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They have essentially the same rates of divorce, watch the same trashy television shows and movies, have the same racial prejudices, and get involved in the same kinds of immoral relationships. In fact, when it comes to temptation, many of them aren't even putting up much of a fight – 26% of traditional evangelicals don't even believe premarital sex is wrong. And for a people who sing "I Surrender All," so-called "born again" Christians are surprisingly stingy; only 9% of them tithe.
If you find those figures disheartening, you should. The news that millions of people claim Jesus as their Savior, but don't demonstrate any significant difference in the quality of their life, is truly sad. BUT wait: here's the "rest of the story." When George Barna applied a new set of criteria to identify those who have what he calls a "biblical worldview," the picture changed considerably.
Instead of simply asking people "Are you a born-again Christian?" the pollster started also asking questions like, "Do you believe the Bible is the moral standard?" and "Do you believe that absolute moral truths exist and are conveyed through the Bible?" In addition, he defines a "Biblical worldview" as believing that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator who still rules the universe, that salvation cannot be earned by our deeds, and that the Bible is totally accurate in all it teaches. This group – let's call them "Bible-believing Christians" – is much smaller than the broad evangelical group.
When you study these folks you come up with some significant and wide-ranging differences from the rest of the world. Ronald Sider, in his book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, describes the difference:
These "Bible-believing Christians" are 9 times more likely than all the others to avoid "adult-only" material on the Internet;
4 times more likely than other Christians to boycott objectionable companies and products;
twice as likely to choose not to watch a movie specifically because of its bad content;
3 times more likely than other adults not to use tobacco products;
In addition, they are much more likely to be active in serving. Forty-nine percent of all born-again Christians with a biblical worldview have volunteered more than an hour in the previous week to an organization serving the poor, whereas only 29 percent of self-identified born-again Christians without a biblical worldview and only a measly 22 percent of non-born-again Christians had done so. Source: John Piper, "The Doctrine Difference," World Magazine (3-5-05) p. 51
We shouldn't be surprised: after all, the Bible told us long ago: What you BELIEVE has an impact on how you BEHAVE! Clearly there is something more to being genuinely "born again" than saying a little prayer and watching a Billy Graham television rerun every now and then! TURN to the book of 1 Peter (near the back of your New Testament.) This is a book that describes what it means to be "born again."
· 1 Peter 1:3 "NEW BIRTH into a living hope…into an inheritance that can never fade…"
· 1 Peter 1:23 "you have been BORN AGAIN, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God"
In the opening section of the book, the apostle Peter indicates he is writing to people who have been "born again." But naturally that raises the question, "Born again INTO WHAT? What happens after we accept Jesus?" Here's the answer Simon Peter goes on to give us: "We are born again into the family of God."
2 Peter 1:4 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may PARTICIPATE IN THE DIVINE NATURE and escape the corruption caused by evil desires."
If we "participate in the DIVINE NATURE," what will that make us? How will we be different once we are born again into God's family?
For the past few months Kent and I have been preaching on the nature of our God. What have we learned is the most essential attribute of God? He is, above all else, HOLY! WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HOLY?
Look again at Verses 13-16 "Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, for it is written: 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"
What do we learn from this passage? First, HOLINESS DOESN'T "JUST HAPPEN" – We Must Be Intentional! Listen to the imperatives of Verse 13: "prepare your minds….be self-controlled….set your hope fully."
"Prepare your minds for action" in the Greek is literally "Gird up the loins of your mind." Men in the first century wore flowing robes, which were fine for walking around, but when they prepared for serious work, got ready for some "heavy lifting," men had to cinch up those robes (today we would say "roll up your sleeves.") It is an image of someone preparing for serious work, for strenuous effort. It reminds me of Hebrews 12:14:
"Make EVERY EFFORT to live at peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord."
All last fall we talked about "seeing the invisible God." Now we learn what it takes to see God: "without HOLINESS, no one will see the Lord." We will not see God without holiness, and we will not be holy unless we "make every effort."
Second, HOLINESS MEANS A BREAK WITH THE PAST – We must let go of former patterns and (if necessary) former friends in order to be holy and see God. Listen to VERSE 14. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance."
There is a word for this: it's called "REPENTANCE." And this explains why so many so-called "born again Christians" live such unchristian, unholy lives. Many of them were taught an insufficient gospel – a sentimental, self-centered message that rightly emphasizes what Jesus did for US, but never bothers to mention WE must respond with repentance – a change of heart that leads to a change of life. Jesus preached repentance – the apostles preached repentance – and many a television preacher today will stand convicted before the throne of God because that word never passed his lips!
Simon Peter would have made a poor television preacher, because later in this letter, in 1 Peter 4:2-3, he says bluntly:
"You have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do – living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry."
In other words, its time to change! And that leads us to the third thing we learn from this passage: HOLINESS MEANS LIVING IN HARMONY WITH OUR NEW NATURE – We must be like God. Verses 15-16:
"Just as he who called you is holy so be holy in all you do, for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy."
GOD'S nature is holy – and if we are to participate in his nature, to be part of his family, if we are to see God, then WE must be holy.
Remember back when you were a kid and you spent the night in another family's house for the first time? Maybe you were visiting an out-of-town cousin, or were on a sleepover with friends. Do you recall how strange it felt to adjust to an unfamiliar family routine, to adapt to unaccustomed ways of living?
That is a picture of what happens when we are born again into God's holy family: WE too must learn a new routine, grow accustomed to a new way of living. Craig Barnes tells this story:
Conclusion:
When I was a child, my minister father brought home a 12-year-old boy named Roger, whose parents had died from a drug overdose. There was no one to care for Roger, so my folks decided they'd just raise him as if he were one of their own sons.
At first it was quite difficult for Roger to adjust to his new home—an environment free of heroine-addicted adults! Every day, several times a day, I heard my parents saying to Roger:
"No, no. That's not how we behave in this family."
"No, no. You don't have to scream or fight or hurt other people to get what you want."
"No, no, Roger, we expect you to show respect in this family." And in time Roger began to change.
Now, did Roger have to make all those changes in order to become a part of the family? No. He was made a part of the family simply by the grace of my father. But did he then have to do a lot of hard work because he was in the family? You bet he did. It was tough for him to change, and he had to work at it. But he was motivated by gratitude for the incredible love he had received."
Barnes concludes: Do you have a lot of hard work to do now that the Spirit has adopted you into God's family? Certainly. But not in order to BECOME a son or a daughter of the heavenly Father. No, you make those changes because you ARE a son or daughter. And every time you start to revert back to the old addictions to sin, the Holy Spirit will say to you, "No, no. That's not how we act in this family."
Craig Barnes, author and pastor of National Presbyterian Church,
When you're part of the family that's been born again, you have to adjust to a new home – a new environment – have to start accepting some new standards of behavior. So, if you want to see God, here is what it takes, in only two words: BE HOLY!
Don't just drift along with the world – roll up your sleeves! Make a clean break with the past, take decisive action to grow spiritually in the future, do some moral housecleaning from top to bottom, and do whatever is required to get right with God!
- So, if you've had a filthy mouth, CLEAN IT UP! Don't wash it out with soap – wash it out with the Holy Spirit!
- If you've been cheating your customers, mistreating your employees, or cutting corners on your work, STRAIGHTEN UP!
- If you've been shacking up, you need to either HITCH UP or SPLIT UP!
- If you've been neglecting to feed your soul, GROW UP! 1 Peter 2:2 "Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may GROW UP in your salvation." Read your Bible, enroll in a Bible class, go to a Growth Group tonight.
- If you've been drinking or drugging, ask God's help and SOBER UP! And by the way, don't try to fool yourself by saying, "I'm just smoking a little weed, man – nothing wrong with that!" Marijuana is not only illegal but it is debilitating; it keeps people from maturing. I've never known anyone who smoked pot who ever lived up to their full potential, and I've known lots of pot-smoking losers in life!
- If you've been secretly surfing sites that create sinful thoughts, GIVE IT UP! Ask God to wash the filth from your heart and put some strength in your resolve to resist temptation.
- If you can't remember the last time you taught some Bible class, prepared some meal, volunteered to help the poor and needy, or did any act of service in the name of Christ, because you're frittering your life away sitting on the couch washing trashy or trivial television shows, GET UP and get busy!
Remember: "Without holiness no one will see God" and Holiness doesn't just happen! "Prepare your minds for action" and get busy in this New Year!
Why? What is our motivation for holiness? Take one last look at Verses 18-19 "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without defect or blemish."
We're part of the family that's been born again;
Part of the family whose love knows no end;
For Jesus has saved us, and made us his own,
Now we're part of the family that's on its way home.
--Dan Williams
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