There are no Super-Christians
THERE ARE NO SUPER CHRISTIANS
I recently read a book by Trip Lee titled “Rise.” There was chapter in the book called “There are no Super-Christians”. That chapter really captured my attention and it has also inspired this piece.
What do you think of when you hear the word “Super-Christian”? Do you think of someone in a cape looking down at the world and ready to save the day? I imagine someone who seems infallible, who appears more spiritual or more righteous than others. The Bible says “There is no one righteous, not even one” Romans 3:9-12 NIV and that “our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” In order to explain that there are no super Christians, I want to emphasise two points;
We should not look down on our abilities and,
We should not put anyone on a pedestal.
Understanding that there are no super Christian means that only Jesus can save. 1 Timothy 2:5, John 6:44. As Christians we have the tendency to look down on ourselves. “Oh little me what can I do?” At any given opportunity we run from place to place in order to find “help”, but the truth is our help comes from God -Psalms 46:1, John 14:26 & Psalms 60:10-11 ESV. It is never wrong to seek Godly counsel, but most times we are too defeated before we even start. One of the remarkable things that happened after Jesus was crucified is that the veil covering the Holy of Holies in the temple was torn from top to bottom – Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38 & Luke 23:45 ESV
The Holy of Holies was the innermost part of the tabernacle which contained the Ark of the Covenant. It was only the Chief Priest who could enter the Holies and he did so once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The Holies was covered by a thick veil held up by four pillars. But after Jesus died, this veil was torn. The significance is simple – the death and resurrection of Jesus now gives us unlimited access to God, the Father; not only once a year, but every moment of every single day. That should excite us more than unlimited internet access! We have unlimited access to God. We do not need any Chief Priest to go to the Holies to atone for our sins. We are now the Holies! Our bodies are a temple of God. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV We no longer need the blood of animals to atone for our sins. Hebrews 10:8-10 ESV. Jesus has shed His blood on the cross for that very reason. We can go directly to God and no longer need anyone to appease God on our behalf. No more lambs as sacrifices; our lives should be “the” living sacrifices. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” ROMANS 12 : 1 ESV
If only we knew the great power we had access to!! We would not continually look down on ourselves putting other Christians on a pedestal. We all have the same unhindered access to God because of Jesus Christ. We are not powerless. If the same power that rose Jesus from the dead lives in us (Romans 8:11 ESV) then we are truly capable of much more than we can imagine.
Now unto the second point, who have you put on a pedestal? Is it the worship leaders who literally bring Heaven down with their angelic voices? Or is it the preachers teaching the Word of God, breaking it down so we can understand better? Leading the people of God in songs of praise and teaching the Word are amazing gifts. Often times we tend to look at them like “Wow! How are they able to do this?”, “They must have a different access to God than I do” or “They have more blessings than I do.” That’s not true. Our talents and gifts may not be packaged as theirs, but we have ours waiting to be used for Gods glory. I will let you in on a secret, not everyone has to be the Lead Role or the Prima Donna, there is so much room backstage and beyond. God has created each and every one uniquely for his glory –Isaiah 43:1-7 ESV.
This is not to undermine Christian leadership. Christian leadership is very important, it is also pertinent that people with amiable traits hold such positions. This is why people who are at a higher stage in their spiritual growth are often leaders. Even within leadership, each leader has their role- 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 ESV. Despite this fact, leaders do not have a different God from us. You don’t need to have the perfect voice (if that exists) before you can sing praises unto the Lord in your quiet time, just sing and the best part? He will hear you. You don’t need an altar or a pulpit before you can pray to God, that’s what the veil was torn for. We have the tendency to forget that, through our actions we are constantly trying to stitch the veil back together. The same way any Christian has access to God is the same way we do, no one has it better, we all have flaws and we all stumble and fall. However, because Jesus shed his blood on the cross we have been redeemed –Galatians 3:13 ESV.
In fact as Christians our super power is that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us unlimited access to God.
IFEOLUWA JAIYESMI ©.
The Revolutionary Righter ©.