Tag: Bible

Cancel Culture vs the Gospel

by JacobChristian Living

The first time I remember seeing something like “cancel culture” was when I was in middle school.

I grew up in Missouri, and back in 2012, a man named Todd Akin ran for senate. Akin was a socially-conservative Republican seen as a viable challenger to incumbent Missouri senator Claire McCaskill, a centrist Democrat. I remember Akin doing quite well in the polls until he made a comment during an interview about “legitimate rape.”

Well you know, people always want to try to make that as one of those things, well how do you, how do you slice this particularly tough sort of ethical question. First of all, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be on the rapist and not attacking the child.

– Todd Akin, quotation via Wikipedia

In the days and weeks that followed, all anyone could talk about was Akin’s comment about “legitimate rape.” News channels, radio broadcasts, and websites ran virtually wall-to-wall analyses of the interview, the vast majority of them negative. Political attack ads proliferated.

One of my friends (probably 13 or 14 years old at the time) even said something like, “I used to like Todd Akin, but now I support Claire McCaskill.”

The enormous backlash that followed this interview completely torpedoed Akin’s campaign, and he ended up receiving less than 40% of the vote in a state that largely embraced (and still embraces) traditional values. And when Akin died in 2021, many news outlets ran a headline stating, “Ex-U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, sunk by ‘legitimate rape’ remark, dies.”

Not only did Akin’s comments doom his political aspirations over 10 years ago, they left a permanent stain on his reputation that has outlived the man himself. No amount of apologies (and he made lots of them) could atone for the grave sin he committed when he uttered a single phrase: legitimate rape.

He was cast out. Judged with finality. Made irrelevant.

He was cancelled.

The Spirit of Cancel Culture

As I mentioned earlier, I grew up in Missouri. I went to a small school and graduated with a class of around 70 students.

In that small school, reputation was everything.

I remember that everyone had things they were “known for.” One of my classmates, for example, liked to wear his jeans pulled up to his belly-button. People denounced him as “gay” and didn’t like to associate with him (even though he wasn’t really gay at all). He was an outcast. They dared not try to actually get to know him.

In middle school, another one of my classmates did something that was mistaken by other students as something entirely different, and the rumors started spreading like wildfire. This classmate became an instant pariah. He was bullied, excluded, and eventually ended up moving schools a year or two later. All for one action he supposedly committed — but didn’t really do.

There are other examples I won’t go into. But the point I’m trying to make is this: in an environment like that, your entire reputation – that is, how people see you, interact with you, and relate to you – could literally hinge on one single event.

Do something that others don’t like, and you’ll be shut out.

Yes, they will slam the door on you. People will stop inviting you to things. They’ll quit talking to you and they’ll quit sitting by you at lunch. You’ll be frozen out of the social ecosystem, and nothing you say or do will get you back in.

That was sort-of the environment in the school I went to growing up.

This is also the “spirit” behind cancel culture.

In today’s world (I’m talking about in the United States in particular), there’s a very strong sense of being “in or out.”

Say the right things, do the right things, act the right way, and you’re “in.” People will support you and say good things about you and listen to you. But the moment you do something that runs counter to the grain of the culture, people will turn on you.

That is what is meant by ‘cancel culture.’

They’ll blast you on social media, news sites will say horrible things about you, and your reputation will plummet. When someone (typically a high-profile person, such as an athlete, artist, or politician) crosses the line, there’s an initial shockwave of fire and rage.

But then comes the ice.

People stop paying attention to you. They automatically disregard what you say or do. They ignore your attempts to get back into the good graces of society. You’re forever branded by the one thing you said or did that was “wrong” — even though you may have since said and done a hundred thousand things that were “right.” Whenever your face appears on the screen or your name flashes across their social media feed, they automatically write you off as discredited and out of favor.

They cancel you.

Just like the dog-eat-dog social world of middle school, today’s broad American culture seems to be all about who said what and who did what. And if you say or do something wrong – whether it’s truly wrong or just wrong in the sight of the people as a whole – you’ll be treated like an outcast at a small school: iced out, excluded, and remembered permanently for that one slip-up.

This is the spirit of cancel culture.

Commit a single sin – a compromising photo from 30 years ago, an poorly-worded remark, a Freudian slip – and it’s over. You’re condemned. And there’s no way to be forgiven.

You’re just done.

Maybe I am overstating or oversimplifying things, and it’s worth noting that everyone seems to have a different view of what exactly constitutes “cancel culture.” But from my point of view, cancel culture is basically middle school social behavior applied to broader culture. It’s petty, fickle, childish, and leaves no room for disagreement, healthy debate, or forgiveness.

You’re either in or out.

Fortunately, we as Christians have a powerful antidote to this toxic aspect of society.

The Gospel Opposes Cancel Culture

Consider the central message of the Gospel. I think Paul in 1 Timothy 1:15 sums this up rather nicely:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

1 Timothy 1:15, ESV [emphasis mine]

Indeed, the core message of the Gospel – or “good news” – is that Christ came to save sinners. Without the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, there is no hope for anyone. For we are all sinners, and we have all fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).

That is the kicker. Mankind, you see, has been on a streak of rebellion against God ever since Adam and Eve fell into sin in the Garden of Eden. Every time you and I sin – when we tell a lie, act selfishly, give into lust, and so much more – we are rebelling against God. 

Don’t you think that rebellion against the Creator of all things (you and me included) deserves punishment? Doesn’t that, of all things, make one deserving of being ‘cancelled?’

When I look at cancel culture, I see a vindictive system of punishment. Sure, sometimes people say and do things that really do deserve our righteous anger. I am not excusing their behavior. If someone makes racist statements, that’s wrong. There’s no getting around it. If someone is having an affair or abusing women (or men) in any way, that’s flat out wrong. 

Again, no way around it. 

But what does cancel culture tell us to do when someone says or does something wrong – either actually wrong or just perceived as wrong?

Flame the person, ice them out, and force them out of relevancy. 

And no matter what they say or do, don’t let them back in. 

Once you fall from grace, you are beyond hope of redemption. 

This is the message of cancel culture. You cannot be redeemed. One sin, and you’re out. There’s no forgiveness, only consequences.

But what of the Gospel? The Gospel gives us the opposite message. It opposes cancel culture. 

The Gospel tells us that, because of Christ’s sacrifice, if we are willing to come to Him and cast our faith upon Him, God will forgive us and cleanse us of any and all sins (1 John 1:9). What a breath of fresh air!

You see, you can be a murderer. You can be a rapist. You could even be guilty of crimes against humanity. You could be a far, far worse person than anyone who has ever been “canceled.” But if you will only turn to Jesus and depend on Him for your salvation, He delivers you and forgives you. 

And Christ also commands us as believers to be forgivers as well. 

Again, this directly opposes the harsh and vindictive attitude of cancel culture. Cancel culture says there is no forgiveness for sins. And it thrives off of – nay, is even built upon – the unwillingness of the masses to even consider forgiving people for their transgressions. 

Yet the Gospel tells us that we ought to be forgivers. We ought to be forgivers of others, and we also ought to be people defined by love towards those who wrong us. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ says “I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44, ESV).” 

Does ‘love your enemies’ sound like cancel culture? Does cancel culture tell you to ‘pray for those who persecute you?’ Does cancel culture tell you to forgive those who have wronged you? 

I rest my case. 

Cancel culture is about revenge, hatred, and judgement.

The Gospel is about forgiveness, love, and mercy.

The two could not be further apart. And in the end, the Gospel – not cancel culture – will prevail.

Our Hope

In the end, I suppose cancel culture and the Gospel represent two distinct paths. 

Cancel culture offers no hope. It is all judgment and no mercy. It is powerfully toxic. 

Yet the Gospel offers all the hope in the world. It is the application of mercy where there should be judgment. It is powerfully life-giving. 

We are beings made in God’s image, and we are fundamentally meant to live in relationship with God. That means we’re fundamentally meant to be forgivers and practitioners of mercy. I’m not saying that sin doesn’t get in the way (and get in the way a lot), but the healthiest thing we can do is live out the truths contained in the Gospel. 

If you want true joy, you won’t get that by shaming others and “canceling” people. You’ll get it by lending mercy. 

If you want true happiness, you won’t get it by hating others for something they said or did in the past, even if it’s something that you feel personally attacked by. You’ll get happiness by forgiving the person for what they’ve done. 

If you want true life, look to Christ as the source of your life and your strength. Don’t look to the so-called “might” of the culture to stamp out people who cross the metaphorical line. 

There is no life in hatred. And there is no place for hatred in a well-lived life. 

Live your life to God’s glory and abide in the truths of the Gospel. Don’t be shackled to the chains of cancel culture which may reward you momentarily but leave you – and the rest of society – more broken than before. 

True life is found only in Christ. Run to Him!

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Do You Live Like God Isn’t Real?

by JacobChristian Living

I started going to church at the age of 16. During my time as a teenager, I heard dozens of sermons. I must confess that I don’t remember too many of them in particular. But one thing that does stand out to me in special clarity is a story my pastor relayed of a time shortly after he got married.

The pastor stood at the pulpit and drifted to a scene that had taken place early in his married life. He and his wife had gotten into a discussion shortly after he had done something upsetting. She said to him, “You live as though God doesn’t exist.”

Now, I don’t remember what the sermon was over that day. I don’t remember what the Bible passage was or what was preached.

But I do remember that quote.

My pastor, whom I viewed as one who had always been Godly and mature, had just given an account of when his wife called him out for acting as though God isn’t even real. He had even been in full-time ministry at the time. And it made me think.

It still makes me think.

It makes me think because, all too often, I catch myself living as though God were not real. I make decisions without consulting Him. I say things that oppose His heart. I believe things He wouldn’t want a person to believe. I find myself being faithless.

When I look into my heart, I often see a garden full of thistles and weeds – full of selfish desires, of anger, and of ungodliness.

‘My God has a lot of work to do, doesn’t He?’ I say to myself.

In these moments, I am tempted to despair and to give up hope. How can God use me for His work when I fail Him so frequently? How can He even love me? I search my own heart and find that I would lack the patience and the love to put up with such behavior.

If it were not for God, I would be left in my misery.

But it is also in these moments when I am reminded of who God is. I am gently reminded that the God I serve is far greater, far stronger, and far more powerful than my ability to live as though He’s not there.

In 2 Timothy 2:11-13, we read: 

If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
  if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
  if we are faithless, he remains faithful—

for he cannot deny himself.

Read that again.

When we fall short – and we will fall short, make no mistake – we can draw encouragement from this passage. When we catch ourselves living as though God isn’t real, or as though He doesn’t really care and won’t really do what He says He will do, we can look to that last section of the passage.

When we catch ourselves being faithless, we can take counsel here.

‘…If we are faithless, he remains faithful – for he cannot deny himself.‘

Just look at the pattern we see.

A — “If we have died with Him… we will also live with Him.”

B — “If we endure… we will reign with Him.”

C — “If we deny Him… He will deny us.”

D — “If we are faithless… He is faithful.”

Throughout this entire block of scripture, we see a pattern.

If we do good, something good will come. If we do bad, something bad will come. You can see that in lines A, B, and C. In A and B, the doing of good results in the receiving of good. In C, the doing of bad (denying Jesus) results in the receiving of bad (being denied by Jesus).

But what about in D? What if we are faithless?

We would expect that Jesus would also be faithless, based upon the pattern. But that’s not what we see.

Instead, we see that Christ remains faithful in spite of our faithlessness. Why? Because he cannot deny Himself.

Wow.

Even in our darkest moments – our times of faithlessness and wandering – Christ stands faithful. He is steadfast. He is above and beyond our ability to hinder Him. As Jesus said in Luke 19:40, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

In other words, Christ will bring about His will and His Kingdom in spite of our failure.

Do you ever catch yourself praying and longing after Christ, yet still falling prey to sin? Do you ever catch yourself praying fervently one hour, then living as though God isn’t there the next?

I know I do.

There are times when I let the world take over, when I let my own desires run the show. I get uptight, overwhelmed, feeling as though I must do it all, for everything rests on my shoulders. I lose sight of God as the clouds of life roll in.

But then I am reminded – gently, sweetly, and firmly – that the Lord is in control. And it’s ultimately up to Him. Far from letting me drift in my sin comfortably, this gentle reminder brings me back to Him.

As Paul Washer is fond of saying, ‘There are no great men of God. There are only weak and pitiful men of a great and merciful God.’

You see, all the goodness we have comes from God. We have nothing good apart from Him. Every good and perfect gift comes down from Him. The very fact that you’re alive and breathing is a testament to His mercy and His power.

You cannot do anything apart from Him.

And be rest assured, dear reader, that it is only because of God’s direct intervention that we can build His Kingdom. Nobody goes out and singlehandedly builds God’s Kingdom. No one is a spiritual superman or superwoman. No one has it all.

Every man and woman you see that serves God is serving Him because of His power – not theirs.

Every time you see Christ shine through someone, it’s because He is bright enough to blast through the clouds of their fallenness – not because they are just “such good Christians.”

When we are unfaithful to Him – when we forget Him, when the cares of the world sweep over our lives like the tide sweeps over a beach – He remains faithful. He must remain faithful. He is unmoving and unwavering.

So be assured, dear reader, that our God is real. He is more real than the world you see around you, and in the end, only His will and His power will count.

He is more than enough to overcome your weakness. He is more than enough to smash down the stronghold of your sin and bring you into fellowship with Him.

Jesus will bear you on, and He will see to it that His good work in you is brought forth to completion.

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An Observation on Sin

by JacobUncategorized

Sin is – and always has been – a major topic in Christian theology. In fact, sin is the reason why Jesus had to come and give His life. Sin is what nailed Him to the cross. And sin is what consigns a person to an eternity of punishment, unless he turns to Christ to be saved.

Sin plays a central role in the lives of human beings.

Every human being is touched by sin, and the entire world – all of the seas, landmasses, trees, animals, and plants – lives on in an imperfect and fallen state brought about by the sin of Adam and Eve. Sin forms a motif, a repeating theme, which weaves its dark and calamitous music throughout the threads of time. It is present everywhere you look. Read the pages of history, and you’re reading an account which involves sin. Look at the headlines on the newspaper, and you can bet that sin is involved somehow.

So far as we are concerned, sin is an inevitable part of the world, though it is vitally important to remember that followers of Christ are set free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). Sin permeates the world, but Christ is able to overcome sin, and He delivers those who follow Him from sin. That doesn’t mean that Christ followers can attain sinless perfection in this life, but it does mean that Christ fundamentally transforms the relationship of His followers with their sin.

But this reading isn’t intended to fully explore the role of sin in a Christian’s life – though maybe I’ll write a post on that sometime in the future. Instead, I just want to offer a simple observation on sin.

What is Sin, Really?

Sin gets talked about often. But what is it?

The most straightforward definition of sin would be this: sin is anything that displeases or disobeys God. To put it Biblically, we can say that sin is anything that does not originate from faith in God (Romans 14:23). Sin is also a ‘falling short’ of God’s glory (Romans 3:23).

So sin can be anything. It doesn’t have to be the act of stealing, intentionally hurting someone, lying, or cheating. Sin can be simply wanting things your way. It can be laziness, gossip, or any other form of selfishness. It can be a casual disregarding of an important task. Even decisions that look ‘Godly’ on the surface – if not made in faith – can be sin.

Sin is what happens when we don’t measure up to God’s standard.

Perhaps this is why, in Isaiah 64:6, it is written “…all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” Even so-called “righteous” acts – giving money, giving up your time, or helping others – are polluted if they do not come from a place of faith in the Lord. Does this mean that these are bad things? No. But it does mean that, unless coming from faith, these things too are ‘polluted garments’ – or, in other words, still sin.

Indeed, sin doesn’t have to ‘look like’ sin. It can be anywhere and everywhere. It can take virtually any form. Once again, sin is a ‘falling short’ of God’s glory. And we fall short – yes, even Christians – of this lofty goal all the time.

But if we peel back the layers a bit further, I think we can make another observation about sin.

In addition to being a failure to measure up to God’s standards, sin is also often a twisting – a deviation, or perversion, if you will – of what God has declared good.

Think about it.

What is the most famous sin in the Bible? While this is a rather subjective question, I think that infamous title may well go to the sin that started it all: the sin of Adam and Eve.

Sin: a Twisting of What is Good

In addition to being a failure to measure up to God’s standards, sin is also often a twisting – a deviation, or perversion, if you will – of what God has declared good.

In Genesis 2, God laid boundaries. He said (speaking to Adam), “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17, ESV)”

In other words, God told Adam that he could have anything he wanted from the garden, but he could not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why? Because eating from that tree would certainly result in Adam’s death. Clearly, God deemed the act of eating from trees in the garden to be a good thing – after all, He permitted it. But God set a boundary and said, “It is NOT good that you would eat from this one particular tree.”

God was implicitly declaring that eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a twisting of a good thing. It was a falling short of His design and His standard. And for Adam to fall short of this design would be to bring death upon himself.

Now, as we all know, Adam and Even wouldn’t stay sin-free for very long.

In Genesis 3, the serpent (whom most scholars agree to be Satan) deceived Adam and Eve into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Listen to the serpent’s words:

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:1-6, ESV)

Note: the serpent’s (Satan’s) lines are bolded for emphasis and ease of reading.

Not only was this the first sin, but it was also the first temptation. Something deep within Eve (and Adam, for that matter) wanted to eat of the forbidden tree. God declared something off-limits, and when Satan showed up, the first thing he did was speak to this dark desire within Adam and Eve’s hearts. There was a desire to disobey God, and to turn a good thing – eating fruit from a tree – into a sinful thing (disobeying God’s directives).

In other words, this was a twisting of good.

Most of us know what happened after Adam and Eve ate of the tree. God came into the garden, pronounced curses on Adam, Eve, and the serpent, and then fashioned clothing for Adam and Eve before sending them out of the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve took a good thing – eating fruit – and then twisted this good thing into a disobedience of God. It wasn’t the act of eating that condemned them; it was the act of going against God’s design.

How This Plays Out in Our Lives

You can think of sin as a deviation (or twisting away) from God’s design. God creates a good thing, but then the lies of Satan and of the fallen world come into play and twist our behavior into sin.

Have you ever heard a saying that goes something like, “The most dangerous lie is the one that is closest to truth?” Take a moment to ponder this statement. A good liar is skilled at infusing truth with falsehood, balancing the two in such a way that even those with good judgement might be fooled.

In the same way, some of the most dangerous sins are those which do not at first reckoning appear to be sin. Or, at the very least, they may “fly under the radar” so as to be paid little attention to.

For example, much is made today in the Christian community of the sin of lust. And rightly so – lust is a potent sin with the potential to wreck lives and destroy testimonies. We rightly identify lust as a sin that must be run away from. It must be fled from. Lust is a twisting of God’s design for sexuality, and it leads to ruin.

But what about the sin of idleness? Or the sin of self-righteousness? These sins are talked about occasionally, but not as frequently or severely as those of lust or outright hatred. They are certainly not as warned against as the more “grievous” sins.

Yet these sins too damage lives and damage testimonies.

Perhaps worst of all, they can – and do – damage our relationship with the Lord. Sin is still sin, and the consequence of all sin is brokenness. Think back to our earlier example of the fall of Adam and Eve. The simple sin of eating from a tree which God placed off-limits was enough to poison countless billions of human beings with sin. The sacrifice of Christ was necessary because Adam and Eve disobeyed God.

One sin would have prompted the need for Christ’s atonement. One sin – whether the sin of murder or that of telling a simple white lie – is enough to mark a person for God’s condemnation, and thus put him or her in need of the sacrifice of Jesus.

Sin swims about in all forms in this world, and we must be wary of all of it. From the most grievous and public sins to the most hidden and “light” sins, Christians are called to live crucified lives and to take up their crosses daily (Luke 9:23). Some of the most difficult to spot and difficult to deal with sins are those which are a simple twisting of a good thing.

Wrapping Up

Christians are called to walk in the light, as we read in 1 John 1:7. To walk in the light requires a holding fast to Jesus Christ, a clinging to Him and a fleeing from sin. It requires a rejection of counterfeit things and an embrace of God’s way of life.

Indeed, God has a design for all things. He has a design for our relationships, our words, our lifestyle, and the way we conduct ourselves. And the only way to truly live in His design is to lay down everything we are to follow Jesus.

Apart from submission to the Lord, we will embrace a twisted version of what God has declared good. If we do not walk with Him in fellowship, we will not follow Him with our lives.

Practically speaking, what does this look like?

Avoid Sin by Reading God’s Word

First and foremost, if we want to embrace God’s design (rather than chase the counterfeits of this world), we will need to read His Word regularly. The Scriptures provide the mind and counsel of God, and we must anchor ourselves there. In 1 John 4, we read, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world (1 John 4:1, ESV).”

This passage was written to a group of early Christians struggling with false teachers who preached a distorted Gospel. The Gospel they preached was a derivation, a falling short, of the true Gospel.

In the same way, sin is a distortion of God’s design. So how should we keep ourselves from it? We must test our hearts and our desires with the standards of Scripture. Only by focusing our lives through the lens of God’s Word can we expect to live in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Avoid Sin by Being in Community

In addition to saturating ourselves in the words of Scripture, we ought to also surround ourselves with Godly community. Throughout the New Testament, God’s people are likened to sheep and spoken of as a “flock.” When one of the sheep wonders off, it is in great danger. Sheep outside the flock and removed from the protection of the shepherd are extremely vulnerable to attacks and accidents.

Similarly, Christians who aren’t participating in Godly community find themselves especially vulnerable to sin. This is especially true for those who aren’t only outside of community, but outside the care of a ‘shepherd.’

As Christians, we’re all under the care of Jesus, but God also places earthly ‘under shepherds’ – that is, pastors and elders – to care for us and disciple us. These people are placed in our lives to guide, teach, and oversee our spiritual development. They are there to instruct is in the way of God, to encourage us in doing good, and to bring it to our attention when we sin.

Living within the confines of Christ-loving community helps a person to walk ‘in the light’ and to avoid falling for the counterfeit goods of the world.

Avoid Sin by Being in Prayer

Finally, it is vitally important for a Christian to be in prayer. Prayer is our direct line to God.

I once heard someone say, “Nobody has a direct phone line to the Almighty.” That is simply not true. We can’t talk to God as we would to a person on the telephone, but we do have the ability to communicate directly with Him in prayer. Each and every one of us can intimately connect with the Lord right now, if we turn to Him in heartfelt prayer.

Martin Luther, the famous 16th century theologian who sparked the Protestant Reformation, is believed to have once said, “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day.” As you can see, prayer is of great importance in our fight against sin and our fight for God’s best.

While you probably don’t need to spend two hours each morning in prayer, you do need to be praying regularly. Scripture tells us to “Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).” Scripture tells us to make prayer the pattern of our life, not just the last resort when things are going south. Christians who spend much time in regular prayer are more joyful and more holy than those who don’t.

Avoid Sin by Focusing on What is Better

As I bring this to a close, I want to make one final observation: that it is worth it to pursue God’s design and to resist sin. As a sinner of 23 years, I understand that the world is tempting. There are things that you want to do that you know are wrong. There are moments spent sweating as you resist the temptation to do things.

When I was in college, I saw people often walking around with shirts on that said “Worth it.” While I don’t know exactly what the meaning of these shirts was, I think I can make a pretty good guess. When someone had this shirt on, he or she basically implied, “I’m a good time. I’m worth it. You may feel shame and dirtiness about what you did with me tomorrow morning, but I assure you… it’s all worth it.”

But guess what? It isn’t worth it. Sin is never worth it. Sin will take you further than you want to go and keep you for longer than you ever wanted to stay. Sin – a twisting of God’s design, a counterfeit of good things – can never satisfy you. It pulls you in and entices you, but it is empty, and ultimately leads only to ruin.

I say these things because – if you’re reading this – I care about you. And I can tell you that sin robs you. It promises pleasure and riches, but robs you and leaves you poorer and more desperate than you were before. It says, “Worth it,” but ultimately kicks you to the curb.

With that in mind, I would submit to you that the costly way of Christ ultimately yields far more joy than the cheap way of sin. Submitting to Christ and saying “no” to yourself is costly – make no mistake. It requires sacrifice. It involves pain. Dying to yourself and your desires is rarely fun, if ever. But just as sin looks great but ends in ruin, sacrificing your life for Christ looks like ruin but brings abundant life.

In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus speaks about the “wide way of destruction” and the “narrow way leading to life.” To be sure, the road to destruction is easy. It’s wide, well-paved, and full of others living what they think to be their best life now. But the narrow way? It’s windy, rough, and thin. There aren’t as many travelers there. Yet in the end, that narrow way leads to life.

Today, I would simply like to end by saying this: yes, the narrow road – the road of self-denial and crucified living – is difficult. It’s painful. But in the end, it is the ultimate “Worth it.”

By choosing the goodness of God over the counterfeit goods of this world, you will be choosing a life of joy and riches in Christ. And in eternity, you will enjoy the fruits of your labors in a way that we cannot imagine so long as we dwell on this world.

God bless.

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Christian Persecution in America

by JacobChristian Living

Christian Persecution is coming to America, though it may take a different form than you’d expect. With this in mind, how are we to live as followers of Christ?

By many standards, American Christians have easy lives.

American Christians do not live beneath the dictatorship of Kim Jong-un. They are not at risk of being thrown into labor camps or executed for their faith.

American Christians do not live in the tumultuous country of Afghanistan, where the Taliban threaten to wipe out anyone who doesn’t conform to their ideals rooted in an aggressive strain of Islamic fundamentalism. In Afghanistan, Christians must be wary at all times, for anyone – a neighbor, a friend, an acquaintance – might turn them over to their enemies.

American Christians do not live under the harsh oppression of Somalia, which is dominated by conflict and by hatred of non-Muslims. In Somalia, there is no such thing as a ‘safe place’ for those who follow Christ. Every day brings the potential of imprisonment or even execution for these Believers.

Truly, American Christians have it better than many other Christians.

In the United States, a follower of Jesus is free to go to church, attend Bible study, and evangelize on the streets. A follower of Christ is free to talk with non-believing friends, family, and co-workers.

Christians can advertise their faith openly, and there are no laws on the books that prevent them from doing so, except in specific circumstances.

But is this changing?

I believe it is – at least in a way.

A Growing Hostility

200 years ago, the United States was a nation composed overwhelmingly of Christians.

Of course, not everyone lived out their faith. As is the case in all periods of time, from the time of Christ to the present, there were those who attended services on Sunday but did terrible things the other six days of the week. There were pretenders – and probably a great number of them.

But by and large, the United States of two centuries ago was a Christian culture. At least in name.

Life revolved around the church, and to not attend church was to be seen as an outsider or even a pariah.

Today, things have, well… changed.

According to a Gallup poll, the percentage of Americans who counted themselves members of a church, synagogue, or mosque fell below 50% for the first time in survey history in 2020.

According to a 2021 study done by Statista, only 22% of Americans attend church or synagogue services every week. In comparison, those who ‘seldom’ or ‘never’ attend make up a combined 56% of the American population. A majority.

Whereas church attendance was socially expected as recent as the early 1900s, the tables have since turned dramatically. Today, church attendance is seen by many as strange, outdated, or even a complete waste of time.

Why would someone go to church on Sunday? Don’t we only get 2 days a week off, anyway?

To those of us who follow Christ, these attitudes are not new. Even fifty years ago, one would have been able to feel the metaphorical turning of the tide. America’s shift away from Christianity has been long in the making, and a consistent drop in religiosity has been observed since the end of World War II.

But that drop-off has radically accelerated over the last 10-20 years.

In that same span of time, there has been a growing cultural hostility towards Christendom.

One particular pop-culture example that I can think of right off the top of my head occurs in the wildly-popular movie Avengers: Infinity War, where Peter Quill (aka “Starlord”) is asked, ‘What master do you serve?’

To which Quill sarcastically replies, ‘What am I supposed to say, Jesus?’

Quill’s retort – which is loaded with mockery – could be seen as a sort of dig towards Christianity. To use a contemporary buzzword, it is what we might term a “microaggression.”

But I digress.

Pop-cultural expressions of disdain towards Christians aside, direct opposition towards Christians has taken many other forms.

Today, it is not uncommon for those who use Facebook to see others – perhaps even those they consider friends – sharing overtly anti-Christian material. This has become especially prevalent since the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, as some pro-choice advocates have directed intense hostility towards ‘conservative’ or ‘evangelical’ Christians.

Additionally, further pressures are arising in society that make it increasingly difficult for Christians to live easy lives.

For many Christians, co-workers or classmates are creating hostile environments where faith is mocked or even openly derided. For other Christians, required activities at work or school directly test their faith. To participate in some of these activities would be equivalent to allying with sin.

These things are becoming more common with time, and furthermore, the trend is accelerating. The America of today (September 2022) is far more hostile to Biblical Christianity than it was even ten years ago.

Truly, Christian persecution in America is on the rise. And with that being said, there are some things we must discuss.

A Qualifier: Christian Persecution in America is Still Mild

Some who read this article might immediately say, ‘Persecution? What are you talking about? American Christians have it easy. They are still privileged and protected.’

To that I will say the following: you are right.

When I write about Christian persecution in America, I am not likening said persecution to that dealt with by those in harsh Islamic regimes or at the hands of Marxist governments. As followers of Jesus, we still lead historically-easy lives.

But we are noticing a shift. There is a pattern change.

Instead of overt government persecution, American Christians are experiencing cultural hostility. Faith in Christ will not get an American killed, jailed, or even fined (at least not yet). Faith in Christ won’t get you formally blacklisted or forced underground, without friend or companion.

Compared to what many Christians in world history have had to deal with, we still have an easy road.

But the fact is that life is getting tougher for American Christians – and it’s only going to get tougher, not easier.

But such a difficult life need not be one filled only with heartache and pain.

Rather, it can also be a life lived to the glory of God in a way that might not otherwise be possible if persecution were not taking place.

The Blessing of Persecution

The New Testament was written to a persecuted church.

In the earliest days of the Christian Church, persecution came from both the Romans and the Jews. After all, Jesus was turned in by Jews and crucified by Romans. Following the death of Christ, the Church spent its earliest days in the crosshairs of hatred and violence from both the Pharisees and the Romans.

Consequently, persecution was a big topic in Scripture. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, 

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:10)

Luke 6:26 has a slightly different take on this, as Christ says, 

“Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. (Luke 6:22-23)

Later on in Luke 6, Jesus says, 

“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them." (Luke 6:27-31)

In Christ’s day as in our own, the natural human response to persecution was to either (1) run away, or (2) fight. How much more true is this when persecution runs deep – when it jeopardizes our lives or the lives of our loved ones?

I think we really need to stop and put the words of our Savior into context here.

In the decades following Christ’s death, Christians were slaughtered for their faith. I doubt that many Americans (unless they’ve been overseas to a persecuted nation) truly understand what this was like. There are men and women who literally had friends, spouses, children, and parents stolen from them and murdered… all because they confessed Jesus Christ as Lord.

Imagine if one of your loved ones was murdered simply because they followed Christ. How would that make you feel?

I’m sure the words ‘angry,’ ‘sad,’ or even ‘vengeful’ wouldn’t even begin to describe it.

We as American Christians get angry when an atheist reviles God on Facebook. And, perhaps, rightly so. But this is absolutely nothing in comparison to what the first Christians went through.

And yet, Jesus’ words spoke to them just as much as they speak to us.

Jesus called upon the first century Church to bless and pray for their persecutors.

Seriously?

Bless and pray for those who just drug your best friend off to prison? Bless and pray for those who got you fired from your job, reducing you to a beggar on the street? Bless and pray for those who had your sister killed, all because she refused to renounce Christ?

When we frame it this way, Christ’s words sound like insanity. It is one thing to say, “I will pray for that man who cursed at me because I mentioned Jesus to him.” It is quite another to say, “I will bless the person who killed my son for following Christ.”

Yet Jesus calls His people to radical kindness and radical obedience. And this obedience looks like the faithful and steadfast endurance of persecution, no matter how horrible that persecution gets.

Why?

Because hidden within persecution is blessing. The faithful endurance of persecution requires a total reliance upon the Lord. And total reliance upon the Lord brings us to a place where we are entirely at His disposal.

In a way, persecution is like fire. When it comes, much of what we are is burned up. But what remains is more valuable than gold or precious stones. What remains is like refined silver, purified for the glory of our God. When your faith is tested, God is refining you.

One of the things God is always trying to teach us is to love as He does.

Godly love looks totally different than the love we find in this world.

The love of the world is reciprocal. It is easy to love those who love you. In Luke 6:32, Jesus says, “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.“

If you love someone because she showed you kindness, you’re not showing any special form of love. If you love someone because he took you in and provided for you, you’re not showing the world anything it doesn’t already have.

But when you love someone – when you pray for them, bless them – despite their hostility and hatred of you, that’s when the love of God comes in. Because we are incapable of this apart from Him. This is the love that makes those in the world shake their heads in disbelief, in shock.

It is the love that, ultimately, often works as the way in which God reaches even the hardest of hearts.

Moving Forward in a World of Persecution

As this nation continues to shift in an increasingly un-Christian and even anti-Christian direction, persecution will only heat up. Barring a miracle – a widespread revival the likes of which have not been seen in decades or even centuries – our country will continue to sink into darkness.

People will grow more hostile.

Whereas today animosity towards Believers may be primarily channeled via social media and snarky comments, the persecution of tomorrow will be more overt. Some jobs and schools might make intrinsically anti-Christian activities mandatory. Some states will pass laws that regulate what can and cannot be preached from the pulpit.

Some localities might come close to banning the preaching of what we know as Biblical Christianity.

And all the while, a generation will rise up around us that is totally unfamiliar with the message of the Gospel. This will be a generation that has largely never seen the inside of a church, a generation that has no qualms about saying ‘I have no religion,’ when asked.

Already, this has begun. But it’s going to get a whole lot more intense.

This will be a generation that openly derides the Christian faith, treating the Bible as an outdated book of fables (at best), to an engine that justifies oppression (at worst).

So what is our role? What is our job as Christ followers? How are we to handle this?

1. Be Thankful

In all honesty, I see the coming environment of persecution as a good thing for the Church.

Historically, Christianity (and I mean true, Biblical Christianity – not watered-down cultural Christianity) has flourished under pressure.

When Christian persecution in America grows to a level where being a faithful Christian has real, life-altering consequences in society (i.e. loss of your job, fines, social exclusion, or school discipline), we will notice the death of “cultural Christianity.”

We will see the demise of the “nominal churchgoer:” the person who goes to church on Sunday, but doesn’t really care about the things of God.

What this will look like is a mass exodus, a mass falling-away. People will continue to leave the church in droves. Magazines and news outlets will report that Christianity is failing, and is soon to be a relic of the past practiced only by one in hundreds or even thousands.

Much will be made of the death of Christianity – a religion long suffering from illness, but now on its deathbed.

But all the while, God will still be at work.

In the heat of persecution, God will draw hearts to Him. He will work in ways we have not yet seen in this nation. As those of us who remain faithful to Him are forced into tighter corners, we will savor His truth more. We will cast ourselves upon Him more often.

For those that remain in His service – that is, the true Church – the era of American Christian persecution will be an era of both physical danger and spiritual blessedness. There will be a rich harvest of souls as we work in the hostile environment of the culture. We will get the opportunity to interact with people who have never been taught the Gospel. We will see converts come out of lives of sin and darkness.

As darkness abounds, light will shine all the brighter.

Just because persecution is coming – whatever form that persecution takes – doesn’t mean that God is somehow losing. Rather, He is refining His people. And He will continue to bring people into His service in miraculous ways.

Be thankful.

2. Be Prepared

In 2 Timothy 4, we read, 

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." (2 Timothy 4:2-5)

2 Timothy, which was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy, was an exhortation towards the younger evangelist. It was an exhortation for him to be ready for the service of Christ.

Although 2 Timothy was written by one man (Paul) to another (Timothy), there is much for us to take away.

You see, Timothy shared the Gospel in a far more difficult environment than what we have in the United States. In fact, he shared Christ in an environment far more hostile than any we are ever likely to face in the United States, at least in the foreseeable future.

And in this tough environment, Timothy needed to be ready.

He needed to be ready at all times to ‘reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.‘

In a similar manner, we are called to be ready at all times. As the metaphorical skies grow darker outside, our light will shine out all the more. But we need to be prepared.

We need to be prepared to lay down our lives in patient love and servitude. We need to be prepared to answer tough questions, confront tough realities, and give answers (even if the answer is, ‘I don’t know’) to those who are hurting and broken.

In 2 Timothy 4:5, we read, ‘As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.‘

To bear witness to Christ is to be involved in a work. It’s a job. It’s a calling. And it’s a more important calling than any other you may have on your life. We need to be ready to “do the work of an evangelist,” and to “fulfill our ministries.”

With this in mind, I would call on all of us – myself, my family, and anyone reading this article – to start preparing. Get in the Word. Get in prayer. Don’t neglect the things of God any longer. Spend time with Him, receiving His strength and His mercy.

We will need it in the days to come.

Be prepared.

3. Be Mournful

For all I’ve written about being thankful, I believe there is also a place for mourning as Christian persecution in America rises to ever-increasing heights.

Why should we mourn? And for who?

We should mourn for those around us who don’t know Christ. We should feel a burden for their souls. As hostility towards Christ and His followers intensifies, we would do well to remember that the worst effects of this hostility will fall not on us, but upon those who direct it towards us.

Those who are hostile to God, those who persecute His people, are those who are most to be pitied. Unless saved by God, they will spend a lifetime in hatred, before departing for an eternity of all-consuming punishment. These people will live miserable lives, scratching for anything they can find in the world that might bring them pleasure.

We see this today already.

Those who have the most worldly possessions are also often miserable. Those who seek after drugs and alcohol get wrapped up in lives of sickness, poverty, and crime. Those who hate Christ cannot find rest. They can self-medicate, they can distract themselves, and they can turn to the vices of the world to cope, but they cannot find rest.

This will only get worse with time.

As the world turns against God, the world will be digging itself into a hole. Misery will abound. The great lie of Satan is that God withholds good things, and that true pleasure and goodness is found by going around Him.

As the world buys the lies of Satan, its situation will only deteriorate – not improve.

This should burden us and sadden us. It should inspire us all the more to repent of our own sin and reach those who are sinking. We ought to have our hearts broken over the brokenness of the world, and over the disastrous effects of sin – both towards ourselves and towards those who don’t know God.

Be mournful.

Christian Persecution in America: a Conclusion

In John 16, Jesus says, 

"Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." (John 16:32-33)

Looking ahead to the future, we might be tempted to be either angry or fearful. We might be tempted towards anger at seeing the destruction of cherished traditions. We might be tempted towards anger at the thought of living in a world that hates us, and doesn’t hide that hatred. We might be tempted to be fearful of what may happen.

How bad will things get? Will the government ever outlaw Christianity? Will there come a time when I must choose between my job and my public profession of faith? What then?

These fears are rational, but I don’t think that God wants us to either bury them or dwell on them.

Instead, reflect on what Christ said in John 16: ‘…take heart; I have overcome the world.‘

Ultimately, our sense of security and worth comes from Jesus. This world will approach us with every manner of things. In the world there is temptation. Temptation pulls us to turn our backs on the Lord.

In the world is also hatred and vitriol. Such hatred pulls us to feel angry, powerless, and discouraged.

But Jesus Christ, our model in all things, dealt with everything we will ever deal with and more. Christ dealt with slander and accusations. He dealt with temptation. He dealt with being thrown in prison, wrongly convicted, and brutally murdered.

And even after His resurrection, Christ has been present with His Church throughout centuries upon centuries of persecution, hatred, slander, and slaughter.

But His words remain the same: ‘Take heart; I have overcome the world.’

Does this mean that we are immune from the things of this world? No. But if we cast ourselves on Jesus Christ, if we fully lean into Him, we will be able to take heart.

There’s a reason why history is full of examples of people who were beaten, jailed, or enslaved for their faith, yet came out the other side all the more in love with Christ.

It’s because Jesus has already overcome the world.

Nothing can touch Him. Nothing threatens Him. Nothing happens outside His knowledge and His ability to deal with. And He is able to care for all the needs of His followers, whatever situation they find themselves in.

We still live in the world, and we have to deal with the world, but Christ has overcome the world. Whatever suffering we must endure in this life is but for only a short time. And even the worst suffering ever endured by a follower of Christ will be but a light affliction when viewed in light of the reward that is coming.

Take heart, Believer.

Christian persecution is coming to America, but our Lord will have the victory. And as we follow Him, as we serve Him, we too will share in this victory. And so will all those who we bring into the Kingdom as we serve Christ.

Take heart.

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The Cost of Not Following Christ

by JacobTheology

Following Christ is costly, as He demands your life. Yet not following Him is a grave mistake that is infinitely more expensive.

Some years ago, I came across this video:

The video, titled ‘It Will Cost You Everything’ is an 11-minute long exhortation to count the costs of following Jesus Christ. It brings up an oft-ignored aspect of the Christian life – that to follow Jesus, one must count the costs and be willing to give up everything for the sake of Christ.

This is true.

Christ demands absolute obedience, and a total selling out to His lordship. Simply look to the Gospel of Luke, where we read the following:

Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-27)

How often is it that we focus upon this piece of Scripture? It doesn’t preach well, does it? It doesn’t sound as rosy and positive as ‘God’s plan is always health and safe living.’ Here we learn that those who would be Christ’s disciples must be willing to forsake everything for the sake of Jesus. We must live a “crucified” life.

That’s what it is to follow Jesus.

Following Christ is Difficult

Following Jesus is not easy. It is not necessarily a life of wealth, health, and prosperity. It is not a life of great popularity. In fact, Paul even remarks in 1 Corinthians that, 

...If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. (1 Corinthians 15:17-19, emphasis mine)

In other words, if Jesus has not truly been raised from the dead (that is, He isn’t who He claimed to be), then we’re the most pitiful people in the world. Here we are, living a crucified life where we no longer satisfy the demands of the flesh and follow life’s broad, easy way… and all for nothing? What an awful way to live!

Of course, Paul goes on to write in the next sentence that we do have every reason to hope. Christ is raised, God is God, and our eternal reward is coming. But if this were not so, then we would be living a life of immense sacrifice for no good reason at all.

Following Jesus is expensive, the Bible says. You have to give up much. You don’t just ‘get in’ through the narrow gate and walk the narrow way that leads to life without submitting to Christ and laying down your life. Following Christ will be tough. It’s not for the faint of heart. It is costly.

But NOT following Him is more costly.

Following Christ is Costly… But NOT Following is More Costly

As humans, we stand at the crossroads between two choices: surrender to Christ and be saved, or run from Christ and experience eternal punishment. God gives us the choice between the two. We can choose one or the other, but we will make a choice… whether we realize it or not.

Choosing to follow Christ is costly. To turn to Jesus will ultimately require us to give up some things. As Steve Lawson says in the video shown at the beginning of this article, it will cost us everything. All our possessions, hopes, dreams, desires, talents, strengths, and weaknesses will eventually be submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It may take us some time in getting there (and we will never be perfect at it in this life), but obedience and increasing holiness will be the pattern of the life of a Believer in Jesus.

It’s a costly life. But what are the costs of not following Jesus? Let’s find out.

The Cost of Not Following Christ

When one chooses to not follow Jesus, he may initially experience what we might call “rewards.”

Without Jesus, the man is free to pursue his own desires without any resistance at all. He has no moral code obligating him to a higher standard of righteousness, save for the laws and morals that society places on him. There is no voice in his heart pleading with him to quit his sin. There is no community around him holding him to a great moral standard.

If he wants to drink and do drugs, he can do so. If he wants to make lots of money and spend it on his pleasures, he may do so. If his desire is to have as many relationships as he can, he may do that too. Of course, he probably feels worse and worse all the time as he pursues his pleasures, but the world offers those pleasures for a reason: they’re a distraction from the spiritual damage brought on by such a lifestyle.

As his life draws to its end, we may compare it with the life of a man who accepted Christ. Whereas the Christian has little wealth, the unbeliever has great wealth. Whereas the Christian didn’t experience “the world” – that is, the pleasures of an ultimate focus on the self – the unbeliever did.

The unbeliever might even say, “Sure, I’m no saint. But I lived my life to its fullest, and I enjoyed my time here.”

While the Christian had to learn to control his body and say ‘no’ to his desires, the unbeliever spent his entire life in full pursuit of that which made his flesh happy. While the Christian had to obey a greater Master, the unbeliever was free to do as he pleased.

The conclusion? From an outsider’s point of view, one might say that the unbeliever has come out ahead. He denied himself no pleasure and allowed himself whatever he wanted.

But here’s the rub: life has only just begun.

The True Costs Compared

When the unbeliever dies, a terrible fate awaits him. Dying without Christ, the unbeliever stands condemned before God. He pleads with God, perhaps even begs God to spare him the fate of those who do not accept the Lord. Yet God will not. The unbelieving man had every opportunity to believe upon Jesus, but he didn’t do so.

I will not go into detail on what the unbeliever experiences next. However, we must understand one thing: we ALL have an eternal destination. We will go to a place in which our consciousness, our soul, never dies. There are only two places in which to spend this eternity: either Heaven or Hell. In Heaven, those who believed in Christ will experience pleasures that nothing in this world could ever equal or even come close to. In Heaven, there will be perfect bliss and perfect pleasure for all eternity.

But in Hell? In Hell, we have a complete and total absence of pleasure. Scripture tells us that the torment of those in Hell never pauses. There is no cheerful smile in Hell; there is no joy, no happiness, no rest, and – worst of all – no hope.

Thus, the choice becomes clear. We have a choice between the following:

  1. A lifetime of imperfect pleasure (up to 100 years long, if you’re lucky), and an eternity of torment, or
  2. A lifetime of obedience to God (which is NOT always drab and dull), and an eternity of the richest pleasure and life we could possibly imagine.

As we stand back and survey these options, I am reminded of the account in the Bible where Esau, the brother of Jacob, sold his inheritance for a bowl of stew. This man literally sold his entire inheritance for a small bowl of mush. And it probably wasn’t even that good, either. Talk about a bad trade! I’m sure we all would recognize it as such. But if we refuse to accept Christ because “the cost is too great,” then we are doing the same thing Esau did all those years ago.

Why Do People Reject Christ?

A sad truth of the world this: many people are confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and come away having rejected the Savior.

Why?

I mean, wouldn’t everyone desire eternity in paradise? Why reject Christ, when He offers you an eternity of treasure and life and joy?

Simply put, most people reject Christ because they cannot bring themselves to give up their life to Him. They are like the rich young ruler of Mark 10, who walked away from Jesus with sorrow in his heart because he couldn’t give up his earthly possessions for the sake of the Lord.

Those who reject Jesus are rejecting the claim He has over their lives; they reject His Lordship and authority. When you become a follower of Christ, you are purchased by Him at the cost of His life. He owns you. He becomes your Lord and your king.

And in doing so, He – not you – has the right to use your life as He sees fit.

Of course, this is costly. It means giving up the rights to your life in the here and now. But look at what you gain! When your life becomes hidden in Christ, it is truly safe and truly saved. When one rejects Jesus, he is rejecting what is best for him. When a man or woman turns away from the Savior, he or she is embracing the lie that the cost of following Jesus is too great.

Instead, we might ask a counter-question: why would anyone NOT follow Jesus, when the cost is so little?

The Splendor of Following Christ

Think about it. This world is fraught with trouble and difficulty. Life has its highs and also its lows; that much is true regardless of whether you believe in Christ or not. So in the end, can we really say that living without the yoke of Christ is that much more pleasing than living with His yoke upon us?

In my own life, some of the happiest people I’ve ever known were those who were sold out for Christ. These were the men and women who truly gave everything they had to “buy the treasure” that is the Kingdom of Heaven. These people gave up much, but were happier than those who chose to reserve everything for themselves. Do the unbelievers – those who count the costs of following Jesus as too great – really come out better in this life?

I would say that the answer is “no.” Following Jesus requires sacrifice, but it comes with great joy and great abundance of life… even in this life. The unbelieving crowd often claims, “Christians are so heavenly-minded that they’re no earthly good.” They say, “Worrying about the afterlife is no way to live this life.”

Yet it is Believers who often prove to be the happiest, healthiest, most generous, and most impactful souls in the world. Jesus’ demand for obedience may seem to be the death of our own happiness, yet full submission to Him seems to also yield the greatest joy and pleasure we can hope to experience in this life.

In the end, following Jesus will prove costly. It may cost you success, promotions, friendships, easiness of life, and physical pleasure. It might even cost your very life.

But when the two options are weighed in the balance – the option of following and the option of not following – it becomes clear that one choice is a sham that results in neither the best this life has to offer, nor the next.

When you choose to follow Jesus, you are making nothing less than the most rational choice a human being can make. And you can rest assured that Christ – who has bought you with His blood – has only your best interests at heart.

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What is Biblical Manhood?

by JacobChristian Living

Biblical manhood is sorely lacking in our world today, but what does it mean to be a man of God? We’ll examine the basics in this introduction.

Please note: this article only covers the basics. There will be more articles posted to this site soon that deal with different topics related to being a Biblical man. It's a wide-reaching topic with many different avenues to explore!

As a young man myself, Biblical manhood is a topic that sits near and dear to my heart.

What does it mean to be a Christian man? What is Biblical manhood?

Let us cut right to the point: being a man of God is about putting Christ first in everything you do. That may sound like a ‘well… duh!’ statement, but hear me out.

There are two super-broad callings that God assigns to human beings in adulthood. If you’re female, you’re called to be a woman of God. If you’re male, you’re called to be a man of God.

These two callings have a great deal of overlap. Both men and women are called to submit fully to Jesus. Both are called to love sacrificially. Both are called to respect and honor other people. Both are created with equal worth before God, and both are equally vital in this life.

Without Biblical womanhood, things go wrong. Without Biblical manhood, things go wrong.

Now, while both of these roles are very similar in some ways, they’re also very different in others. Here are a few examples:

  1. Men (as husbands) are called to be the “head” of their households. Women (as wives) are called to submit to their husbands. (Ephesians 5:23-24).
  2. Men are called to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. Women are called to respect their husbands. (Ephesians 5:25-32).
  3. Men are called to provide and protect their families (1 Timothy 5:8).

Obviously, these are not exhaustive. There are many further distinctions made between men and women in Scripture. Suffice it to say that (a) the callings of Biblical womanhood and manhood are equally important and are alike in many ways, and (b) these two callings are also different and distinct in many ways.

The Distinct Calling of Biblical Manhood

Many in today’s culture will take issue with the idea that the callings of men and women are separate. However, you cannot get away from this idea in Scripture. If we’re being true to everything the Bible says, we must admit that Biblical manhood and Biblical womanhood are distinct callings of equal importance and equal worth.

Anyone who teaches that there is no distinction between manhood and womanhood is teaching incorrectly. On the other hand, anyone who teaches that manhood is superior to womanhood (or vice-versa) is also teaching incorrectly.

They’re separate, vital, and equal. Both are absolutely essential. Both are necessary. Both have many things in common.

But they’re distinct.

For men, the calling of Biblical manhood is inherently leadership-oriented. We are called to submit fully to Jesus in all that we do, and out of this submission, we are called to lead sacrificially.

If you’re an adult male who believes upon Jesus Christ, congrats: you’re a leader. You may or may not know it yet, but that is what you’re called to be. You may not feel ready for it yet, but that’s what you’re called to be.

Now, don’t get me wrong – biblical womanhood also involves leadership. But it’s generally exercised in a different way.

When I say “leadership,” I mean that men are called to get out in front and plow the proverbial snow off the roads so that others can walk behind them. Biblical manhood is about bearing burdens so that others don’t have to.

The Nature of Biblical Manhood

A man of God is called to lead. But before we can talk about leadership, we have to talk about the essence – or the nature – of genuine Biblical manhood.

To do this, let’s first look at what it is not.

One of the world’s most common misconceptions of manhood is that it is all about rugged individualism, self-reliance, muscle, and testosterone.

Take the American “ideal” of a man: he is tall, muscular, drinks beer, plays/watches sports, dominates at the office, takes home a big paycheck, has a trophy wife (or girlfriend), drives a sleek and sporty car, and puts his own sensual pleasures above all other things.

He needs no one, and – perhaps by association – no one truly needs him. He’s a free agent who can do his own thing on his own time.

How do I know this? I’ve watched a lot of TV, seen a lot of movies, and met a lot of people. If you’ve been immersed in American culture for any significant length of time, you will have to nod your head in agreement with what I’ve just written.

Our culture subliminally tells men that there is something wrong with them if they’re not muscular, sexually promiscuous, fun-loving, and money-oriented. According to the popular culture, a man ought to be someone who can get whatever he wants whenever he wants.

And that has been our ideal – more or less – since the 1950s. But here’s the problem: it’s wrong.

The American ideal of a man is something birthed out of consumerism. If you read back through the description written above, you will find that you can distill it down to one base essence: a man is defined by what he consumes.

This is why you can watch NFL games on TV and every commercial is about beer, cars, and medicines designed to increase a man’s sexual performance. The message is this: your manhood is defined by what you consume.

Want to be more manly? Drink this beer.

What to be more manly? Buy this car.

Want to be more manly? Take this medicine and have your share of fun.

Pop culture manhood is about consumption. But Biblical manhood stands in sharp relief to this.

Biblical manhood is about what you PRODUCE.

This is where the rubber meets the road. Men of God are supposed to be givers, not takers. They’re producers, not consumers. A man of God should not ask himself, “What can I get out of this?”

Rather, he should ask himself, “What can I give?”

Biblical manhood is about what you produce; it’s about adding value to others’ lives. Therefore, a Biblical man is first and foremost a servant. Nowhere was this more perfectly modeled than in the life of Jesus Christ, who is our ideal for what true manhood looks like.

Jesus, though He was unlimited in power and incomprehensible in intellect, humbled Himself to the point of dying on the cross for us. He endured not only physical pain, but spiritual anguish and the mockery of the world.

In fact, if you could go back in time to the day Jesus was crucified, you would find that virtually nobody considered Him a “success.” Instead, they would say He died for nothing. They would label Him at the very most a dangerous heretic, and at the very least a blundering fool whose life was marked by delusion.

How could someone with such power – after all, He claimed to be God – meet such a shameful death? Even in the days of ancient Rome, the popular culture’s ideal of masculinity was corrupt.

Jesus did not die a wealthy man. He did not die a powerful man, except in the eyes of those few who truly followed Him. He did not die a glorious death. His end was met on a cross, at the hands of executioners. The Roman ideal for death would have been one of heroic sacrifice in battle, where one laid down his life for the good of his fellow soldiers.

To the eyes of the world, Christ did not die an honorable or glorious death.

He died in shame, in dishonor, and – though He claimed to be God and claimed to bring a new kingdom to the world – was instead arrested, beaten, and killed. To all who watched, it seemed that this man had a mission… and failed in the most miserable and lowly ways possible.

But you and I know the truth.

Did Jesus really fail in His mission? Of course not! His life was not marked by delusion, weakness, and failure (as the pop culture of His day thought), but rather consistent humility, servanthood, and sacrifice. That is our template for manhood.

Truly, we have some big shoes to fill.

What does the life of Jesus Christ teach us about what it looks like to be a man? It teaches us that we do not define success in terms of dollars signs, possessions, or sexual partners. We do not define success in terms of power or position. We don’t even get to define success by what others think of us.

We define our success as Biblical men by one standard only: are we living for Christ, and in doing so, are we laying our lives down for the good of others?

That is the benchmark by which we measure Biblical manhood.

Biblical Manhood is About Leading Well

Leadership – particularly the leadership that should be embodied by men of God – deserves a long article in its own right. I fully plan on writing one soon. But as we near the end of this post, I’d like to simply touch briefly on the necessity of leadership.

Biblical men are leaders. But this leadership is not about “getting your way.”

Because our culture’s ideal of masculinity is corrupted, our culture’s ideal of leadership is also corrupted. Many people believe that leaders are those who always come first, who get the biggest portions, and who receive the most favorable treatment. They believe that leaders are those who, either by seniority or competence, deserve and receive the “best.”

But nothing could be further from the truth.

That is what our culture says leadership is, but it’s not true leadership. The culture’s view of leadership is one where the leader is being served, whereas Biblical leadership is all about serving others.

Jesus is our foremost example in this area. Just as He perfectly modeled Biblical manhood, He also perfectly modeled the Biblical standard of leadership.

As was shown earlier, Christ’s life was a constant example of sacrifice and servanthood. He was the leader of all leaders, the most perfect leader the world has ever seen.

And what did it get Him?

Well, it got Him crucified. Christ’s leadership was a constant laying down of His own interests for others. Christ did nothing from selfish ambition and nothing for the sake of gaining fame or fortune. He did everything out of sincere love and deep sacrifice.

This is our example.

Christ exemplified Biblical manhood, and – in doing so – Biblical leadership. As a man of God, your call is to die to yourself and use your strength to stand up for others. It’s a call to seek the welfare of your family, your friends, and your neighbors before yourself.

It is a call to imitate Jesus, and while we will never perfectly do this, it is up to us to submit to Him as best we can, trusting Him to empower us to live a life of service and worship.

As a last resource, please feel free to check out Paul Washer’s teachings on Biblical manhood. You can find them on YouTube and on other online sites. Here’s a shorter video that serves well as an introduction:

God bless.

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The Lordship of Jesus

by JacobChristian Living

Jesus is Lord. What does this phrase mean? In this article, we’re taking a look at the lordship of Jesus Christ, and what it means for our lives.

Jesus is Lord.

We hear that phrase often; it’s painted on roadway signs and plastered on church marquees all over the nation.

But what does it really mean?

Philippians 2:9-11 tells us,

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [Philippians 2:9-11, ESV]

Not only is Jesus Lord, Scripture tells us that there will come a day when every person will assent to His lordship.

Clearly, the lordship of Jesus is important. It’s fundamental to who He is, and how He relates to us as human beings.

Here are three aspects of Christ’s lordship over our lives.

1. Jesus is Sovereign

Jesus Christ is God. He is a member of the Trinity, which consists of three separate persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Each is separate, yet also God. They are different, yet the same. The Trinity is a mystery which has been pondered by theologians and scholars of the most brilliant sort for thousands of years. I would venture to say that no human being has ever had a perfectly correct understanding of the Trinity.

The best we can do is approximate.

We can know that there is a Trinity, yet still be unable to fully grasp the nature of the Trinity. It is a mystery that will remain partially hidden to us until we go to be with the Lord.

But I digress. Jesus is God, which means that He is sovereign.

What does “sovereign” mean? From Merriam-Webster, the term ‘sovereign’ is defined as follows:

  1. Possessed of supreme power
  2. Unlimited in extent; ABSOLUTE
  3. Enjoying autonomy; INDEPENDENT

In other words, sovereignty goes beyond merely being “powerful.” A person is sovereign if he or she possesses absolute, unequivocal, unchallenged authority and independence.

Throughout much of the Middle Ages and into the Enlightenment, kings and queens in Europe were often referred to as “sovereigns.” Today, independent countries are referred to as “sovereign nations.” This means they have unchallenged and absolute authority to govern the lands within their borders.

Sovereignty is exclusive. It’s pre-eminent. It’s paramount. If someone or something is sovereign, it possesses the highest possible level of authority.

Jesus, therefore, possesses the “highest possible authority.” Let’s ponder that statement for just a moment.

Today, we have sovereign nations. The United States is a sovereign nation. No other nation – not Mexico, nor Canada, nor Russia, nor India, nor any other country – has the right to govern territory within the American border.

That right is exclusively reserved for the government of the United States.

The government has charge over the land; therefore, it is the highest authority in the land. But does the government of the U.S. truly own the land? Furthermore, does the government own the people?

No.

Can the government compel anyone to do anything it wants? No.

Even if the U.S. were a totalitarian dictatorship, like North Korea or the now-defunct Soviet Union, it would still be imperfect in its wielding of power.

Why do totalitarian states set up prison camps?

Because people tend to disobey. Even the most powerful and far-reaching governments the world has ever created cannot enforce perfect obedience on their people.

Thus, the “sovereignty” of any person or any government will be imperfect. It won’t be truly absolute. A king may declare himself sovereign, but he can be disobeyed. He can be attacked by other kings. His authority does not extend perfectly to the furthest reaches of the earth.

But Jesus’ authority IS absolute.

Jesus, being God, is the Creator of all things. Nothing exists that was not created through Him (John 1:3). Therefore, Jesus’ sovereignty is true sovereignty. It’s absolute.

Try as you might, you cannot escape His might.

You can float out into international waters and be free of national government. You can build a rocket, fly to Mars, and declare yourself free from all authority in the world. Odds are, the world will not be able to seriously challenge you from your new perch.

But try as you might, you can never escape God’s grasp. Go to the depths of the ocean, and you’ll find Him. Fly to Mars, and you’ll find Him. Launch yourself to another solar system at the speed of light, and once you arrive, you will be no further from the grasp of God than when you started.

Jesus is sovereign. His authority is absolute. It is based on His ownership of all things.

Nothing – yes, NOTHING – exists apart from His direct creation. Every star you can see, every planet you can visit, every mountain peak and every valley and every prairie you can walk through – all was made by His hand.

He owns all things, including you. You can’t escape Him. You cannot challenge Him. His authority is supreme, never-ending, and all-encompassing.

Jesus is sovereign. This is the basis of His lordship. As the late S.M. Lockridge so eloquently put it, “His lordship is based on His ownership.”

S.M. Lockridge on the lordship of Jesus Christ

2. Jesus is Just

We have established that Jesus, being God, is all-powerful. Nothing exists apart from Him, and nothing is outside the scope of His rule and reign. This is Jesus’ sovereignty.

But what about the character of Jesus Christ? Throughout history, we have seen examples of sovereign rulers and sovereign nations that have abused humanity to extents hardly imaginable.

We have examples of genocide, of mass murder, of exploitation, and of horrendous injustice. The character of a sovereign person or government is crucial. Is Jesus a “just king” or an “unjust king?”

The answer: He is just. In fact, there is no authority more just than His authority.

Jesus is fair. He is just. He is righteous, correct, and perfect. He is infallible. He is the cornerstone upon which all notion of equity exists.

True justice does not exist apart from Christ.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that Jesus sets the rules, and He enforces the rules as they ought to be enforced. It’s as simple as that.

Christ is just. He invented justice.

Any concept that we have of justice is just a reflection – and an imperfect one at that – of the true standard set down by our Lord.

At the end of time, all men and women who have ever lived on the earth will be called forth to give an account of their lives. Hebrews 9:27 and Romans 14:12 guarantee this. It’s also talked about in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Revelation 20:12.

Everyone – male and female, Jew and Gentile, believer and unbeliever – will stand before God and be judged. And this justice will be perfect. There will be no attorney, no jury, and no painstaking gathering of evidence. All the evidence will be held in God’s hands, because God sees and knows everything perfectly. All thoughts and all actions will be laid bare.

And His sentencing will be perfectly just.

There will be no abuse of power. There will be no corruption. The judge, the lawyer, the plaintiff, and the criminal of this life will stand before Christ as equals. Christ is the perfect judge, the “Judge of judges” if you will, and His sentencing is perfectly correct.

Some people will be sent to eternal damnation (Revelation 20:11-15), and others will be sent to eternal life (Matthew 25:46).

What determines one’s fate? It is not his or her actions in this life. Rather, it’s this: did that person repent of his sins and believe upon Jesus?

Herein lies the most wonderful aspect of Jesus’ justice: He freely gives pardon. We are all guilty apart from Him, but if we turn to Him and believe in Him – trusting Him for forgiveness – then we receive forgiveness. We are declared ‘innocent.’

There are men in this world that have done despicable things which no human court could ever forgive. There are men who have murdered, abused, and slaughtered. Many of these men have been sentenced to life in prison or even death.

But let’s just say that the worst of the worst – a killer, a rapist, an abuser – leads a life of crime and is then sentenced to death for his atrocities. Yet right before his execution, he repents of his sins and believes upon Jesus.

That man is going to Heaven.

There are also men who have done great deeds, who have given to the poor and made the service of humanity the entire thrust of their lives, who will be judged and found guilty by God. Why? Because they never repented and believed upon Jesus. 

This is the most perfect aspect of the justice of Jesus. It doesn’t work like our justice. We judge based upon deeds – and we should, because society would fall apart if we didn’t – but God ultimately judges based upon one thing: have we given our trust to Him?

Apart from Christ, we stand condemned. With Him, we stand absolved.

This brings us to the third aspect of Jesus’ lordship:

3. Jesus is Good and Merciful

We need not fear, because Jesus is merciful. And He is good.

Ponder this for a second: the Creator of the universe, the ultimate and supreme authority, is a good authority. He’s the best possible authority. We could not have asked for a better God and a better Savior.

Up to this point, we have shown that Jesus is sovereign and that Jesus is just. But Jesus is also merciful, and He is full of love.

This great power – a sovereign king, a just king, far above our ability to comprehend – freely offered His life for our salvation.

Allow me to be blunt, and to ask a question: who in your life would you die for?

If you’re like most people, you might say that you’d die for your kids. You might say you’d die for your spouse, your siblings, or your best friends. Perhaps there is nobody in this world that you would die for.

My point is this: people don’t die for those they care nothing about. Speaking as a typical human, I would not be inclined to die for a random stranger. I would not be inclined to die even for an acquaintance.

But what about an enemy? What about someone diametrically opposed to me? Would I die for such a person?

If someone were to come to you, spit on you, and tell you how worthless you were, would you turn around and sacrifice yourself for that person?

My guess is no. We would have a tough enough time not fighting back. We would have a tough enough time simply holding our tongue and being civil in return. I doubt we’d be filled with such genuine affection for that person that we would freely offer to die for them.

Where am I going with this? Well, Jesus showed His ultimate mercy for us in that He died for us. But Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6-8).

In other words, He died for His enemies. Those who are without God are against God, and those who sin are sinning against Him. When Christ came to the world, He was hated and spit upon and driven out of cities. He was ultimately captured, beaten, mocked, and murdered.

Yet what did He say during his crucifixion? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

That’s right; He was showing sacrificial love to the very men who drove nails into His flesh.

Few of us could imagine even coming close to such a display of sacrificial love and mercy. And we’re humans. We’re flawed. We’re imperfect, and we have all done things that are deserving of punishment.

But as for Jesus? He was the only person who ever lived a perfect life. And He was also the only person who ever offered His life in genuine love for those who hated Him. He deserved that the world would die for Him, but He flipped the narrative and died for the world.

This is mercy. This is love. This is the most tangible, visible, marquee-flashing-on-the-side-of-the-road sign of Christ’s mercy and grace.

He is good. He is merciful. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, perfectly just, and impartially merciful. He is entirely good and complete in love.

This is our Savior and our Lord.

How We Respond

The very nature of Jesus’ lordship demands that we respond. We cannot simply file this away in the back of our minds. We cannot pass ‘go’ and collect 200 dollars.

Jesus is worthy of our time. He is worthy of our respect.

And He is Lord.

Therefore, we must submit to Him as Lord of our lives. We must not only acknowledge His lordship in thought, but we must actively submit to Him in deed. Scripture says, 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. [1 John 5:1-3, ESV]

From this, it is clear that we are called to obey God’s commandments. Our first and foremost response to the lordship of Jesus ought to be love, and love for God is keeping His commandments.

There is a lie creeping into the culture – and even into the Church – that we do not have to submit to Jesus. This lie is very widespread. And it is damaging. It is damaging to the faith, to the Church, and to those who believe it.

To put it bluntly, we must submit to Jesus. It is absolutely necessary and absolutely imperative.

We are to come to Christ on His terms, not our own. We are to come to Him with a listening ear, a willing spirit, and a humble heart. We are to come to Him reverently, for He is worthy of all our respect and all our worship and all our honor.

The idea that one can simply believe in Jesus for “life insurance” so that they don’t go to Hell when they die is horribly incorrect. That’s not Christianity; it’s a product of the Western consumer mentality.

Remember: Jesus is all-powerful. He is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-loving. And that same Christ died for you. That same Jesus Christ died for your personal sin.

What must we do in response? Treat Him as holy. Honor Him as set apart and in a tier all His own. We must submit to Him and take His yoke upon us. Scripture assures us that His yoke is easy, and that His commands are not burdensome.

Not only has our Savior been incomprehensibly merciful towards us, He continues to be so in that He is not burdensome. His yoke is easy! His commands are not unreasonable! He is deserving of all our obedience, and it is not unreasonable and impossible to obey Him.

Today, dear Believer, I encourage you to submit your life ever the more fully to Jesus. We all have areas in which we are not fully surrendered to the Lord. We all have areas which we want to wall off from Christ and declare, “Mine!”

But only trust Him; submit fully to Him. Surrender yourself more and more fully to Christ. He is worthy of it. Christ loves you more than you could ever know, and He desires that you would simply lay down your ambitions, your strivings, your desires, and your fears to embrace Him.

Run to Jesus, who is our Lord and our Savior.

God bless.

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Faith Without Works is Dead

by JacobChristian Living 
James tells us that faith without works is dead. But what does it mean to have "works" and what does it mean to have faith?

I consider James to be one of the most practical books of the Bible. I’m in the process of reading through it slowly, and it contains an absolute wealth of information.

That’s not to diminish any other book in the Bible; it’s just to communicate that James is especially packed with practical stuff.

What to do in difficult times? Check.

Putting the Word of God into practice in your life? Check.

How to honor and treat everyone equally? Check.

As I was reading this morning, I came across the passage that speaks about faith and works. This is a famous portion of Scripture. Many of you have probably heard it.

Here it is:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. [James 2:14-17, ESV]

Read back through this passage slowly. Notice especially the last line: faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, or you grew up in a Christian household, you have probably heard this phrase before.

Faith without works is dead.

We repeat that phrase so often that we lose sight of its true weight. What does it really mean?

What does “works” mean?

And what does it mean to have “dead faith?”

Faith and Works: A Study

What gets us into right standing with God? Is it our works, or is it His grace and mercy?

Answer: it’s the second one!

There was no way we could save ourselves on our own. Our best works and efforts are not anywhere near good enough to get us into Heaven. But God showed incredible grace to us by sending Christ to die for our sins.

We accept God’s grace by placing our faith entirely in Jesus Christ, and it is this faith which gives us “access” to the grace that God showers down upon us.

That’s how we are saved. God sent us a lifeboat, and it’s up to us to jump into that lifeboat. The “jumping in” is done via faith.

Without faith, we drown.

Contemporary mainstream Christianity has gotten really good at emphasizing this.

The message we are used to hearing is this: Do NOT focus on works. Works don’t save you. Focus on who you are in Jesus Christ. You’re saved by grace, through faith, so just focus on having faith and resting in the grace of God.

Is this a true statement? Yes.

But it’s often distorted.

It is entirely true that we cannot be saved by works. We can’t earn our way to Heaven. That is made clear again and again throughout all of the New Testament.

Anyone who teaches you that works are what get us into Heaven is wrong.

But the contemporary church has leaned so heavily into emphasizing grace that the practical side of our faith is often overlooked.

That brings us to our first question:

What do Works Have to do With Faith?

James tells us that faith without works is dead.

Here’s the deal: works are like a thermometer that measures the health of our faith.

When you’re sick, you often take your temperature.

For instance, I woke up in the middle of the night just a few days ago. I felt like I was radiating heat. This isn’t normal for me, so I got up to take my temperature.

My temperature was normal. This was strong evidence that I wasn’t sick.

Similarly, your works are a thermometer for your faith. Works don’t get you into right standing with God, but they do show evidence that you have saving faith.

That’s why James was telling his readers that faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

True saving faith in Christ will result in works. Are these works perfect? Absolutely not! And even the strongest and most mature of Christians can go through “cold seasons” where their works are diminished.

But all those who have true faith will show works.

You cannot have faith without works – they’re a packaged deal. Works originate from faith, and faith will always result in works of some kind.

If you have no works at all, then it’s very possible that you don’t really have saving faith.

This is why James wrote these words to his readers. It is possible to go through life supposing that you have true saving faith, when in reality you lack it. You can be deceived.

This is a harsh truth that is not spoken of much in churches today.

We’re living in an age where a mere one-time profession of faith – a prayer, baptism, etc. – is taken as an undisputable sign of salvation. Even if the person who once professed faith in Christ shows absolutely no evidence of works, he or she is assured of salvation.

But this is incorrect. All those with saving faith will bear works. We should be very concerned for those who claim to be Christian but live exactly like those who don’t know God.

What are Works, Exactly?

James gives us a specific example of “works” in the passage. How he does it is rather interesting: he gives us an example of a failure to do a work. 

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [James 2:15-16, ESV]

From this, it can be seen that one of the foremost works which ought to be present in a Christian’s life is generosity. Are you generous with your finances and resources? Are you generous with your time?

Open generosity is a hallmark of the Christian life.

But is generosity the only kind of work there is? Not at all. If we jump over to Galatians, we can read an entire list of the “fruits of the Spirit.” These include:

  • Love
  • Joy
  • Peace
  • Patience
  • Kindness
  • Goodness
  • Faithfulness
  • Gentleness
  • Self-control

This is a large list!

Indeed, if we wanted to get out a notebook and write down all of the possible works that could be done as a result of saving faith, there wouldn’t be enough notebooks in all the world to contain the writing.

My point is this: “works” are not specific actions that fit into certain categories. Rather, works are the overflowing of faith.

Whatever good thing is done in faith is a “work.”

But that’s the key phrase: whatever good thing is done in faith.

Just as faith does not fail to produce genuine works, genuine works cannot occur without faith. They’re a packaged deal. They’re two sides of the same coin.

Without faith, it is impossible for us to please God (Heb. 11:6). But if we have faith, every good work we do out of that faith is pleasing to Him. Having true faith flips the entire paradigm on its head.

If we don’t have faith, we won’t please God and we won’t do any truly good works, even if we’re a model citizen. You see, there are men and women in this world who are upstanding people. They help their neighbors, donate to charity, volunteer at shelters, and provide a place of safety for others.

They never break the law and they are what everyone else would consider “moral people.”

Yet if they do not do these things out of a sincere faith in God, then their works are still not “good” in the sense that God requires them to be. They’re doing good works by human standards, but they still do not please God.

But if we do have faith, we will please God and we will do good works, even if we’re still struggling mightily against serious sin issues.

Works are those things that we do because of our faith in Jesus Christ.

What if I Don’t Have Any Works in My Life?

This is a question that every Christian will likely ask at some point in their walk with the Lord. Some may ask it rather frequently.

There are also many people who consider themselves Christians, yet aren’t truly saved… and they may ask this question as well.

So what gives? What if I look at my life and I see no evidence of faith-based works?

If this is you, then congrats: you’re the reason why James wrote this particular piece of Scripture. You see, Scripture is filled with wake-up calls designed to shake us out of complacency. How can we grow if we don’t know there’s a problem?

For this question, I’ll handle two cases: (1) – the person who is a genuine believer, but fears that he or she doesn’t have works, and (2) – the person who isn’t truly a believer.

1 – If you’re Truly a Christian

If you sincerely believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sins, and you’ve confessed that with your mouth, then you’re a true believer. You have true faith.

But sometimes you doubt.

Perhaps you’re going through a season of life where your works are not showing like they ought to be. At this point, I would prompt you to ask a question: have I ever been in a place where I was truly living for God?

It’s so easy for many of us to go through hot seasons and cold seasons. One month, we’re reading our Bibles diligently, praying regularly, and sharing the love of Christ with our friends, family, and neighbors.

Another month, we’re cold. We’re burned out. We’re still there; we still believe and we still follow Christ, but it’s harder. The fire seems to have gone out of us.

If that’s you, and the “fire” seems to have gone out, then it’s very likely that you’re not showing as many works as you did were when you were crazy for God. This may cause you concern.

I know, because I’ve been there. I’ve experienced this.

One thing you should know is this: every Christian goes through ups and downs. 2 Timothy 4:2 tells us to be ready both in season and out of season. Just like trees, plants, etc., we will experience times when we’re bearing fruit left and right, and times when our fruit may be much more limited.

But we will always be held to Jesus Christ. Always.

If you’re walking through a spot in your faith right now where things just aren’t as bright as they used to be, then the best thing to do is call out to the Lord.

Call upon Him in faith, and He will hear you. Get regularly into the Word, even if it’s difficult for you to do so.

You know, there is a certain aspect of the Christian faith that is about discipline.

Getting into the Word will not always be easy. Prayer will sometimes be tough; you may need to fight tooth and nail for every moment. Even being around God’s people may not always be what you truly desire to do.

But do these things anyway. Obey, even if you don’t feel like doing so. Take the steps of obedience in faith, even when it feels mechanical and legalistic.

In all relationships, there are seasons where love involves a lot of intentional action and not much good feeling. Ask any married couple who’s been married for longer than a few years, and they’ll tell you that love is not merely about feelings.

It’s the same in our walk with God. It’s not always about feelings. It’s about loving Him and keeping His commandments in faith. We don’t do this to enter Heaven; we do this because our love for Him compels us to do so.

Obey, Believer, even if things feel tough. Stay in the Word and in community, even if these things are incredibly difficult for you.

2- If You’re Not a Christian

If you’re not a Christian, there’s one thing that you should do today: call on the name of the Lord.

Call upon Him in faith, trusting yourself fully to Him. Have you ever done that before? I know that many people have “prayed and asked Jesus into their hearts,” yet come away from the experience no different than before.

I was one of them.

When I was nine, I was led to ask Jesus into my heart. Yet my life did not change. I did not feel different; there was no sense in which my desires or affections changed.

Many of my friends have been this way as well. There was a time in their life – perhaps at church camp, during Sunday services, or at a youth rally – when they repeated the “prayer of salvation.”

Yet many of them saw no change in their lives. There was no change in how they talked, dressed, walked, and otherwise conducted themselves.

None whatsoever.

Why is this?

It’s because their profession of faith was never truly theirs. They professed Christ as Lord, but they didn’t really have faith in Him! It was the same with me. When I asked Jesus into my heart, I did not truly have faith in Him.

It wasn’t until some years later, when I went through a tough time in my life, that I called upon the Lord out of genuine faith.

That is when I was saved and made His.

Today, dear reader, you have within your hands a decision to make: are you going to call upon the Lord in faith, or will you let it slide? You can put this off; you can say that you’ve got the next 10, 20, or 30 years to live it up.

But do you really?

We are not guaranteed tomorrow, let alone ten or twenty more years in this world. The safest, most rational thing you can do is to entrust yourself right now to the Lord Jesus. The safest and best thing you can possibly do is to give your life to Him.

And make no mistake – He wants your entire life.

Jesus wants your finances, your desires, your talents, your actions. He wants all of you. Jesus came and died for you, so that you could be made righteous in the sight of God. There is no other way but Him.

For more in-depth information about who Jesus is and how you can become a child of His, please visit this page.

Closing

As I draw this to a close, remember that – above all – God wants your everything. He wants your efforts, strength, desires, and your faith.

And your faith, if it is genuine, will produce good works.

Works are not what earns our way into Heaven, but they are an indicator that you possess the faith that will save you. Come before the Lord and ask Him to increase your faith, and to increase your love and joy and satisfaction in Him. It is His greatest desire that we would draw near to Him in faith and conform our lives to what He wants.

Let us press forward, doing good works for the Kingdom, earnestly desiring to strive hard after God.

God bless!

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