HEALTHY CHURCH: Our Stunning Ability For Self-Deception
Submitting this article on April 1 (April Fool’s Day) made me think about just how easy it is to deceive others and even ourselves. You can begin to think something and begin to believe things that simply are not true in the area of values versus our actions and in the arena of our relationships. It is way too easy to think you are doing well spiritually when you are not. Revelation 3:17 says, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Please notice that Jesus said they were blind, and that begins with self-deception.
In I John 1, there is a progression given of how you can claim certain things, but they just are not true. The Scriptures (v. 6) show that we can claim to have fellowship with God and still walk in darkness. This is lying to others and is called hypocrisy. Then the Scriptures say we can claim (v. 8) to have no sin. This is lying to ourselves and is called duplicity. As crazy as it sounds, verse 10 tells us that an individual can even get to where they attempt to lie to God, and that is called apostasy. You must admit that it is far too easy to talk ourselves into things we should not do and out of things we should be doing.
Have we deceived ourselves into thinking we are okay spiritually because we go to church, read our Bibles and strive to pray, while claiming God understands the sin in our lives or in our churches? The other day, listening to the radio, a song came on — “Honestly, We Just Need Jesus.”This phrase struck me: “What used to be wrong, we say that it’s right.” Before we point the judgmental finger at “them,” maybe we should first examine our own hearts and churches. Are there any areas of your life where there is a glaring contrast between who you say you are and who you actually are? Is there any hypocrisy, duplicity or even apostasy present?
In a recent article by Thom Rainer, he describes what he refers to as CHRINOs (Christians In Name Only). He states that 69% (nearly 7 out of 10) of American adults self-identify as Christians. With an adult population of 18 years and older (census.gov) of 259 million people, 179 million people in the United States self-identify as Christian. It seems reasonable that if this were true, our culture would be far different than what we are experiencing today. Just because you claim something does not mean it is so. There is a huge difference between professing to be a Christian and possessing Christ as your Lord and Savior.
The question must be asked, “How many are really Christians?” How many genuinely believe Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation? How many can affirm with conviction John 3:3 — “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God!” How do we attempt to quantify those who claim the label of Christians? How many are actually CHRINOs? Let me make this very clear — neither you nor I can look inside a person’s heart and know where they stand with God. The Bible says you will know a person by the fruit on their tree, and some are obvious, but some are not.
Is it even fair to make an estimate or to make assumptions that cannot be proven? The greater issue here is the danger of giving someone a false sense of security by allowing them to believe they are okay with God when, actually, they are not. If someone lives like they are lost or acts like they are lost, we should treat them like they are lost; do not assume. There is no perfect approach to this task, but here are a few things to consider and some filters that can and should be used. Jesus stated clearly that He is the way, the truth and the life and no one comes to the Father except by Him.
• Our first filter, of course, is the Word of God — doctrine. The primary filter in this claim by 69% of Americans self-identifying as Christians is the belief that Jesus is the only way of salvation. If anyone says they are a Christian but does not affirm that salvation is in Christ alone, they should not be considered as a true believer in Christ and are in need of a Savior. This is not full proof and will definitely need much more investigation and conversation. Take the time to find out what they base their claim upon. Maybe they misunderstand the question or are confused, but II Cor. 13:5 makes it clear that everyone should examine themselves.
Here is a big part of the problem — so many of us emphasized that if you prayed this prayer, you would go to Heaven that people are trusting in a prayer when they “accepted” Jesus Christ, but they made an intellectual or emotional decision without their heart being involved. Even Billy Graham wondered if maybe three-fourths of the church were lost and without Christ, based on the parable of the sower. As a missionary in Romania, if you asked, “Are you a Christian?” most would answer “yes” because they say they are 98% Orthodox and considered a Christian nation. That is like saying if you were born in a garage that would make you a car.
• After the most important filter, doctrine, there is also the research filter, which brings to light whether what people claim to be true is actually true. Even among those who align themselves as Bible-believing evangelicals, only 55% affirm salvation is by Christ alone. That is very alarming. If you look at church membership, Barna reports that, in 2021, 47% of Americans reported they were a church member, down from 70% in 2000. Rainer suggests that 40% of church members are most likely CHRINOs. If you just do the math, it does not add up that 69% of our population are born-again believers.
• Now, let’s look at this through the practical filter. This was not written to cause us to be discouraged or despondent, but to call us back to our mission. There is much work to be done in the area of evangelism if 4 out of 10 members are not Christians. This means that when you are in a conversation with someone about the gospel, you should not end it when they say, “I am a Christian,” “I was baptized” or “I am a member of this church!” We have work to do, and complacency cannot and should not be an option.
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Larry Barker
Director of Church Planting and Church Health Larry Barker submits a weekly column titled, Healthy Church Solutions, designed to strengthen and encourage the local church.
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