9/25/19 Mike (see HERE)
I wonder if some differences between Christians from
different traditions might be resolved if we realize that people come to faith
in Jesus in different ways, and, likewise, that some people arrive at false
conversions or fall away from faith in different ways.
In my outreach efforts I’ve been asking people not just what
they believe but how they arrived at their present beliefs or doubts, and this
is helping me to better understand the spiritual journey of people outside of
my own experiences.
A recent conversation with a man named Mike made this
clearer to me because his approach to faith was somewhat unusual. I am finding two general routes of belief
among people who profess faith in Christ, and two general routes for those who
profess faith but then fall away:
1.) Some people are moving from faith in Jesus as their
Savior to a growing commitment to Jesus as their Lord. Those who trust Jesus
for salvation without much knowledge of His life and teachings don’t realize
the many implications of what faith in the Lord Jesus will mean for their
lives. They begin with an initial heart-felt faith experience, but then like
peeling back the layers of an onion, they gradually realize that many other
parts of their lives also need to fall under his lordship as the Holy Spirit
takes them to ever deeper levels of discipline and obedience. They’ve had a life-changing “born-again”
experience, but also experience a roller-coaster faith relationship as they
struggle with long-ingrained habits and sins and a growing knowledge of Jesus’
call to holiness.
2.) Others are well familiar with Jesus’ call to obedience
from the church culture they grew up in, so they might begin with a belief in
Jesus as the Lord and move to the gradual realization and faith that he also
needs to be their Savior. At first they
may think they can follow him with only the help of their faith tradition and
personal willpower. They gradually
realize they can’t succeed by their own efforts and need the forgiveness and
power over sin that only He gives through the Holy Spirit. These are often people who really can’t
identify a specific time they were “saved” as it may have been more of a
gradual process. They gradually move
from a works-based faith to a grace-based faith.
On the other hand, the two routes to false conversion or
falling away are similar to these routes to faith. They may occur when people get stuck in
their belief in Jesus either as Lord or Savior, but fail to progress to a
fuller faith and understanding of who Jesus is meant to be in their lives:
1.) To trust only in Jesus as Savior but not submit to his
lordship is a sign of a superficial and self-serving religion that ends up
being a dead, shipwrecked faith. These
might be the kind of people that may have “prayed a prayer” at one point and
believe themselves saved but are really only false converts who trusted in a
religion about Jesus rather than a relationship with Jesus. They might superficially see the cross as a
sacrifice on their behalf, but fail to see it is also an example to follow and
so fall into the trap of “easy-believism”.
2.) On the other hand, people who try to follow Jesus as
Lord but fail to see the need for Jesus as Savior are creating a self-centered,
works-based religion that ultimately trusts not in Jesus but in one’s own
efforts. They have learned how to put on
an outward show of piety without an inward change of heart, and they, too, are
false converts who trust in a superficial religion rather than a loving
relationship with the Savior. They see
the cross as an impossible, guilt-producing example to follow but fail to
realize God’s amazing grace in saving us not only from the consequence of our
sins but the power of sin in our lives.
This dual Lord/Savior identity of Jesus is referred to often
in the New Testament. It also can be
seen in passages like this one from 1 Peter 2:
“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found
in his mouth.” When they hurled their
insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.
Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. “He himself bore our
sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”
The cross is both an example for us to follow as we make
Jesus our Lord, and the source of our salvation, as he bore our sins on our
behalf. So where does Mike find himself
with regard to Jesus as Savior AND as Lord?
I hope this brief attempt at clarity might be of help to him and anyone
who finds this to be a matter of personal confusion or of controversy between
believers.
Thanks for allowing me to record our conversation Mike! It can be viewed HERE at https://youtu.be/JEukWDz1RHk
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