One of the longest-running shows on TV is The Simpsons. Since their appearance on the Tracy Ullman show in 1987, the show has become a cultural icon. The world has fallen in love with its cast of characters, from Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, to Rev. Lovejoy, Moe, and Chief Wiggum, but one character that stands out is that of Ned Flanders. Flanders is Homer’s next-door neighbor, who is a devout Christian. Homer is constantly taken advantage of and mistreated, and his response to this mistreatment is to say “Okily Dokily” and move on. This, to me, has furthered the idea that Christians being just really nice has bled over into the cultural zeitgeist. You can see this in the way some folks look at Jesus. He was a really nice guy who did nice things for people. This has led folks to believe the goal of being a Christian is to be nice. The goal is to be less angry and just be nice. They seek change, but on their own terms, but true Christian transformation is less than being nice, but being more like the actual image of Jesus. It is a spirit-led lifelong process. This process is called perfection or sanctification.
In Romans 8:29, Paul talks about how we need to be conformed in the image of the Son. The goal of the Christian walk is not just getting to heaven, but becoming like Christ. Sanctification is one of the things that every Christian should strive for to be more like Christ. For many, the Christian walk is mostly about being nice so that we can get a trip to heaven. That is justification and not sanctification.
Justification is just the start of the process. When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, God forgives us for all our shortcomings. Much like a presidential pardon, all the things we have done sinfully are forgiven. We are no longer held accountable for those things because of Jesus work on the cross. It is our faith in Christ that causes us to be forgiven. For many, once we understand that we are forgiven, we think that is all, but justification is the first step toward sanctification.
Sanctification, or as the Methodist church calls it, perfection, is the ongoing process of the Holy Spirit working in our lives to be more and more like Christ. This is what God does in us. Once we give our lives to Christ, we should begin to reflect his love by becoming more and more like him. We need to be conformed to the image of Christ. So being a Christian is more than just being nice; it is about being an image bearer of Jesus.
We become more like Christ by first submitting ourselves to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s job is to motivate or even agitate us to do the things that reflect our new nature in Christ. Paul tells us in Galatians 5:16 that we need to walk in the Spirit, which means that we need to move as the Holy Spirit guides us. We are not called to do this walk alone but under the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not only should we be guided by the Holy Spirit, but we also need to study the scriptures. This is not just going to church and hearing the sermon, but studying the Scriptures ourselves. We live in a time where we have greater access to Biblical knowledge, and we do not take advantage of it. Sunday service cannot be the only time we engage with the scriptures; we must also take time to study them privately because it is when we know the scriptures that we can see areas where we need to change to be more like Christ. The Holy Spirit will do its part; we have to work with the Spirit to change.
Now you might be asking how do I know if I am walking in the Spirit and becoming more like Christ? It is if we are exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. Are we exuding: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? These are the outward signs of the inward work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is not just about being nice; it is about being like Christ.
The goal of a Christian is not just be Ned Flanders, some “nice guy,” but to be a reflection of Christ. Each one of us should examine one of the fruits of the Spirit to see if our lives reflect that. This is a good time to use prayer and silence, as mentioned in the previous blog, to see whether our lives are aligning with the Spirit. And for those just reading this, look at your life. Have you been chasing self-improvement and not seeing any deep results? It may be because you’re chasing the wrong thing. We as Christians are not called to be nice, but to be, as the name implies, Christ-like.
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