There is many a man that considers himself to be a Christian but when he stands before the Lord in judgment will find out the truth that he wasn’t a Christian after all.
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.'” Matthew 7:21-23
There are few phrases in the Bible that send chills down my spine like “I never knew you; depart from Me…” To live up to basic morality is one thing, but to live up to the standards that Jesus sets forth is an entirely different matter. It’s one thing to be nice and still another to turn the other cheek, go the extra mile, or give someone your shirt when he takes your coat.
It is one thing to go to church on Sunday, even read a bible and still another to forgive someone that kills your family member. History records the words of men when they were being killed for their faith. These men separate the men from the boys, so to speak, when it comes to living out their faith in such a way that leaves little doubt that they lived as a Christian should.
“Wake up, and give heed; you certainly see it is not in human power what the Lord enables us to do, that we can leave our dear children, yea, joyfully resign our lives, for the honor of God.” – Claesken
“Christ has taught us that we should not hear a stranger’s voice.” – Jerome Kels
“You can take from me no more than my life.” – Offrus Greizinger
“I will tell to the world an incredible thing: in a dark hole I have found pleasure; in a place of bitterness and death, rest and hope of salvation.” – Algerius
So what is it that makes the difference between a mediocre Christian, who is no Christian at all, and the real thing? The Apostle Paul tells us that it is the presence of the Holy Spirit.
“For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:5-8
Make no mistake, the true Christian and the fraudulent professor differ greatly because one loves God and the other hates Him. Those who are in the flesh, live by their own efforts, and for their own glory, and hate God. Those who live by a dependence upon God who takes up residence in their heart love Him.
God is transcendent above all created beings as He is the Creator. God is transcendent above all saved men because He is the Savior. The transcendent Christian life is life lived through the transcendent living and eternal God. If you do not know and live by the power of the transcendent God, ask Him to save you and make you willing to trust Him for your salvation and the power to live a transcendent life.