Two kinds of Christians?

 

Years ago I was actively involved in a Christian writers organization. To join, a statement of faith in Jesus Christ was required. Most people had no problem with that, but one person did. She protested by saying, “You people think there are two kinds of Christians; ordinary ones and those who are born again. She refused to give testimony to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

Now I’m encountering again that confusing idea. I know that there are not two types of faith in Christ. Genuine saving faith is about a changed life, about having a relationship with Jesus that transforms everything. Jesus Himself said it:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ (John 3:3–7)

This and other passages make it clear that this new birth is a work of God. He choses whom He chooses and grants faith and new life.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Many testify to the power of God when this happens. Some even say they tried to resist, but found it impossible to say no to His invitation. However, today I read the following statement:

“We should be eager to trust God for salvation so that He may receive great glory and the whole world may be won to trust Him. If we will not let Him save us, if we reject His care and refuse to feed in His pastures or lie down in His fold, then we will be a starved and shivering flock, sick, wretched, and full of complaints. We will bring dishonor on Him and, by our forlorn condition, hinder the world from coming to Him.”

Those who reject Christ are not part of His flock, not His sheep. Unbelief and rejection are described as goats in other passages and those who appear to be ‘religious’ and do ‘good’ things, but He says to them:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21–23)

Later Jesus was asked, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28–29) In other words, people can do religious works and have an appearance of being part of God’s family, but without faith and without that new life that He gives. One author says “there are two kinds of Christians: those who sincerely believe in God and those who, just as sincerely, believe that they believe. You can tell them apart by their actions in decisive moments.”

This does not mean perfection in that new life. God also tells me: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 4:30–5:2)

I could behave badly and still be a Christian, yet in the kingdom of God, His saving power is at work to change my behavior to match my status as His child, His sheep, and part of His kingdom. For that, I’m told how that looks and given the desire to cooperate. He works in me to will and to do His will, and all for His glory, not for my comfort.. (Philippians 2:13)

PRAY: Oh Jesus, Yours is a wonderful salvation. I could have tried to be like You on my own — what a joke. Such a thing is impossible without You, without the Father’s love and the Holy Spirit’s power. The reading for today misses the reality that salvation is deeply experiential and existential—very real, very encouraging, and very humbling. I know it’s possible to grieve the Holy Spirit, yet You are so compassionate and forgiving. You do not call me to change myself or anyone else. I’m to be a broken perfume bottle that spreads Your aroma to all around me, without any sort of self-righteousness. May I live in that new life each day and honor You.

Entering His Kingdom

When Jesus taught us to pray saying, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” He was referring to both now and the future. The ‘now’ part was like a door opening:

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” (Matthew 3:1–3)

When Jesus came on the scene, the door opened a bit farther:

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14–15)

This doorway or the entrance to the kingdom is by way of repentance and faith that results in a new birth. Jesus told us the necessity of being born again:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God . . . Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3–7)

Those who have walked through that door can see the glory of the King. Without repentance and faith, my eyes were blind to the kingdom of God, but when He opened them and brought me in, I could see His glory and know who He really is. If that were not enough, the Word God illuminated by the Holy Spirit shows that more awaits me. This King Jesus has gone to heaven but will return. When He does, I will see Him face to face. All will see Him and He will rule. This event will be significant:

The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. (Acts 2:20)

And yet it will come when many are not prepared for it or the calamities that will happen:

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. (1 Thessalonians 5:2) . . . But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. (2 Peter 3:10)

The Gospels have much to say about the return of Christ. The new Christians were expecting Him any minute. Some were even afraid that they missed the event. To them and to us, God gave this instruction:

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:1–12)

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Lord Jesus, this passage is both an encouragement and a burden. I can see the activity of Satan among those who have rejected the King and His Kingdom. I’m aware of the strong delusions and the rampant pleasure in unrighteousness as I look back at the other side of that open door. I am also aware that God’s plans will take place and all things will be summed up in You. You will return and usher in Your glorious Kingdom. It is my prayer for as many people as possible to walk through that open and welcoming door to experience it — before it is too late.

Seeking the Lost

What happens when I lose something? At first, I mentally retrace my steps trying to figure out where I left it. I try to choose patience but often become frustrated, first with the stupid object that I lost, then with myself for losing it. I might also get distracted and go do something else, or become riled because searching is such poor use of my time. At that point, I will pray — if I didn’t think of that in the first place.

What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. (Luke 15:4–5)

The Bible says that every human is lost. That is, sin separates us from God and keeps us from fellowship with Him. Many are not aware of this and like wandering sheep, go from this morsel to the next, unaware that they are meandering toward danger and eventual death. Those who are aware may frantically try to find their way to the sheepfold, but without success. Our best efforts are useless because lost sheep need a change of nature to get into that place of eternal safety.

Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God…. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3–7)

Today’s devotional reading reminds me again of the attitude of my heavenly Shepherd. While a human sheep-chaser might get angry, the Shepherd does not. His search is motivated by love and He will not fume and fuss, but eagerly and tenderly pursues the one who is lost.

He did that with me. I can remember Him calling. I ignored it at first. Then He made me aware of my surroundings and with that, I had a sense of the peril I was in. I began to look for a way out of danger. My search included all sorts of philosophies, all self-effort. None of them gave that sense of peace and safety that I was seeking.

Then the Shepherd found me. I was deep into my search and getting closer to a cliff when He rescued me from my own ignorance and sin. The moment I realized who He was, I was instantly in His care and rejoicing along with Him. The lost had been found.

The Shepherd never became frustrated or annoyed. He was never distracted nor did He give up. I ran, hid, and struggled on my own without paying attention to Him, but He pursue me until He found me.

I learned later that Jesus is motivated by an irresistible love and must continue His search until He succeeds. There is no stopping Him. In unstoppable grace and mercy He accomplishes His quest and makes the wayward sheep His own, forever and never to be lost again.

Today’s devotional writer turns my attention to Jesus’ charge to go into all the world and make disciples. This too is a seeking of the lost. Do I look for them in the same way Jesus does? Or am I more like myself when I have lost something in my house or at the bottom of my purse?

Do I get discouraged with rebuffs and rejection? Do I get frustrated or even angry that this is a waste of time? Heaven forbid. I need to remember that I also ran from God and tried to put Him out of my life. Even when He turned my interest toward Him, I wanted to find Him on my terms, not His. But He was not put off nor did He turn aside. He persevered with me for He had even died for my lost soul.

As the devotional says, my attitude should be that same persevering love that is willing to seek until it finds. Whether this means to “live or die, work or suffer” or “whether the time is short or long or the way is smooth or rough” the heart of God lives in my heart. I must allow Him to make a shepherd of me — so I too am seeking the lost and pointing them toward His fold, finding them until they find Him, pursuing until He grants them grace to believe, even as He pursued me and granted me that same mercy and grace.

First things first

While “don’t put the cart before the horse” has become a cliché along with “the tail is wagging the dog,” both refer to an important principle; avoid reversing the accepted order of things.

In the Bible, some things do come first, particularly in the issue of pleasing God. Almost universally, people assume that a person gets right with God and gets to heaven by doing good things. However, God’s Word says that we cannot do any good (good as defined by God) until we are first “born again” or have been regenerated. Until we are made new, or given new life from Him, our so-called good deeds are tainted by sin and selfish motivations. Notice that this order is outlined in these verses, 

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God... (1 Peter 1:22–23)

The operative word in these verses is “since.” It shows the order — first new life, then obedience and purity. The “horse” pulls the cart. Clearly, the power that makes “sincere brotherly love” possible is the fact of being “born again” or having new life. This happens “through” the Word of God.

“Born again” is not a popular term among other religious groups. Further, it has been misused to describe everything from politics to hair shampoo. But it is a biblical term. Jesus used it first when He described criteria for entrance into His kingdom. He was talking to a religious leader, someone who thought that he was already on God’s side. However, his conversation with Jesus went a different direction than he may have expected. 

Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:3–7)

In a recent conversation with a woman from a mainline denomination, I asked what she thought about the idea of being born again. She said, “I know it is in the Bible, but I don’t think it is necessary for everyone to get to heaven.”

This is opposite and contradictory to Jesus’ words. He said that without this spiritual new birth, no one could see or enter God’s kingdom. Peter affirms this by saying that love and obedience flow out of a reborn person’s heart. This is not what anyone does to earn the favor of God, but this goodness is the result of having new life that comes from Him.

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Each day, Lord, I am aware of the inadequacy of my old nature. I cannot love and serve You apart from the new life You have given me. At first, this seemed odd. I wondered if the “cart” would go anywhere. As my old abilities and strengths became weaker, I felt powerless to do good things. Yet You showed me that my old life with its abilities and motivations are unacceptable on their own. The new life You gave me changes all that. I am a new person, even “Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which You prepared beforehand that I should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, personalized).

I’m not always aware that You are doing something through me, but I do know the difference between my old nature trying to be good and this new nature, the result of new birth, that does not have to try — goodness is simply there. How amazing!

You make all things new. When that newness shows up, I am often surprised and always blessed and humbled. I know that putting the cart before the horse does not work. I know that the tail does not wag the dog. I also know that even the most devout Christian cannot move, or live, or serve You apart from abiding in You. You make things happen. You pull the cart. Apart from You, I am nothing and can do nothing. Bless Your name.