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Are You a Selfish Christian?
A selfish Christian is a contradiction in terms if a Christian patterns himself or herself after Jesus (Philippians 2). And yet, living in a consumer style society, coupled with an evangelical watered-down gospel, it is almost expected and normal to be a selfish Christian.
We are a selfish Christian if we:
1. Only or mainly focus on what God has done for us; instead of what we can do for God. Understandably so, the most beloved passage is John 3:16. But for some the whole gospel is nothing more than Jesus died for ME. Most don’t even need in their theology a burial or resurrection! And they definitely don’t need a King to obey because that would be “works”! Check Romans again for how often obedience is commended and contrasted to “works”. Check the sermon on Pentecost (Acts). One of the main points is Jesus is king. These people were not repenting solely because Jesus died for them. They were repenting because they had committed regicide! Many love the baby Jesus, and are thankful for the crucified Jesus, but rarely bow the knee and will to the ascended enthroned Jesus! Are we so selfish we think the gospel is mostly about us?
2. Only or mainly focus on what the church can do for us. A weakened gospel and a customer-driven society leads to churches competing against one another as selfish Christians ask, “How can this church serve me?” Or, “But that is not how I want to serve.” Check the “Here I am” statements to see how self-serving it is to serve God. Or, “What ministries are there for me? Do you have (fill in the blank)?” As someone said, “Too many need to take off their bibs and put on their aprons”. Check John 13 for a good attitude.
You might be thinking, “Well, I’m glad I’m not a selfish Christian!” Do you regularly think, “Someone needs to do something about that”? Or, do you just leave one church for another because you got your feelings hurt and instead of working it out, you expect them to make the first move? “Forgiving and forbearing?” Why…that would take being selfless!
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