My question isn’t about what our salvation cost Christ, but what will it cost us to find the way in this new life. "Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?" I have never heard anyone say to a new convert “before you agree to be born again count the cost first.” I agree that it costs little if anything to be a mere outward Christian. All we have to do is to attend a place of worship on Sunday. For the most part we would have gone as far as thousands around us ever go in their pursuit of His perfection within. Many do we not count the cost to be made in His image because according to Christ “there are few who find it.” Few who find the way into life.
This travesty happens because we have been led to believe that the working out of our salvation is by proxy without any cooperation in this new life from us. Instead of our working out our own salvation with fear and trembling many continue to live in their sins and profess they are “saved.” We were saved or justified from the Law and given new life. This new life is supposed to be lived in without our yielding to our old sinful nature. Now that we have been justified from the Law by the blood of Christ, we are to live in this new state under grace by our faith. Can we say we are the just who live by faith if we continue in our old life of sin? Of course not, why do we believe that our salvation is by proxy or that we are righteous without living by faith today? Gal 3:9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Faith is to believe what God tells us. Therefore our faith is to live righteous free from our sin. How can we if we continue to live in sin expect to be declared righteousness now? The completeness of “saved” should represent the condition of having been freed from something such as our sin. When we were saved from the penalty under the Law was it partial or complete? It was complete because we were declared no longer guilty as pertaining to the Law. We have not understood the dual purpose of Christ’s free gift. The first purpose was so God could declare us not guilty under the Law or saved from death. The second purpose is to give us life and the means to become the righteousness of God without the Law through the empowering of Christ working in us. So, if we are learning what righteousness is from the Spirit are we “saved” or are we being saved daily from our unrighteous old man? We now are to live by the righteousness of faith to find this new life in the kingdom of God. The glorious reason why we are to suffer with Christ is so we learn to put off our old man and put on the new man created in true righteousness and holiness. Phil 3:9-11 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. We are in the process of knowing Him and the power of His resurrection so that we find the way in life.
This is today’s “no cost to be saved from hell and go to heaven theology” is built on man’s commandments. This no cost theology lacks God’s truth for the saving of our soul. Because this personal no cost Christianity entails no self–denial, no self–sacrifice and no cross to carry and we end up in darkness. If continuing in our old man is true salvation and it will transform us into the image of Christ, then we must alter the description that leads to life. This is what we must say "Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to life!" But we find scripture actually states this very differently. Matt 7:13-14 13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. The word says there are many who go in by the way of destruction. Isn’t this a warning to us to be aware of the two completely different roads we can walk? The one road leads to life and the other leads to destruction. The narrow and difficult way can only be achieved by following the Spirit. We are being proven in our faith to show which road we are taking.
Is this scripture what we hear taught when we hear now you are “saved.” “Now you have escaped hell and you will go to heaven when you die.” Do you see that this belief is a proxy salvation? What has happened to the narrow gate and the difficult way that leads to life? Shouldn’t we inform new converts that now that they are born again this is the beginning of the most difficult fight of faith? Shouldn’t we say that your old man, the world and “the devil are going to do everything possible to discourage us. Fight us so we forsake the way of faith and return to a life under the darkness of sin? Should we ask ourselves why it says that “there are FEW who find life?” The word of God says there are few who find the way that doesn’t lead to destruction. Doesn’t this indicate that to remain in our sinful old man is what leads to destruction? We have not learned that it does cost us to be a real true heir with Christ. According to the demands of God we must put on this new man that is created in true righteousness and holiness.
Under this watered down theology we are pretty much left to fight the battle by ourselves, ignorant of how to fight the fight of faith. There are real enemies to overcome and that is why Christ made the way so we too could overcome our enemies. We have to fight against sin after we have put off our old man if we are to be made in the image of Christ. We will have to resist the many temptations or fiery darts of the enemy. All of these battles are designed to bring us to the full knowledge of Christ, to bring us to a perfect man. There is a wilderness of tests to persevere through by our faith, and a cross to bare, just to run the race. To win the race we must be found faithful in the way of righteousness and holiness. Our conversion is not for putting us in a life of ease on the way to heaven. It is the beginning of a new conflict, in which a war has been waged against us by our enemies to prevent us from ever our receiving our blessings. This is why arises the very importance of "counting the cost before we join this important race to the high calling of God in Christ. If we haven’t learned that putting off our old man is a requirement to run the race how can we hope to win?

What is it a new convert must be ready to give up if he wishes to be “saved” by faith beyond the initial gift of life? Grace is how we stand in having been justified and our faith is how we access this grace. What happens to our standing of having been justified, if in this conflict, we forsake faith or lose hope? Our life insurance policy (grace) is only in effect if we pay the premiums and our faith is that payment. Our cost will be anything in us that will prevent the fullness of Christ from being formed in us which is our hope of glory.
As converts we must submit to the Spirit if we intend to be found in Christ not having our own righteousness? It is in this context that I ask this question. What does it cost us to complete His perfection in us and become this perfect man in Christ? We must believe earnestly that it is a most important question to ask ourselves if this is to be fulfilled in us. The gift of life is free at our having been justified from the sins under the Law. So why does it cost us everything to find the way in this new life? The air we breathe is free but if you hold your breath long enough we will die. The gift of life is free but if we resist the truth long enough we will die. Matt 16:24-27 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. The word works here is according to what every man has practiced. The meaning of practice is the righteousness of faith or the practice of unrighteousness by unbelief. This is how we will be rewarded at His coming. Yes, His gift of life is free to receive but is it really without cost for us to live in it? Can we find life through our old man? Or is this life found only in the new man? What does it take to find the way for the fullness of His life to be within us? Eph 4:22-24 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
If we do not put off the old man the Word says he will grow corrupt again according to his deceitful lusts. If we continue in our former conduct of sin after having been justified from the Law our old man will regain strength by the sins we are now committing. We are now found to be a transgressor not from the law but from our old man. The cost to us here is the degradation of our new life. We are not now the just that lives by faith because of sin. The quality of our life deteriorates because we are looking to our old man for guidance not the Spirit for faith. Gal 5:16-17 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. If we do not attain to this perfect man we do not inherit with Christ because we have not suffered with Him in resisting our sin and putting on the new man.
The facts are plain to see if we are seeking to understand them. To become this perfect man in Christ we must decrease that He may increase. When we no longer look to our old man then he is nothing and then Christ life becomes everything within us. When Satan can not longer tempt us into sin we will have become this perfect man through the full knowledge of Christ. Gal 2:20-21 20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. 21 "I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain." We are righteous now by living this life by our faith in accessing what the Son of God has given us. What we must understand is that we must practice righteousness apart from the Law. It is by our faith in what Christ has given us that we live in abundant life. Christ’s gift is the ability of grace to sand righteous accessed by our faith to be free from the influence of the world, the flesh and the devil. The freedom happens within us as we live by our faith having been proven that our faith is in His gift. This means that we experience and live by the power of His resurrection in our life. This is not we got saved and now we are on our way to heaven. This is a learning process by which we learn to take on Christ.
Let us assume that we desire to be “saved” and feeling drawn and inclined to serve Christ. Suppose that some affliction or some sudden death in the family or a sermon has stirred our soul and we now desire to become a believer. No doubt there has been everything we needed to encourage us to become “saved.” Our guilt under the Law is freely discharged by believing Christ is the son of God. Now we pass from death to life by the cleansing blood of Christ. We experience this change in our heart and mind. Now having been justified from the sins under the Law we became a new creation in Christ. The Holy Spirit is ready to lead us into the fullness of His righteous character by mercy, love, and grace by our faith. But still we should count the cost before embarking into the wilderness because we are going to be tested by fire. We must be proven in our faith that we are receiving life from the truth in Christ and not from our old man. We need to understand the reason we are being tested is to bring us to believe in hope for the end of our faith. The end of our faith is the saving of our soul so that we gain our glorified body. 1 Peter 1:7-10 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls. 10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,
If we are in the beginning of our salvation and we must learn what it will take to get to the end of our faith. This process of being saved is the means by which we are not seen naked at His coming to receive His own. We must determine the costs to us before setting out on this journey across the wilderness to prove our faith. If we don’t understand the costs our tests of faith become overwhelming. We didn’t understand that the purpose of our temptations is to prove our faith to be found in Him. The purpose in trials is to prove to us the depth in our faith we have gained in our race to be found in Him and save our soul.
Let us view in particular, one by one, what it takes to maintain or find the way of this new life. It is very important to understand what it will cost us to be found in Him. True salvation will cost us our self–righteous spirit. We must put off all pride and haughty thoughts and conceit of our own righteous behavior from our old man. If we don’t do this the temptations will overcome us and we will be found in sin. We must be transformed into the righteous character of Christ as we walk from faith to faith and learn what righteous behavior is. It is in our walk that we are found in the righteousness of Christ or found in our own unrighteous behavior. To be found righteous we must be found in faith. Romans 7:18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.
We learn what it is to be “saved” by grace through faith in our wilderness life by being proven by God. We must be willing to surrender up all trust we have placed in our own morality, respectability, because they represent our old man. We must receive every area of spiritual life by faith in what Christ placed in our new creation. When sin knocks at the door, we are “saved” from obeying it by the power of grace accessed by our faith. If we give way to sin then the fullness of saved is yet to be seen by the knowledge of faith. This is the reason we must remain under grace because without grace we are found sinners after our flesh. The cost to us here is to sacrifice our old man not our grace, faith or hope. For us to continue sinning shows a lack of faith in what Christ has placed in glory. It is a lack of faith because we have not understood the purpose of our faith is to believe God, resist sin, and obey to be found righteous to the end. The second reason is we have not understood about fearing the judgment of God for our present sins. By the assumption that God loves us the way we are we don’t fear His judgment. We have yet to understand what the end of our faith is. Or what is will cost us to arrive at the end of our faith. Heb 4:15-16 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 10:26-2926 For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?
When we reject the truth and continue in sin we must understand what will happen to us at the judgment seat of Christ. It is only when we believe a lie that our salvation is by proxy and that our sins of today would not have consequences. The consequences of our sin are that we do not come to the end of our faith and we do not save our soul. This is why the proving of our faith is more precious than gold that perishes.
True abundant life will cost a man the pleasure of all his sins. We must be willing to give up every habit and practice which is unrighteous in the sight of God. We must set our desire against sin, break off all contact with sin, because we have been crucified with Christ and our labor is to keep our members under subjection by the power of Christ resting upon us. We must count all sins as our deadly enemies and hate them loving righteousness and holiness. No matter how little or great these sins may be, whether they are in the open or in secret, all our sins must be thoroughly cleansed from us to be under the blood. To be found in Christ we must practice righteousness which is accomplished by our faith receiving from the riches in Glory by Christ.1 John 1:5-9 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
We must fight every day against the temptation to sin and sometimes it may seem easier to let it get the mastery over us. But we must never forsake the way of faith and give into the passions and desire of our flesh. We must maintain a fervent war against the temptations to disobey the way of faith. It is written, Romans 6:21-23 what fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 2 Cor 7:1 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Eph 4:22-24 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. If we are still living in our sin we have not put on this new man who was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. If we have not put on the new man in our life of faith it is impossible to be found in Christ. Christ is this new man. We can not receive only the part that is appealing to us. When we do this we are not entering in to be saved we are entering to please our flesh. This will cost us our soul if we do not repent.
Does this sound too difficult for us to accomplish this new life? I do not wonder. Our sins are often as dear to us as our life: we love them, cleave to them and take pleasure in them. To part with all of our sins can be as difficult as cutting off a hand or plucking out an eye. We must accomplish overcoming sin by our faith or we are not “saved.” We were saved or justified from the consequences of the Law by joining to Christ. This was to free us from the guilt of the Law. This judicial act can not change because we were freed from the sins that were past and they do not exist anymore. The only way we could become a sinner under the Law would be to seek righteousness under the Law again. Gal 3:11 11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
The Law is not be the issue now. The issue now is what have we done with our sins that we have committed after being joined to Christ? The new sins that we are committing from following our old man today are the ones in question? The parting of ways between us and our old man must come. If we are still living in sin the flesh has a new hold on us and grace has become of none affect in saving our soul. We are following the impulses to sin now and this is what must be dealt with. Gal 2:17-1817 "But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is Christ therefore a minister of sin? Certainly not! 18 "For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. Gal 5:16-19 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident.
There has been a mistake that has been made. We have been taught that because we were justified from the Law our sins past, present and future are under the blood. Our sins committed today are not included in this initial judicial act because to be under the blood they must now be confessed. In order to confess we must learn what our sins are in this present time. The works of the flesh are our sins and now the works of the flesh are evident. This belief that all sins are under the blood is error because the Word tells us that those who practice the sins of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God. This Word does not say they can’t inherit just that they won’t. Gal 5:21 and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. This scripture is explicit that our sins of our flesh today are not in the initial judicial act that says we are not guilty under the Law. It is not the Law we are now guilty under. It is from following the flesh that we are guilty now. The sins of the flesh must be confessed to be cleansed by the blood of Christ. To believe differently keeps us a sinner. We do not have fellowship with the Father because He wills not to fellowship with our darkness. 1 John 1:6-10 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. This isn’t talking about the beginning of our walk where we were justified from the Law. This is describing now and that we must confess the sins committed where we failed to live by faith. 1 Cor 1:17-18 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
We and our sin must part if we are to be called the sons of God. Christ is willing to save or forgive any who have sinned. But they will not be saved or forgiven if they continue to live in their old sins habits after coming to Christ. To refuse to acknowledge our sins rejects the leading of the Spirit in reproving us to save our soul. The cost to us to be “saved” is to allow Christ to do what He came to do and that is to take away from us our sins once and for all time. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. Sin is a work of the devil so if I am living in sin who am I following? 1 John 3:3-10 And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. 4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. The Word says that if we abide in Him we do not sin. The qualifier is if we are a servant of sin do we abide in Him? No, because we can not be a servant of sin and a servant of righteousness at the same time. If we are practicing sin we are rejecting the Spirit of grace who strengths us overcome sin. Heb 10:29-32 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: Do we really believe that we can continue in the sins of the flesh and not answer to God for rejecting the Spirit of Grace? Grace is what saves us through our proven faith.
Also, true Christianity will cost us our love of ease. If we are to run a successful race of faith we must abandon all fleshly passions and desires. We must daily watch and stand our ground by grace through faith, like any soldier fighting an enemy. If the enemy overcomes us it is because we gave into sin. So now through sin we have become his prisoner and we are not now abiding in Christ.1 John 3:5-8 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin. 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. 8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
Our behavior whether in public or in private must demonstrate a righteous and holy attitude at all times. We must be careful over our tongue, temper, our thoughts, our imaginations, and our motives, so that our conduct in every relationship in this new life is pure.
There is nothing we naturally dislike as much as "trials" when they are about the proving of our faith. We have assumed that we have arrived at the fullness of His perfection with the beginning experience. We have been despising our tribulation because it reveals our lack of righteous behavior. We wish our Christianity could be completely by proxy, and have everything done for us by Christ. The problem of proxy Christianity is that what Christ accomplished for us doesn’t accomplish God’s requirements in us without our participation by faith. What Christ accomplished for us, Now, must be accomplished within us for us to enter in at the straight and narrow. There is one important statement that eliminates all proxy religion. That is this we are to put off the old man and that we are to put on the new man. Christ is not going to do for us what we are required to do for ourselves by our faith.

There are multitudes who have accepted this type of proxy Christianity who will be shocked at the judgment. Technically it is true Christ has done it all for us but not so that we would do nothing in the fight of faith to be found in Him. What Christendom has not accepted is that what He did was so we could be free from sin to fellowship with the Father. We are to resist the temptations to sin through being empowered by Him to live righteously and holy before the Father. This believing in a proxy Christianity has made many weak in the faith and failing in their tests against sin. This lack of faith will cost them their soul in the end. Anything that requires pressing in and laboring is entirely against the grain of our flesh. To be the truth in Christ for the “saving” of our soul, we have no proof of our gains without the pain of temptation to prove our faithfulness to bring us to the end of our faith.

Lastly, true righteousness will force us to endure being hated by the world. We must count it no strange thing to be mocked, ridiculed, slandered and persecuted for righteousness sake. We must not be surprised to find our beliefs and practices in a life of righteousness despised and scorned. We have to submit to be thought of by many as a foolish fanatic, to have our actions misrepresented. John 15:20 "Remember the word that Christ said unto us, ‘The servant is not greater than his Lord.’ If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also” Reflect on the life of the Apostles and study what they endured in the race to the high calling of God in Christ while preaching the gospel. What did their life of righteousness cost them? Matt 24:7-14 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 "All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. 10 "And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Isn’t this what the early Saints had to endure even giving their life for their belief?
I dare say if living a godly life sounds difficult, we have yet to understand the cost to gain His life in us. It is always unpleasant and part of the cost to be spoken against and forsaken and lied about and to have to stand alone. We really don’t stand alone because Christ is right there in us to strengthen us. The cup which our Master drank must be drunk by His disciples or they cannot be His disciples. Considering how great our salvation is, let us consider how great our cost might be. How ungrateful indeed we would be who could dare to believe that we may keep our self–righteous attitudes, our sins, and our love of the world, and yet say that we are “saved!” If we continue to believe that “saved” is this lack of proven faith and repentance then Christ really did die in vain.
Moreover, I do believe that it costs everything of our old man to be a true Saint. But what could be worth more than our soul being saved and receiving a glorified body at His appearing? You see, if the promises are great shouldn’t the requirements to receive them be as demanding as the promises are great?
Think about this. When a ship is in

"Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost?" I have never heard anyone say to a new convert “before you agree to be born again count the cost first.” I agree that it costs little if anything to be a mere outward Christian.