Outside the Gate: by Andrew Murray

 

For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. —Hebrews 13:11-13

The body of the sacrifice was “burned without the camp,” and the blood of the sin offering was brought into the Holy Place. Similarly, Christ’s body was cast out as an accursed thing, “without the camp,” but His blood was presented to the Father.

And so we read in Hebrews 13, “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach.” Let us enter into the Holy Place by the blood of Jesus. The deeper my insight is into the boldness that His blood gives me in God’s presence, so much greater will be the joy with which I enter the Holy Place. And the deeper my insight is into the shame of the cross that He bore “outside the camp” on my behalf, the more willing I will be to follow Him “without the camp, bearing His reproach.”

Christians love to hear of the boldness in which we can enter into the Holy Place through His blood, but have little desire for the fellowship of “His reproach” and are unwilling to separate themselves from the world with the same boldness. The Christian suffers inconceivable loss when he thinks of entering into the Holy Place and then feels free to enjoy the friendship of the world, as long as he does nothing too sinful. But the Word has said, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4); “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15); “Be not conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2).

To be a follower of Christ implies a heart given up to testify for Him in the midst of the world, if by any means some may be won. To be a follower of Christ means to be like Him in His love of the cross and in His willingness to sacrifice self so that the Father may be glorified and men may be saved.

Lord, teach me what it means that I am called to follow You “without the camp, bearing [Your] reproach.” Teach me to bear witness of Your holy redeeming love as it embraces worldly men to win them back to the Father. Blessed Lord, let the spirit and the love that was in You be in me, too, so that I may, at any cost, seek to win the souls for whom You have died.