It is essential to know the difference between the unbeliever, believer, and those who are carnal Christians and false Christians. Or, as I have heard, which chair are you in? The first chair I want to draw our attention to is chair #1, which represents normal Christians. What do I mean by normal Christians? If we were to go into a hospital, the average temperature could be 103, but the normal temperature is around 98. So, we are not talking about average, but normal. A normal Christian is a disciple of Jesus who is saved by Jesus, follows Jesus, is being changed by Jesus, and is on mission with Jesus.
A normal Christian is totally in love and committed to Jesus. A normal Christian is fired up for the Lord. They study the Bible (Jeremiah 15:16). They live a life of prayer and worship. They want to be holy (separated for God’s use) and fulfill the Greatest Commandment to reach the world with the love of God through living out the Greatest Commitment, to love the Lord with everything and others as we love ourselves (Mark 15:15; Luke 10:27). They expect and endure persecution; mocked or teased (2 Timothy 3:12). They flee; they don’t flirt with sin (1 Timothy 6:11). Satan hangs out with sin, so they run the other way. The key is growth! Whatever helps them grow closer to Jesus is what they are into and actively pursue. A key verse for the normal Christian is Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The second chair I want to draw our attention to is chair #2, representing carnal or worldly Christians. What do I mean by carnal or worldly Christians? Worldly Christianity (carnality) is a spiritual condition in which a believer is dominated by the world, the flesh, and the devil. They, for the most part, have been raised in the church. They know Bible stories but have gotten used to God. They are usually 2nd or 3rd generation Christians. Paul wrote the letter of Ephesians about A.D. 62 and commended the church at Ephesus for its walk with God. 33 years later, John writes (A.D. 95) concerning the church in Ephesus, and they are told to repent and do what they did when they first came to Christ (the church of Ephesus died). The carnal Christian compromises in many areas and worships out of habit, not from the heart (Isaiah 29:13).
This chair hurts God. They say they love God, but they have no actual fruit. The devil likes this chair. He likes it because the poor witness keeps others from being attracted to Christ, and the carnal Christian is unlikely to share the love and message of Christ with others. He likes it because a carnal Christian does not flourish in Christ. A key verse for the carnal Christian is 1 Corinthians 3:3, “You are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”
The third chair I want to draw our attention to is chair #3, representing false Christians. What do I mean by false Christians? They believe they are a Christian, but they are not. They could be going to church, even often. They have gone through the motions, grown up in the church, and gotten used to the message.
Billy Graham said that possibly 70% of self-professed evangelicals are not saved. My friend Adrian Despres once asked T.W. Hunt, a leader of the Southern Baptist Convention, one of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S.A., about the condition of their denomination. Hunt believed that possibly 80% of Southern Baptist are really not Christians.
How can this be? My friend, Bay Forest’s brother, was a worship leader at a church and came to Christ after a message the lead pastor shared. Imagine when Bay’s brother went forward and shared with the church that he, who had led them in worship earlier in the service, had just received Christ. Keep in mind that we are not saved by praying a prayer. We are saved by placing our faith in Christ for salvation, receiving Him as Lord of our lives. God desires our hearts. The key passage for false Christians is Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
The fourth chair I want to draw our attention to is chair #4, which represents those who are not Christians. What do I mean by not a Christian? Simply put, they are not a Christian, and they know it. They try to be the best people they can be, live a good life, and obey the Ten Commandments (mostly). They don’t steal or kill! But something is missing in their life. The key verse for the unbeliever is 2 Corinthians 4:4, “In their case, the God of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” They have not yet understood their purpose in life.
God’s purpose is that He created us to live in a loving, right relationship with Him. Our Problem is that our wrongness (sin) keeps us from naturally experiencing this relationship. God’s Remedy is that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to pay for our sin on the cross so that through Him, we may experience the relationship with God for which we have been created. Our Response ought to be that we accept this gift of God; we must believe.
The good news is that everyone can be in chair #1. We admit our spiritual need. Believe that Jesus Christ died for us on the cross. Then, receive Jesus Christ into our hearts and lives by choosing this relationship over our current life of sin and separation from Him. We read in John 1:12, “To all who did receive him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” You can be in a right relationship with God today. All you need to do is invite Christ into your life. Lord, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to sit in the first chair! Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God Alone)!