I grew up in Oklahoma City in the 1970s and 1980s. For those of you who are not familiar with the faith environment of that part of the country, it has been considered the heart of the Bible Belt for a long time. It stretches from North Carolina to New Mexico and encompasses all of the southern US. In this part of the country, Baptists rule the roost. That isn’t to say there aren’t other denominations.

Nonetheless, as a child, I remember my parents putting me and my brother on a bus every Sunday morning to attend the large Baptist Church. It was there I first learned of Christ. Still, the experience scarred me in some ways. I was left with the impression that God hated me and that because of my sin, I needed to pay the price for it.

Last week, I went more into detail on the presentation of the Gospel through what I call, “The Fake Alter Call.” 

In simplified terms, many seminaries and pastors teach salvation in the legal terms of justice, penalty, and commitment. This was derived from Augustine’s teaching that man was thoroughly depraved and therefore no image of God was left within a person. In an altar call, pastors present a dim view of salvation… “If you were to die today, are you prepared to go to hell?”

So, my motive for accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior wasn’t to have a relationship with Christ. It was to keep me from going to hell. 

That sounds more like using God than embracing Him. It’s subtle and overt all at the same time, and very dangerous.

The result of this is a form of Christianity leaves people believing they were saved but didn’t fully grasp why or how. 

Here’s the consequence: How many people believe they are saved but still live as if they are not?

When we embrace Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit indwells us, there ought to be a change. 

In Luke 6:43-45, Jesus said,

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.  Each tree is known by its own fruit, for figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.  The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

In verses 46 and 49 He adds,

“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”

As I shared in the article about the fake alter call, Jesus told His disciples in Luke 14 to count the cost. Building a foundation will require a sacrifice.

The reason why Christianity isn’t real for so many Christians is because they don’t have a foundation. 

What they had was fear of going to hell.

God’s redemptive love is so much more than saving us from hell or giving payment for broken laws.

He restores broken relationships and communion between us and Him.

I spent 20 years grappling with this. As I studied more, I realized that something was wrong. It didn’t add up that so many people were going to church and yet those I attended with didn’t even resemble Christ in their businesses, workplaces, or homes. 

If people truly understood God’s love for them and the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us, why were we all living like it didn’t matter? Divorce, infidelity, mental health challenges, alcohol abuse, cussing and swearing, and lack of morals of Christians were all around me.

I’m not trying to be anyone’s judge. But I do want to point out that when we receive Christ it changes us. As the Scripture says, we are no longer our own but were bought with the precious blood of Christ. Yet, how many lived that way around me?

All these years later, many are leaving churches and enjoying their day off from work… and God’s people.

Why?

There is so much more to salvation than the fake altar call evangelism. I learned this at Dallas Theological Seminary in 2005, but perhaps by accident. In my Early Church class, I learned how early Christians experienced their faith. It was completely different than anything we do today, at least in protestant evangelical circles.

Think about it for a moment… in the Early Church, if you were interested in Jesus Christ and the message of the Church, you didn’t go to a revival meeting or a building and receive an altar call. Instead, the Bishop would disciple you for a year one-on-one, but you could not go to church. Then, he would continue discipling you and allow you to attend church. At the end of the second year, you could participate in worship. 

The Bishop helped lay the foundation and gave a choice to accept or not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you counted the cost of following Christ and accepted Him by faith knowing the adversity you were about to encounter in the hostile culture around you… then, and only then, would the Bishop take you to the river to publicly seal you in the faith through a public water baptism.

Today, we have it all backward. We have sought to save those who know nothing and couldn’t count the cost if they wanted to. This is why there are so many Christians who are not really Christians at all.

Have we ever thought about what is asked of us as Christians?

See, while we are saved by faith through grace, and our salvation is a free gift (meaning God has granted you eternity with Him through a deep relationship), faith always has a condition.

I encourage you to read Hebrews 11. It gives an account of how the Old Testament saints lived out their faith. What you will notice in each instance is their faith cost them something. There was a sacrifice. 

Faith has always required a sacrifice. 

It always will.

Faith isn’t something you say, it’s something lived. When you genuinely “know” God, you will exercise faith. He will influence and change your morals, behavior, and outlook. It’s not something you do alone in isolation or is limited to a Sunday morning service or Christian event.

You will suddenly see things differently. Bad things don’t happen to you. Instead, they are a gift to be thankful for in order to draw you closer to God.

There are no risks. Instead, there are only rewards. God has everything under His control. 

When we come to that conclusion, it makes us want to live our lives through good deeds and the exercise of our faith regardless of the consequences.

Until someone lives their faith in such a way, they aren’t living the Christian life devoted to Christ. Instead, they are living a lie perpetrated by pastors who don’t understand the consequences of their teachings.

Let me ask you… Are you ready to count the cost?

Are you ready for a deep relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

If so, I’m putting together a live virtual study of salvation and faith. I’ll have more information for you soon. Be sure to watch on my personal Facebook page. If we’re not friends yet, please join me there.

Let’s go on the journey together.

Blessings to you,

Father Don