What is Christless Christianity?

The above title would, no doubt, offend many an eye, to others it would appear quite out of place at the present time; the growing goodness of the age, the increase of religion among men is pleaded on every side as a reason for rejecting the hard thought of the world becoming more wicked every day and man in general on it more hardened and indifferent. It may appear harsh to some who read this paper to have it stated that Christ is left out of the religion, or so-called Christianity of the great bulk of professors. Christianity is a word used to signify that a man is neither a Jew, Turk, infidel, nor heretic, but without any sense of a soul really brought out of the world to God. In the popular use of the word, a man is said to be a good Christian though he has never believed on Jesus, has never known the forgiveness of his sins, has never known Christ. Then religion, too, is said to be the common portion of nearly all decent professors. They attend their place of worship on the Sabbath or Sunday, they receive the sacrament once a month, or twice a year; they give their money to spread the scriptures, or to convert the heathen, and they feel better for it all: yet are they unchanged, the very same in every respect; or, if differing from those whom they term profane persons, it is by no means to their own credit, being as "whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." (Matt. 23:27.)

How profession sets Christ aside; how you will find that it can make itself a comfortable place in the world, it can rear its religious buildings, have its religious services; have its philanthropic work, and yet everything be icy cold, because it is profession without the living reality of Christ. You may be a Church member, a worker and all that, with an empty heart. Not profession, but Christ must be our portion.

If a man has not Christ at the bottom, he is no Christian at all; but even where Christ is in a man, you may find him walking blamelessly, yet, if you speak to him of Christ, there is not an echo in his heart, though his life goes on smoothly. Christ at the bottom, and a fair Christian walk at the top, and, between these two, a hundred and fifty things that Christ has nothing to do with at all. His life is practically passed without Christ. This will not do. It is the terrible levity of the heart that goes on without Christ, until it becomes the highway of whatever the world pours into it.

From this we may easily learn that there may, in our own day, be a knowledge of the truth—a brain acquaintance with facts and doctrines and theology, and along therewith uprightness of conscience, fair dealing, honesty, and a measure of zeal toward God, but yet the absence of that which alone can save—the absence of faith. Such a case is not ideal. How many—oh! what a majority of the respectable of the community at large are merely formal—very formal, very exact, very scrupulous, very praiseworthy, but faithless, lifeless, Christless, and about to founder!

Empty profession. What is a man the better to have Christ's name upon him, if he still retain Satan's image? What is he advantaged to have the oracles of God, and want the Spirit of God? Think not that an empty profession will save; millions will be sent to hell in Christ's livery (Matt. 7:22; Matt. 8:12).

If men love themselves, and love money, they seek to gratify themselves with the passing pleasures of this world, caring nothing for the God they profess to serve, for with all this solemn category of evil there is a veneer of religious profession. There is a “form of godliness,” an outward show of religion in which there is no divine power. Men will have their children baptised by the clergy, they will arrange their marriages in religious buildings, and at their death will be buried with religious ceremony; but all this can be a mere form of piety without the knowledge, or the desire for the knowledge, of the true God made known in Jesus.

Not only is there the absence of what is real in the “form of godliness,” there is also the denial of its true power. Even the leaders of Christendom deny the need for the new birth, for conversion to God, for a living faith in the Son of God to direct in the things of God. They have the outward forms of Christening and confirmation, and such things, and vainly imagine the form is what God demands.

Sardis had the letter of Christianity, but not its spirit, for the Lord has to say to the assembly there, “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead” (Rev. 3:1). Such is Protestantism today: This is what it became after the spiritual power that first characterised the movement had faded away. How many there are today who rely on their baptism, their church membership or church attendance, for salvation. They have the letter of Christianity, but have not its spirit in the possession of divine life and the indwelling Spirit of God. These will indeed discover sooner or later that the letter kills; it does not give life.

Is it not the same today? There is a great religious profession, the great majority trusting to the symbols and ceremonies of Christianity rather than in Christ the Son of God. Many trust in their baptism, in their partaking of the Lord's supper, in their church going, and all the while neglecting the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, not having living faith in Him. The solemn case of such was foretold by the Lord Himself, while upon earth, when He said, "When once the Master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying Lord, Lord, open unto us; and He shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in Thy presence … But He shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity" (Luke 13:25-27). The Lord will have reality in those who profess His Name, and will deal with all whose trust is not in Himself.

Morality, without Christ, is an icy morality. Benevolence, without Christ, is a worthless benevolence. Ordinances, without Christ, are powerless and valueless. Orthodoxy, without Christ, is heartless and fruitless. We must get to the end of self whether it be a guilty self or a religious self, and find Christ as the satisfying portion of our hearts, now and for ever. Then we shall be able to say, with truth,

(19) “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”. Thus in the closing days of Christendom the professing mass will be found abandoning themselves to every form of evil, while seeking to cover their wickedness with the cloak of sanctity. Thus nominal Christians become more wicked than pagans, for, while indulging in all the evils of paganism, they add to their wickedness by seeking to hide it under the form of Christianity, though utterly devoid of its spiritual power. What can be more desperately wicked than the effort to use the Name of Christ as a cloak for evil? It is this cloak of sanctity that constitutes the last days' “difficult times”, for the show of piety at times deceives even true Christians.