Placebo Christianity

Jesus coming to die for my sins was a concept I had been taught since I was in my mother’s womb, quite literally. I had known the sacrifice of death for my sin, but it wasn’t until many years later that I began to feel the weight of my sin.

What is a Christian? I would venture to say that if you are reading a 30-day devotional in the Bible app, you likely think you know (and perhaps do). I accepted Jesus at 9 years old, based on my understanding of what that was. I knew I was a sinner and that I loved Jesus and wanted to please Him. But the journey over the next 15 years, after my acceptance, took me further and further from Him. I fell into depression, sexual sin, homelessness, single motherhood, and years of trauma, abuse, abandonment, and rejection. The joy and peace Jesus was supposed to bring seemed elusive and far away.

The sacrifice the Lord made in sending His only Son was one that you nor I can comprehend with our natural mind. Can you imagine sending your only child to pay for others’ wrongdoing? As I dove deep into God’s Word, I understood that we were all sinners in need of a Savior, and our sin separated us from God eternally. But there is one verse that kept ruminating in my mind. It’s found in Romans 10:9-10 (NLT), “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” I mulled this over, again and again. Salvation is not church attendance, being baptized, or even being a really good person. It isn’t a praying grandmother or how many trips made to the altar. No, it is far deeper than that.

I’ve been in formal, vocational ministry for more than twenty years, and the Lord began to show me that we have a mass “placebo Christianity” in our churches. People have erroneously thought that a trip to the altar or even a prayer prayed aloud was what saved them. But this acceptance of Jesus, the wonderful gift God gave, is contingent upon not only the confession of our mouth, but the posture of our heart. And here is where it gets tricky…our heart posture will change our behavior.

A true encounter with the King of Kings will yield unmistakable fruit. You can find a list of a few of those fruits in Galatians 5:22-23. A true encounter with Jesus will yield servanthood. We see this detailed in John 13:1-17. A true encounter with Him will also bring a repentant heart that turns from sin and obeys. Look at John 14:15 (NLT). Jesus said, “If you love me, obey my commandments.” This is the true encounter with Jesus. It isn’t just saying we love Jesus. True change shifts our heart posture from desiring our own will to desiring to please our Savior.

Too often, we haven’t had a weighty encounter with the Lord that reveals the true depth of our sin. We have lacked understanding of what it cost Heaven. We have proclaimed Jesus with our mouth, but not received the heart change. In order to truly be unstuck, you must first encounter the real Jesus. Nothing can be unlocked in your life without this foundational key.

Points to Ponder:

• What fruit is your life yielding right now? Does it reflect Christ?
• Do you keep the commandments of Jesus? Why or why not?
• Consider your answers to the above. Could this be one link to your stuck life? Why or why not?