Inside—Outside

Inside—Outside

In this passage of Scripture Paul speaks about being inside and outside the church: God’s house, the body of Christ.

Having given up on the usual idea (or the lack thereof) that all converted people are alike— just like a bowl of porridge, and being inspired by the thought that the church, in contrast to the assemblies of converted people in general, shall not be like a market place for everything and everyone, but rather something with meaning—a place where there is to be a conscious work, order, and control—then it is only reasonable to think that the church will consist of only truly excellent brothers, brothers who want something.

The last part is correct. However the fact is that there are also others than the most excellent souls who want something. Nonetheless, the circumstances are almost the opposite. Most people are weak and pitiable; yet there are also a few strong and noble souls.

Whom shall we consider and treat as members of Christ’s body? The most obvious difference between us and the majority of people is their lack of hunger and thirst for righteousness, for a divine life in their spirit. Their consolation is that Christ is righteous and virtuous and that this will be imputed to them as their righteousness, a guarantee against perdition. Our hope is to be transformed into the same righteousness and virtue that we see in our Master, so that the imputed righteousness will gradually—through the same grace by which it was imputed to us—be replaced by a personal righteousness, etc.

One can be prone to think that one could differentiate between people according to their desire. But when we ask, “How great or how good must the desire be so that the person can be reckoned as a member of the body?” we are left without having a precise measure or weight for making a decision.

If we in the same manner attempt to measure the attitude, we will not make any further progress, for where is the boundary? What is the worst attitude that is permitted without a person being considered to be outside?

Faith must be the definitive criterion. Faith without works is dead. Perhaps we can test it on this basis? Unfortunately, we are not aware of any specific law—something that has been precisely prescribed as the least requirement. Or what might be the least that could be required? How often shall we require to see a work of faith? Is every third month sufficient? That would be very little. What about once a week? Shouldn’t we be able to expect something more? What about five times a day? You wouldn’t need that many as the least requirement, would you? But who knows of a paragraph in the law that prescribes the very least requirement?

All this is useless. We are not achieving any results by this. We cannot determine this at random. Even in the world it is considered very wrong to pass judgment without law. How much less should not we who shall rule with Christ in all eternity judge without law!!!

And yet it is self-evident that it is still faith, a person’s desire, and his attitude that determine every individual’s state. However, this is not our opinion in the matter; it is the personal, bold confession and boasting of each individual that is decisive. If they boast of the faith of Christ, they must be considered as being inside, and treated as such—only with one exception: removing the distant boundary that is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5:9-13. They must not live, and continue to live, in manifest sin.

Inside are therefore all those who glory in being a part of the body of Christ and who are not living in manifest sin.

As we can see, we have not found any law by which we can exclude the weakest of the weak—utter weaklings and fools: “Although a fool, [he] shall not go astray.” Isa. 35:8. Neither have we found a single paragraph according to which we can exclude the most unsympathetic, willful, most repulsive, contrary person, or the most sentimental, smooth, thoroughly complicated natures.

All kinds of such people can have, and do have, a place inside. It is not just our gifts and ministries that vary, but the quality of people is also different. The body of sin is, of course, of the same nature in everyone, but each person’s spirit that is bound to it, is different. This is clearly evident from 1 Corinthians 12:22-25. Here Paul uses different terms for the various members, such as: weakest, less honorable, unpresentable parts, nobler, least honorable.

God Himself has put the body together with such people. Seeing that it pleased Him to elect such people, should we be reluctant to be in their company? In Proverbs 14:21 and 31 we find the following: “He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy [blessed] is he . . . .” He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.” Why is that? The fact is that God has created every man the way he is. He has let the one be a pitiable weakling and another one a giant. He has let the one be simple (foolish, not very gifted), and given another one a well-endowed, bright spirit. He has given to the one to be straightforward and up-front, and to another to be difficult and ornery.

When we had reached a certain age, was any one of us by chance asked, and after we had weighed the matter in our minds, did we answer that we wished to be a fool or a weakling? To be sure, no one has asked us. We were even born into the world without being asked. We usually recognize our particular characteristics in our fathers according to the flesh. However, that for which we could be blamed, must then be how we have conducted ourselves with the characteristics that we have inherited from our fathers—the very characteristics that God has given to us.

Therefore we have no reason on that account to reproach such members who we think are less honorable because of their weakness, for God is the One who has given them the spirit and the flesh they have; and it is this very same God who has chosen them and given them the faith of the body. If we despise any of them, we despise His deliberation and work in creating and choosing them.

Neither should we just accept the fact that we have such fellow members. They shall be clothed with greater modesty and given greater honor. Note that this is not to be done “as a pretense” but in reality. In 1 Peter 2:7 it is written, “Therefore the honor belongs to you who believe.” It is more difficult for the ignoble than for the noble to believe in transformation into the image of Christ. However, if he still believes it, his faith must be greater than the others’ faith; thus—according to Peter’s word—the greater honor belongs to him! For if the weak person has overcome the same enemy as the strong person, he must have accomplished the greatest masterpiece, and therefore the greatest honor rightly belongs to him!

We can also mention the unspeakably great benefit we derive from the weakest and most difficult members, the most trying ones. They are immensely helpful in furthering our growth; thus they, as no one else, contribute to us becoming more conscious of our defects.

Finally, we can mention that our own presence in the body depends on such a pitiful member. For example, if we take away an intestine, how would that affect the rest of the members? All of them would wither and die.

Here we have a threefold cord that is not easily broken. The less honorable member is:

If I receive honor in this world before a less honorable person, I can—if I possess this know-ledge—be ashamed, since it is unjustified.

To summarize, we can state: Bow down seven times before the lowliest members! Wisdom will not accuse us for having performed such a deed! Every time you meet this certain person, you can rightly say to yourself: There comes my salvation and progress.

With this mindset it is not so difficult to preserve fellowship, to conduct oneself in the house of God as is proper for the common good and happiness.