In this chapter we want to see how to enjoy the subjective salvation of the Triune God which we covered in the previous chapter. We especially use the word enjoy because enjoying is higher than experiencing. We not only experience but even more enjoy the subjective salvation of the Triune God.
The Bible reveals that man is a vessel created by God to contain Him. Our body needs to be satisfied with the outward physical things, such as food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. Our soul also needs to be satisfied with some form of relaxation and entertainment. The outer part of man is the body, which belongs to the physical realm. Within the body is the soul, which belongs to the psychological realm, and within the soul is the spirit, which is the innermost part of man. Many people have satisfied their need for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, and they also have found solace and happiness in their soul, yet they are still empty and unsatisfied deep within their spirit. The spirit of man, which is the deepest part of man, is his true “I,” his true self.
A large part of man’s spirit is his conscience. People often say that they speak according to their conscience. This means that they speak according to their true “I.” Whenever when we argue with others, we always say we are right. This is to speak from our soul. However, in the midst of our reasoning something deep within tells us, “No, you are wrong.” Sometimes our intellect allows us to do a certain thing and our emotion also delights in doing it, yet our deepest part, which possesses an innate ability to distinguish right and wrong, tells us, “That is wrong. Don’t do it.” This innate ability to distinguish right and wrong is actually our conscience, which is part of the spirit in man. Just as man’s body and soul have their own needs, so man’s spirit also has its needs. Because of the need that is in man’s spirit, man invented religion. What the spirit of man needs is to worship and contain God.
Human history throughout the ages contains records of the worship of God both among the barbaric nations and civilized societies. The barbaric nations worship God in a wild way, whereas the civilized people worship God in a refined way. The objects of worship of the barbaric nations are lowly; their idols are crudely made. The objects of worship of the civilized nations are noble; their idols are fine and exquisite. The higher the civilization, the higher the worship. This is similar to saying that the higher the culture, the more particular the food. Therefore, there are inferior religions and there are also superior religions; there are backward religions and there are also advanced religions.
Religion is the most noble thing in the entire human culture. We may say that without religion, the human race becomes barbaric. Religion indeed occupies a high position in human culture. Man drinks because he is thirsty. Man eats because he is hungry. Man puts on clothing to keep himself warm. Then, why does man need religion? Because man’s innermost part has a need. Religion meets that need in man. We eat and drink to satisfy the needs of our body, but religion is to satisfy man’s inner need. The Chinese people say that man has four basic needs: food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. These needs, which are all outward, do not comprise all the needs of our human life. We human beings are not simple. Not only do we have a body, but we also have a spirit and a soul. The soul is what we commonly refer to as our psyche. Some people have fully satisfied their need for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation; however, they still have their psychological needs. They listen to music, watch dramas, and read books and newspapers to be refreshed and comforted. However, after they have met their psychological needs, they are still not satisfied because they still have a spirit within them that has its need.
Many people have achieved success and acquired fame and prominence. In man’s eyes, they should have no lack at all; they can have whatever they want. However, they are still not satisfied because the need in their spirit has not yet been satisfied. Although they have no lack physically and psychologically, their innermost part still has a need that can be satisfied only by the Creator of heaven and earth. This is because man was created for God, for the purpose of containing God.
In Chinese, the term religion literally means to have an object of worship and teach accordingly. Man worships God and teaches according to what he worships. This is religion. In brief, religion presents God for people to worship and exhorts them to do good according to the God whom they worship. The crudeness or refinement in the practice of a religion varies according to the degree of civilization and the status and qualifications of the individual, but the principle is the same. Because most people consider Christianity a refined and high-class religion, when they read the Bible, they consider the Bible to be a religious book. They think that the Bible teaches people to worship God and to do good accordingly. Today thousands of Christians cannot divorce themselves from this kind of thinking. When they read the Bible, they consider the Bible to be a book that presents an object for worship and teaches people to do good. Actually, doing good according to the object of one’s worship is not the truth in the universe.
The truth in the universe is that there is only one true God, the Creator of all things. He created man with a particular purpose that man may express Him. In order for man to attain to this purpose, God must enter into man to become man’s life so that man may live out God. This universal truth does not exist in any religion even though it is very clearly recorded in the Bible. Moreover, the majority of Christians have lost this truth. Because Christianity has become a religion, our attitude should be that we care only for Christ and not for Christianity. We only want Christ; we do not want the rituals, letters, traditions, and regulations of Christianity. This statement may puzzle some people. They may wonder how we can say that we do not want worship meetings, traditions, or rituals and that we only want Christ. Indeed, this is very difficult to comprehend, but we still declare that we only preach Christ; we do not preach Christianity.
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