Some people are going to stand before Jesus on judgment day and insist that they did what He had asked them to do. To some He will say, “Depart from me; I never knew you.” It is not enough to say you know Christ; you must be known by Christ. “I know my sheep,” Jesus said, “and my sheep hear my voice.” The critical part of that is the voice. Jesus speaks to His sheep through His Word. The reason there will be surprised “followers” on judgment day is because many make little or no effort to read and know His Word – to hear His voice. Either through ignorance or malice, they pose as Christians but fall short of the real thing.
People who pose as Christians are not harmless. I think
there are two classes of Christian posers. In one case, you have people who are
doing what they have been told by other people. The problem is that they have
not been told the truth. (See “Lies
We Have Been Told”) For example, some people think regular church attendance is not necessary for
believers. If they mean that going to church won’t save anyone, they are
correct. However, the Bible
does command that we “not abandon our meeting together.” More than this,
there are scores of biblical commands to do things for one another that,
practically speaking, will only happen regularly in a gathering of believers.
As another example of believing what you have been told,
many Christians think that the ground of their salvation is their good deeds.
“I’m a good person; God will surely allow me into Heaven when I die,” according
to many people. If you hear something often enough, you tend to believe it must
be true. This is clearly not Bible truth. “There
is none righteous, not one.” “No
one good but the Father alone.” “Their
deeds are like filthy rags.” That’s what the Bible says. It is also plainly
stated that the only
way to gain Heaven is to be found in Christ. Salvation is not about what
you do but who you know. Naturally, if one truly knows Christ, good works will
result, but they are a result of salvation not the cause.
These two examples show how ignorance might cause a person
to think they are in Christ, but they may hear Him say otherwise at judgment.
The second class of posers is more sinister: they pose as Christians knowing
that their position is not biblical. Worse than that, they often deny the
Bible’s authority. It baffles me why people would call themselves Christian
while denying the only thing that defines Christianity. Ever since the
beginning of time, Satan has been trying to get people to worship anyone or thing
except the God of the Bible. The biblical record of Israel repeatedly describes
the nation’s penchant for idolatry. They couldn’t seem to resist following the
gods of the nations surrounding them.
At one point in Judah’s last years before captivity, they
were claiming the protection of the Temple of the Lord while blatantly worshipping
Queen of Heaven. Through
the prophet Jeremiah, they were told that God saw them as the posers they
were. He orchestrated their deportation to Babylon as promised. He explained
through Isaiah
that they had profaned the name of Yahweh by claiming His name while
worshipping idols. There are posers today doing similar things. They explain
away the miracles recorded in Scripture. They rewrite God’s prohibitions
against sexual sins. They deny the historical truth of Jesus’ earthly mission.
They erase God’s impending judgment of unrighteousness by preaching only His
love. They preach worldly prosperity as the highest good.
These are the idol worshippers of today. They don’t have
golden calves or Asherah poles in their homes. However, they worship at the
altar of science that denies miraculous intervention. They worship human lust
and encourage violation of God’s sacred design for sexuality. They bow to the
intellectuals who don’t believe the Scripture is the inspired Word of God. They
cater to the god of ease by denying the consequences of unrighteous behavior.
They openly worship mammon – material prosperity – in spite of Jesus’
condemnation of it.
I should probably admit that God has been known to use
posers for His purposes. Samson
had all the marks of God on his life. He was born of a formerly barren
mother. He was dedicated from the womb as a special class of person: a
Nazarite. He was granted incredible strength which he used to hold back the
Philistines in their subjugation of God’s people. However, as the record shows,
he was selfish and irreverent in the use of his special gift. God accomplished
His purpose through Samson, but he is definitely not a model to be imitated.
We could mention how Abraham posed as Sarah’s brother to
protect her from Pharoah. Then there’s the deceitfulness that characterized
Jacob’s life: stealing his brother’s inheritance rights and the blessing of
their father; the subterfuge he used with Laban to obtain his large flocks. Many
of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day were major posers; the Messiah called them what
they were: hypocrites. But God used even them to set the stage for what was
inevitably to come. Even Judas posed as a true disciple, yet his treachery was
used by God to bring the Lamb of God to the sacrificial altar on Calvary.
I find comfort in knowing that in His sovereignty, God can
accomplish His will with anyone He chooses. Doubtless, the people Jesus would
not claim as His own in spite of their profession also accomplished some good
in the world. But as we know, being good is not what earns God’s favor; it’s
being known – belonging to Christ. That is why
Paul said to the Corinthians, “Test yourselves to see if you are
in the faith. Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves
that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unqualified?” On the day
of judgment, I want to be qualified to hear, “Well done good and faithful
servant,” and not “Depart from me [you poser]; I never knew you.” You too?
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