1. “Not...outwardly...but...inwardly” (Rom. 2:28-29).
The service of the new covenant is not according to ordinances or letters but according to the power of life and the Spirit. Hence, it is not outward but inward. What is done outwardly is according to ordinances and the letter. It does not require the inward power of life and the inward operation of the Spirit. What is done inwardly is according to the power of life and the Spirit. It requires the inward power of life and the inward operation of the Spirit. Anything done according to ordinances and the letter is only an outward action because it does not require the inward power of life and the inward operation of the Spirit. Anything done according to the power of life and the Spirit is an inward action because it requires the inward power of life and the inward operation of the Spirit. Service that comes from within and is according to the inward power of life and the inward operation of the Spirit is the new covenant service. Service that is based on outward ordinances and the outward letter is not the new covenant service. In nature, such service is according to the old covenant.
Anything that does not require an inward burden, an inward feeling, and an inward supply of life and that does not rely on the power of the inward life, does not pass through prayer, or does not come out of fellowship with God is an outward service in the principle of the old covenant. Furthermore, anything that merely mimics or copies what others do or repeats what has been done in the past without the leading of the Lord is also in the principle of the old covenant. For example, if we pray as another brother prays, preach the gospel as another brother preaches, or even love the brothers as another brother loves the brothers, our actions will only be an outward service.
Inward service requires an inward burden and must come out of the inward operation and inspiration of the Spirit. It must rely on the power of the inward life and pass through prayer and fellowship with God. It must come from the Spirit within us in order to be carried out by God’s inward life. God must be our source when we pray, preach the gospel, visit people, or do anything related to service. Only that which comes from our spirit and out of our inward life can be considered as service in the new covenant. Brothers and sisters, we must see that the new covenant service is not outward but inward. May we always remember the principle in Romans 2—not outwardly but inwardly.
1. “Brothers,...your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).
God wants every believer to serve Him as a priest in the new covenant. Therefore, service in the new covenant does not involve the service of a special few but a service of all the believers, all the brothers. In Romans 12 Paul exhorts the brothers who have received God’s salvation to present their bodies to God to serve Him. His exhortation is not directed toward a few gifted brothers; rather, he exhorts all the brothers who have received God’s salvation. According to the characteristics of the new covenant today, we realize that serving God is a necessary and reasonable matter for every believer. If we have received God’s salvation, we should serve God regardless of the measure of our gift of grace. God desires service from every believer in the new covenant. In principle, service that is limited to a few is not service according to the new covenant but service according to the old covenant. Similarly, any service that does not see a need for the service of others in order to carry it out is related in principle to the old covenant, not the new covenant.
1. “We who are many are one Body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, whether prophecy...or service...or he who teaches...or he who exhorts...he who gives...he who leads...burning in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom. 12:5-8, 11; see also 1 Cor. 12:4-30; Eph. 4:11-12).
The service of the new covenant is the service not only of all the believers but also of the Body. The believers of the new covenant are the Body of Christ and members one of another in the Body. Therefore, the service of the believers in the new covenant is not individual but corporate. It is not a movement of individuals but a serving of all in coordination. No matter what kind of gift, ministry, or service that we have, we cannot move individually but must serve in coordination with all the saints in the church, the Body of Christ. The service of the new covenant is the service of the Body, and even individually we still are members of the Body. In a physical body the members must coordinate. If a member is separated from the body, it cannot function. Similarly, we must coordinate in the church. If we are not coordinated with the saints in the Body, we should not serve because such service is not in the principle or nature of the new covenant. The service of the new covenant is a coordinated service in the Body.
1. “Christ our life”; “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me” (Col. 3:4; Gal. 2:20).
The service of the new covenant is according to life, so if we want to serve according to the new covenant, we must be in life. To be in life is to live by the Lord, not by ourselves. The Lord today is living in us as our life, causing us to live by Him. Whenever we live by ourselves, whenever we live under the law, we cannot be delivered from the service of the law of ordinances. If we want to be delivered from the service of the law of ordinances, we must be delivered from ourselves. If we want to be delivered from ourselves, we must live by the life of the Lord. When we live by the Lord and His life we are delivered from the law of ordinances. When we live by the Lord and His life, we are in the service of the new covenant, which is according to the power of life.
1. “According to the spirit”; “Walk by the Spirit” (Rom. 8:5; Gal. 5:16).
The service of the new covenant is according to the spirit. If we want to have the service of the new covenant, we must live by the Spirit. To live by the Spirit is to follow the Spirit and to walk according to the Spirit. This cannot be separated from living in the Lord and by the Lord. If we want to live in the Lord and by the Lord, we must live by the Spirit, which is to be according to the spirit and to walk by the Spirit. We can be delivered from letters and ordinances only by living according to the spirit and walking by the Spirit. When we live by the Spirit, we will also be delivered from rigid, old, and dead forms to a fresh, living, spiritual service according to the new covenant.
1. “It is God who operates in you both the willing and the working” (Phil. 2:13).
The service of the new covenant comes from within, so we must live according to the inward operation of life in order to be in the new covenant service. To live inwardly is to not be according to outward ordinances or outward practices. It is to live according to the inward sense of life and to live according to the inward operation of the Spirit. Therefore, it is the same as living in life and by the Spirit. When we live by the Spirit’s inward operation, our willing and our working are according to the operation of God in us.
1. “Brothers,...present your bodies a living sacrifice...which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1).
The service of the new covenant involves the service of all the believers; therefore, every believer must serve in order for the service of the new covenant to be realized. Consequently, all the brothers and sisters must present themselves as a living sacrifice to work out their ministry as priests to God.
1. “We who are many are one Body”; “The members are many, but the body one” (Rom. 12:5; 1 Cor. 12:20).
We must live in the Body in order to have the service of the new covenant because this service is the service of the Body. This requires consecration and a willingness to abandon our individual actions and coordinate with all the saints in the service.