Discovering Bible Truth

If you were to ask the average person on the street about what they think about Christianity you would undoubtedly get a variety of answers.  There are those who are confused, those who are antagonistic, those who are open, and those who are committed to Christianity.  However, the problem is not how Christianity is viewed by those outside the church, the problem is how Christianity is presented by those inside the church.

The sad reality is that many people are presenting a Christless Christianity.  This is not just limited to one certain type of church such as traditional or contemporary or liberal or conservative; it is true on both ends of the spectrum.  Christless Christianity confuses real faith for dead faith, relationship for religion, and  worshipping for working.   The focus is on the external instead of the internal, on duty instead of love, and on “what would Jesus do?” instead of ”what has Jesus done?”  Those presenting a Christless Christianity are confusing going to church with being the church, business for true ministry, and activity for effectiveness.  They would rather knock on the door of a stranger in a neighborhood that they will never revisit than build a relationship with the family next door.  They are substituting emotion for knowledge and sacrificing  inward reality for outward conformity.

So what kind of Christianity are you presenting to those outside the church?  Is it a Christless Christianity or a Christ-centered Christianity? 

As I look at the state of religion in America, I am amazed by how much ground true and genuine Christianity has lost over the past 20 years. I’ve been trying to figure out why this is happening. There can be dozens of answers to this question all of which probably contribute to the overall problem. But there is one thing I see that is not viewed as a problem that in reality is. Christianity has become a sub-culture instead of counter-culture. In an effort to be “separated from the world” Christians have created their own culture…there own greenhouse from which they live their lives.

Last week I was reading an excerpt from John Piper’s newest book entitled Finally Alive, and as usual it gave me something to think about (The book is set to be released in about a month).  Here is the question I have been pondering: Are born again people in our churches permeated with worldliness, or is the church permeated by people who are not really born again?   I in no way ascribe to the idea of perfectionism.  As Christians, we will always struggle with sin and we will always need to fight the desires of our sin nature.  But is the reason why so many church members appear to imitate the world due to the fact that they were never really born again to begin with? 

I acknowledge that it is possible for both statements to be true, but which is more likely to be the real issue?  If we look at Scripture and see the changes that salvation brings to a life as well as the warnings concerning those who claim to believe in Christ but have really never been born again, I think we would have to conclude that the real issue is that our churches are permeated with people who have never really been saved!   

Any thoughts?

The problem facing the Church is centered on this issue. If we focus completely on loving God and loving each other to the neglect of doctrinal instruction, the people in our churches may be moral but will still miss the true message of Christianity. This is a message that can only be found in sound doctrine. What divides and separates true Christianity from other belief systems are major doctrines such as original sin, substitutionary atonement, justification apart from works, repentance, the reality of a Heaven and Hell, and the need of the new birth as the sole means of entrance into Heaven. These are the issues that divide. These are the major doctrines of Christianity that are being left out of many churches. True Christianity cannot be taught apart from these doctrinal truths.

This leads to a mentality that says ‘what I experience and what I feel is more important than doctrine or Truth’. As Horton puts it, this results in a viewpoint where “sin is not a condition from which I need to be saved, but actions that I can keep from doing with sufficient motivation and instruction. Christ’s death is not an atoning sacrifice that satisfies God’s just wrath, but an example of God’s love that moves us to repentance. Hence, ‘What would Jesus do?’ is the main question, not ‘What has Jesus done?’”

I’m not saying that we should not love God and others. Obviously this is a clear teaching in Scripture. The point I am making is this: focusing on love to the neglect of Truth is dangerous and gives people a false view of true doctrinally-based Christianity. The true message of Scripture is divisive and will be rejected by many. When we try to water it down for the purpose of mass acceptance, true Christianity is not what is being accepted. All that is being accepted is a moral code based on love and good works. Morality is important in a Christian’s life, but morality is not the same as salvation nor does it result in it. God is love and Scripture is filled with examples of God’s love, but the greatest illustrations of God’s love are found in understanding biblical doctrine.

After watching this video several times, I have really been thinking about how the Church needs to change in this area. Think about it; we have our own lingo that we use that is completely foreign to all ‘lost’ people. (the term ‘lost’ is a perfect example). We have sections of our worship service that have no real meaning. Many churches seem to do all they can to make visitors feel uncomfortable. We have cliques and groups that are completely impenetrable. Pastors are more kings than servants. What can we do?

I’m not at all suggesting that we water down our message, but are there ways that we can communicate our message in a more effective way…in a more current vocabulary? What changes need to be made in our churches? Any ideas???