What does the expression “the inward parts of Christ Jesus” mean?
This morning we were praying over Phil. 1:8 and Col. 3:12 and I was encouraged to open to the Lord and allow Him to infuse me with His feelings, His desires, His emotions, His mind, His will – even to replace my inward parts with His, especially in caring for the church.
Here is Paul says concerning the saints in Philippi in Phil. 1:8,
For God is my witness how I long after you all in the inward parts of Christ Jesus.
The “inward parts” here literally mean bowels, signifying the inward affection, the tender mercy and symphaty. Paul was one with Christ even in the bowels, the tender inward parts of Christ, in longing after the saints.
He didn’t just desire to see the saints – Paul’s inward yearning and desire have been mingled and replaced by Christ’s inward yearning and desire for the saints! Paul did not keep his own inward parts and he did not act / do things according to what he had as his inward parts – rather, he took Christ’s inward parts, His inward feelings, as his inward parts!
Christ’s mind became Paul’s mind, Christ’s emotion became Paul’s emotion, and Christ’s will became Paul’s will – Paul’s entire being was changed, rearranged, remodeled, reconstituted, with Christ’s inward being.
This is why he could also say, “The truthfulness of Christ is in me” (2 Cor. 11:10) – what was in Christ as truthfulness, faithfulness, trustworthiness, or honesty, was also in Paul. “My love in Christ Jesus be with you all” (1 Cor. 16:24) – not just Paul’s love, but Paul’s love in Christ Jesus, or Christ’s love as Paul’s love.
All these verses really show that Paul was a man who continually experienced Christ’s inward parts in his care and feeling for the church.
Since we are members of the Body, just like Paul, we also need to have a feeling for the Body – we need to allow Christ to infuse us and saturate us with His inward parts, His compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, etc.
In our caring for the members of the Body of Christ we need to take the inward parts of Christ Jesus as our inward parts – take the feelings of the Head as our feelings. In everything we do in the church life we need to learn to take Christ as our Head by enjoying Him regularly and consistently – and at the same time denying ourselves and allowing Him to replace us with Himself.
We need to deny ourselves and identify ourselves with the Body – take the Body as the rule in our mind, thoughts, words, actions, and everything. No disconnection and no discrepancy between us and the Body!
For us to have the Body life, we need to care for our fellow members and be full of feeling for the Body – by allowing Christ to replace our inward parts with His inward parts, and by living a life in Christ’s inward parts – so that we may care for the Body as Christ does. [sharing inspired from the Life-Study of Leviticus (by brother Witness Lee) as quoted in the Morning Revival on The Central Line of the Bible]
Lord, we want to learn to take the inward parts of Christ Jesus as our own inward parts! Keep us enjoying You to such a degree and in such a way! Save us from living ourselves or taking care of others in ourselves. Replace us more today, Lord. Replace our inward being with Your inward being through our continual enjoment and experience of Christ. Lord, remodel us and rearrange us. Reconstitute and change our inward being that we may live a life of caring for the church in the inward parts of Christ Jesus!
