What’s Under the Surface of Our Profession of Faith?    

One day I opened a package of brand-name peanut butter sandwich crackers we had left over from a recent trip. As I lifted the first cracker from the pack, the two pieces separated to reveal that there was no peanut butter in the middle to hold it together. I’m not talking about just having a miniscule amount of the substance. The inside of those crackers was completely clean – not a drop of filling. The second cracker I tried was the same way. Two out of the six sandwich crackers in the pack contained nothing on the inside. I was rather disappointed that my snack didn’t live up to what its name promised.

   Do we live up to what our name promises as we profess to be believers, Christians, and followers of Jesus? It’s disappointing when we get to know someone, see what’s beneath the surface in a person’s character, and find that the substance doesn’t seem to be there. What’s on the inside doesn’t seem to match up with the outward image or packaging. Notwithstanding, we don’t know all that may be present in other people’s hearts and thankfully we aren’t the final judges. However, we should keep a close watch on what’s inside our own hearts. We may look like and act like those who know Christ, but is the substance there? Are we like empty religious shells, or is the filling there on the inside that connects our outward appearance to our true character?

What “substance” should we expect to find underneath the surface of a professing Christian? For one thing, there should be a real, up-to-date relationship with Jesus. We should be trusting Him as our Savior, fellowshipping with Him as our ever-present companion, and submitting to Him as our Lord. There should be a relationship, not just rituals. And that relationship shouldn’t just be based on some past experience, but it should be current and active. Secondly, there should be a love for the Lord and for other people. Jesus said that it all comes down to two commandments, loving God with all our heart and loving others as ourselves. If we’re not devoted to the Lord and letting Him fill our hearts with His love for those around us, we’re like crackers without the peanut butter. A third part of that substance that should be found within us is holiness or Christlikeness. A real relationship with Jesus will change us on the inside and cause us to take on more of His qualities, such as the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22-23). If we’re not growing and being transformed more into the image of Christ, we’re not delivering what the package promises when we say we’re Christians.

 My wife had purchased some Oreo cookies for that same trip, too. Those treats are also known for their filling – that sweet, white creamy filling which some people like to lick off first after pulling apart the two outer ends of the cookie. However, these weren’t the regular Oreos. These weren’t even the “double-stuffed” version with extra filling. These were billed as “mega-stuffed”. These had an abundant supply of the tasty filling stuffed within them.

 Let’s not settle for just having a little of the substance of what it means to be a Christian present within us. Let’s seek to be “mega-stuffed” believers. Let’s pursue knowing Jesus better and drawing as close to Him as we possibly can. Let’s pray that we will abound in our love for God and others. And let’s seek to be entirely sanctified or made holy as the Lord continues to work in our hearts to make us more like Him. Make sure the substance is there, and let’s get as much of it as we can.