Have you seen this play out before? 

Someone comes to Christ through a wonderful work of the Holy Spirit. They hear the gospel, maybe for the first time, are moved by the beauty of Jesus and His sacrifice while, simultaneously, astounded by the weight of their sinfulness. The only logical next step is to confess that sinfulness to Christ, asking for His blood to cover you and make you a son or daughter. 

The church rejoices! They have welcomed this sinner with open arms, reminding them to come as they are and now that Christ has redeemed them, they are celebrating this new life. 

But…it doesn’t take long for the church to change their tone….

Now that Christ did the work, you have to pick up the slack. 

Sure, Christ gave you a new heart but its full of sin and needs cleaning. 

Sure, you have the Holy Spirit but these non-negotiable rules are there so you don’t slip off track. 

Sure, there isn’t a clear verse on the topic but our standards are in pursuit of holiness and anything less is sin. 

Sure, some of these rules were created by great men of God from the fifties but why don’t you want to put your best foot forward for Christ?

Sure, we need to fulfill the Great Commission but we can’t get too close to the unclean sinners out there in the world. 

Sure, we need to be a witness but we can’t risk being tempted by the world or worse…giving our Christian peers the wrong idea about us.

Sure, the Bible wasn’t written in English but this one translation is the only one that hasn’t been tainted by the devil. 

Sure, community is important but make sure it’s only skin deep—vulnerability only makes your brother stumble or communicates weakness. 

Sure, there’s freedom in Christ but not freedom to follow the Spirit’s voice in your life.

Sure, the pastor is merely a man who has been called to lead but we ought not question his actions regardless of ethical or moral importance. 

Sure, Jesus broke all chains and curses on the cross but you are bound by your ancestor’s sinful choices. 

– – – 

We say that there is no contradiction in the Christian faith, yet we live as a walking example of one. 

We speak of relationship with our Creator as something that sets us apart, and yet we fail to cultivate our ability to listen to the Spirit who was sent to be our earthly Guide.

We talk about how Jesus came to fulfill the Law and yet we still run to it for comfort. The abusive husband has become the one we run to for safety. 

We say that perfect love cast out fear, but we use scare tactics to force submission to a God that didn’t even force us to love Him in the garden.

This isn’t a hit piece on your church or a gotcha…or at least, it shouldn’t be. It’s the same reminder the Corinthian church needed centuries ago. 

If Christ began the work of transformation, He is going to complete it. We can’t save ourselves, so why do we act like we can sanctify ourselves? 

When the church tries to manufacture growth in the life of the believer—the fruit is empty. There is no one, not even ourselves, who can do the Holy Spirit’s job. 

Let me give you an example of growth when it’s not manufactured. 

My mom came to faith because a random stranger handed her a tract that led her down the road to Christ. She didn’t have a church family or even a Christian family member that led her every step of the way. 

It wasn’t immediate, it wasn’t even quick, but eventually you would find her attending church of her own accord, bringing her children to church alone, reading and studying her NIV Bible regularly, giving without being told how much, telling others about Christ and inviting them to church, loving on the less fortunate and being the hands and feet of Jesus, wearing beautiful dresses to church simply because she wanted to dress nice for the Lord’s house, listening to sermons during the week, joining women’s Bible studies, etc. 

You may think there must have been a church leader or spiritual mentor who taught my mom all of this. But no, we jumped from church to church over the years and the Christians my mom fellowshipped with were from all manor of backgrounds. 

I can tell you first hand. The Spirit’s fruit is far more beautiful and sweet than man-made substitutes. Don’t settle for less.