“Time to get our flu shot,” Lynne said as we drove past our local pharmacy. We blow hot and cold on getting the flu shot. Flu vaccines are developed based on the most likely variants expected the following flu season. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Other vaccines are developed to prevent contracting a serious illness. The way they do this is by giving you a mild variant of the disease, allowing your body’s immune system to develop antibodies to effectively counter the disease for which it was developed.

Sadly, a good portion of the church of Jesus Christ has, in a sense, been “vaccinated” against catching a full-on variant of Christianity. This happened when the modern evangelical movement embraced a gospel message of cheap grace. In other words, Jesus is presented as a friend, not a king. God is no longer the Sovereign Creator but “the man upstairs” or “the good Lord.” Jesus is a ticket to Heaven, a form of fire insurance gained by a mere proclamation of “accepting” Jesus as Savior but not as Lord.

Jesus addressed a similar church in Revelation. Through the Apostle John, He spoke a message of rebuke to a “cheap grace” church: “I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.” (Revelation 3:15-17, ESV)

How did this come about? These believers were inoculated with a mild variant of Christianity, which then developed spiritual “antibodies,” which then kept them from coming down with a fever. Having obtained a mild version of Christianity, they placed their confidence in everything but the Risen Savior. They were “rich” and in need of nothing, not realizing that lukewarm Christianity left them “wretched, pitiable, blind, and naked” in the eyes of their Savior.

Jesus’s prescription for this lukewarmness followed His rebuke: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” (3:19) The Greek word translated “zealous” is zeeloo, defined as “to seek or desire eagerly” (Vine’s Expository Dictionary). The early church grew exponentially because it was a zealous church. Our lack of zeal might well explain the stunted growth of the church in North America.

Of far more concern to King Jesus is not the lack of zeal so much as it is the detrimental effect to the lukewarm believer. A zealous Christian is a joy-filled Christian. Joy is a gift of the Spirit that Jesus desires His church to receive. “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:10-11) Lukewarm Christians are not joy-filled Christians. Jesus “commanded” His followers to “go make disciples,” becoming joy-filled on the journey.

Pastor, author, and, dare I say, prophet A. W. Tozer cautions us about the danger of cheap grace: “To offer a sinner the gift of salvation based upon the work of Christ, while at the same time allowing him to retain the idea that the gift carries with it no moral implications, is to do him untold injury where it hurts him worst.” (The Set of the Sail)

I, for one, do not want to disappoint King Jesus by proclaiming a gospel message of cheap grace. Jesus told many who came to Him to count the cost before becoming a follower. We would be wise if we did the same.

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!