Understanding True Christianity: More Than Just Good Works

Many people have misunderstood what it means to be a Christian. Some assume being a Christian is to live the best way that you can, so that the good you’ve done is greater than the bad. Sometimes this is equated with being “religious”. Paul’s letter to the Romans reveals that in fact the belief that your good works can outweigh your bad is actually what it means to be religious, but it is not what it means to be a Christian. In Romans chapter 2, Paul directed his words to the religious Jews who were part of the young Roman church. They believed the way to God was by following the law of Moses (being religious) and being circumcised as the sign of following the Mosaic law. These religious Jews had the same view as many do today. If our morality outweighs our immorality, then we will be acceptable to God. Paul revealed that no one can please God in this manner, because they just become hypocrites, as Paul revealed the religious Jews were in Rome. They taught others not to steal, but in some ways they stole. They taught others not to commit adultery, but desired what others had. They taught others not to rob temples, but dishonored God. Paul’s description of the religious Jews is the same plight of anyone who seeks to use their morality as the basis for becoming pleasing to God. Paul’s point? Everyone fails. Something else is necessary. They need a change of heart, that only God can effect through faith in Jesus’ offer of forgiveness. Paul referred to this as having a circumcised heart, whether one was circumcised in the flesh or not.

So it doesn’t matter what your ethnicity is, what your theology is, what church you frequent. What matters is whether you’ve trusted Jesus to forgive you and allowed him to transform your heart. This is why Jesus warns us not to judge another’s heart. While we can determine whether a behavior is right or wrong, we are utterly incapable of discerning another person’s heart. Only God can do that. We live in a world that is very confused about God and Jesus, but the bigger question is are we confused about them too?

What About God’s Wrath?

The topic of God’s wrath has at times caused some to question the goodness of God. Some come to the conclusion that God’s wrath and his love for mankind cannot co-exist. That conclusion did not seem to be a problem for Paul as he wrote his letter to the Romans. In his first chapter, Paul wrote that the “wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)” Taking the statement by itself it is easy to associate Paul’s words with some form of God’s punishment. However, that conclusion would ignore what Paul had previously written in Romans 1:16-17. In those verses he had previously declared that the Gospel of Jesus is the power of God to save men from unrighteousness to righteousness.

The Gospel reveals God’s declaration of war against unrighteousness. His intent is to transform men, not punish them. In this way unrighteousness in men is destroyed like a disease is overcome through a powerful treatment. Understanding Paul’s reference to God’s wrath in verse 18 in the light of what he had just written about the Gospel in 16-17, reveals that Paul was not referring to God’s punishing men, but to his intent on saving them from unrighteousness, including self-righteousness, and ungodliness. When God saves an individual, he does more than change his behavior; he changes his heart. The Gospel is not a self-help program, anymore than a diseased organ can be cured by a behavioral change, outside help is needed. The proclaimed Gospel is the power of God to overpower unrighteousness and ungodliness that lurks, hidden within the human heart. Therefore, Paul’s reference to God’s wrath is a description of the Gospel overcoming the ills in humanity.

“The problem is that evil resides in places that laws and regulatory agencies cannot touch. It resides in he human heart, which only the Spirit of God can touch and bring healing to. Jesus’ final prayer command (deliver us from evil) touches the issue of evil in the human heart. It is a recognition that only the Spirit of God can protect us from evil that has invaded every area of human existence – the community, schools, and even the nuclear family.” (Outrageous Prayer, pg. 154)

The Brotherhood of Christianity

Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus, on the morning of his resurrection, displays the emotion that Mary felt in those moments. She was crying, distraught over the disappearance of Jesus’ body. However, when Jesus called her name, she knew it was him and clung to him, so much so that Jesus asked her to stop, because she had more important business. That business was to announce Jesus’ resurrection to his brothers, the disciples, and tell them he was going to his Father and their Father and to his God and their God. The way Jesus phrased Mary’s commission demonstrated his connection with the disciples. He didn’t refer to them as “disciples”, but as “brothers”. He didn’t refer to God only as his Father and God, but also their Father and God. This is a confirmation of what Jesus had said earlier in John 15 when he told the disciples that he did not call them servants, but his friends, here he goes even further and refers to them as his brothers.

Jesus’ words reveal the uniqueness of Christianity. In no other belief system is God viewed as His followers’ brother or Father. Jesus identified himself as the disciples’ brother and identified God as their Father. Jesus’ words reveal that Christianity isn’t so much a religion, as it is a brotherhood. Jesus implied this when he taught the disciples in Matthew 23:8-12 that they were to view each other as brothers. They were not to refer to each other as “Father”, “Rabbi”, or “Teacher”. Jesus said this in response to how the Scribes and Pharisees acted. Being a brotherhood, there is no place in Christianity for one individual to rise above another, just as in a family it is inappropriate for one sibling to rise above another. In Christianity no classes exist, there is no priestly class, as there was in the Old Testament, because according to the New Testament, all followers of Jesus are priests. No one has an advantage more than another with God. No one has more access to God than another. All followers of Jesus are priests, meaning all have equal advantage, all have equal access. Jesus gave us the example. If Jesus identified himself as his disciples’ brother, then how much more should Christians see one another as brothers and sisters.

“When we have the possibility of referring to someone as ‘Father’, we are placed in a unique and privileged position. How we refer to someone reveals the closeness of our relationship with them. The more formal the name, the more distant the relationship and vice versa.” (Outrageous Prayer, page 22)

https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Prayer-Praying-Jesus-Prayed- ebook/dp/B09RW88FZC

The Irony of Jesus’ Leadership

It is fascinating to see how much irony is found in the Bible. In Matthew 20, Jesus had just informed his followers that he would be crucified. To say the least that was not good news or a positive message. However, right after Jesus’ statement two of his followers, James and John, along with their mother, approached Jesus to request what they thought were the two most important and powerful positions in Jesus’ Kingdom, to be at his right and left when he came into his Kingdom. Jesus told them they didn’t know what they were asking. They sure didn’t. They thought they were asking for positions of power and prestige. He asked them if they were willing and able to drink from the cup he was about to drink; they said they were. Even though they said they were willing, Jesus said that those positions were reserved for those prepared by the Father. Jesus entered into his Kingdom when he was crucified, so in effect these two brothers were asking to be crucified on Jesus’ right and left. Those two spots would be filled by two convicted thieves.

Afterwards the other 10, making the same assumption that the brothers made, were offended because of what the brothers had asked for. Jesus explained to them greatness in his Kingdom, contrasting it with how leadership and authority is exercised in the world. In the world, leaders use power and authority to make sure their followers comply with their commands. The threat of punishment or loss makes sure that followers in the world’s system comply, not so in the Kingdom of Jesus. In Jesus’ Kingdom servants and slaves are the leaders, just like Jesus, who although he was the Son of God identified himself as a servant. Now this is also different from the world’s way. In the world, no one chooses to be a slave, they are forced to be one. However, in Jesus’ Kingdom, Jesus instructed his followers to voluntarily choose to be a slave. That raises an important question. Why would anyone voluntarily choose or aspire to slavery? Actually it is for the same reason that Jesus did, for love. Jesus informed his followers that there is no greater love than for one to lay down his life for his friends. Jesus chose to be identified as a slave because of love. His followers aspire to be slaves because of their love for others. The world does not see this as greatness, but in Jesus Kingdom it is. This one story reveals how different Jesus’ Kingdom is from the way that the world operates. It also explains why in the first century, the message of Jesus was so offensive to those in positions of power and affluence, but appealed to the slaves and powerless. For those following Jesus, there exists a daily decision to determine according to whose values one will live, the world’s or Jesus’.

The Transforming Power of Jesus’ Death

As Jesus hung on the cross, the crowd taunted him saying that he saved others, he should save himself. Their taunt revealed how much they misunderstood Jesus They judged Jesus by their own standards, rather than by God’s love. Their value was to save themselves, to do what would benefit themselves and assumed that Jesus was just like them. They were wrong. Up until Jesus’ time the value was “might makes right.” A victorious general came and conquered a city; then he made the law and did what he wanted. He killed the men, women and children he chose, or allowed his soldiers to do so. He allowed them to rape any woman or child they desired. He enslaved whomever he wanted and took them from their home to his. Compassion and forgiveness were considered foolish. The disabled were shunned and left to beg and fend for themselves. It was a very different world before Jesus died on the cross. But after Jesus died, when he refused to save himself as the crowd taunted, the world began to change. For the first time in human history, Jesus revealed the power of someone sacrificing himself for the benefit of others, even when virtually no one understood what he was doing. After Jesus, his followers went out and proclaimed the power of love for your neighbor and your enemy in Jesus’ name. Their persecuted communities were so attractive that at first primarily slaves were drawn and then those who were free, even some in Caesar’s own household became followers of Jesus. Baby girls who had been abandoned at the order of their own fathers, were taken in by followers of Jesus to raise these girls as their own daughters. Over the centuries Europe was transformed from a warring group of tribal kings to a society in which the poor and abandoned were cared for. Today, we have hospitals for the sick; we have schools where all children, wealthy or poor, can go and receive an education. We have values where everyone’s rights are acknowledged not based on how much they can contribute to society, but because they are people. The world in which we live was shaped by Jesus’ decision not to save himself. It is a good thing for you and me that he chose not to listen to those taunting him, because if he hadn’t done what he did, we would live in a world where the vast majority of us would live under the oppression of a few powerful men, just like all the world did prior to Jesus.


Seeing God’s Image and Reading His Inscription



No one enjoys paying taxes, even in Jesus’ day. Jesus’ enemies hoped to put Jesus in an awkward situation regarding taxes, but Jesus used it to give us revelation about who man is and how God expects him to live. The trick question regarded paying taxes to Caesar (Luke 20:22). The trick involved putting Jesus in an apparent no win situation, because if he said they should pay taxes to Caesar it would diminish Jesus’ standing among the people, who hated paying taxes to Caesar. On the other hand, if Jesus denied that they should pay taxes to Caesar, they could condemn him to the Roman governor as a rebel and trouble maker. Considering their duplicity, Jesus asked them a question, whose image and inscription was upon a coin. Their response was that it was Caesar’s, who had minted the coins of that day. Therefore Jesus told them to give back to Caesar what is his, the money he had created, but more importantly, they were to give back to God what is God’s. The question is, what did Jesus mean by giving back to God what is his? In response we should ask ourselves where is God’s image and where is his inscription? The creation account in Genesis 1, declares that God created man in his image, male and female he created them. That means, every man, woman and child, bears God’s image in their body and being. Furthermore, we know from Scripture, that God has written eternity in man’s heart. Every time we look at a human being, we get a glimpse of the image of God. Every time we see someone sacrificially loving someone else, we are reading God’s inscription. So how do we give back to God? What Jesus identified as the greatest commandment to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength is how we give back to God. Ironically, the resistance we display to paying taxes indicates a rival to loving God, humans tends to love money and possessions more than they love God, which is why it can irritate us to pay taxes to the state and federal government. We don’t like to be separated from that which we love anymore than the people of Jesus day hated paying taxes to Caesar. That resistance should cause us to take a moment to pause to ask ourselves where our devotion lies, to money or to God.

“When describing the temple, Jesus declared it to be a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13). The temple was and is to be a place in which we meet and converse with God. Prior to the coming of the Spirit, the temple was a building, but after his coming, the temple became a people indwelt with the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:20). Since we are the people of God, we are to reflect that identity by prayer and communion with God.” (Outrageous Prayer, page 8).

https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Prayer-Praying-Jesus-Prayed- ebook/dp/B09RW88FZC

True Freedom Comes From Overcoming Fear

When Jesus gave his disciples counsel on the way to live their lives, his desire was to set them free and to live lives free of fear and anxiety. One example of this was when Jesus instructed his disciples not to fear men, but rather to fear God (Luke 12:4-13). When considering Jesus’ teaching here it is important to remember what Jesus meant by the word “fear”. While Scripture on numerous occasions instructs us to “fear the Lord” and “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”, Jesus also commanded his disciples to stop being afraid in times when they encountered angels or God. Obviously, Jesus was not contradicting himself, but rather using the term “fear/afraid” in two different senses. On the numerous occasions when Jesus instructed his disciples not to be afraid; he referred to their being stricken with terror. Jesus doesn’t not want us to be terrified when we are in God’s presence, his presence or the presence of an angel. Jesus has revealed himself as our friend, being terrified of him is completely inappropriate.

However, when Jesus instructed his disciples not to fear men and to fear God, he meant fear not in the sense of terror, but rather in the sense of being concerned about what men or God think; other words we might use are “respect” or “honor”. In Luke 12 Jesus told his disciples not to fear men, because their power is limited. They can only kill the body. In contrast Jesus instructed them to fear God for this reason. God had the power to impact their existence after death, as well as caring for them in life, even the very hairs on their head were numbered. Jesus gives to us a very practical way of living, we are to pay attention to the one who truly cares about us, rather than those whose care for us is inconsistent and often tainted by their own interests.

Jesus continued to address the disciples’ heart, by addressing how they live their lives. If they confess Jesus before men, then Jesus, the Son of Man, will confess them before the angels of God. However, if they deny him, then they will be denied as well. This response is the practical result of what Jesus said before, fear drives our behavior. As before fear is this case is not a terror related fear, but a caring what another person will think. Ironically, we do not know what another person will think in a given situation, we may think we know based on past experience, but we do not know for certain. If we fear men, then our behavior will be impacted by that fear. Our fear motivates us to act in a way that we believe will put in us a favorable light in that person’s eyes. That means our life will always be controlled by our opinion or belief what another person will think when we say or do a certain thing. In other words we have now given the power to control us to other people. That is in effect a self-imposed slavery to another’s opinion and a pretty miserable way to live. However if we fear God, knowing at the same time that we may look foolish or simple or possibly even offend men, then we reveal that our hearts are aligned toward God and we truly care more about God than we care about the opinions of other men. The benefit of following Jesus’ approach to life is that first we know what God will think and do when we live that way, because Jesus tells us, along with experiencing his promise to care of us. Second we don’t have to live in fear of what other men may or may not do, which greatly reduces our anxiety and correspondingly increases the level of peace we experience.

True Christianity

On one occasion, Jesus pointed out to his disciples that only those to whom the Son revealed himself would know him and the Father, not necessarily the wise and intelligent, but to childlike people. Then he blessed his disciples, because great people, prophets and kings, desired to see what they were currently seeing. Jesus’ point is that we do not get to him through wisdom, intelligence, study or education. He is not seen through our reason, but through revelation, because he is more than a philosophy or a topic of study, he is to be revealed and known through experience and life lived together.

What Jesus says here makes me think of what I’ve been reading in “A History of Christianity” by Latourette, when he stated that Christianity was influenced by Platonic and Neoplatonic thought. Beginning in the 4th century Christianity officially became doctrinal during Constantine’s calling of the Council of Nicea. In Constantine, Christianity passed from the Age of Catholic Christianity to the Age of the Christian Empire. Constantine’s intent was to unify Christians, but the result was further division and to set Christianity on a course of doctrinal truth being the standard for the Christian faith. The emphasis on doctrine required individuals to study to know the doctrine and perhaps the reasons behind it as the primary way of following Jesus. Many Christians at that time, possibly even including Constantine, did not value or appreciate the intellectual exercise of the theological debate regarding Jesus’ deity leading up to the Council of Nicea, rather as in the words of one who had suffered for his faith in the persecutions reminded the debaters that “Christ did not teach us dialectics, art, or vain subtleties, but simple-mindedness, which is preserved by faith and good-works.” (Latourette, v. 1, page 154). What this faithful and unnamed Christian declared resembles what Jesus declared to his disciples. Too often, we have let our culture, particularly the intellectualism of our culture define what it means to be a Christian. Christianity is following a person who is alive and able to guide us and teach us how to live. He, in the person of the Holy Spirit, does not tend to teach us formal lessons, or give us a systematic approach to the Christian faith and life, but he addresses how we should respond in any given situation, resulting in the good-works mentioned by that Christian follower of the 4th century.

“Jesus told them that their good example would give glory to their Father in heaven (Matthew 5:16), and by expressing love for their enemies, they would reveal themselves to be sons of their Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45). Practicing righteousness without regard to being honored by people would produce acknowledgment from their Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1, 4). Praying in solitude would cause their Father in heaven to recognize them (Matthew 6:6, 8). Refusal to forgive would remove their Father’s forgiveness of them (Matthew 6:15; 11:25)”(Outrageous Prayer, page 23) https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Prayer-Praying-Jesus-Prayed-ebook/dp/B09RW88FZC

Freedom That No One Can Take Away

When Jesus declared to the 70 that they should not rejoice in their authority over evil spirits, he pointed out an important spiritual truth. We tend to equate our self-worth and value with what we can do or accomplish. The 70 had done great things with the authority that Jesus had given to them, even so Jesus warned them not to rejoice in that, but rather to rejoice in their connection with heaven. When we rejoice in the things that we can accomplish, we actually enslave ourselves to our abilities, which with time can diminish and we can feel that we have nothing to offer. When Jesus instructs us to rejoice in our relationship with heaven, he is once again setting us free, because no matter what abilities we have in any particular season of life, we will always have reason to rejoice because we will remain connected to heaven. Jesus’ words also sets us free from the enslavement of others’ evaluation of our accomplishments. When others praise us for a job well-done, we should not put too much stock in their words, even though they are very nice to hear. On the other hand, we should not take it to heart when others criticize what we have done, even though those words might be hard to hear. Why is that? Opinions and evaluations of us and our accomplishments come and go, but they are not the basis of who we are or the value that we offer. If we stay focused and value what Jesus says about us, then we will live freely indeed.

Jesus said that he had come to set the captives free, while we may not think of Jesus’ words to the 70 in that light, when we take them to heart, we experience a new level of freedom from our own and others expectations of us.

One of the disciples came to Jesus and issued a command, “teach us to pray.” One thing that we learn from Jesus’ model prayer is that he commanded them to pray in a bold manner. Such a prayer indicates the intimacy a believer has with Father, because one does not typically speak in such a direct manner unless there exists a very close relationship. (Outrageous Prayer, page 4) https://www.amazon.com/Outrageous-Prayer-Praying-Jesus-Prayed- ebook/dp/B09RW88FZC

The Superiority of Jesus’ Leadership

In Luke 10, we read an account of Jesus sending 70 of his followers out ahead of him to do two things: to proclaim the nearness of the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He sent 35 teams of 2 out to the cities and villages to which he would come later. Previously, Jesus had asked his disciples who the people said he was. They responded with two answers, either John the Baptist, raised from the dead, or one of the great prophets. However, in this action of sending these 35 teams, Jesus demonstrated that he was greater than even the greatest of prophets, proving he was not one of them, but someone greater.

These teams were like heralds, as John the Baptist was a herald to all of Israel, who proclaimed both the nearness of the God’s Kingdom, fulfilling Isaiah 61:1 by proclaiming good news and healing up the brokenhearted. These messengers/heralds both did what John did, but even what John the Baptist did not do. They both proclaimed the Kingdom, which John did, but they also healed the sick, which we have no record of John doing. In this sense, this was an even greater sign than John’s ministry, because it wasn’t just one person ministering, but 70. What Jesus did, his heralds did also. The prophets of old, like Elijah and Elisha raised the dead and healed the sick, but they had no authority to delegate that authority to others. This was a great sign of Jesus’ power and authority, because he delegated his authority to heal to others, something that neither John nor the prophets did. In this way, he demonstrated that truly he was someone greater than John the Baptist or the great prophets of old.

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, when his enemies thought that they would never have to deal with Jesus again, his followers went out and transformed the world. First they transformed the Roman Empire, which for three hundred years tried to eliminate all Christians. Then after the western Roman Empire perished, Jesus’ followers went out and transformed the very same kingdoms that had conquered Rome. These kingdoms could conquer Rome, but they could not resist Jesus. Today we live with esteemed values such as equality, compassion, benevolence and forgiveness, when in Jesus’ day they were identified as signs of weakness and viewed negatively. These values did not originate from some enlightenment philosopher, but with Jesus and were communicated to the world through Jesus’ followers. Jesus’ leadership and influence are so great today that the vast majority of people living in the western world assume the values that he taught to be true and by there very lives demonstrate and prove his relevance today. Jesus not only changed people, he has and continues to transform nations and cultures. He was and is so vastly superior to any leader or prophet, that there is no comparison.