God's electric fence

One of the scariest things Jesus ever said is "he who is not with me is against me". For the Christian, this doesn't sound too scary, since we are with Him, but the question we all have to ask is, are we?

A great many of Jesus' statements (not to mention other places in the New Testament) suggest that not all who claim to be with Jesus are actually with Him. Paul even warned that it is possible to accept another Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:4). And well aware of that we are. Are there not many false religions that call themselves Christian? Several religions which claim to follow Jesus, yet do not? If you answer "no", you're in one of them.

Aside from the large number of pseudo-Christian religions, there are three big problems in Christianity. Liberalism, the Prosperity gospel, and hyper religiosity.

Liberalism is worldliness disguised as Christianity. Needless to say, real Christianity is not popular in this world. And for good reason: We were called out of it. James even goes so far as to say friendship with the world is enmity with God. Because of this, there really is no room for Liberalism in Christianity. If you try to make Christianity more attractive to the world by merging their theories, religions, or political causes with it, you may as well just join them in their war against God. That is to say, apostatise if you have not already. And of course, in truth, you may have already. While there are some Liberal doctrines (e.g. Theistic Evolution) that are not fatal in and of themselves, other Liberal doctrines are impossible to believe and be saved. For example, it is very unpopular to say that Jesus is the only way to Heaven. But He is, and if you preach otherwise, you are not saved. Beyond that, accepting other Liberal doctrines, while not necessarily fatal, may be indicative of fatality. Are you really with God if you preach several things that are in clear conflict with His word? Check your heart: The answer may be no.

The Prosperity gospel is equally worldly, because it quite literally focuses on worldly gain. Although the Bible does not tell us we must be poor, it does warn us against being too in love with money. God is not up in Heaven making promises about your financial success. Instead, He tells us to be satisfied where we are. We are called to give cheerfully (and not by compulsion), to use any wealth we have wisely, not to squander it, not to be greedy etc. Prosperity preachers rarely, if ever, remind us that Hell is real, or that Jesus cares more about us getting ready for the next life than messing around in this one. If your religion is your way of getting rich, your religion is worthless. You can't take your money to your grave.

Hyper religiosity is my way of grouping together a number of religious attitudes, such as self-righteousness, politicising faith, bigotry and the like. While I initially wrote this article with Liberalism in mind, I neglected the fact that it is possible to fall for the opposite trap. As a Liberal takes only half of Christianity, so does a hyper-religious person. A Liberal takes the "God loves me", while leaving out His wrath, a hyper-religious person takes God's wrath, but neglects the part where he himself is considered a wretch to be worthy of it.

The obvious example would be the Pharisees. These were by no means Liberal men, but they were far from Godly. They would add to God's laws, and boast of their righteous deeds, while ignoring their many shortcomings. Are you with Christ? Then be crucified with Him! Don't act like you're good enough for Heaven, because you're not. You sin. And those sins are as deep as the ocean. God does not show partiality either. That fellow sinner you judge so harshly? They may well be a sinner, but they won't be at your trial, they'll be at theirs. When you stand before God, He's going to look at you, and if you try boasting about the good works you've done in His name, He's going to have only one response for you: "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:21-23).

Ultimately, there is only one way to claim to truly be with Christ. That is first to know Him, and second to heed Him in love. If you hear Christ's instruction, and only take the bits you like, you are a Liberal, you need to repent. If you use Christ as a means to a worldly end, any prosperity you gain will be temporary, and might not even outlast this life. It certainly won't follow you to the next. Repent! And if you hear Christ's words, and they produce arrogance within you, your religion is as self-serving as the other two. Your sin should break your heart, and if it does not, it will break your relationship with God. Repent! Repent, repent, repent, everyone repent! The time will come when Jesus will separate His true followers from those who merely paid lip service.