Almost Christian (Acts 19:1-7)
In recent days there has been a rise in people that profess to be Chrisitan but are not really Christian. They profess their selves to believe in a cultural Christianity. And it makes a lot of sense.
One of these people is Elon Musk. In a recent interview with Jordan Peterson he said,
“While I’m not a particularly religious person, I do believe that the teachings of Jesus are good and wise…I’m actually a big believer in the principles of Christianity. I think they’re very good…I would say I’m actually a cultural Christian.”[1]
To be clear, Elon Musk does not believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ, nor does he trust in Jesus. What he believes in are the moral principles that are taught in Christianity.
Another person today that claims to be a cultural Christian is the atheist that wrote, “The God Delusion” Richard Dawkins. He called Christianity “a decent religion in the way that I think Islam is not.” He went on to say about England and himself, “I do think we are culturally a Christian country,,, I count myself a cultural Christian.”[2]
Dawkins does not believe God exists. He does not believe in the salvific work of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t believe in the resurrection. He does not trust in Jesus Christ. Like Musk, what he believes in are the moral principles taught in Christianity.
This should not surprise us in the least. The world has gone completely mad. Musk has a son that thinks he’s a woman. And Musk blames society and the media for pushing transgenderism upon children. He is frustrated and upset by it. And, it seems to me, he did a little bit of observation and saw how much sense the morality of Christianity made.
The same holds true for Dawkins. He has been debating people for a while now over the fact that there is nothing scientific about transgenderism. He’s hated by many people because of it. He is also witnessing the rise of Islam in his country and he is not liking the change. So he looked around and did a little bit of observing and saw how much sense the morality of Christianity made.
I don’t believe these two to be alone in this. This seems to be happening a lot today. It doesn’t take a whole lot of intelligence to look around and see that Christianity brought in an incredible society in the Western World that has deteriorated as Christianity has waned. It doesn’t take much to see that something is going on there. But people look at this and don’t want Christianity in its fullness. So they claim Christianity, want to uphold Christian morals in society, and don’t want to be fully Christian.
Fully 79% of Republicans profess faith in Jesus Christ. 44% of them go to church on Sunday.[3] If I were looking at a political party that would say they are attempting to make laws that accord with Christian morals it would be the GOP. But by looking at the numbers, I would have to argue that a large portion of the GOP is made up of people that look at the world like Elon Musk and Richard Dawkins. They’ll fight against abortion, for prayer to be allowed in schools, for the 10 Commandments to be allowed in classrooms, against transgenderism, and less than half of them go to church on Sunday.
They are almost Christian, it seems like they are so close. I am, in one sense, encouraged that they view Christianity so favorably. I am encouraged that the morals of Christianity are looked at favorably by these people. But, that doesn’t meant hat they are Christian.
In fact, what is it that Jesus said to the disciples.
“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”” (Luke 24:44-49 ESV)
Notice, what it is that Jesus tells His disciples is the message they are to deliver. It is Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection. It is forgiveness of sins accomplished by His life, death, and resurrection. It is an account of what Christ has accomplished.
A person that claims to be a cultural Christian, yet rejects these truths is not a Christian in any real sense at all. They are just as lost as any other lost person. It seems that they are close. But that does not mean they are in The Kingdom of God.
“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.” (Acts 19:1-7 ESV)
This is one of those passages of Scripture that are truly puzzling. There is a lot to unravel here in a short event. Were they Christians, were they not. Did they know enough to be called believers? They are called “disciples”. What does that all mean? Why does Paul explain to them John’s baptism? Was it because there was deficiency in their knowledge?
These are questions that people have been discussing for a long time. And the passage itself is lacking significant information for us to have a full picture.
We know that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all believers. All those who are Christians receive the Holy Spirit. The prophecy of Joel is quoted in the Book of Acts for this purpose.
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;” (Acts 2:17 ESV)
The Holy Spirit was active in the Old Testament. But there was a difference in abundance. In the New Testament era, the Holy Spirit was poured out not just upon kings, prophets, and a handful of other people. The Holy Spirit was poured out upon all flesh.
The New Testament repeatedly asserts that all Christians have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Romans 8:9 ESV)
“For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body–Jews or Greeks, slaves or free–and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV)
“In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13-14 ESV)
Because Scripture interprets Scripture for us, clearer passages of Scripture help us to understand the less clear passages, we begin to understand that these people were not quite Christians.
Like Apollos, they were baptized in the baptism of John. The message they heard had likely been from John the Baptist, or one of his disciples. And they didn’t know about the Holy Spirit.
These people believed in Jesus. But they didn’t know the full story and message of Jesus. How could they? John the Baptist died before Jesus died and rose from the grave. And the text reveals to us that they knew nothing of the Holy Spirit.
They were close.
How many people are close today?
It’s Not Enough To Believe That Jesus Is A Good Moral Teacher
I am certain that the 12 mentioned in our text today had heard of Jesus’s moral teachings. In fact, they had probably heard about a lot of them. I am sure that they heard of Jesus’s sermons and His discussions on how people are to treat one another. And they probably heard of some of the miracles that He performed as He cared for the people.
This is not enough. It’s not enough to believe that Jesus is a good moral teacher.This is exactly what people like Elon Musk and others are saying about Jesus. And this is what person after person here in America believes about Jesus. And, like the 12 here in Ephesus, it is not enough.
Was Jesus a good teacher of morals? Absolutely, He was the best.
But it’s not enough to just think Jesus is a good moral teacher and it’s not enough to follow the morality of Jesus to the best of your ability.
We could never be good enough to merit the Kingdom of God.
God is holy, to be holy is to be separate. The word literally means “cut”, as in cutting a cloth or a piece of paper. God is Himself separate from us. He is completely and totally righteous. We are not.
We see this repeatedly in Scripture. God is holy and will not tolerate sin.
Earlier in the Book of Acts, Ananias and Saphira lied about the money they had given (Acts 5:1-11). They had lied to everyone around, but ultimately, they had lied to God the Holy Spirit. And they were immediately struck dead. God does not tolerate unrighteousness.
In the Book of Leviticus God had prescribed exactly how He was to be worshipped and the exact things that priests were supposed to do. And Nadab and Abihu “unauthorized fire before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:1 ESV). And what was the Lord’s response? “And fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (Leviticus 10:2 ESV) Aaron’s two sons lay there dead and Moses looked at him and said, “This is what the LORD has said, ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ And Aaron held his peace.” (Leviticus 10:3 ESV)
God will be “sanctified”, or “treated as holy”.
Sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). And that is the problem for us.
God created the world and everything in it. And He created it all good—gospel—
You could never do enough good deeds to merit the Kingdom of God.
You need forgiveness that is found only through faith in Christ. You cannot earn enough righteousness to merit Heaven.
Notice what Paul said to the Church at Galatia. If you believe yourself to be justified by God because of you own personal righteousness you are without forgiveness of sins. If you believe yourself to merit God’s love through your personal righteousness then your personal righteousness better be perfect, you’d better keep the whole law. Because if you believe that you can become one of God’s people by works, you are severed from Christ who gives forgiveness of sins and gives righteousness.
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:1-6 ESV)
James says something similar to when he speaks of our guilt before God. If
“For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.” (James 2:10-11 ESV)
It is not possible for us to merit a relationship with Christ. It is not possible for us to merit eternal life.
And here is my fear about our current situation here in America. My fear is that there are a lot of people in America today that name the name of Christ that know nothing of forgiveness of sins.
My fear is that there are a lot of people that believe, because they agree with the moral teachings of Jesus Christ that they are one of His people.
My fear is that there are a lot of people today that want to see the Ten Commandments posted in every classroom, prayer in school, and want to see Christian education thrive in America that don’t know the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
My fear is that there are a lot of people that are almost Christian that believe they are fighting the good fight and so have merited eternal life.
But you can’t merit eternal life. And if you think you can then you won’t. If you think you can and you try, then you will find out that you are not one with Christ and you never were.
There is one difference between the Christian and the one we are calling almost Christian. The Christian can sing the old hymns that speak of our own inability, and our bringing nothing to our own salvation. The second and third verses of August Toplady’s “Rock of Ages” says it nicely.
2 Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law’s demands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.3 Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
We could never fulfill the Law with our own labor. These could never atone for our sin. We bring nothing to our own salvation. We are completely naked, in need of everything. And it is to Christ alone that we cling. We are helpless sinners in need of a Savior that fly to Christ alone for salvation.
You can’t honestly sing that hymn if you believe that you will get there by your own works.
Jesus is a great moral teacher. In fact, He’s the best. But you cannot merit eternal life by attempting to be a good person. Jesus merited eternal life for you through His perfect life, death, and resurrection.
Paul explained this to these 12 at Ephesus when he said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is Jesus.” (Acts 19:12)
Turn from ruling your own life and trust in Jesus Christ.
It Is Not Enough To Believe That Jesus Is A Political Messiah
These people believed that Jesus was the Messiah. And I am sure that they believed He was a political messiah. Because that prophecies said that He would be. And John the Baptist died before Jesus died and rose from the grave.
Many of the prophecies about Jesus from the Old Testament concern His rule and reign. And many of these are prophecies that I hold dear today. I love the message of Psalm 2 and Psalm 72. They tell us many great and glorious things concerning the glorious reign of Christ.
There is a lot of truth to the fact that Jesus is, in some sense, a political messiah. What else would you call a king that is going to rule the world and make all things right? There is something political about that.
But it is not the complete truth of things. It is only part of the picture.
How many people believe that Christianity is some sort of tool to bring about a better life within society?
I would say that the answer is, a lot. We’ve seen this for years with presidents. They may or may not truly believe, but they’ll invoke the name of Jesus at every opportunity to get votes or to move an issue more to their side. And this still goes on today. How many people do you think invoke the name of Jesus for their political agenda that never even consider following Him or going to church?
I have known a number of people that I know haven’t dawned the doors of a church or thought much about Jesus over the course of the last few years. But they spend a lot of time talking about what Jesus would do for our country. And I’ve heard them talk about what Jesus would be pleased with or not pleased with in our country.
We see this with both Conservatives and Liberals, and we have for years. Liberals will go to a church service and proclaim that Jesus would be on their side and that Jesus will give them the victory over those evil conservatives. And Conservatives go to Conservative church services and say that Jesus is on their side and He will give them the victory in November.
And the masses eat it up.
But here’s the truth about Jesus Christ. He is building a Kingdom, but He has done so through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. He is bringing people to Himself right now through the preaching of His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit. And Christians will work to better society. Christians will work for the good of this country and any other country they reside in.
But entrance into Jesus’s Kingdom is about faith in Jesus Christ. It is about forgiveness of sins.
It’s not about the mess we see all over the place in our country. It is about forgiveness of sins.
Jesus Is
Much of the difficulty for people today is that they run into the same mistakes of people long ago. People saw that Jesus was a good teacher, they saw the miracles, they believed that He would usher in a glorious kingdom in Israel that would start by routing the Romans and running them out of town.
But people don’t seem to understand that the Kingdom of Christ, in many ways, is the exact opposite of the Kingdoms of this world.
Political figures in our day that end up ruling over us are not the best and the brightest. They’re usually the most filthy and cunning. They exalt their selves or become beholden to the machine that runs Washington. But that is not how Jesus was exalted to His throne.
Jesus was exalted to His throne through the humiliation of the cross. Jesus humbled Himself and was exalted. The King of kings and Lord of lords did not attain His position by becoming beholden to the people in power.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:5-11 ESV)
Think about this. The “therefore” explains what is happening in the text. God the Son left the glories of Heaven to take on human flesh. He was humbled in that state. Then, Jesus didn’t stop there. But He was humbled further to die on a cross. And because of that, Paul explains to us that every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Jesus was not exalted through power and might. Jesus was exalted through humiliation. But this humiliation is eternal life to us.
Jesus came the first time in humility to save. But He will come again to conquer and to damn. When Paul says that every knew will bow, he means it. Some will bow willingly and others not willingly. But all will bow.
These truths are things that the Church has known and confessed since its inception. And we see this clearly in Creeds that are still recited today, such as the Apostles’ Creed.
In the Apostles’ Creed, which was not written by the Apostles, there is a summary of the teaching of the Apostles that churches have recited for a very long time. All the way back in the 2nd Century we have this summary of the Apostles Teachings, but it didn’t reach its final form until around the 4th century. For years baptismal candidates would be required to know the Creed before being baptized.
It worked as a rule of faith for churches for many years. You couldn’t be considered a Christian unless you adhered to the basic principles taught within the Apostles’ Creed.
This is why churches of all denominations have recited it for many years. And you may have gone to a church that recited it during church services.
Catholic is spelled in lower case because the word means “universal”. If you are a Christian, then you are part of the Universal Church. But notice what is put forward in the Creed. It is the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And He will come to judge.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
What do you notice that the Church has confessed over many years. They have confessed the gospel. They have confessed that God created all things. They have confessed that Jesus was God the Son who took on human flesh, lived, died, and rose from the grave. And they have confessed that we have forgiveness of sins in Him. But that’s not all.
Jesus will come to judge the living and the dead.
If you are here today and are almost a Christian. If you are hearing this and you are almost a Christian, the message for you is clear. Turn from ruling your life and trust in the Savior. And do it now while there is still time. For He will come to judge the living and the dead.
Trust in Christ
What did these people do that were almost Christian?
In the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit fell upon a people and they began speaking in tongues when they believed and received the Holy Spirit. That is what happened here.
“On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:5-6 ESV)
These 12 were almost Christian. In name they were considered believers in Jesus Christ, but they were not quite Christian. And I wonder if there is anyone hearing this message today that doesn’t know Jesus?
Jesus came to save. Jesus accomplished redemption for us. Repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Entrust yourself to Him.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] https://youtu.be/lFKDVSuIBEU
[2] https://youtu.be/COHgEFUFWyg
[3] Gallup Poll Church Attendance: Republicans Attend More Services Than Democrats (christianpost.com)