Transcription
There is a kind of Christian in our churches today who says all the right things. They know the songs. They've been baptized. They carry a Bible. They might even teach Sunday school or serve faithfully in some ministry. Outwardly, they appear righteous, even passionate. But inwardly, there is no life. There has never been a genuine conversion. They have a form of godliness, but deny its power. They're what scripture refers to as tares among the wheat.
These are the professing but unregenerate people who say, "Lord, Lord," but their hearts remain dead in sin. They've never been born again. Jesus himself warned us about these people in Matthew 7. He said, "Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven."
That's a terrifying statement. He's not talking about atheists. He's not talking about Buddhists or Muslims or agnostics. He's talking about people who call him Lord. People who believe they're saved. These individuals will stand before the Judge on the final day with confidence, listing off all their religious credentials. They'll say, "Did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not cast out demons and perform many miracles?" But Jesus will say to them, "Depart from me. I never knew you. Not I used to know you. Not you lost your salvation. No, I never knew you. You were never mine."
This is the great deception of our age. That you can claim Christ without being transformed by him. That you can be saved and still live in rebellion. That as long as you've prayed a prayer or walked an aisle, you're eternally secure regardless of how you live. But scripture doesn't teach that. Jesus said, "You will know a tree by its fruit." If there is no fruit of repentance, no hunger for holiness, no desire for Christ, then the heart has not been changed. The mouth may speak religious words, but the soul remains unchanged.
You see, true salvation is not about outward behavior. It's about inward transformation. It is not just agreeing with a set of doctrines or getting emotional during worship. It is being made new. It is the Spirit of God taking a dead sinner and bringing them to life. It is a total surrender of the will. It is counting the cost, taking up your cross and following Christ, not just on Sundays, but every day. Anything less is counterfeit.
So if you've built your assurance on church attendance, on a childhood decision, on good works or religious activity, but you've never come to the end of yourself, never truly repented, never experienced the supernatural change that comes from the Holy Spirit, then you are still lost. You may be close to the kingdom, but close is not enough. Hell will be filled with people who are close.
One of the most dangerous illusions in the modern church is the idea that you can be a follower of Christ and still blend in perfectly with the world. There are so many today who call themselves Christians. Yet their lives are indistinguishable from those who have no regard for God. They know the language of faith. They participate in church events. They even post Bible verses on social media. But at the core, they are shaped far more by the culture around them than by the word of God.
These are cultural Christians. They wear the label of Christian like a badge, but it's not rooted in genuine discipleship. It's more of a social identity, a tradition, or a vague sense of morality. They'll say things like, "Well, I believe in Jesus." But when pressed on what that actually means, their beliefs collapse under the weight of scripture. Ask them about sin, about holiness, about obedience, and they'll either redefine it or dismiss it. They're quick to say, "God is love," but they ignore the rest of God's character, his justice, his wrath, his demand for righteousness. They'll nod along when the pastor speaks of grace, but their lives betray no evidence of conviction, repentance, or spiritual hunger. James 4:4 says it plainly, "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God."
That's not a soft warning. That's a dividing line. The Christian life is not a balancing act between pleasing God and pleasing the world. It's not about finding a comfortable middle. It's about dying to self, rejecting the values of this world and living holy for Christ, even when it costs you everything. Cultural Christians are often more concerned about being liked than being faithful. They compromise truth in the name of tolerance. They silence their convictions so they don't offend. They twist scripture to fit the times rather than submitting to its authority. And slowly, without even realizing it, they conform to the world's standards while still clinging to a false assurance of salvation. But Jesus was clear in Luke 9:26, "Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory."
We must not forget that the gate is narrow and the road is hard and few find it. That's not just a poetic warning. It's reality. Cultural Christianity may be acceptable in society, but it will not be accepted in the kingdom of heaven. God is not looking for casual believers who treat Jesus like a supplement to their lifestyle. He demands absolute surrender, total allegiance, and a life that is separate from the world. If your faith has never made you different from the world, then it has never made you a disciple of Christ.
There's a category of people in the church that Jesus specifically warns us about. People who are neither hostile toward him nor fully committed to him. They aren't out there denying the faith or attacking the church. No, they sit in the pews, sing the songs, bow their heads in prayer, and nod at the sermon, but they live in a constant state of indifference toward the things of God. Their hearts are dull. Their affections are shallow. And their faith is lukewarm. And Jesus says something startling about these people in Revelation 3:16. "Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth."
That's not symbolic language. That's divine disgust. It's the language of rejection. And yet, there are so many who are comfortable being lukewarm. They think as long as they show up to church every once in a while, toss a few dollars in the offering plate, and avoid the big sins, they're good with God. They mistake passive religiosity for real relationship. But the Lord doesn't accept half-hearted devotion. He doesn't call us to be neutral. He calls us to love him with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Anything less is not love. It's apathy dressed up in religious clothing.
You see, lukewarm Christianity is deceptive because it feels safe. There's no real persecution, no real sacrifice, no real discomfort. It's just enough religion to soothe the conscience, but not enough to transform the life. It's content with being moral, but not holy. It's satisfied with attendance, but not obedience. It wants the blessings of God without the burden of the cross. And what causes this lukewarm spirit? Often it's comfort. When life is easy, when there's no cost to being a Christian, when we have food on the table and money in the bank, the urgency of eternity fades into the background. We begin to live like this world is our home. But scripture reminds us again and again, this life is a vapor. We are strangers and pilgrims here. And yet the lukewarm believer lives like they've got forever. They say, "I'll get serious about God one day," but that day never comes. They say, "I'm not against Jesus," but they're not truly for him either. And Jesus says, "Whoever is not with me is against me."
Lukewarm Christianity is one of the greatest tragedies of the modern church because it gives people a false sense of security. But Christ didn't die to make us half alive. He didn't rise from the grave to produce a generation of indifferent followers. He came to set us on fire, to ignite our hearts with the glory of God, to call us out of the gray shadows of compromise and into the blazing light of truth. If you can live without prayer, without the word, without holiness, without conviction, then you can live without Christ. And if you can live without Christ, you will die without him.
There's a growing number of people in the church today who talk about grace, sing about grace, even preach about grace, but they've twisted it into something unrecognizable. They've taken one of the most precious truths in all of scripture and turned it into an excuse to keep living in sin. These are the ones who love the idea of forgiveness but despise the call to repentance. They talk about how Jesus accepts everyone just as they are, but they leave out the part where he commands us to be holy just as he is holy. This kind of thinking isn't new. The book of Jude speaks of people who turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness. In other words, they use grace as a license to sin. They say, "It's okay. God understands," as they continue living in rebellion. They say, "Don't judge me." When confronted with clear disobedience, they say, "We're under grace, not law," as if the moral commands of scripture no longer apply. But what they fail to realize is that real grace doesn't make you more comfortable in your sin. It makes you want to run from it. The grace of God is not a permission slip for worldliness. It is power to live in righteousness. Titus 2:11-12 says it clearly: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires, and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age." Grace teaches us to deny sin, not indulge it. And yet there are many who have built an entire version of Christianity around the idea that obedience doesn't really matter anymore. They say things like, "It's not about rules, it's about relationship." And that sounds good, doesn't it? But what kind of relationship is it if there's no submission, no reverence, no transformation? Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." That's not legalism. That's love. A heart that's been touched by grace wants to please the Savior. It doesn't look for loopholes or ways to compromise. It says, "Lord, I'm yours. Shape me. Correct me. Purify me." But the false grace crowd wants salvation without surrender, forgiveness without repentance, heaven without holiness. And I'm here to tell you, scripture does not offer that kind of salvation. Salvation is a free gift, yes, but it is a gift that changes you. It breaks the power of sin, not just the penalty. And if your version of grace leaves you comfortable in a life of disobedience, then it is not the grace of God you have received. It's a lie. It's a counterfeit gospel that leaves people bound in sin while whispering in their ear, "Peace, peace." If the grace you claim hasn't led you to holiness, it hasn't led you to Christ.
There are many in the church today who believe they're on their way to heaven not because of what Christ has done, but because of what they've done. They don't say it out loud, but deep down their hope isn't in the cross. It's in themselves. They measure their standing with God by how often they go to church, how clean their life looks on the outside, how moral they appear, how many good deeds they've done. These are the works-based Christians. They are trusting in religion instead of redemption. They say things like, "I was baptized as a child." Or, "I've always believed." Or, "I try to be a good person." And when you ask them if they're sure they're going to heaven, they respond, "I hope so," as if salvation were a point system. They're still trying to earn. They think if they just do enough, pray enough, give enough, serve enough, God will accept them in the end. But scripture is clear. "By the works of the law, no flesh will be justified in his sight" Romans 3:20. You can't work your way into the kingdom of God. You can't earn grace. You can't climb a ladder to heaven with human effort. This mindset is as old as the Pharisees who trusted in their external righteousness while their hearts were far from God. Jesus called them whitewashed tombs, clean on the outside but dead on the inside. They were diligent about religious duties, yet they rejected the only one who could save them. They may reject outright sin, but they also reject the truth that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. The gospel is not "do this and live." It is "it is finished." The work has already been done by Christ. You cannot add to it and you dare not try. To say your works contribute to your salvation is to say that the cross wasn't enough. And yet millions live with that belief, thinking that God grades on a curve. That as long as they're better than the next person, they're safe. But the standard is not the person next to you. The standard is the holiness of God, and none of us meet it. That's why Jesus came. That's why he lived the perfect life we could never live and died the death we deserved. His righteousness is the only righteousness that satisfies the justice of God. And it is offered as a gift, not a reward. But a gift must be received. And it can only be received by faith, not by works. If your confidence is in your performance, you will be condemned by it.
There's perhaps no greater tragedy than the person who is absolutely convinced they're going to heaven only to find out too late that they were wrong. These are the self-deceived. They're not skeptics or scoffers. They're not fighting against God. In fact, they may be very religious. They may serve, give, pray, and attend church regularly, but the terrifying reality is this: They've never truly been born again. And the most dangerous part, they don't even know it. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:5, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves." That's not a suggestion. It's a command. Because it is entirely possible to be convinced you're saved while never having actually repented, never surrendered your will, never trusted Christ alone for your righteousness. The self-deceived Christian has built his house on sand, not on the rock. And when the storm comes, when death arrives, everything collapses.
These are the people who confuse spiritual activity with spiritual life. They remember the emotional moment they walked an aisle or repeated a prayer and they hold on to that memory like a spiritual badge. But Jesus never said you'll know them by their church attendance. He said you'll know them by their fruit, not perfection, but transformation. Has your life changed? Do you hate the sin you once loved and love the holiness you once ignored? Do you hunger for righteousness? Do you grieve when you fall short and run to Christ in repentance? The self-deceived often measure themselves against others. They say, "Well, I'm not as bad as so and so," or "at least I believe in God," but even the demons believe and tremble. Intellectual agreement with the gospel is not the same as saving faith. Feeling emotional in a church service is not the same as surrendering to Christ. The question is not whether you believe in God. The question is, has God changed you? Have you been made new?
Some deceive themselves because they've grown up in church. They've been around the things of God their whole life, but they've never truly come to God themselves. Others deceive themselves because they're gifted. They may even preach or sing or lead, but gifts are not fruit. Judas walked with Jesus for 3 years and was never saved. He kissed the door of heaven and still went to hell. Friend, don't assume you're safe because you're near the truth. Don't assume you're saved because your life looks religious. Heaven will not be filled with people who simply meant well or tried hard or did religious things. It will be filled with those who humbled themselves before a holy God, repented of their sin, and clung to Christ as their only hope. If you've never truly examined yourself, then don't wait another day because eternity doesn't wait for anyone.