“Jesus knew how sin collapses religion into a hollow, outward show that fails to deal with the deep issues of the human heart. Thus, to be evangelical is to be highly wary of this pharisaical hypocrisy in which our lips may be orthodox, but our hearts are not. Evangelicals can never be about propositions alone: we want the theological truths of the gospel to transform us by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2)… It means we don’t simply want to know truths about God. We want to know God, in a personal way. We don’t simply affirm that Scripture is our supreme authority and that we are justified by faith alone through Christ alone. We actually submit to Scripture as our supreme authority and enjoy Christ as our only Savior, praising him from our hearts for his all-sufficiency and grace.”
– michael reeves
Reading Reflection:
There are more than one ways to be far from God. Sometimes, we only consider people far from God if they never attend a church service. However, it is possible to be very religious and, at the same time, far from God. Due to the Bible calling us to do certain things, we can make the mistake of putting our trust or taking pride in what we do. This can create an outward form of godliness that is void of actual godly life. Our only hope is in Christ alone. The true Christian life—the things that we do—ought to be an overflow of the intimacy we have in our hearts with God. Focusing on the heart first will guard us from living our lives as a show. As God transforms our hearts, we will actually submit to the Bible rather than merely affirming its truth.
