You can’t walk with both Jesus and the world. They are going in two different directions. Yet that is what cultural Christianity promotes. It is unbiblical and it is counterintuitive. Trying to walk the narrow road while embracing the wide road creates a theological paradox that threatens the foundation of faith.
A house that is divided cannot stand (Mark 3:25, Matthew 12:22–28), and a divided allegiance will lead to spiritual compromise, moral stagnation, and ultimately, a missed destination. Jesus conveyed this basic truth in many ways by His words and actions. In Matthew 7:13–14, He proclaimed, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
He declared in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” Jesus taught with clarity and truth.
Today’s culture is moving further away from the teachings of Christ and secular societal values are creeping into the church. Rather than making disciples of all nations, many modern congregations have stopped influencing society and have allowed cultural influences to paganize the church.
THE NOTION OF FULLY SUBMITTING TO CHRIST HAS BEEN DOWNPLAYED
The notion of fully submitting to Christ has been downplayed by those who proclaim we are saved by faith alone, while ignoring scriptures that promote dying to self and denying ourselves. The apostle Paul had much to say regarding completely surrendering our lives to Jesus.
In Colossians 3:5, Paul writes, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” Paul emphasized repentance that changes the life trajectory of believers. “For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,” (Romans 8:13).
Paul advises Christians to “live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do whatever you want,“ (Galatians 5:16–17). He succinctly states in 1 Thessalonians 4:7, “For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.”
Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters,” (Matthew 12:30). He leaves no middle ground for complacent Christians. In Revelation 3:14–21, we read that He considers lukewarm believers to be wretched, pitiful, blind and naked. Jesus conveys in the Parable of the Wedding Banquet that guests who do not have wedding clothes will be thrown out (Matthew 22:1–14). There will be no double-agents in God’s kingdom (Revelation 21:27).
The idea that Christians can remain rooted in sinful behavior and endorse worldly values while professing faith in Jesus, is deception. Yet that is the message from many pulpits these days, through theologians that claim you are saved by grace therefore your behavior is inconsequential. Paul paints a different picture, “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
Claiming believers can disregard God’s moral standards because Jesus paid the penalty for sin, is an invalid interpretation of the gospel message. John states in 1 John 2:3–6, “We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands. The man who says, ‘I know Him,’ but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in Him. But if anyone obeys His word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did.”
Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We are saved from the pit so we can live on high ground, not so we can return to the pit. Yet modern cultural Christians are taught there is no need to even come out of the pit. When our pattern of behavior turns away from sin, our repentant conduct leads us to goodness and we are blessed.
MANY CULTURAL CHRISTIANS TRIVIALIZE THE TEACHINGS OF CHRIST
Many cultural Christians trivialize the teachings of Christ. Jesus was very intentional when He said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
In other words, if you love your lifestyle more than you love Jesus, you are not worthy of Him. If you aren’t willing to change your lifestyle for Him, you are not worthy of Him. Whoever gives up their life for Jesus will find life. Cultural Christians want Christ to conform to their values.
James informs us, “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend with the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely?” (James 4:4–5).
God is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14). The church is betrothed to Christ with the expectation that she be faithful, forsaking all others. To flirt with the enemy while claiming to be committed to Jesus is equivalent to believers prostituting themselves to the gods of the world.
THE HYPOCRISY OF THIS MINDSET HARBORS UNDISCIPLINED AND SELFISH DESIRES
The hypocrisy of this mindset harbors undisciplined and selfish desires that are incompatible with the nature of God. Through the illusion of subjective morality, our culture leads us to believe Christians can hang onto unchecked habits, personal prejudices, and compromised theology with the expectation to receive spiritual blessings.
The resulting complacency erodes the discipline and conviction to stand firm in the faith, encourages passivity, and embraces the comforts of the wide road at the expense of the righteousness that is found on the narrow road. The two paths are incompatible and the danger of missing the ultimate destination looms ever so great for those without full commitment to Christ.
Attempting to live with one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world leaves you unstable. In Matthew 7:24–27, Jesus declared, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
We live in precarious times, where false teaching threatens the foundation of the church. Jesus warned us in Matthew 24:10–13 that in the last days this would happen. “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
If we try to walk with Jesus while insisting on walking with the world, we sacrifice inner peace because we will be constantly negotiating between self-will and divine will. This leads to deep inner conflict, anxiety and a fractured sense of salvation. Sitting on this fence opens the gate for doubt, which results in a double-mindedness that leads to an unstable faith (James 1:8). Cultural Christianity is counterproductive and undermines spiritual wellbeing.
Harmony is achieved when we fully surrender to the sovereign will of God. We are called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who said, “Yet not My will, but yours be done,” (Luke 22:42). Jesus rejected the world and in doing so, He conquered it.
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