With and Without Christ

Those who have failed to find satisfaction of heart in their own religion or through their own works are likely to become altogether indifferent to all religions or to forsake religion altogether. A Swarajist leader said to me: ‘‘As long as I did not read the Hindu religious books I was a consistent believer in Hinduism, but after studying them I lost all religion; for when I searched in the Vedas, and other books, I did not find those teachings which I had expected to find, and their widely conflicting doctrines completely confused me. Many other Hindus are similarly mystified. In my opinion, we must get away from religion altogether, and aim at getting Swaraj (Self Government), because for centuties religion, with its doctrine of Maya

(illusion), has made us slaves to other nations. It is high time that we should free ourselves from this slavery.”

Then I remarked: “Sin’s slavery is by far the worst and most binding of any, so, first of all, we must free ourselves from its bondage. Before we get our birthright of Swaraj, we must give to God His right to dwell and rule in us. Then He will grant us our right, for beyond this we have none. For example, if we get this transitory Home Rule, it will be Home Ruin without Christ. Hence we must seek first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness and all other things will be added to us” (Matt. vi. 33). But my point of view had no interest for him. He only reiterated: “First of all we must get Home Rule, and then all will be free to accept whatever religion they fancy.”

A man sitting with us gave this view: ‘As I am neither a Hindu nor a Christian, but an adherent of Reformed Islam, I can say quite impartially that India is miles away from freedom, either political or religious. We must travel a long way, with God’s help, before we reach real freedom.”

Now let us glance at the state of a few of the followers of other religions.

One day in Tibet, when I was speaking about Christian hermits, a man remarked that in their country they too had many hermits, and that in the mountain opposite there was a cave in which an ancient Jama had, for several years, been absorbed in prayer and meditation. He had had the entrance to his cave walled up, and had never left the cave. The people near-by used to take up tea and parched barley flour once every day and put it in to him through a hole in the wall. Owing to his having lived in the dark so long he had become blind, and he intended to spend the remainder of his days in the cave.

I took with me the man who had told me this and went up to see the hermit. We had to wait for some time, as he was engaged in prayer and meditation; but afterwards, at our request, he came and sat near the hole in the wall. It was impossible to see him in his dark and narrow cell, and he could not see us, but we could converse easily. At first he asked me where I came from and why I had come. Then I asked about his experience. “What,” I asked, “have you gained from this solitary meditation? As Buddha has not taught anything about God, to whom do you pray?” He said: “I look on Buddha as God and pray to him. My motive in concealing myself in this cave is not that I may obtain anything, but that I may be freed from all desire of obtaining anything. I am seeking to obtain the Nirvana—the extinction of all feelings and desires, whether of pain or of peace, but I am still in bodily and spiritual darkness, and I know not what the end will be. Yet I know that anything I lack now will be made up to me in some other rebirth.”

I replied: “The desires and feelings you have are given you by God, not that they may be crushed and extinguished, but that they may be satisfied in Him. Had it been the Creator’s will that they should have been destroyed He would not have created them. Now to kill these desires is not salvation but suicide, because they are inseparably connected with our lives. Even if you try to stamp out desire it is useless, for to desire to kill a desire is itself a desire. Then how can freedom or salvation be thus obtained, for desire is created from desire? The best way is not to stifle this craving, but to satisfy it in Him who has created it, and in this we find true salvation.” “Well,” he said, “it will be seen what will be,” and with these words he ended our interview.

Once, in Peking, the subject of my address was Christ, the Universal Saviour. - At the close of the meeting a Chinese doctor came to me and said: “Christ was born only some two thousand years ago, but long before that we had teachers, like Confucius, in our country: how then is it possible to say that Christ is Universal? The teaching and example of Confucius and our other teachers are sufficient for us.”

I answered: ‘““You make a mistake when you say that Christ came only two thousand years ago. Long before His Incarnation He was in the world, but the world knew Him not; but those who knew Him were glad (John 1. 10; viit. 56-58). I am not against

Confucius and his teaching; but tell me in what things China, as a nation, has progressed through his teaching and example and, in particular, what benefit have you yourself received.”

He answered: “This teaching is not a morsel that can be swallowed and its effect seen at once. Its influence will slowly make itself apparent.” I replied: “Without doubt a morsel is not at once digested so that it becomes a part of our body, but at least we at once enjoy its taste, if our sense of taste has not been impaired by some sickness. Mere good doctrine is like a necklace of diamonds which, if it is placed on a sick man’s neck, has no effect on his sickness. The teaching of Christ is not only good doctrine, it is ‘spirit and life’ as well (John vi. 63), and millions and millions who have accepted Him have obtained new life through Him.”

The doctor said: “This new life and change cannot come from without; it depends on our own efforts.” Isaid: “It is true that the act of receiving depends on us, but we cannot get this new life through our own efforts. A bitter tree cannot of itself become sweet, but it can be grafted into a sweet tree. Similarly, sinful man, through faith, can be grafted into Christ, and Christ’s life flowing into him changes him into a new creature, and this is salvation.” But the doctor was here called away to attend a patient and our conversation ended.

In Jerusalem I met a Jewish Rabbi who was liberal in his views. I asked him his opinion of Christ and of the future of the Promised Land. He said: “I myself await the appearing of the Messiah and the restoration of the Promised Land, but I know not if this longing will be fulfilled in this life or in the next. Nor can I say with certainty whether the Jesus who was crucified in this town was the Messiah, or if the Messiah is still to come. Of course, I am obliged to acknowledge that Jesus was a great prophet, whom my nation treated with extreme harshness and cruelty, and I know that even to the present day we suffer punishment for our sin of having killed Him. ‘His blood is on our heads.’ ”’

I might put forward many other conversations and incidents of this kind, but I have given enough. Those who have had the opportunity of living in contact with the followers of different religions in other lands, and who have made a sympathetic study of their needs, bear witness that, without the touch of the Living Christ, their lives have no abiding peace and hope.

Many feel there is in their lives such a real want that they can never hope to satisfy it by any effort they may make, or by any goodness which they may achieve. How true is the Word of God, ‘He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life” (1 John v. 12).

THOSE engaged in Christian work in India, who are brought into close contact with ail classes of the people, know that there is a very considerable number of non-Christians who secretly believe in Him as their Saviour. This condition is also found to a greater or less extent in other countries as well. Besides these, there are many others who do not accept Him as a Saviour, but who are nevertheless more deeply influenced by Him than they are by the doctrine of their own feligions or of their spiritual teachers. I know of quite a number of non-Christian leaders in India who are much influenced by the spirit of Christ but do not realise how greatly He has conquered them.

It is truly remarkable that the influence of Christ is seen even in the lives of many who are zealous adherents of their own faiths and who take up a position of antagonism to Christianity. So much is this the case that they commonly examine their own religions, -and seek to reform them in the light of Christ’s teaching. They even copy many methods of Christians. In presenting modern interpretations of their religions they not infrequently take their old doctrinal terms and pour into them a new content that comes directly or indirectly from Christianity. So far have they gone in this direction that they often present their own doctrines clothed in Christian phraseology, and, as a result, many Christians, and some Western scholars as well, have been deceived and imagine that there is no great difference between Christianity and other great religions of the world.

In this chapter I wish to tell about those who, not having dissociated themselves from their non-Christian environment, still seek to follow Christ in their lives.

Narrow-minded Christians often do not consider those to be Christians who believe in Christ, if they have never publicly identified themselves with Christian communities. I do not agree that they are right in not coming out openly, yet I have never been able to feel that they are not Christians. Among them are some whose service for Christ is far greater than that of many Christian workers. Especially is this so in places where it is difficult for Christian workers to go. I have no right to publish the names of any of this class, but I can tell about their faith and their works. Their position is perhaps similar to those to whom John directed the attention of the Lord, “We saw one casting out devils in Thy Name; and we forbade him because he followed not with us. But Jesus said unto them, ‘Forbid him not: for he that is not against you is for you’”’ (Luke ix. 49-50). There are many Christians among us who would say of such unrecognised workers that they should be forbidden, because they are not members of the constituted Church. But when the Lord has not forbidden them, what right have we to forbid them?

Several times I have met groups of people who, though secret disciples, are yet organised and work for the Lord according to their ability and light.

One day I asked one of them: “Why do you not confess the Lord openly before men?” (Matt. x. 32; Mark xvi. 15-16.) He teplied: “There are in our society thousands of men and women who belong to different walks of life. They all believe in Christ as their Saviour, and are baptised in His name, and enjoy His worship and service. Though the society is fully organised, our work is done in secret. Are not all these thousands human beings before whom we make our confession? Now about work. There are diverse ways of doing work. When so many work openly, there must be others of whom the need demands that they work in secret. In our bodies we have inner and outer organs. They all are parts of one body, and are directed by one mind, though the work which they have to do differs greatly. It is just the same in the Body of Christ, which we call the Church. Besides this, Christians are like salt and leaven, which slowly and silently salt, ort leaven, other things. Christ has also called us to be fishers of men. You know that when the fisherman casts his hand-net he does it without noise, otherwise the fish would all disappear. At the present moment there are in our society hundreds of fish, big and little, who formerly had run away from Christ when they saw the noisy fishermen. But now He has them safe in His keeping, and none shall snatch them out of His hand; and these, too, in this silent way are trying to bring others to the Saviour. Now, tell me whether this life is according to Christ’s will or not?”