Comfortable Christianity

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV)

The New Living Translation of 1 Peter 2:9 states that we are God’s possession. We were purchased at a price. We could not pay for our redemption ourselves. Not one of us was Holy or righteous enough. Only Christ Jesus  could provide salvation for all of mankind. Christ did that for us, so now ask yourself: “Am I living a transformed life?”

The definition of hypocrisy is professing a belief or attitude that does not equate to one’s actions.  James, Jesus’ brother, teaches us this very concept in his writings, stating,  “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

There are countless Christians living lifestyles that do not align with the word of God. The American church has  slowly conformed to the world and continues to choose comfort over living consecrated lives. We have chosen the values and things of this world as more valuable than eternity.

Our personal happiness has become our idol. If the music isn’t just right, if the preaching is too long, if they talk about giving our time or money to the church, we leave. We shop for a church that conforms to what makes us feel good instead of convicting us to live differently. To live set apart, Holy, like God’s chosen people.

We wonder why the world has gone so crazy. It’s us! We have allowed our own preferences to become the moral compass instead of using God’s word. We use the excuse that it’s outdated or not meant for today’s evolving society, but that is just a lie. It’s because we are not willing to put our flesh under submission to the authority of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Galatians gives us a glimpse of this principle in Apostle Paul’s teaching. He writes, “So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions” (Galatians 5:16-18)

Consecration simply means living set apart, Holy, and following the example of Christ.  It is our loving response as the result of understanding the cost of our salvation.  Blood was actually spilled, and a life actually purchased our freedom from condemnation and death that our sin requires.

We can no longer wonder how the world has become so filled with violence and discontentment or how morality has slowly eroded over time if the Church looks the same as the rest of the world. It means we no longer demonstrate the light or the truth of God’s word.

If sin will separate people from God for all eternity and we want to see the people in our lives (parents, siblings, extended family, friends,  co-workers) receive salvation, we cannot live comfortably. We have to believe it’s worth living a transformed life. And only when people see the shift in us will they believe that Jesus is capable of  changing their lives as well.