Pastor David Holt
(with input from Dr. Rich Suplita and Jarrett Fletcher)
Recently I saw someone’s Facebook post that said, “Converted to Cultural
Christianity in 2011, but truly surrendered my life to Christ in 2014.” This got me thinking. There is a big difference in becoming a “Cultural
Christian” and a true follower of Jesus. What is the difference?
1.
A cultural Christian logically believes in God
and Jesus, but a true follower of Jesus is wholeheartedly trusting in Christ
alone for salvation. “You believe God is one? You do well. The
demons also believe and shudder” (James 2:19).
2.
A cultural Christian gives lip service to being
a Christian, but a true follower of Jesus repents of his sin and surrenders control
of his life to Christ. “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’
will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father” (Mt.
7:21).
3.
A cultural Christian goes to church and agrees
with most of what is said, but a true follower of Jesus attends church to
worship God in Spirit and in Truth. “You honor Me with your lips but your heart
is far from Me” (Mk. 7:6)
4.
A cultural Christian talks only of trivial
things with others, but a true follower of Jesus engages in genuine fellowship with
others in the body. “Let us consider how
we might spur one another on to love and good deeds, not forsaking the
assembling of yourselves together” (Hebr. 10:24).
5.
A cultural Christian may devote a few activities
to God each week, but a true follower of Jesus seeks to live everyday for God. “If
anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me” (Lu. 9:23).
6.
A cultural Christian avoids the big sins for
fear of embarrassment, but a true follower of Jesus is genuinely seeking to
live a holy life in word and deed. “You
shall be holy for I am holy” (1 Pe. 1:16).
7.
A cultural Christian enjoys his sin more than
God, but a true disciple of Jesus repents of his sin and wants to obey God. “For I have the desire to do what is right”
(Rom. 7:18).
8.
A cultural Christian strays from God but does
not feel convicted, but if a true disciple strays from God he comes
under loving discipline. “The Lord disciplines those whom He loves ….
And if you are without discipline, you are an illegitimate child and not a true
son” (Hebr. 12:6-8).
9.
A cultural Christian is religious and does
religious activities, but a true follower of Jesus has a real and growing relationship
with God. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are
like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside
are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean” (Mt. 23:27).
10. A cultural Christian stencils
Bible verses on their walls (or Facebook) so that they might impress their church-going
friends, but a true disciple hides the Word of God in his heart so that he
might not sin against His Savior. “Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I
might not sin against Thee” (Ps. 119:11).
11. A cultural Christian seeks God
for the things he wants, but a genuine Christian seeks God for the things He
wants. “Seek first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness” (Mt. 6:33).
12. A cultural Christian focuses
only on the attributes of God he likes, but a true Christ-follower worships God
for all of His attributes, even the ones he is uncomfortable with. “For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son … whoever believes in Him is
not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already” (Jn.
3:16-18).
13. A cultural Christian prays
before meals, or in times of need, but a true disciple seeks God daily in
prayer as a necessary aspect of his communion with His Creator. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
14. A cultural Christian asks, "How
can Christianity make my life better?" but a true disciple asks, "How
can I die to myself that Christ may live in and through me?" “That I
may know Him, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His
sufferings, becoming like Him in His death” (Phil. 3:10).
15. A cultural Christian will give
a nod of affirmation to the Gospel going forth in socially-acceptable,
non-offensive ways, but a true disciple will get behind the Gospel going forth
even when it offends the world and personally costs him. “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto
salvation” (Rom. 1:16).
16. A cultural Christian will
routinely spend hours in front of Netflix, shopping, or watching a sports’
event, but cannot tell you when the last time he spent more than an hour
earnestly seeking God in the Word and prayer.
“Faith without works is dead”
(Jas. 2:26).
This list is by no means exhaustive, but perhaps in it you
recognize that you may be a cultural Christian but not have a genuine
relationship with Christ. If that is the
case, or if you have any doubt as to your true salvation, take time to allow
God to search your heart. Consider the
following questions as you search your heart:
a.
Do you admit that you sin and do things that
displease God?
b.
Do you believe in your heart that Jesus died and
rose again for your sin?
c.
Are you willing to turn your sin over to God and
allow Him to change you from the inside out?
d.
Do you want Jesus to be your Savior and Lord?
e.
Are you willing to pray and invite Him to come
into your life and take control of your life?
If you answered “yes” to each of these, here is a suggested
prayer to pray:
“Lord God, I admit
that I have sinned against you. I have
been living more for me than for You. I
believe that Jesus died and rose again for my sin. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord,
and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead (Rom. 10:9). I turn from my sin and receive Jesus into my
life. Take control of my life and fill
me with your Holy Spirit. Empower me to
live for You. Thank you for doing
this. Amen.”
If you truly prayed that from your heart, please let me know
by emailing me at davidholt08@gmail.com. The next thing to do is be baptized, as this
will seal that commitment you have made.
Let me know if I can help you in any way, or if you have any questions.
