True Performance Based
Christianity
Pastor Tony Butler
“Wherefore,
my beloved, as you have always obeyed,
not as in
My Presence only,
but now
much more in my absence,
work out
your own salvation with fear and trembling.
For it is
God Who works in you
Both to
will and to do
Of His good
pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12-13
It has been said that Christianity
is not a big “do,” but a big “done!” The
Bible teaches that we are declared righteous before God through faith, based on
the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can’t be saved by our works, but are saved
only by His completed work on the cross.
We are to put our trust in what He did for us in order to get to heaven,
instead of putting our trust in what we can do for Him. He paid the penalty of our sins in full by
becoming our Substitute, taking our sins upon Himself that He might cleanse and
forgive us through His shed blood.
What about after salvation? Is there not “doing” involved? Salvation begins with grace; is it lived out
and completed by works? The Bible tells
us that faith without works is dead. How
do we put grace and works together? How
do we reconcile “done” with “do” if all the glory is to go to God? I have found that in the church Christian
works are based on one of three types of Christianity, which are not three, but
one. The other two are counterfeits.
The first is what I call
“People-based Christianity,” which is a life lived on dependence on other
people. They need constant oversight. They run out of gas quickly, and must
constantly be refueled through seminars, concerts, retreats, and
gatherings. Their strength relies mostly
on the support and counsel of others.
The second is what I call
“Personal-based Christianity,” which is a life lived on dependence of
self. These are Christians who distrust
God, and have a need of control. Their
confidence is in their abilities, gifts, and talents. They tend more towards results, than the end
product. They rely more on the material,
than the spiritual, though they have a form of the spiritual. They have a struggle with trusting God for
reasons known and unknown. Service to
God is in their strength and ministry is carried out in the way of man, under
the pretense of the way of God. Often it
can’t be distinguished, and must await the Judgment Seat of Christ, where all
works in His Name will be revealed as to what sort they are.
The third is the real thing, true
Christianity, “God-based Performance,” which is God, Himself, calling us to work
according to His will, and then actually doing the work through us unto the
praise of His glory, and with His power.
Christians who are God-based in their performance rely on His ability. They concentrate more on those for whom He
died. They recognize that without Jesus,
they can do nothing. Theirs is not
pretense, but an inward reality that transcends all of their
circumstances. God-based performance
understands that only God, Himself, can fulfill His pleasure. Their whole identity is found in Christ, and
all that He says He is in them. They
dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
The first two “performance-based”
approaches to doing Kingdom work lead to disunity, disputes, murmuring, and
every evil device that the trappings of outward religion bring to the
Church. It exalts man, not God. It produces self deceived, hopeless, and
bound saints; but the secrets of God are to them that reverence Him, that is to
say, those who place Him in His proper place in their lives. The third “God-based performance” produces
only that which brings Him glory. His
mighty power is seen working through the lives of His people. It produces true joy and holy
confidence. The first two are
“churchianity,” the third is Christianity.
Which one best describes you?