God’s New Testament economy is not a matter of keeping the law or practicing rituals. Neither is God’s economy a matter merely of doing good according to human ethics or philosophy. God’s New Testament economy is a matter of God working Himself into His chosen people so that they may have Him, the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—as their life. When God’s people have His life, they are automatically able to live this life. To live God’s life simply means to live by God and even to live God Himself. Hence, the economy of God is neither a matter of keeping the Jewish law nor of doing good according to human philosophy; it is a matter of having God as life and then living Him. It is extremely important that we all see this.
From the time of the apostles until today, there has been much debate concerning biblical teachings and theology. Much of this debate has been the result of one thing—missing the mark of God’s New Testament economy. Throughout the centuries, Christian teachers have been fighting over doctrines and practices, but the focus of God’s New Testament economy has been neglected. What a great loss it is to miss God’s New Testament economy!
Certain Christians, especially so-called holiness people, argue about the proper style of dress. For example, they may debate about the length of the sisters’ skirts or sleeves. This is a very simple illustration of how the saints have been distracted from God’s New Testament economy. We believe that if the saints see that in His economy God desires to work Himself into His chosen people so that they may have Him as their life and live Him, there will be no need to argue concerning anyone’s manner of dress.
We have seen that the New Testament economy of God is not a matter of keeping laws or observing rituals. Neither is it merely a matter of doing good in an ethical way. God’s New Testament economy is that we take Him as our life and live Him.
If we read carefully Galatians 2:11-21, we shall see that the atmosphere in Antioch changed after certain ones came from James. Before those brothers came, Peter and the other believers in Antioch were in a particular kind of atmosphere, the atmosphere of enjoying God’s New Testament economy. But then, due to the influence of James, the spiritual atmosphere changed, and the spiritual sky became cloudy. Something had come in to obscure God’s New Testament economy.
The situation in Antioch was so serious that Paul opposed Peter to his face (Gal. 2:11). Paul went on to give Peter a very good lesson. According to Galatians 2:14, Paul said to Peter in front of all, “If you, being a Jew, live like the nations and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the nations to live like Jews?”
Paul’s words spoken on that occasion continue through Galatians 2:21. You may have quoted Galatians 2:20 many times, especially the words, “I have been crucified with Christ,” without realizing what the context of this verse is. The context begins with verse 11 and included Paul’s open rebuke of Peter. Paul’s rebuke emphasizes the fact that we who believe in Christ should have only one kind of life, and this life is to live Christ. It is neither a matter of eating with Gentiles or not eating with them. On the contrary, it is a matter of having been crucified with Christ and of Christ living in us. Therefore, Paul could say, “Since I have been crucified with Christ and Christ lives in me, it is no longer I who live in this matter of eating. The question is not whether or not I eat with the Gentiles. The question is whether or not Christ lives in me.”
James was a godly person, very strong in practical Christian perfection. But if we measure him according to God’s New Testament economy, we shall see the defects in his living. In his Epistle James does not say anything about Christ living in us. In fact, he does not even speak of the divine life. Instead, James refers us to Old Testament people and Old Testament practices. Much of what he writes is based on the Old Testament. In his Epistle we do not find many New Testament terms. Even when he does use a New Testament expression, he immediately reverts to an Old Testament practice.
We should not measure the Epistle of James according to the natural concept, the ethical concept, or the religious concept. Instead, we need to measure this Epistle according to God’s New Testament economy. We know that God’s economy is to work Himself into us as our life so that we may live Him as the members of the Body of Christ. When we use this to measure the Epistle of James, we shall be able to see where this book stands in relation to the rest of the New Testament.
For a few centuries the status of the Epistle of James was uncertain. It was not until the Council of Carthage in A.D. 397 that this book was finally and officially recognized as part of the New Testament. One reason for the debate concerning the Epistle of James is that with respect to God’s New Testament economy this book is neither black nor white but gray. This means that this Epistle is a mixture of the Old Testament and the New Testament. In certain aspects the book of James has the “coloring” of the New Testament. An example of this is the word concerning the Father of lights begetting us so that we may be the firstfruits of His creatures (1:18). Other examples are what James says concerning the implanted word, the law of freedom, and the Spirit dwelling in us (1:21, 25; 4:5). These matters all belong to God’s New Testament economy, but they are found in an Epistle that bears a strong Old Testament flavor and color. This was the reason we pointed out that in this book we see a life that is not fully according to and for God’s New Testament economy.
When we turn from the Epistle of James to the Gospel of Mark, we see a life that is not at all gray. On the contrary, the life revealed in Mark, the life of the Lord Jesus as the Slave-Savior, is absolutely “white.” This means that the Lord’s life revealed in Mark is fully according to and for God’s New Testament economy.
Although the Gospel of Mark records a life that is absolutely according to and for God’s New Testament economy, we still need spiritual sight in order to see what is revealed in this Gospel. If we do not have this spiritual sight, we may regard the Gospel of Mark merely as a book of stories. Without such a sight, we shall not realize that it is a biography of a life that is fully according to and for God’s New Testament economy. Actually, the life presented in Mark is the reality, substance, and pattern of God’s New Testament economy.