Opinions have little consequence, but convictions lead to action. Belief coupled with commitment greatly influences what we say and do.
If the gospel of Jesus the Lord does not change how we live, either we have not understood it or we have deceived ourselves into thinking that mere mental agreement is all that is required.
From a spiritual point of view, if we are not changed, the gospel has done us no good. In fact, it may have actually harmed us because at the Last Judgment we will be held accountable for knowing the truth and rejecting it. I call this being “inoculated” against the gospel. We received just enough of the truth to be deceived into thinking we are just fine with God, when actually we have never bowed the knee to Jesus as Lord.
Consider the following words of Jesus:
I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)
The condition of being lukewarm describes countless churchgoers. It means we have little or no ardor or zeal, no joyful desire to follow Jesus wherever he may lead, no wish to dedicate our lives for his glory, and no willingness to sacrifice and suffer for him as may be required.
Lukewarm people are loyal to themselves, not to Jesus.
Do Christians live much differently than those who do not confess Christ? I quote from The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why don’t Christians live what they preach? b
To say there is a crisis of disobedience in the evangelical world today is to dangerously understate the problem. Born-again Christians divorce at about the same rate as everyone else. Self-centered materialism is seducing evangelicals and rapidly destroying our earlier, slightly more generous giving. Only 6 percent of born-again Christians tithe. Born-again Christians justify and engage in sexual promiscuity (both premarital sex and adultery) at astonishing rates. Racism and perhaps physical abuse of wives seems to be worse in evangelical circles than elsewhere. This is scandalous behavior for people who claim to be born-again by the Holy Spirit and to enjoy the very presence of the Risen Lord in their lives.
In light of the foregoing statistics, it is not surprising that born-again Christians spend seven times more hours each week in front of their televisions than they spend in Bible reading, prayer, and worship.1 Only 9 percent of born-again adults and 2 percent of born-again teenagers have a biblical worldview.2
Perhaps it is not surprising either that non-Christians have a very negative view of evangelicals. In a recent poll, Barna asked non-Christians about their attitudes toward different groups of Christians. Only 44 percent have a positive view of Christian clergy. Just 32 percent have a positive view of born-again Christians. And a mere 22 percent have a positive view of evangelicals.3
Evangelicals rightly rejected theological liberalism because it denied the miraculous. In response, we insisted that miracle was central to biblical faith at numerous points including the supernatural moral transformation of broken sinners. Now our very lifestyle as evangelicals is a ringing practical denial of the miraculous in our lives. Satan must laugh in sneerful derision. God’s people can only weep.
Why is it that, for many people who say they believe the gospel, it makes very little, if any, real difference in how they live?
The Core Issue: Do We Know Who Jesus Is?
At one point during Jesus’ three-year itinerant ministry, he asked his disciples a very important question.
- Who do you say I am?
People in Jesus’ day, and through the years, have various opinions about Jesus’ identity. His contemporaries regarded him as a prophet and a teacher. Some even thought that he was the long awaited Messiah, the coming king in the line of David. Others saw him as a trouble maker, a dangerous imposter, a blasphemer, or a threat to political stability and Israel’s favored status with Rome.
Jesus identity is the most important question that any of us must answer. How we answer that question will determine how we live.
If our answer regarding Jesus’ identity does not make a difference in our lives, we can know for sure that we do not yet know Jesus as the Bible presents him – the Risen Lord of Lords and King of Kings.
The proper and expected response made by those who wake up to who Jesus truly is will be to lay down all previous plans and dreams in order follow him wherever he may lead.
Becoming a follower of Christ is like signing a blank check and handing it to the Lord with the understanding that he can and will fill in the amount when and how he decides.
This no doubt sounds extreme to those who have grown accustomed to mere “churchianity” that requires no more of us than some level of church attendance, giving, and serving in some capacity at services.
When Jesus asked his disciple band, “Who do you say that I am?,” Peter responded in a way that has reverberated through the ages.
Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:16-17 (ESV)The word “Christ” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word “messiah,” which means anointed one. The implication was that he was and is the promised king in David’s line. The Jews eagerly waited for this Messiah King who, they thought, would liberate them from Roman tyranny and restore Israel’s political, social, and spiritual fortunes. The phrase “son of God” most likely was another way of saying he was the Messiah. Jesus acknowledged that Peter received this revelation from his heavenly Father. This was how Jesus gauged the activity of the Spirit in his disciples. Had they yet seen and understood who he really was and is? The same is true today. Have we yet seen as we should?
Peter was ready to follow his messianic king all the way to victory, even if he died along the way. Peter’s view of Jesus propelled him forward as a faithful follower. However, Peter’s understanding of Christ’s identity was still incomplete and insufficient to give him the strength to keep going during the difficult tests that lay ahead. When the populace welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem just prior to his crucifixion, they viewed him hopefully in the same light as Peter. The Bible records that they shouted:
…“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” 10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.” Matthew 21:9-11 (ESV)
They believed Jesus was a prophet, the coming messianic king, but, like Peter, their understanding was not complete or sufficient, and, unfortunately, many who claim the name of Christian today also have an incomplete understanding of who Jesus is.
When Jesus did not deliver the expected “goods” 2000 years ago, the people quickly turned on him and assisted the Jewish rulers in putting him to death. People are eager to follow someone who will give them success, wealth, health, and power, but Jesus did the very opposite. He offered his disciples the opportunity to suffer for his name as they took the gospel message to the ends of the earth.
Today many so called Christians face similar crises of faith when Jesus does not turn out to be who they expected.
What Peter did not understand is that Jesus is not only the prophet and the expected messianic king, but he is also the Lamb of God and the prophesied Son of Man, the victorious Lord of Lords mentioned in the Book of Daniel. Peter did not realize that Jesus had to suffer as God’s Lamb in order to restore us back to a right relationship with his heavenly Father. This was confusing and offensive to Peter. Jesus’ arrest in the garden, shook Peter’s faith to the core. He was ready to fight for his messiah king, but not at all prepared to watch him die as God’s Lamb. Unknown to Peter, suffering had to precede glory. The cross had to come before the resurrection. The Lamb ministry prepared the way for Christ’s glorious role as the risen Son of Man.
The role of suffering is not understood by many churchgoers. They are willing to give allegiance to someone who will bless them, but not to a Lord who might requires us to suffer. (2 Timothy 2:12)
Who Is Jesus to You?
Conversely, many people who call themselves Christians today only see Jesus as the crucified Lamb of God who provides forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. We do not truly believe or act as if he is the undisputed Lord of all. We may attend church services on a regular basis and give to the ministry, but otherwise we are content to live as if Jesus has no actual claim upon the rest of our lives.
We act as if we believe that Jesus simply wants to get us to heaven, but has no great interest in how we live here and now.
Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. According to Paul, he arose in power in order to bring the nations to “the obedience of faith.” (Romans 1:4-5)
Faith has two components. One is agreeing with and receiving God’s truth about Jesus. The other is declaring allegiance to the King. If our belief in Christ does not result in our declaring unqualified allegiance to him, we have not really believed.
Confessing that Jesus is Lord is the door through which every child of God must pass in order to partake of the new birth and salvation. (Romans 10:9) It is instructive that Paul did not tell us to confess that Jesus is God’s Lamb and our Savior. He told us to confess his lordship. The early Christians were not put to death for proclaiming that Jesus was their personal Savior. No, they refused to back off from declaring that he was and is Lord, even over Caesar.
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49 (ESV) In Jesus’ day, plenty of people were ready to call him Lord, but far fewer were prepared to live as if they meant it. If Jesus is our Lord, he asks us to bring every area of our lives under his dominion. This is the nature of true repentance.
Those who simply want a free pass into heaven without surrendering their lives to Jesus’ lordship cannot truthfully call themselves disciples. Maybe they can claim the title of “believer,” but even that is suspect, if we translate faith as allegiance.
James, the Lord’s brother, who served as the pastor of the first church in Jerusalem, penned these words:
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. 20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. James 2:18-22 (NIV)If our belief in Jesus makes no practical difference in how we live, we do not have the real deal.
Do We Know Jesus as the Coming Son of Man?
Daniel told King Nebuchadnezzar that a heavenly kingdom was coming which will eclipse and destroy all other kingdoms.
“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. Daniel 2:44 (NLT)
Later God gave Daniel another terrifying vision of one like a Son of Man.
As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. Daniel 7:13-14 (NLT)
On the night before his crucifixion, when Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish court which had the authority to condemn him or let him go, he was asked if he were indeed the Messiah King. Those men were trying to use his words against him in order to get the death penalty. In that critical moment of truth, when everything was on the line, Jesus gave them much more than they asked. He self-identified as the glorious Son of Man prophesied in Daniel’s seventh chapter, knowing that it would cost him his life.
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!” Matthew 26:62-66 (NLT)
By quoting Daniel’s prophecy and identifying as the glorious coming Son of Man, he claimed divinity and Lordship over all things! But first he had to die as God’s Lamb. Christ’s claim to Lordship and divinity was the last straw. Declaring him to be a blasphemer, the Sanhedrin condemned God’s only begotten Son to death. It was an act of ultimate betrayal and treachery against God.
It is Christ’s claim to absolute Lordship that is the stumbling block over which multitudes trip and fall under the crushing weight of God’s judgment. It is Christ’s claim to Lordship that tries men’s souls. It is his claim to utter sovereignty upon which his right to be the arbiter of eternal judgment hangs. It is because he is Lord that he is also judge, and because he is judge, he is the one who decides how people will be judged. According to the Bible, that judgment will be based on our works, not simply our words.
And I saw a great white throne and the one sitting on it. The earth and sky fled from his presence, but they found no place to hide. 12 I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up its dead, and death and the grave gave up their dead. And all were judged according to their deeds. Revelation 20:11-13 (NLT) Conclusion
The New Testament makes it abundantly clear that salvation is by faith-allegiance to Christ in light of his finished work on the cross and his resurrection. Paul summarized:
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Romans 10:9-10 (NLT)
I firmly believe in the doctrine of justification by faith. By placing our faith in Christ and his finished work, we partake of all the benefits of what he did and who he is. The Holy Spirit comes to live inside every believer to begin a lifelong transformation process of conforming us to think, speak, feel, and act as Jesus. Jesus made it very clear, however, that wolves come in sheep’s clothing. Only God can know the human heart. We must judge by what we observe. As Jesus said, we can know people by their “fruit,” in other words, by what they do. True faith bears good fruit (the fruit of the Spirit, the results of our ongoing character transformation); whereas, a bad tree produces bad fruit. (Jesus’ own words) It’s important for us who claim the name of Christ to be fruit inspectors, beginning with our own tree. Do our lives match our profession? Do we live as if we truly believe that Jesus is Lord of Lords, or have we settled for something far less? What would happen if the entire church would start living as if we believed that Jesus is the coming glorious Son of Man instead of a mere personal savior? Why don’t we find out?
