The Dangers of a Passive Christianity

Introduction

Let’s begin this morning with just a brief survey. Just three questions. Raise your hand if you are currently taking some over the counter medication. I don’t mean like tiling off for a headache, but if you just take medicine on a regular basis over the counter, okay. Question two, raise your hand if you’re taking prescription medication. Prescribed of a doctor, okay. Now, question three, and the last of the questions. Raise your hand if you’ve read in its entirety the list of side effects for that medication you’re taking. Far fewer hands went up that time.

I’m not a medical professional. But I don’t advise reading the side effects of your medicine. Because you probably quit taking it. The side effects that come with the medicine, if you’ll unfold that piece of paper, that long list, it’s the only thing longer than the CVS receipt that you got when you bought the medicine. There’s just tons of side effects. Many of them dangerous, some of them extremely dangerous. So much so that you reason that the side effects are worse than the disease that I’m treating with the medicine. And if you read those side effects, those potentially dangerous and even deadly side effects, again, the result might be you would change your behavior and not take those medicines anymore. We recognize dangers when they present themselves.

We recognize the dangers of potential side effects to the things that we put in our body and the things that we do. But this morning I really want to survey you with this question. Do you consider the dangerous spiritual side effects of the way you’re living a Christian life? This morning I’d like for us to consider the dangers of a passive Christianity. Let’s begin by defining some terms. What do we mean when we say a passive Christianity? A passive Christian is one who is not fully committed to the cause and to the undertaking of being a child of God. A passive Christian is one who will serve God up to a point that we may serve God and follow those commandments and those dictates in God’s word where I find it easy to do so.

Or if I’m even more brutally honest with myself, in those areas of life that I would pursue anyway. But when and if the dictates, the commands, the thou shalt and the thou shalt not conflict with what I really want to do and be in my life, then that’s another matter. A passive Christian is one who will serve God when it is easy and convenient. But this passive Christian knows deep in their heart that they know little or nothing about true sacrifice for the cause of Christ. The passive Christian sees no need to attend all the assemblies of the local church. The passive Christian, though he or she may attend those assemblies, or selected few of those assemblies, will not live a life the rest of the week that reflects the worship and the study and the devotion that was discussed on the Lord’s Day.

That’s a passive Christian. And I want to ask you two more questions this morning. I’m not asking for a show of hands now. The first heart probing question is, am I a passive Christian? The second question is, do I understand the dangerous side effects of a passive Christianity? We might contemplate it this way. I’m full of questions this morning. Two more questions. What kind of Christian am I? Being honest, introspectively honest, what kind of Christian am I? And what kind of Christian does God want me to be? And how close together are those two?

1. Passive Christianity Is Easier to Give Up

Because if we’re passive in our Christianity, if we’re passive in our pursuit, if we live this Christian life with little or no inconvenience to ourselves, if we serve God when, how, and to the degree that I decide rather than he, do I understand the inherent dangers of living that passive life? One danger in being a passive Christian is that passive Christianity, just like anything else that we’re not fully committed to, like anything else that we’re not actively involved in, but just passively give our attention and our name to, that passive Christianity is so much easier to give up. And let’s just be honest about that. The more we have invested in something, the harder it is to give up that thing. And the less we are invested in something, the easier it is to give up that thing.

I want you to think, not another question, but a thought, I want you to think about two objects in your house this morning. Two very different objects in your house. That if I were to come to your house this afternoon and say, can I have that? There’s probably an object that you can identify right now in your house that you would say, sure. Take it.

You can’t have that. That’s mine. That means a lot to me. It means a lot to me because of maybe various reasons. Number one is I gave a lot of money for it. And I like you, but I don’t like you that much. Or maybe it has some tremendous sentimental value. I’ve invested not money, but I’ve invested my heart in that object. And so no.

Now contemplate your Christianity. Which end of the spectrum does your relationship with God lie? Look with me, if you will, in the book of Romans, chapter 2. When we contemplate the true value of our Christianity, of what it should mean to us and how we should be fully invested in it. Look with me in the book of Romans, chapter 2. Romans chapter 2. And in verse 4. Speaking to a doubly religious group. Doubly religious because the people he’s addressing in chapter 2, I believe, are those who had been Jews, had been in a covenant relationship with God under the old covenant, and now had obeyed the gospel, and are now in a new covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ. And he challenged them thusly. In Romans chapter 2, verse 1, therefore you’re inexcusable, old man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another, you condemn yourself.

For you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, that you who judge those practicing such things and doing the same, that you’ll escape the judgment of God? And then he offers this thought question for them in verse 4 are do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? Challenging these religious individuals to make sure that their religion was real to them, not just some token in name only, where they were serving God to some degree, wearing the name of Christ in some level, but in reality practicing much of the same sins of a world that would seek no allegiance or name attached to God.

He asked them, do you despise the goodness and the riches of God? Do we understand the importance and the value of what we have in God through Christ Jesus? Do we understand that this is something to be invested in, not partially invested in, not passively interested in, but something that we should give every fiber of our being, that we should challenge ourselves as the Lord Himself challenged us in saying we are to love him with all our heart, soul, mind, body, and strength? Or are we like Esau? Esau who is forever remembered for the decision that he made. Look with me in Hebrews chapter twelve. Who will forever infamously be remembered for the valuation that he gave to his birthright. We looked at this text a couple verses of this text last week.

It says Hebrews chapter 12, verse 14, pursue peace with all people and holiness without which no one will see the Lord, looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled, lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place for the repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.

Profane means the idea of devaluing or undervaluing something. To be to view and to live it as being base when it’s something to be valued as honorable and esteemed highly. And when speaking of someone who makes a rash exchange based upon not properly valuing something, God takes us to Esau, who had something of great value, but did not rightly esteem it as such. And so it was easy in that moment at least, to give it up. And our passive Christianity is going to be easy to give up in two regards. Number one is we might wholesale fully leave the cause of Christ, leave our Christianity behind, to lay off what we view to be the burdens of the restraints and restrictions that God places upon us and just walk away headlong into the world.

Or, like Esau, in a moment of weakness, in a moment of temptation, if our Christianity, if we’re not fully invested into this, in that one moment of temptation, it might be easy to give it up. If we’re not fully invested in what we have.

2. Our Influence Will Be as Weak as Our Faith

Effect of a passive Christianity is that we must recognize that our influence, and the Bible puts great stock in that, that our influence, the light that we might shine upon others for the cause of Christ, our influence will be as weak as our faith. In the book of 1 Thessalonians, we marvel at the influence that those Christians had. That those Christians who had been born out of adversity, that great persecution attached itself to the very first day of them not just obeying, but even hearing the gospel. But yet, despite the adversity, despite the persecution that lay against them, they served, labored, and worshiped God faithfully. And that had a byproduct. Look in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, beginning in verse 2, it says, we give thanks to God always.

We give thanks God to always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing, your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God the Father. Knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God, for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and much assurance, and you know what kind of men we all were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word of God in much affliction with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe, for from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place, your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.

Macedonia, Achaia, and far beyond the borders of those two regions, Paul says, People know about your faith. Do you think the apostle is describing a passive Christianity? No.

We have the letter to the seven churches of Asia, and to think congregationally, if Jesus wrote another letter to the congregation here, what would he say? Or maybe to me individually, if the apostle by inspiration were to dust off his pen and ink and write another epistle and address it to me, what would he say? Would he be able to say anything close to what he said to these Thessalonian brethren? That your faith, your labor of love, your example has gone.

What kind of influence do I have based upon my faith? Has the strength of my resolve, the commitment to the cause of Christ, has it moved the needle at all in my influence upon others? Because a passive Christianity will not influence and affect even my next door neighbor in one width. Paul says to these people, everybody knows about you. I don’t remember if I’ve used this illustration before, but one of the first places I, well, the first place I ever preached was in South Alabama. And out behind our house in the church building, we lived right next door to the church building. There was some woods and some brush that had gotten grown up in time. And so I decided one Saturday that I was going to tackle that brush.

And so I got my old dusty, dirty coveralls on and got my chainsaw out and went to work. And I was sweaty and grimy.

He said, I’m looking for the preacher. And I said, You found him. And he kind of took a step back and chuckled to himself, and he said, You don’t look like any preacher I’ve ever seen. And I know how he meant that. It was probably an insult to my profession, but I knew how he meant that. But that thought and that concept, he did not think, based upon my behavior and how I looked that day, that I didn’t match what he viewed of a preacher looking like and doing. He was surprised to find out who I was. Make a spiritual application of that. Would your co-workers, would your schoolmates, would your neighbors, your friends, maybe even your family members, be surprised to find out that you told them that you were a Christian.

3. Do I Think That God Will Accept It at All?

Your influence will be as weak as your faith. And that’s a danger of a passive Christianity. A Christianity that cost and gains very little commitment from me. Lastly, a danger, and maybe the greatest danger of all of a passive Christianity, is do I think that God will accept it at all? The passive Christian who has in his mind, he begins every pursuit, every spiritual pursuit, everything that is asked of him or her begins with this question what’s the least I can do? And that’s what I’ll do. Does that supposed child of God that God’s going to accept that at all? Do we think that our Lord, who said, turn with me in the Luke chapter 14 to this very memorable passage of Scripture? It’s one that we know and remember, but maybe one that we would like to forget because God puts a challenge to us in this whole concept that if we think that God is going to accept this, what’s the minimum amount that I can do and give?

If we think God will accept that mentality, ask yourself, will the God in the flesh who spoke these words accept less than my all? Luke chapter 14, beginning in verse 26, where he famously says, if anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also. He cannot be my disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. A challenging text for sure, so challenging that we found it difficult to explain what does he mean by the bluntness and the brutality of that language. And so we try to almost explain it away. But the Lord who says, if you come after me and you don’t hate everything but me, including your own very breath and life, you cannot leave my disciple.

Do we think for one moment that God would be pleased by my asking what’s the least I can do? And I’ll give that.

Conclusion

And not pleasing to him. So what kind of faith do I have? And what kind of faith does God want me to have? And how close are those to being the same.

And to consider the side effects, the danger of side effects of just a little bit of Christianity. We want to challenge you this morning. Challenge you that if you’ve never become a Christian, that you do so this morning. Understanding, as Jesus would say, challenging you to not just come to him to have your sins washed away, but to come to him in full commitment of what he’s asking you to do. Would you believe in his name and his word? Would you confess that name before men? Would you repent of your sins? There’s the commitment. Turning your back upon this world and what it would offer and going toward him. And would you die to those sins and to that old man this morning and be buried in baptism?

To arise, to not walk the same sinful, selfish life, but to walk in newness of life and of spirit. Maybe you’ve done that, but your interest has waned. Your commitment is not what it maybe used to be. Your investment is not what it ought to be. Then why not decide today that I’m going to fully serve God in the most active, invested way that I can.

Coming to Him and obeying the gospel, or coming to Him and renewing your commitment to be a child of God. Can we help you with that this morning? If so, please come, as together we stand. And as we sing.