“There are 2 or 3 of us, so let’s confirm this thing by praying, since, ‘Where 2 or 3 are gathered, Jesus is there.’” This saying is pulled from Matthew 18:20, where Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in My name, I am there in their midst.” Christians typically use it to further a plan they have or prayer request they make. Using the passage this way is a violation of Jesus’ authorial intent. He did not mean, “As long as you have two or three, I am there to support you in whatever.”
Every movement and organization has their sayings. They can be helpful when they are accurate and memorable. But they can also be destructive when they are inaccurate and memorable. Such sayings float around a bit in Christendom.
Thus, it behooves us to evaluate things we say against Scripture so that we accurately represent the faith. Oftentimes newer or mis-shepherded Christians will latch onto sayings, get swept down the stream of error, and cause others to do the same.
Here are a few such Christian sayings that ought to be buried.
1. “They are a Christian but haven’t made Christ their Lord yet.”
Sometimes the idea is phrased in other ways: “They are a believer, but have not yet decided to follow the Lord.” “They prayed the prayer, but do not follow Christ or live out their faith.”
Burial of this saying is needed for several reasons. Christ is the absolute, Sovereign Lord whether we have acknowledged it or not (John 13:13, 1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 1:8, 4:8, 11, 19:16). He is Lord of all humanity, regardless of our spiritual persuasion on the matter (Phil. 2:9-11). History will see a day when every person born will affirm the objective title of Jesus as “Lord,” whether redemptively or wrathfully. Thus, we can no more correctly say, “They are a Christian but haven’t made Christ Lord yet,” than one could say, “I’m French but haven’t made Francois Hollande my president yet,” or, “I am a dolphin, but have not decided to make water my surroundings yet.”
Sometimes when people say this, they mean, “I am a Christian, but am not living as if he is my Lord yet.” But this is equally erroneous. It’s a peculiar, but far-too-common idea. No such saying or idea is observed in Scripture. In fact, it seems that Christians in the NT understood that becoming a Christian was a radically privileged transfer from under the lordship of sin and Satan to under the lordship of Jesus Christ (e.g. Luke 19:8,John 20:28, Rom. 6, Col. 1:13, 1 Thess. 1:9). That a disciple of Christ is one who is taught to obey everything Jesus commanded indicates the concept that to be a Christian is to operate under his lordship (Matt. 28:18-20, John 14:15, 1 John 2:3-6). In the first century, individuals of whom this saying was spoken would have been re-evangelized.
On a related sidenote, I once had the opportunity to ask a Christian who had lived through communist USSR if, prior to 1991, this kind of no-lordship theology existed there. He answered with a serious, “No.”
This is not to say that one will exhaustively comprehend the implications of Christ’s lordship the moment of salvation. But it is to say that he is our Lord, even prior to regeneration.
2. “I was saved pretty young, but sowed my wild oats, and did not follow Christ until many years later.”
Similar to the above, this idea is foreign to Scripture. This is not to say that someone cannot be regenerate at a young age, or that sanctification will not be a bumpy ride. But it is to say that upon conversion, the Holy Spirit will begin to illuminate and enable both the idea and reality of following Christ. Good works have already been ordained (Eph. 2:10).
God is too good to leave us in the wild oats (1 Cor. 6:11). The Holy Spirit, who indwells his people, loves them too much to allow them another day under Satan’s lordship (Eph. 5:8). Regeneration by faith in Christ is the moment our Father takes our hand and instantly begins raising us up into the image of his Son (Heb. 12:5-11). Those without child-training are not yet his children (Heb. 12:8). God is no fickle, forgetful father. Thus, we ought to bury the saying and instead, say something like, “I remember giving some ascent to the facts of the gospel as a child. But, I lived for many years with no evidence of regeneration, so, biblically, I would have to say that I was not converted until later.”
3. “They are a Christian, but they don’t/won’t plug into a church.”
This one is baffling. Christians are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Scripture gives us no indication that the Holy Spirit is OK with remaining detached from the body of Christ.