Inside and Outside
It is abundantly clear in scripture that God’s heart calls out to mankind in love. His call is not to a new religion or a new lifestyle but to a new life.
The reason is clear. We have been born into the human family, a family whose very life has been corrupted by an evil life force called sin. Many people think of sin as simply things people do that God doesn’t approve of. But it is so much more than that. It is a “disease” that corrupts and destroys everything it touches. It has corrupted the very creation in which we live and set it on a path to total destruction. Nothing of this present creation will exist when God is done. He will make everything new. Rev. 21:1-5, 2 Peter 3:10-13.
But God has a remedy for those who answer His loving call: it is called the new birth. John 3:16, 1 Peter 1:23, 1 John 5:1, John 1:12-13. God’s remedy thus begins, not on the outside, but on the inside, in the heart. His plan is not about new rules and laws but about a new heart and a new spirit. Ezekiel 36:26.
We are not sinners because we sin; rather we commit sin because we are sinners. Our problem is not our behavior on the outside but the inclinations of our hearts on the inside. Put simply: it is impossible for anyone relying on human nature to please God. And we can’t fix ourselves no matter how hard we might try. Rom. 8:7-8.
That’s where the word salvation comes into play. Salvation is the rescue of one who is not only in mortal danger, but who also cannot help himself. Joining a church has never saved anyone. Reforming one’s behavior has never saved anyone. Salvation, put simply, involves total surrender to the saving power of another. Only one has that power. His name is Jesus.
And Jesus didn’t come to call the righteous. (There are none!) He came to call sinners to repentance. Luke 5:32. And we all qualify if we are honest. Rom. 3:23.
Being born again involves willingly giving up the earthly life with which we were born in order to be born of God’s life. What an amazing thing it is that God would be willing to share His very life with needy sinners like us!
We were born into this world with a life infected by sin that leads inevitably to death. And by God’s mercy we become His children, born of a life that can never die! Missionary Jim Elliott was thought to be a fool by friends for wanting to serve God. But he famously wrote: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to gain what he cannot lose.”
True salvation is so much more than the forgiveness of sins. I’m glad that the sins that I have committed in the past have been forgiven, paid for, blotted out, forgotten, not because of anything I have ever done or could ever do but because of the death of a Savior who willingly embraced the guilt of my sin and the punishment of death that I deserved. God’s justice was satisfied. Rom. 3:23-26.
But that’s only the beginning. Repenting from the heart from sin and trusting fully in the Savior “reconciles” me with God. I was His enemy. Through Christ’s death on the cross I have now become, not only His friend, but His child! Rom. 5:1-2, 10. God’s Spirit, sitting on the throne of the heart changes everything! Rom. 8:14-17.
But children need to grow up. And that is what salvation is all about. Living out our lives here on earth becomes all about learning to live out the new life instead of the old. And that is a lifelong – and often painful – process. I’m so glad that the one who “began this good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:6. No matter how we may feel at any given time, we are never alone!
There is a scripture that has long been a favorite of mine: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” Phil. 2:12-13.
The title of this article is, “Inside and Outside.” Note that in Paul’s words in this scripture he refers both to “in” and “out” in connection with salvation.
True salvation begins on the inside, in a heart that is surrendered to God’s “good purpose.” But then God goes to work in that heart to change us so that we become more and more like our awesome older brother, Jesus! Rom. 8:29, 2 Cor. 3:18. That work involves two much needed areas: our wills that make choices; and the actions that result from those choices. So, God works on the inside, and our part is to “work out” our salvation “with fear and trembling.”
Two things need pointing out. Paul does not say to work “for”! All the work “for” salvation was done at the cross. It is finished. We need to believe it and not live as though we need to continually “qualify” ourselves to be accepted by God. Col, 1:12-13 speaks to us of “… the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.” The “has qualified” part is in the past tense, done, taken care of, finished.
And the “fear and trembling” part is not about being afraid that God will get mad and throw us out if we don’t “measure up”! But it is an instruction to take all this very seriously. Salvation is not a simple ticket to heaven we stick in our back pocket while we live basically unchanged lives. True salvation is meant to change us on the inside and on the outside.
And so, Paul begins with his instruction to “work out” your salvation. It is not enough to merely believe all the right things on the inside but for that “belief” to make little or no difference on the outside. James wrote plainly about this in James 2:14-26. In verse 17 he said, “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
The danger about which James warned concerns the fact that there are some who merely embrace ideas and doctrines with their minds and call that “faith.” In reality, that is just religion. True faith is a supernatural ability to rely upon God that accompanies true salvation. It gives us the power to “work” out that salvation, producing a changed life. That’s the only way that faith can be seen by someone looking on. What do people see when they watch you, when they interact with you? Is it you, or is it Christ living in you? Gal. 2:20.
And, of course, there have long been those who associate serving God with outward things. As long as they live an outwardly “righteous” life before others they feel confident that they are right with God and ready to meet Him. Mark 7:6. They ignore Jesus’ warning in Matt. 7:21-23 of those who would come to the end of a “broad way,” expecting to be received because of all the outward things they had done, but would be rejected. Why? Self and sin still ruled on the inside. Outward self-righteousness has never saved anyone.
And yet, Paul felt the need to instruct believers concerning the need to “work out” their salvation. He wasn’t writing to lost religious people but to real believers. That should tell us that even where the miracle of the new birth has truly happened in the heart, there is still needed “work” involved in producing the changed life God desires.
The very word “work” refers to the use of energy to overcome resistance. It takes work to serve God! We know that everything that is a part of this present world order stands in opposition to God and His people. The “world” order itself is ruled by Satan’s kingdom and his evil hosts. Eph. 6:10-17. People under his influence are part of human cultures that likewise oppose God. And we still live in earthly bodies that are infected with fallen human nature. And so, we are called to overcome “the world, the flesh, and the devil” as we serve God.
I’m so glad that we are not left to human strength and ability in this fight. In God’s plan, He supplies the energy, and we exercise it by faith against all that opposes. Remember Paul’s words in Phil. 4:13 – “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” KJV.
Paul spoke in Col. 1:29 of his ministry in these words: “To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” God worked on the inside, and Paul used that energy to work on the outside. This principle doesn’t only apply to what we call “ministry” but to all of Christian living.
The challenge is simply that “work” tends to make us tired, and even discouraged. We may even feel like giving up, or at least, coasting for a bit. We all experience those feelings at best which is why we need encouragement to look, not at the difficulties, but to the source of our help and to the certainty of the goal set before us. As Paul wrote in Gal. 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
In 2 Cor. 4, Paul wrote of the challenges to his life of service to God, but also of God’s life within that made it possible to do the things he did, and of the things that were accomplished for God’s glory as a result.
In verses 16-18 he wrote, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
Paul’s attitude, his perspective, reflect something very important. We have mentioned briefly the fact that some have a so-called faith that doesn’t produce an outward result. We have also spoken of the fact that some focus only on the outside, but lack true faith on the inside. But Paul’s walk of faith resulted in his being renewed inwardly day by day, and also in a powerful outward expression of that inward faith.
He found in God all he needed, not only to put one foot in front of the other, but to maintain a healthy, positive attitude, a focus on the end result of it all: “an eternal glory that outweighs them all.” That changes everything – if we let it!
But Paul was well aware of the challenges of living for God in a broken, sin-cursed world. In Phil. 2:14-16 he follows verses 12 and 13 with these words: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life.”
Without grumbling? Seriously? Isn’t it enough that I’m doing all the right things? What does He expect? Now, we would never say that out loud, but, if we are honest, we all struggle at best with inward emotions that are, shall we say, less than Christlike!
We get anxious, upset, angry, resentful. We complain, we find fault with others while failing to look honestly in the mirror. Basically, our inward emotions all too often come more from the old nature than the new.
And it can happen without our realizing it. We keep doing all the “right things” on the outside: we pray, read the Bible, go to church, live decent lives. But remember, God looks on the heart. He desires all of us to be in harmony, at peace, with Him. That’s a blessed place to be.
Remember Christ’s letter to the Ephesian believers in Rev. 2:1-7. Outwardly, they were faithfully doing all the right things. But – and it was a critical but – they had forsaken the love they had had at first. Without consciously intending to, they had gradually turned a genuine heart relationship with Christ into mere outward religion. It looked good but was increasingly empty of spiritual life and power.
Genuine believers can, if they are not careful, get weary in well doing, as we have noted. They can even become “drowsy” and fall asleep (Matt. 25:5). It is all too easy to become so involved with day-to-day earthly life that we lose touch with what it is really all about, hence, the warnings in scripture to “keep watch,” “Be alert and of sober mind,” and others. Matt. 25:13, 1 Peter 4:7.
But Paul’s warning about “grumbling” has to do with more than just getting sleepy spiritually. It has to do with our emotional reactions to daily life. The Lord recently focused my attention on a need in me in this area. I’m not alone! While we are doing all those “right things” on the outside, what does the Lord see when He looks at our “inside”?
How many times in scripture to we find exhortations to “be thankful,” or to “give thanks”? Is that just a nice-sounding idea or is that really what God wants to see on the “inside”?
Col. 3:15 says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” 1 Thess. 5:16-18 reads, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” In many other scriptures we find similar exhortations. Col. 1:12, Col. 2:7, Col. 4:2, for example.
Phil. 4:6 is a familiar scripture that tells us how to deal with anxiety, something we all experience. We are encouraged to bring our needs in this area to God with “prayer and petition.” But Paul’s words to not end there. How often do we pray – but also have a complaining, grumbling spirit in the process?! Paul adds these important words: “with thanksgiving.” And it’s in “every situation.”
We just quoted above the words from I Thess. 5:1 that encourage us to “give thanks in all circumstances.” I have actually heard people say that, yes, we are to be thankful IN all circumstances but not FOR them! Is that so? In Eph. 5:15-20 Paul clearly tells us what the “Lord’s will is.” He concludes his exhortation with these words in verse 20: “… always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
There it is! “For everything.” That seems pretty impossible doesn’t it! Well, it is, with merely human ability. But salvation is not about human ability; it is about Christ’s life expressed through us – while we are still in these bodies of clay.
Does anyone honestly think that the Lord is OK with believers going through all the right outward motions of serving Him, all the while harboring negative emotions on the inside? “Working out” our salvation surely involves both the outside AND the inside. How can “the peace of Christ” rule in our hearts if we are something less than thankful?
We surely need divine help for all of this, don’t we! Does He know about our needs in this area? Is He willing to come to our aid? Of course He is! Hebrews 4 reminds of us of a Savior, a “high priest,” who empathizes, understands, our weaknesses. That’s why the writer continues in verse 16, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Not when we “deserve” it, but when we “need” help. The more we yield ourselves to Christ’s saving power – both inside and outside – the more we will be able to enjoy true peace with God. Earthly circumstances will continue to be a challenge, but it is a challenge that, with God’s help, we can not only handle, but triumph in.
It won’t be long before all of this will be behind us – forever. As Paul did, may we be encouraged and enabled to keep our eyes on Christ – who has promised to finish what He started! – and on the goal that has been set before us.
One of the all-time favorite scriptures of believers is Rom. 8:28 – “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” But do we really, actually, believe this? “All things”? Are “all things” actually for our good?
Truthfully, there are times when we act as if this scripture weren’t really true. Or, at least, we don’t quite agree with some of those “all things” on the inside. But, for example, if we get angry at someone because of how something they did or said affected us, who are we really angry at? If God has allowed it and is using it for our good, and we are angry, are we really agreeing with Him?
In Matt. 11:29 Jesus exhorted His followers to, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” What a wonderful promise! Isn’t that what God desires for us, to find rest for our souls? But notice that Jesus wanted us to learn to be “gentle and humble” in the heart. It’s the inside that counts.
Jesus fully understands what we experience here in our earthly lives. He experienced far more adversity than we will ever know – and yet scripture tells us, “For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Heb. 12:2.
And we are exhorted to fix our eyes on Jesus in our earthly “race.” And we need to see Him, not only as our great example, but also as the one who is the “perfecter” of our faith. Perfecter means that He will finish what He started! When He declared on the cross, “It is finished,” He meant all of it! That is grounds for rejoicing, thankfulness – all of it!
I’m thankful that the Lord knows where we are at in our individual journeys. Children don’t “grow up” in a day! All He is looking for is that we learn to walk with Him daily, learning and growing, and leaving all our tomorrows in His faithful hands. May we all seek the Lord from our hearts for the grace we need to live in full agreement with Him, one day at a time, both inside and outside.