Belief has consequences

January 8, 2021 (Friday)

 

Today I was sorting through some of my old sermons that are stashed in notebooks stuffed in a drawer and long forgotten. Skimming through those notebooks was a flash back 20 to 30 years. One thing got my attention. In one of my sermons I advised people to “never” say two things. They were: it can’t get any worse and it will be over soon.

 

For those of us who survived 2020, how many of us survived unchanged? Brace yourself, it’s only going to get worse. What is this going to look like? I’m so glad you asked!

 

Paul painted a grim picture to Timothy, “The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some people will turn away from the faith. They will pay attention to spirits that deceive and to the teaching of demons.” [1 Timothy 4:1 CEB] I’ve always suspected that one of the “teaching of demons” was fueled by an event in 1871. I hear echoes of in almost every corner of American theology.

 

I am referring to the “Chicago fire.” Not the sports team or the TV show, the actual fire that took around 300 lives and gutted Chicago. It changed the mentality of some in American Christianity. According to Christian Heritage Fellowship, they report D. L. Moody’s response to the fire, “when I preach, to press Christ upon the people then and there and try to bring them to a decision on the spot.”

 

I am not saying Moody is wrong or faulting him in anyway. But that moment marked a significant change in American practice (theology). What has happened, I believe, is the idea that the “decision” has replaced discipleship. Jesus never called the church to get a decision. Jesus called the church to make disciples. Evangelism became an end in itself.

 

Here’s the test. If the difference in your life after you made the decision to “accept Christ” is insignificant, then you are not saved. If this decision was made when you were a child then, you should daily become more and more like Jesus. Or as Paul said to the distinctly sinful culture of Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” [2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV]

 

If you need a “kicker” to this, consider, Jesus never mentions grace. Jesus did say a lot about following. His brother James, whom I think was dealing with this problem, clarified “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” [James 2:17 NLT] He goes on to point out that demons believe. Demons accurately believe who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. C. S. Lewis noted the problem of people who know/believe but it doesn’t make a difference in how they live life. He called them “Christian atheist.”

 

Don’t get me wrong. Believing is an important first step, but it’s only the first step. True belief will create change. As Paul urged Timothy, “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness.” [1 Timothy 4:7 ESV] Or maybe it’s better said, “Train yourself for a holy life!” [CEB]

 

How you behave is based on what you really believe. Are the laws of physics real and do they apply to you? This belief will determine what you do if a big truck is about to hit you. There is an eternal difference between being a believer (the demons believe too) and a disciple (one who follows Jesus in attitude, behavior, and caring).