Dr. Mike Jones

“Some Christians ONLY want enough of God, to say, they’re saved,”

Q: Your statement, “Some Christians only want enough of God, to say, they’re saved,” received good reviews; can you explain it and biblical illiteracy?

A: America was once a nation that was immersed in sacred Scripture. As a matter of fact – Christians were known as “People of one book”. Today, noted scholars in various areas of academia speak of America as a “Post-Christian culture, in which agnosticism (a secular worldview) seems to be the prevailing belief system, ahead of Christianity.

Colleagues know how much I enjoy quoting statistics to prove what we are seeing in Christendom. Noted Harvard Professor emeritus, Paul Boyer quoted posters George Gallup and Jim Castelli as saying, “Americans revere the Bible – but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.”

In 2013, Lifeway Research conducted a Protestant Study on how often they read the Bible outside of church. Only 19% responded, “Every day;” but yet, 90% of those who were interview stated, “Their desire is to please and honor Jesus Christ, in all they do.” That’s hard to do, if you don’t know what our lord said through the writings of Apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:15-17, “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”

When I use the term ‘biblical illiteracy’, I’m making reference to there NOT being a total commitment to the love and life of Jesus Christ, sound Bible teaching/preaching, and the local church. Entertainment being used to keep attendance high: Newsweek reported a church pastor and his associate pastors sponsoring a wrestling match, in the church basement for their Sunday evening service. Week after week, the attendance grew exponentially. Christian colleges and universities now train future leaders to lead major corporations instead of ministries.

For example, most of the colleges in America that started over 300 years ago where originally Bible institutions. I’m making reference to Harvard and Yale (Puritan schools) and Princeton (Presbyterian).

In my conclusion, all these things have created a weak version of the true Gospel, which is the ‘good news’ about a serious problem that’s confronting us as human beings. The problem is: I’m a sinner and one day, I’m going to confront a holy and just God to be judged. And I’ll be judged not on the basis of my own righteousness.

Last but not least, when we are totally committed to the love and Life of Christ, it’s normal for us to love His church, which consists of these four main components: a proper view of sacred Scripture, serious Bible teaching and preaching, sound biblical doctrine, and practical application of Scripture put into practice.

But for the contemporary evangelical believer, Christian media with its dominant Ministries personalities have replace the connection to a local church, thus resulting in irregular attendance – when it should be a priority in a Christian’s Life. It should be every Christian’s desire for corporate worship, as expressed in Ephesian 5:19-20, “Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

The local church is there for us to encourage each other, as expressed in Hebrews 10:25, “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”

God never intended for us to live our faith in isolation. Therefore, He established His church to grow us, encourage us, and use our gifts for His glory. That’s why Christians must return to their local church, NOT as ‘Sunday Only Subscribers,’ but as committed members, participating in its weekly functions, and to carry out its mission.