son; you are now dead with Him. God has also put you into His resurrection that He may be your life within. What you should do is believe. Instead you are just waiting. Do you really believe? You are not believing because if you were, you would praise God for Christ being your life. You would not even worry whether this would work or not. God is responsible for it, and He never fails. All His accomplished works become real when you exercise your faith. What are you waiting for? Are you doubting the Word of God?"
Once again it is a matter of faith. Faith always concerns accomplished facts. Anything for tomorrow is not faith. Nor is anything in hope. Many, after hearing such messages, say that they have faith. But whether or not they really possess it is an open question.
Let me illustrate my point by a real story. I have two co-workers. One is a brother by the name of Nee. The other is a sister called Lee. Both started in their Christian work recently and both are nearsighted. Eventually, both had a pair of glasses. Miss Lee went to the Lord and prayed, "Lord, You have healed the blind. Can't You do the same for me? It is very inconvenient for me to go around preaching in villages with this pair of glasses. Lord, heal me." She made this prayer on a little steamboat on her way to a village. After her prayer she knew that God had answered her request. She had the faith within her to throw her glasses into the river. Her eyes were consequently healed.
The news came to Mr. Nee. One day he came to me, saying, "God has healed Miss Lee's eyes. I believe that He will do the same for me." I answered, "You said that God will heal you. This proves that you do not have the faith yet. You will not be healed." He insisted, however, that God would work a miracle and that he had such a faith.
After two days he was on a steamboat. He took off his glasses and threw them into the water. A month afterward I saw him, and he told me that his eyes had not improved any. It seemed as if God had not healed him yet. I said, "If you are wise, you had better spend twelve dollars to buy another pair of glasses." He said that he was going to preach in Ku-tien and would be back in four months. He had the faith that by then he would be healed. I said, "If you think that four months from now God will heal you, you are putting your faith in the future. This is not genuine faith."
Do you see it now? Miss Lee has the genuine faith. She said, "Lord, I thank You that I am no longer nearsighted. For this reason I throw my glasses away." But Mr. Nee said, "When I throw away my glasses I shall be healed." She believed that God had accomplished her healing already. This is what real faith demands. It is a faith that believes that God has accomplished and has fulfilled all His will.
The same principle applies to our salvation and the living of a victorious life. We are not hoping that God will save us. I am afraid some will keep hoping even after they reach hell. Neither are we hoping that victory will come in another two days. What we should say is, "Lord, I thank You. My sins are forgiven. Thank You, Lord, that it is no longer I who live, but You live within me." We have to believe in what is and what has been. When we do this we will be saved.
There is another passage in the Bible concerning faith. Mark 11:24 should be read with care: "For this reason I say to you, All things that you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and you will have them."
The crucial word in this verse is "received." I have underlined this word in my Bible. "Believe that you have received them, and you will have them." The first clause gives the past tense, while the second is in the future. The Bible gives only this kind of faith. It is faith that believes in having received, not one that hopes to receive. Only the receiving that is through faith is the true receiving. Without the receiving in faith, there is no receiving in reality.
Sometimes my co-workers or I would anoint sick people with oil and pray for them. Often I ask a sick man, "Has God answered your prayers yet?" Those who have faith say, "Yes, God has answered prayers. My illness is gone." This kind of patient may still have a high fever and not look too positive, but he eventually gets well. There are others who say, "God will heal me," or "I will be healed." We have to pray again for these because we detect no faith in them. What they have is not faith, but mere hope. To hope to be healed and to believe that one is healed are very different. Those who believe that they have received will receive.
The same is true of victorious living. If you believe that you are victorious already, then you will experience victory after victory. But if you put your hope in the future, you can only experience victory in the future. The past tense occupies a vital position in our prayers. It is what I have and not what I want. Wanting something is a sign of unbelief. The word want often blocks our prayers from being answered. The word of the Lord is clear: he who believes that he has received shall receive.
