I am still burdened about the matter of peculiarity. I don’t believe we can get through this matter quite easily. What do you realize concerning the problem of peculiarity?
Well, last week we saw that peculiarity is a matter of our character being biased and warped. As I considered this week I realized that peculiarity is the expression of the self. It is the final expression of the natural man. Its root is our desire to be expressed. Because we desire for people to appreciate us, to accept us, this causes us to live out our natural life rather than living out Christ. Because it is the expression of our natural man, and because we have lived with it so long, it is not easy to identify. Peculiarity separates us from others and even causes us to guard ourselves and protect ourselves so that we cannot be built with others.
The points you have covered concerning peculiarity are true, but I still feel this word has not yet reached the bottom of the problem of peculiarity. There is a bottom to this matter, and it may be difficult for us to see. We may consider that peculiarity is simply something biased, warped, natural, not good, and so forth. But as we look into this matter we need to realize once more that our Christian life is nothing but for us to live Christ. The Christian life is to live Christ. This is strongly and emphatically revealed in the New Testament. Some of the verses are so familiar to the seeking Christians. They know Galatians 2:20 which says that it is no more I but Christ who lives in me. They also know Philippians 1:21, that to me to live is Christ. But you have to realize that verses like these are either missed by many Christians, or they are not cared for, or they are misinterpreted. Some have condemned us and opposed us for using this verse: “For to me to live is Christ” (Phil. 1:21). They say this is to uplift ourselves to the level of Christ. They condemned this, but when I read their words I say, “Yes it is true! God’s salvation is to uplift us to the level of Christ!” Some also have written saying that Witness Lee lowers Christ down to the human level. Again I say, “Yes, that’s incarnation! The incarnation really brings God down to man’s level!”
Don’t forget that Paul wrote Philippians 1:21 near the end of his ministry. At the end of his earthly journey he was going to be offered as a drink offering to the Lord. He was ready to be martyred. He was such a person; he had passed through so many things; he had done much work. But at the end of his ministry, at the end of his Christian race, he said that to him to live was Christ. This indicates such a mature person in the Lord. At that time he did not care for anything else. He only cared for one thing—to live Christ. To him to live was Christ. This really means to live Christ. It is not a matter of doing a certain kind of work; it is just to live Christ.
In his earlier ministry he had said that it was no longer he but Christ who lived in him (Gal. 2:20). By these two verses we can see that the Apostle Paul lived a life not for anything else, but simply to live Christ. We have to realize that, according to our limited experience, the most hidden thing that frustrates us from living Christ is peculiarity. Peculiarity is the hidden thing in you and me all the time occupying us and frustrating us from living Christ. We all could easily realize that the world frustrates us from living Christ. In a sense we don’t need to talk about that. I don’t believe, however, that many among us have ever condemned our peculiarity. In fact we may have appreciated it. If we don’t condemn our peculiarity, it will keep us away from living Christ.
We have to look into this matter of peculiarity from this unique angle: God’s intention is to work Christ into us. God’s intention is even to make us Christ. We have to realize God’s salvation is to make us Christ. We are no more ignorant. Through the years we have been enlightened. We know that Christ is the firstborn Son of God and through Him all of us have been made sons of God, and all of us have been made His brothers, even His members. We are parts of Christ. God’s intention is to work Christ into us to make us Christ, that we may live Christ. But we have to ask ourselves: how much do we live Christ? I know that you would not go back to the world. You would never go to Las Vegas and enter the casinos. You probably wouldn’t even go to a movie. But do you realize that unconsciously you are very much occupied by your peculiarity? Culture does not occupy us in such a hidden way as peculiarity does. Even opinions don’t occupy us so much. The most hidden thing, the most secret thing, the most subtle thing, that almost occupies us in full, is our peculiarity.
Some people are very much manifested in their peculiarity. If I called their names, you might laugh because from the past you have been impressed with their manifested peculiarity. But let me tell you honestly, everyone has a peculiarity. Don’t think you have no peculiarity. Even the most common brothers and the nicest sisters have their peculiarities. I have it, and you all have it. In the past I have pointed out to you how difficult it is for us to deal with our little temper. No one can boast that he is fully successful in dealing with his temper. Because I am older I may not lose my temper outwardly, but inwardly I may lose my temper a lot. It is not so easy to successfully deal with your temper. But there is another thing within us that we have probably never dealt with—that is our peculiarity. We all have been disgusted with our temper, but perhaps we have never been disgusted with our peculiarity. Perhaps we have never condemned our peculiarity. Because some of you have been contacting me for years, you surely have discovered my peculiarity. Because of my contact with you, I too have discovered everything. I have discovered the quick persons, the slow persons, the bad persons, the good persons, the low persons, and the high persons. I have discovered that all these people have their peculiarity. The hardest thing for us to deal with is our peculiarity. Whenever we meet someone, right away we realize they have a kind of peculiarity. Although we may not be able to identify it so clearly, we realize it is there. Deep within, you realize something is there that is not Christ. Rather something is there which frustrates Christ, which bothers Christ, and which damages our living Christ. You cannot pin it down, and you cannot identify it, but within you have an inner sensation, an inner realization, concerning the peculiarity. By this you can see peculiarity is a very subtle matter.
For us in the Lord’s recovery it is not so easy to tell a lie or to commit some sins or to do something so apparently in the flesh. It really is not so easy. But it is also not so easy for us to live Christ. What is the problem? Why is it not so easy for us to live Christ? Sooner or later you will realize in your Christian life that your culture is a problem for you to live Christ. Then your opinion is a problem. Ultimately, there is a bigger problem, that is, your peculiarity. Peculiarity is a high mountain within our being that occupies us and gives no place to Christ. Our peculiarity occupies nearly our whole being. It doesn’t give any place to Christ. You love the Lord and I do too. We all love the Lord, yet we do not live Him so much, and He does not occupy us so much. Why? Because there is no ground, no room, within us. We just don’t give in. The peculiarity within us doesn’t give in, so Christ actually doesn’t have much ground. He doesn’t have much room within us. Eventually, we just live ourselves. Our self is covered with many nice cloaks, but underneath those cloaks is our peculiarity.
I have known a certain brother almost thirty years. In the meetings the brothers and sisters have seen his manifested peculiarity, but probably not many of you know his concealed peculiarity. I have to testify that I know his hidden peculiarity. He loves the Lord very much, but after so many years he has had no growth in life. He is still the same. What is the problem? Peculiarity! I must be honest and fair to say that he has improved a lot, but improvement doesn’t mean growth. In a sense everyone is improving. If a person stays in the church, he will surely be improved a lot. But to be improved doesn’t mean that you are growing. To grow in life is altogether another thing. What does it mean to grow in life? It means to grow by the growth of God, to have the addition of Christ. I have seen much improvement with this brother, but I have not seen much addition of Christ. Why? Peculiarity is still there. The ground given to Christ has not been increasing. Christ has just about as much ground as He had thirty years ago. Peculiarity is there hidden within like a great mountain, frustrating the growth in life.