If You Call Yourself a Christian

[Christsfreeservant]

“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” (Romans 2:17-24 ESV)​

Rather than go into all the history behind this and try to explain what all was taking place then, I believe the Lord Jesus would have me take from this and apply it to our lives and world and church today. So I am going to change “Jew” to Christian (or to professing Christian, more appropriately). And I, as led by the Holy Spirit, will share with you what I am getting from this passage of Scripture today which can also be applied to us today.

As best as I understand, this would be speaking of a true legalist, one who religiously goes through the motions of religious practice and all the religious rituals and customs and traditions that they were taught from early on in their lives. Like, they were baptized, and they maybe went through catechism, or some kind of religious training. Then they joined “the church,” and so they tithe their 10%, and they religiously attend Sunday morning “worship services,” and they might serve as pastor or elders or deacons, or whatever.

Now none of that alone is wrong, mind you, as long as it is being done biblically and under the direction of the Holy Spirit. But it can be similar to the Jews following all the liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions, including circumcision. They are all things which can be outward and performance only, and they can have nothing to do with heart change, attitude change, and behavior change, nor with true faith in practice in obeying the Lord’s moral and righteous requirements.

And there are many within the gatherings of the church who pride themselves in their religious performances and in the following of a bunch of religious rules, many or all of which may be created in the minds of human beings and have nothing to do with surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ in submission to his will and purpose for our lives in dying with him daily to sin and now walking with him in holiness and in righteousness – in the power and working of God’s Spirit now living within us who are his by faith in him.

Like many people are baptized as a religious rite, or in order to join “the church” (institutional churches), but they may not have ever believed in Jesus Christ with genuine faith which dies with Christ to sin and now lives to him and to his righteousness. And many attend religious services once a week (or more), but not all of them are there out of desire to follow Jesus with their lives, and to minister to the body of Christ in the ways that are of God. But many are there more as a social gathering with their friends.

And so we have many professers of faith in Jesus Christ who go through the motions of religious practice, but it does nothing to change their hearts and to turn them from sin to now follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). They appear religious, and some may appear righteous, but many of them are hypocrites who put on an outward appearance of being religious but who do not live what the Scriptures teach. And some of them may teach what is right, but not live it themselves.

Now not everyone is like this, but there are those who “play religion,” while Jesus Christ is not truly their Lord (Owner-Master), for they do not submit to him and to his Lordship, and they have not surrendered their lives to Christ, but they are still living according to the flesh. And so outwardly they may appear religious, and they may even be teaching what is right to others, although not many do, it seems. But they do not practice what they teach to others and so they are hypocrites. And that is the message here.

We can’t just go through the motions of religious practice, and do all the “right things” in the eyes of other humans, according to religious rituals and traditions, and consider that we are Christians in the eyes of the Lord. For Jesus taught that if we want to come after him that we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin, we will lose them for eternity. But if we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience, we have eternal life.

[Luke 9:23-26; c.f. Romans 6:1-23; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14]

Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown
Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

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