We say the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  We claim to follow the principles and philosophies of the Word – not the World.  We believe Jesus is the Word, the Messiah who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.  We study and teach the New Testament, meditating on Jesus’ promises and commands.  We profess that Scripture and Jesus’ words are absolute, uncompromising, unadulterated truth.

Is it possible for Christians to believe in Jesus but not believe everything He said?  If so, we risk hypocrisy at best.  At worst, selective scriptural amnesia calls Jesus a liar.  My contention and concern is that many suffer from that ailment – and contemporary church growth models (designed to attract and retain) encourage believing in Jesus but not (fully) believing Jesus.  Consider the following…

Jesus’ Commands:

1. Love Unconditionally – How much do I love and take care of my enemies?
2. Disciple Personally – How many people do I disciple outside my family?
3. Rejoice Irrationally – Do I rejoice or worry during my biggest challenges?
4. Abide Dependently – Am I resting in my redemption or striving to achieve?
5. Repent Humbly – Are admitting faults and resisting sin strengths of mine?
6. Pray Unceasingly – Is prayer sporadic and ritualistic or constant and personal?
7. Forgive Frequently – Do I forgive easily due to how much I’ve been forgiven?
8. Serve Compassionately – Do I seek out those outside my “circles” to bless?
9. Give Generously – Is my economy like God’s economy where poor is rich?
10. Die Daily – Have I surrendered all or am I holding anything back from Jesus?

Jesus’ Promises:

1. Our Salvation – Do I sometimes doubt the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement?
2. Their Fate – If I believe in hell where’s my sense of urgency for those I love?
3. His Truth – Do I buy in to any of the world’s lies, choosing self over sacrifice?
4. His Grace – Has God really forgiven me for that one worst thing I ever did?
5. His Presence – If God never leaves or forsakes me, where is He right now?
6. His Provision – Am I certain God answers all prayers and will supply my needs?
7. His Plan – Do I believe every circumstance will somehow work for my good?
8. His Holy Spirit – Have I been ignoring my houseguest or truly feel His power?
9. Our Peace – Is “peaceful” the best word to describe how I’m feeling today?
10. Our Fruit – Would most people say I’m abnormally patient, good, and gentle?

If we take Jesus at His word, we would follow all His commands and believe every promise.  If we truly trusted in the truth of God’s Word, we would prove it by living our lives accordingly.  If we took every word Jesus spoke seriously, our attitudes and behaviors would be far more countercultural.  If we read the Bible as God speaking directly to us (because He is), we would pass life’s greatest tests of trust, choosing Word over World even during our trials and temptations.  If we had 100% faith in Jesus’ abilities, knowing without a doubt that nothing is too hard for Him (a requirement before Jesus would heal in the New Testament), we would witness miracles and revelations of God’s love and glory beyond our wildest imaginations.

Role of Churches in America’s Belief System

The “believing in (Jesus) but not believing (Jesus)” dichotomy stems largely from churches emphasizing justification but not sanctification.  Churches produce more Christians than Christ-followers by measuring salvations but not transformations.  Christians believe Jesus is the Son of God, paid for their sins on the cross, was resurrected, sits at the right hand of God, and will return one day.  Christ-followers not only believe in Jesus, but believe Jesus sincerely meant every word He said – and expects us to do our level best to follow all His commands and trust all His promises.

For example, many sanctimonious churches and Christians push back when asked to consider doing more to help families in (material) poverty.  They self-righteously profess a need to focus exclusively on justification (the part that was painful for Jesus) rather than sanctification (the part that would be painful for them).  They voice a highly theological fear and stern condemnation of legalism in the “doing” rather than simply “believing” (in Jesus) – thereby confirming they likely don’t “believe” Jesus (all His commands and promises), possibly calling into question their belief (in Jesus).

Considering some commandments optional or living as if Jesus may not keep some of His promises reduces Christianity to “cheap grace”.  We get all the benefits of faith (e.g. salvation and security) at no cost when it cost Jesus dearly.  Most churchgoers in America today are programmed for selective scriptural amnesia by pastors who position unpalatable mandates as optional by deemphasizing their importance.  Accountability for sin within the church, repentance, discipleship, compassion, and evangelism take a back seat to far easier (and less urgent and biblical) tasks like inviting people to a service, “church chores”, and tithing.  To bolster attendance by lightening the burden on Christ-followers, pastors assume the rightful responsibilities of churchgoers, who should have been equipped to carry out GC³ (the Great Commandment, Great Commission, and Great Calling) between Sundays.  Many churches also selectively stress Jesus’ promises of greatest perceived benefit to members and don’t ensure congregants trust Jesus to keep (not just those, but all) His promises.  If pastors took every command and promise more seriously, not conveniently neglecting difficult ones, Christians would take them more seriously.

Reintegrating Christianity’s Belief Systems

Church leaders concerned that many of their members believe in Jesus but don’t believe Jesus should take that realization seriously and address it immediately.  Jesus expects His Church to be holy and undefiled.  Congregations suffering from selective scriptural amnesia dishonor Jesus by questioning His words, integrity, and authority.  Jesus didn’t say anything He didn’t mean.  Beyond the Great Commandment, we’re not at liberty to decide what commands and promises matter most to Jesus.

The following are suggested steps for pastors to take toward healing and revitalization of a church or members who’ve discounted the priority or dismissed the veracity of particular passages of God’s Word:

1. Confess collectively
2. Repent publicly
3. Determine the root cause
4. Honestly assess the depth of the disconnect
5. Stress the authority and truth of all Scripture
6. Continually teach abiding and Agape (not just receiving but giving love)
7. Emphasize personal practice of spiritual disciplines
8. Research Jesus’ commands that were glossed over
9. Assess which of Jesus’ promises were shortchanged
10. Avoid slipping into legalism at all costs

It will be impossible to complete all those steps successfully without at some point recognizing that Scripture demands redistributing responsibility for GC³ to churchgoers.  Trusting that whatever Jesus said is unquestionably true requires reorienting the jobs of church leaders toward training and deploying disciples in their mission fields – among their families, friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

It’s Your Turn…

Have you or your church gotten off “easy” – believing in Jesus (for salvation) but not believing (and obeying) all that He said?  If so, how can you show Jesus that you take Him at His Word?