Christian in name only, what does this mean? How many of you have ever wondered what it would be like if everyone in the world believed in Jesus.  Would it be a world filled with love, compassion and service, or would it be more or less the same?  Well, this prompted some research to determine how many Christians are in the world.  Basically, there are 2.2 billion Christians around the world and Christianity is considered the biggest religion with 33% of the earth’s population claiming to be followers of Jesus Christ.  With that many Christians globally, what should we expect and where is the charity and solidarity in the Body of our Lord? Why do we have so many problems in the world and why are so many Christians under attack?

Christian In Name Only

This is a common problem that has plagued the Church.  Many people claim to be Christians; however, they are uneducated and unconcerned about the matters of the faith.  For such “believers” we call them Christian In Name Only.  This is a well known phenomenon with many people who will claim to be Christians, yet they have never read the Bible, nor do they regularly attend church.  The trademark of such people consists of possessing religious items, they are superstitious and they generally attend church once or twice a year: Christmas and Easter Only(CEO).  Throughout the rest of the year, they are not concerned with the faith, they generally compartmentalize God to fit their selfish agenda and only call upon the Lord when they are in trouble.  Does this sound familiar, do you know anyone like this? If you ask the Christian in name only to explain their faith, they will more than likely stumble in their response and provide their own interpretation, which usually begins with, “Well, I believe…”.

The Church of “I”

The “I” church followers are pseudo Christians who have developed their own version of Christianity and tend to follow their set of rules.  Of course, they have customized the faith to fit their sinful lives and have watered down the message of Salvation to avoid giving up their sinful lifestyle.  Essentially, they pick and choose verses that suite them and they reject verses that don’t fit their lifestyle.  Basically, attaining eternal salvation is being generally good, avoiding deep commitment to God and simply living your life.

Everything is about their selfish needs and what they want to do, not what God wants them to do. Christian steadfastness, perseverance and suffering for Christ is not their focus.  Instead, they seek instant personal gratification, with little effort.

Individualism vs. Collectivism

For some who have not gone to this extreme, they belong to a different category of “believers”.  These so called Christians believe in an individualistic approach to the faith and have a negative view of Christianity.  They claim that the church is bad because it’s “organized religion”.  Clearly, this mindset is wrong because the early church was founded on love, compassion and a collectivistic approach to support one another.  Furthermore, our Lord calls us to fellowship with one another and in Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another”.  We know that deep commitment and love for one another is the model that our Lord Jesus Christ has established for us.  Jesus says in John 15:13 “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.  In another example of the early Church, we read in Acts chapter 2 and 4 the following:

Acts 2:42 – 47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Acts 4:32-35

4:32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 4:33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 4:34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 4:35 They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Do we think the same way today, and how far are we ready to go to help our brothers and sisters in the faith?  Are we ready to sell our possessions and help those in need?  There are varying interpretations to these verses.  Some scholars say that the the early Church believed in sooner return of the Lord, therefore, they were ready to sell everything to prepare themselves, while others say, the Church knew that Jerusalem would be destroyed, therefore, they sold everything and committed themselves to serving each other.

Solution – Faith and Deeds

The Book of James provides a better direction how faith and deeds are supposed to interconnect.  Faith prompts deeds and it’s through deeds that we see the fruit of believers.  Through deeds, we see who is A Christian in name only or a true follower of Christ.   James 2:14-26, it states:

James 2:14-26

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Therefore, it is simply not enough for someone to say that they believe or that they are Christians.  It’s a commitment to works that proves our faith.  We are saved by accepting our Lord Jesus Christ as is stated by Paul in Romans 10:9 “⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved”.  However, what good is faith without works as the Apostle James puts it.  If Christ is in us, then we must be moved with compassion to share the Gospel of our Lord and to help those who are in need.

So, if we truly had 2.2 billion Christians in the world, believers who were on fire for God, we would see a world dedicated to our Lord and in a different state.  Sadly, we see most believers in this state of being Christians in name only, therefore the whole body of Christ suffers.  Those that accept Jesus Christ must put to death the old man and take on the new man in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Which church do you belong to, the “I” church or are you true believers of Christ?  Take a stand today and be serious about your faith.  Be true followers of Jesus Christ, not a Christian in name only.

If you haven’t received the Lord Jesus yet, now is the time to receive Christ.  If you are ready to receive Jesus and to change your life, pray this prayer: Lord Jesus I know that I am sinner and I ask you forgive me of my sins.  I believe that you were crucified for my sins and through your blood I have redemption and salvation.  Please come into my heart and I receive you as my God.  I pray in Jesus name. AMEN