Can You Be a Wicked Christian?
In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was addressing the super-religious people of his day—those convinced that they were “in” with God, while others outside their circles were “out.”
We find the same situation with many Christians today, those who give no real evidence of a changed life. Often we find behavior in the church far more putrid and consistently repugnant than that of the world.
Those of us who’ve been among Christians for many years can cite too many examples of these “saints” who read the Bible daily, preach, teach Sunday School, pray regularly and fervently, raise their hands high, sing praise choruses, are deacons or elders in the church, and yet from all behavior are just plain bad…bad to the bone!
They lie, cheat, slander, deceive, molest, and manipulate; they are selfish, greedy, merciless, malicious, and nasty. They stay the same year in and year out—no change, no growth, no repentance, no confession, and certainly no apologies.
If their morals and ethics are questioned, people rush to their defense: “We’re all sinners,” “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven,” “Remember the beam…” Point taken! I’m not minimizing in the least God’s unbelievable, spectacular, extravagant, over-the-top grace toward all us sinners.
But shouldn’t we expect something more from someone who is supposed to have a changed, transformed life? Shouldn’t amazing grace lead to some amazing graciousness? It seems from everything that’s written in the New Testament that this lavish mercy and grace ultimately produces something observable.
Of course the Christian isn’t perfect. And while the popular bumper sticker is true that “Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven,” that’s typically little more than an excuse to justify the too obvious fact that church people are often not any better than those outside the church. It’s a way of saying, “Okay, I’m a Christian, but don’t think that’s going to have the slightest effect on my behavior!”
In the early centuries of the church, when people were defending the faith before Roman authorities, they would often point to the extraordinarily good behavior of Christians as one of the proofs of Christianity’s power. But today that’s the very thing we try not to do.
Think about it. Can a Christian really be a “wicked” person in the plainest sense of the word? And when I use the word “wicked,” I mean a person whose actions are a regular, predictable part of their behavior and character, not an occasional stumble into sin. Also, we shouldn’t forget that from God’s point of view, doing nothing about evil when it lies within our power to act is to be part of it. Not to lift a finger to stop it, challenge it, or protest it is to contribute to it.
The New Testament is more explicit and much less reluctant about separating the good from plain bad religious people. Jesus said that there are some people who say he’s their Lord, but he doesn’t even know them (Mt. 7:21-23). He taught that those who truly love him naturally keep his commandments (Jn. 14:15); we’ll know them by the fruit of their lives (Mt. 7:15-20; Jn. 15:8).
The apostle Paul advised that if someone who claims to be part of the body of Christ habitually acts in a wicked way, is unrepentant of their behavior and, from all appearances, has no intention of changing, then he’s to be regarded and treated not merely as a weak brother in Christ, but as a counterfeit, a fake (1 Cor. 5:9-13). He was convinced that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Cor. 6:9).
He regards slander, for example (as common in the church as coffee on Sunday mornings), as one of the deadliest of sins. Believers shouldn’t even be seen associating with a slanderer (1 Cor. 5:11). Repeated wicked behavior should serve to call our attention to the very real possibility that someone actually is a fake Christian (2 Cor. 13:5). The letter of James says that if faith doesn’t manifest itself in real, concrete, visible goodness and justice, then it’s merely pseudo-faith (Ja. 2:14-26). He seems to mean it.
It appears that the biblical definition of true believers isn’t so much what doctrines they believe intellectually, their position in the church, or how sincerely they sing, pray, cry, or say the right words. It’s whether or not the spirit of Jesus really does dwell in them (Ro. 8:9; 2 Cor. 13:5).
Regarding Jesus’ often quoted prohibition of judging others, it’s true enough that no one among us has the ability to judge whether any particular person is going to heaven or hell (we don’t have the right to “damn” others [Lk. 6:37]), because as long as they’re alive their story isn’t over. We can’t judge a person’s salvation, but if they claim to be Christian, we can and must judge their behavior in the church. Apparently we do have the right—even the obligation—to judge whether or not their behavior is up to God’s revealed standard. Paul even rebuked the Corinthian believers for not judging the behavior of others in the church when they should have (1 Cor. 5:1-13).
So to the question, “Can a real Christian can be a wicked person?” the answer from the New Testament is a straightforward, unequivocal NO. Someone can be a weak Christian, a faltering Christian, a stumbling, fumbling, flawed Christian. But it’s impossible to be a wicked Christian.
Questions for Discussion:
- Have you ever felt guilty for asking, “Is this person really a Christian?”
- Have you ever seen a spiritual leader in the church whom you thought was actually evil?
- Why do you think we are so reluctant to take action against evil in the church?
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