Bjcorbin's Blog

In the years that I’ve endeavored to walk with the Lord, I have encountered an amazing number of people, who identify themselves as “Christians” and yet possess few (if any) of the characteristics that the Bible would use to describe a follower of Jesus Christ.  Most statistics seem to indicate that this phenomena is quite common in the United States, where the vast majority of Americans still describe themselves as “Christian” and yet adhere to a belief system that would seem to have little in common with the tenets of scripture.  As I’ve pondered this disparity, I’ve come up with a few ideas about what might motivate such people.

1.      Heritage / Tradition:  Despite popular revisionist history, a Judeo-Christian belief system was an inherent thread within the original fabric of our country and as such, it has become a part of our national heritage.  Similarly, there are many people who were raised in the “Christian tradition” (e.g. a reverence for God, trying to live by the Golden Rule, celebrating Christian holidays…), which has made it a part of their family heritage as well.  For such people, their sense of connectedness may not be as much with the person of Jesus, as it is with their family and its history.

2.      Being Good / Morals:  Most of us were raised with the idea that we should at least try to be a good/moral person; and many of us were also raised with the idea that ‘good people’ are ‘God fearing’ people.  For much of America’s history, a popular way to demonstrate such a reverence for God has been through church attendance.  For some, going to church is just what ‘good people’ do on Sundays and it lets their friends and neighbors know that they belong in that category.

3.      Being Blessed and/or Empowered:  One of the major themes of the Bible is God’s love for mankind and His abundant provision for those who belong to Him.  Undoubtedly, it is His desire for His children to live blessed and empowered lives, but our human nature has little trouble with trying to exploit that arrangement.  One can easily develop a taste for the blessings of heaven, without developing a corresponding love for the dispenser of those blessings.  In such a case, God’s role is reduced to little more than that of a divine vending machine.

4.      Being Right:  While becoming an heir to Christ’s righteousness is certainly a part of our relationship with Him, that differs dramatically from the very natural desire we have for others to view us as being ‘right’.  For those endeavoring to come out on top of every argument, having a scripture reference to back up every point can be a handy tool.  But this latter form of righteous is rooted in self-serving pride, which actually repulses God.

5.      Avoiding Hell:  No one who truly understood the implications of eternal separation from God would desire such a fate; but simply wanting to avoid hell is a far cry from knowing and loving God.  Though there are many religious practices that we can adhere to, unless they lead us into some sort of genuine relationship with the person of God, they may amount to little more than faulty fire insurance.  As it is with a bad insurance policy, by the time we figure out that we’re not covered, it’s probably already too late.

This is important because the scripture so clearly warns us that their will be people who refer to Jesus as Lord and rightfully claim to have done things in His name, who will be denied access to heaven because He never “knew” them (i.e. had a relationship with them).  The word “knew” in that passage is the same word used in Genesis, when “Adam ‘knew’ Eve” and she conceived a son.  Throughout the New Testament, there are warnings for people who profess to believe one way, but who live in a way that denies those beliefs.  Though the Western church often promotes a doctrine of inclusion, the scripture still says that “narrow is the way that leads to life” and “few find it”.